A classy biography
Added 1/20/2009
"The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle"(1939) was a change of pace film for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was the only time they starred in a true story. It was also their last film togehter at RKO studios.
During the 1910's, Vernon (Fred) and Irene (Ginger) became world famous dancers, introducing several popular dances to Americans for the first time, including the fox trot, polka, and their own "Castle Walk".
After Vernon and Irene marry, Irene encourages Vernon to give up his flop comedy carrer and focus on his dancing instead. With the help of their friend Maggie (character actress Edna May Oliver in a good performance), they become the toast of Paris before hitting it big in the states.
It should be noted that Irene was an American and Vernon British.
After their fame in the US, Vernon and Irene became trendsetters, not only with their dancing, but with many products with their name on them. Shortly afterward, WWI begins, and Vernon decides to join the royal air force.
Some facts were changed for the movie. The Castles' friend played by Walter Brennan was black in real life. His race was changed in the script because southern exhibiters in 1939 would otherwise have refused to show the film. The lady that Oliver's character was based on was a lesbian, but that was against the censorship code in place at that time. Despite the changes, the movie is still pretty good.It is nicely acted and is a classy way for Fred and Ginger to go out. They were reunited ten years later at MGM for "The Berkleys of Broadway".
The DVD includes the first Tom and Jerry cartoon, "Puss Gets the Boot", in which Tom was named Jasper. Nice bit of history. On the down side, there is also a terrible musical short.
"The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" tanked at the box office in 1939, but this DVD is a good way to rediscover it.
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Not the typical Fred & Ginger film
Added 7/26/2008
We will probably never see a dancing duo like Astaire and Rogers again. Fred's ability to make intricate dance steps look as effortless as breathing, and Ginger's addition of beauty and grace as she matched him step for step are a wonder to behold. Thank goodness we have their routines caught forever on film!
And it's with some sadness that this, their final film together, doesn't have nearly the amazing dance numbers we had come to expect from their previous offerings. Don't get me wrong, the dancing is still excellent, but it's just not the Fred-and-Ginger style we know and love. Of course that should probably be expected as they are here playing not two fictional characters, but a real couple, Vernon and Irene Castle, who took the dancing and fashion world by storm just several decades prior. A solid storyline holds this film together, and the end product is enjoyable in it's own way and is definitely worth watching.
And given this was the last of Astaire and Rogers as dancing partners, the final scene of the movie is particularly fitting.
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Not to Astaire/Rogers formula but very good
Added 6/29/2008
While "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" is the last and least typical of the incomparable films which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together at RKO studios in the 1930s, it should not be dismissed because it does not follow the usual formula. The dancing duo's box office standing had been diminishing so it was logical that RKO broke formula.
The film is an exquisitely made biography of the famous husband and wife dancing team, more comparable to the sorts of films Alice Faye was making at 20th Century Fox and even Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy at MGM. The stars have much more 3 dimensional acting roles than usual which they perform beautifully. The nostalgic tunes, jaunty dance routines and excellent period detail ensure fine entertainment, a first rate production in every way and senstively directed by H C Potter.
The print of the film is excellent but there are two awful extras, a cartoon and a musical short. Both are MGM products and suffer the usual problems of this studio's output - overblown and humourless. The musical short is bizarre with 2 second rate forgotten singers playing business rivals in the manufacture of waffle irons! Yep, you better believe it. Since the short is written and directed by the same man, one wonders what he was possible thinking. The cartoon, a cat and mouse opus, lacks the wit of the Warner Brother's equivalent and has an edge of cruelty which is very unattractive - shades of Tom and Jerry.
The DVD is OK value but better if purchased as part of one of the Astaire/Rogers sets.
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Astaire, Rogers, and the first Tom & Jerry cartoon
Added 11/5/2006
This is not my favorite Astaire-Rogers movie. Their connection with each other was never more touching, but the dancing -- recreating the specific steps of the Castles -- by definition doesn't have the ingenuity that makes Fred & Ginger so special.
However, there is a feature on this DVD, that is interesting: 1940's Puss Gets the Boot is the first Tom & Jerry cartoon. Though the cat is named Jasper and the mouse is unnamed, this first pairing of directors Hanna and Barbera became so popular (the toon was nominated for an Academy Award) that the characters' names were changed and the series was officially born one year later.
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Dancing During a More "Innocent" Era (DVD Review)
Added 10/31/2006
Their ninth film together and the last for RKO, Fred & Ginger (F&G) play real life characters Vernon and Irene Castle. Since the story is set in the 1910s, which is comparably a more "innocent" era, the dancing is not as sophisticated but just as elegant, because it's F&G. A typical biographical account, it takes you through various trials and conflicts throughout their lives. The movie has more comedy in the beginning but becomes more serious at the end, especially when Vernon joins the Royal Air Corps during World War I. All the characters are lovable, and you wish you could be there. It's also the only F&G movie where the principles are concerned about having enough money to make ends meet.
In the vintage musical short "Happily Buried" two presidents of competing waffle iron companies want to marry each other but cannot agree on the shape of the iron in the merged company. As a publicity stunt, John Hubbard (Richard Wright) buries himself on display. Look for Tommy Bond, who played Butch in the Little Rascals. (1939, B&W, Run time 20:01)
In the classic cartoon, "Puss Gets the Boot" a cat and mouse fight for household domination. It is a Tom & Jerry predecessor before they were called Tom & Jerry. A written preface comments on how racist it is. However, the stereotyping did not bother me, and I would not have even noticed if they did not point it out. Nevertheless, I am glad they were sensitive about it. (1940, Color, Run time 9:11)
No featurette, running commentary, or theatrical trailer is on this DVD, which is why I gave it four stars instead of five.
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A classy biography
Added 1/20/2009
"The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle"(1939) was a change of pace film for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was the only time they starred in a true story. It was also their last film togehter at RKO studios.
During the 1910's, Vernon (Fred) and Irene (Ginger) became world famous dancers, introducing several popular dances to Americans for the first time, including the fox trot, polka, and their own "Castle Walk".
After Vernon and Irene marry, Irene encourages Vernon to give up his flop comedy carrer and focus on his dancing instead. With the help of their friend Maggie (character actress Edna May Oliver in a good performance), they become the toast of Paris before hitting it big in the states.
It should be noted that Irene was an American and Vernon British.
After their fame in the US, Vernon and Irene became trendsetters, not only with their dancing, but with many products with their name on them. Shortly afterward, WWI begins, and Vernon decides to join the royal air force.
Some facts were changed for the movie. The Castles' friend played by Walter Brennan was black in real life. His race was changed in the script because southern exhibiters in 1939 would otherwise have refused to show the film. The lady that Oliver's character was based on was a lesbian, but that was against the censorship code in place at that time. Despite the changes, the movie is still pretty good.It is nicely acted and is a classy way for Fred and Ginger to go out. They were reunited ten years later at MGM for "The Berkleys of Broadway".
The DVD includes the first Tom and Jerry cartoon, "Puss Gets the Boot", in which Tom was named Jasper. Nice bit of history. On the down side, there is also a terrible musical short.
"The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" tanked at the box office in 1939, but this DVD is a good way to rediscover it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Not the typical Fred & Ginger film
Added 7/26/2008
We will probably never see a dancing duo like Astaire and Rogers again. Fred's ability to make intricate dance steps look as effortless as breathing, and Ginger's addition of beauty and grace as she matched him step for step are a wonder to behold. Thank goodness we have their routines caught forever on film!
And it's with some sadness that this, their final film together, doesn't have nearly the amazing dance numbers we had come to expect from their previous offerings. Don't get me wrong, the dancing is still excellent, but it's just not the Fred-and-Ginger style we know and love. Of course that should probably be expected as they are here playing not two fictional characters, but a real couple, Vernon and Irene Castle, who took the dancing and fashion world by storm just several decades prior. A solid storyline holds this film together, and the end product is enjoyable in it's own way and is definitely worth watching.
And given this was the last of Astaire and Rogers as dancing partners, the final scene of the movie is particularly fitting.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Not to Astaire/Rogers formula but very good
Added 6/29/2008
While "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" is the last and least typical of the incomparable films which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together at RKO studios in the 1930s, it should not be dismissed because it does not follow the usual formula. The dancing duo's box office standing had been diminishing so it was logical that RKO broke formula.
The film is an exquisitely made biography of the famous husband and wife dancing team, more comparable to the sorts of films Alice Faye was making at 20th Century Fox and even Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy at MGM. The stars have much more 3 dimensional acting roles than usual which they perform beautifully. The nostalgic tunes, jaunty dance routines and excellent period detail ensure fine entertainment, a first rate production in every way and senstively directed by H C Potter.
The print of the film is excellent but there are two awful extras, a cartoon and a musical short. Both are MGM products and suffer the usual problems of this studio's output - overblown and humourless. The musical short is bizarre with 2 second rate forgotten singers playing business rivals in the manufacture of waffle irons! Yep, you better believe it. Since the short is written and directed by the same man, one wonders what he was possible thinking. The cartoon, a cat and mouse opus, lacks the wit of the Warner Brother's equivalent and has an edge of cruelty which is very unattractive - shades of Tom and Jerry.
The DVD is OK value but better if purchased as part of one of the Astaire/Rogers sets.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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