Last night I watched the classic 1935 film musical Roberta, which is set in Paris. The romantic leads are played by Irene Dunn and Randolph Scott. The secondary romantic couple is played by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Ginger Rogers is hilarious early in the film, masquerading - with a faux French accent - as a wealthy countess and a Parisian woman of very high fashion. She and Fred meet by accident in Paris. Back in Indiana they were a song and dance team, and of course they pick up where they left off.
A beautiful Lucille Ball plays one of the many fashion models in the movie. Speaking of Lucy, William Frawley (better known as Fred Mertz), plays a bartender.
It's a beloved musical because of its songs, written by Jerome Kern, and the dance routines. In particular Irene Dunn sings Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, accompanied by an orchestra of balalaikas.
Later Fred and Ginger dance to an instrumental version.
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkQU-VQkhGw for all of that.
Jerome Kern, a great songwriter, also wrote Ol' Man River and The Way You Look Tonight, a Sinatra staple that Kern wrote for Fred Astaire to sing to Ginger in Shall We Dance.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is one of the great popular songs of the 20th century, and continues to have an impact on American popular culture. A remarkable, long and eclectic list of singers and groups have done a rendition of the song (some listed below).
The Platters recorded the most commercially successful version of the song in 1952.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2di83WAOhU
A favorite version of mine is sung by Dinah Washington:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_OkmVtUaA0
Here's a version by Jerry Garcia, with the lovely Ashley Judd sitting next to him, from the movie Smoke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEuJqlrfEZ0
To quote Cliff Claven, here's a little known fact: Jerry Garcia was named after Jerome Kern.
The song has been central to many movies and books (a list of both in Wikipedia).
In the climax of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield comes to terms with reality while watching his 6 year old sister Phoebe on the carousel as it plays Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.
The song title still pervades American popular culture. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is the title of the pilot episode of the AMC TV series Mad Men (airdate July 19, 2007).
A partial list of who else has recorded a version of the song, along with some links:
Kathryn Grayson (from Lovely to Look At, a 1952 remake of Roberta)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C3OxlpoIRI
Judy Garland on The Judy Garland Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz68KvMtHOA
Nat King Cole http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Je0rHIal4
Barbara Streisand
Louis Armstrong
Johnny Mathis
Harry Belafonte
Sarah Vaughn
Billie Holiday
Tommy Dorsey
Glenn Miller
Benny Goodman
Cannonball Adderly
Thelonius Monk
Sonny Rollins
Charlie Parker
Ray Conniff
Al Jolson
Edith Piaf
Cher
Zoot and Rowlf from the Muppet Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ygnnPWvC9c
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Felsha Reminds Mike of the Beauty of SIlent Films
On this blog (see Top 20 songs) Felsha had me check out a couple of music videos, both of which were beautiful. One of them had a lot of meaning for me beyond the music.
See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NZdggNUvq0&feature=related
Maxence Cyrin is the pianist/composer of this piece, Where is My Mind. The video is made entirely of excerpts from the film The Mysterious Lady (1928), starring the great Greta Garbo.
Cyrin's music and the film segments make each other more than they are alone. This is actually not surprising, because silent films were meant to be viewed in a theater, accompanied by live piano music. Part of the film would be the piano score written for it. In the early 1980's I saw a different Garbo classic at the Anthology Film Archives on Astor Place in the East Village of Manhattan, and, along with the film, a pianist played the score that had originally been written for it. It was a completely different experience from viewing a silent film without the music, the music added drama, comedy, etc.
Inspired by this, I looked at other videos of Cyrin. Yet another featured a classic silent film. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2A5Gno7T0Y&NR=1
This piece is called La femme chinoise (Yellow Magic Orchestra), the film is The Goddess (1934), a Chinese film set in Shanghai. The Chinese word that gets translated to "goddess" means both goddess and prostitute. The actress is Ruan Lingyu, a legendary Chinese movie star who was the Greta Garbo of Chinese silent films, usually playing the tragic heroine. She had a full but complicated personal life and committed suicide at the age of 24, leaving the note: "Gossip is a terrible thing."
The woman's long form-fitting dress is a form of the cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress. Cheongsam with slits up the legs were worn by prostitutes and women of fashion. It showed off their slender, elegant bodies, and their gentle curves. That style of dress is still worn occasionally by Chinese women today, at formal occasions. At the storied ballroom dance club The Paramount, which celebrates the glamour of old Shanghai, the female dance professionals all wear this style of dress. Bolei and I have been there several times, and danced with each other and professional dancers (for a price).
At the very end of the film, you see the lights of Shanghai. The skyscrapers are Art Deco, they loved the great Art Deco skyscrapers of Manhattan (such as the Woolworth and the Chrysler buildings).
See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NZdggNUvq0&feature=related
Maxence Cyrin is the pianist/composer of this piece, Where is My Mind. The video is made entirely of excerpts from the film The Mysterious Lady (1928), starring the great Greta Garbo.
Cyrin's music and the film segments make each other more than they are alone. This is actually not surprising, because silent films were meant to be viewed in a theater, accompanied by live piano music. Part of the film would be the piano score written for it. In the early 1980's I saw a different Garbo classic at the Anthology Film Archives on Astor Place in the East Village of Manhattan, and, along with the film, a pianist played the score that had originally been written for it. It was a completely different experience from viewing a silent film without the music, the music added drama, comedy, etc.
Inspired by this, I looked at other videos of Cyrin. Yet another featured a classic silent film. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2A5Gno7T0Y&NR=1
This piece is called La femme chinoise (Yellow Magic Orchestra), the film is The Goddess (1934), a Chinese film set in Shanghai. The Chinese word that gets translated to "goddess" means both goddess and prostitute. The actress is Ruan Lingyu, a legendary Chinese movie star who was the Greta Garbo of Chinese silent films, usually playing the tragic heroine. She had a full but complicated personal life and committed suicide at the age of 24, leaving the note: "Gossip is a terrible thing."
The woman's long form-fitting dress is a form of the cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress. Cheongsam with slits up the legs were worn by prostitutes and women of fashion. It showed off their slender, elegant bodies, and their gentle curves. That style of dress is still worn occasionally by Chinese women today, at formal occasions. At the storied ballroom dance club The Paramount, which celebrates the glamour of old Shanghai, the female dance professionals all wear this style of dress. Bolei and I have been there several times, and danced with each other and professional dancers (for a price).
At the very end of the film, you see the lights of Shanghai. The skyscrapers are Art Deco, they loved the great Art Deco skyscrapers of Manhattan (such as the Woolworth and the Chrysler buildings).
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Mike's list of favorite French films
The Blood of a Poet (1930) - Cocteau
Le Million (1931) - Rene Clair
Zero de conduite (1933) - Jean Vigo
Pepe le MoKo (1937) - Jean Gabin
La Grande illusion (1937)- Renoir, Jean Gabin
The Rules of the Game (1939) - Renoir
La Belle et la Bete (1946) - Cocteau
Orphee (1950) - Cocteau
Les Vacances de M. Hulot (1953) - Jacques Tati
Bob le flambeur (1956)
Mon Oncle (1958) - Jacques Tati
Les Cousins (1959)
Les Quatre cents coups (1959) - Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Leaud
Breathless (1960) - Godard, Belmondo, Jean Seberg
Jules et Jim (1962) - Truffaut, Jeanne Moreau, O. Werner
Cartouche (1962) - Philippe de Broca, Belmondo, Claudia Cardinale
The King of Hearts (1966) - Philippe de Broca, Alan Bates, G. Bujold
Belle de Jour (1967) - Bunuel, C. Deneuve
Stolen Kisses (1968) - Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Leaud
Murmur of the Heart (1971) - Louis Malle
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) - Bunuel
Day for Night (1973) - Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Leaud, J. Bisset
Stavisky (1974) - Resnais, Belmondo
Coup de Torchon (1975)
Small Change (1976) - Truffaut
That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) - Bunuel
Get Out Your Handkerchieves (1978) - Gerard Depardiu
The Last Metro (1980) - Truffaut, C. Deneuve, G. Depardiu
Diva (1981)
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) - Gerard Depardiu
Betty Blue (1986)
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) - Gerard Depardiu
Tous les matins du monde (1991) - Gerard Depardiu
The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
Indochine (1992) - C. Deneuve
Un coeur en hiver (1992)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Amelie (2001)
La Vie En Rose (2007) - story of Edith Piaf
Le Million (1931) - Rene Clair
Zero de conduite (1933) - Jean Vigo
Pepe le MoKo (1937) - Jean Gabin
La Grande illusion (1937)- Renoir, Jean Gabin
The Rules of the Game (1939) - Renoir
La Belle et la Bete (1946) - Cocteau
Orphee (1950) - Cocteau
Les Vacances de M. Hulot (1953) - Jacques Tati
Bob le flambeur (1956)
Mon Oncle (1958) - Jacques Tati
Les Cousins (1959)
Les Quatre cents coups (1959) - Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Leaud
Breathless (1960) - Godard, Belmondo, Jean Seberg
Jules et Jim (1962) - Truffaut, Jeanne Moreau, O. Werner
Cartouche (1962) - Philippe de Broca, Belmondo, Claudia Cardinale
The King of Hearts (1966) - Philippe de Broca, Alan Bates, G. Bujold
Belle de Jour (1967) - Bunuel, C. Deneuve
Stolen Kisses (1968) - Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Leaud
Murmur of the Heart (1971) - Louis Malle
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) - Bunuel
Day for Night (1973) - Truffaut, Jean-Pierre Leaud, J. Bisset
Stavisky (1974) - Resnais, Belmondo
Coup de Torchon (1975)
Small Change (1976) - Truffaut
That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) - Bunuel
Get Out Your Handkerchieves (1978) - Gerard Depardiu
The Last Metro (1980) - Truffaut, C. Deneuve, G. Depardiu
Diva (1981)
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982) - Gerard Depardiu
Betty Blue (1986)
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) - Gerard Depardiu
Tous les matins du monde (1991) - Gerard Depardiu
The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
Indochine (1992) - C. Deneuve
Un coeur en hiver (1992)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Amelie (2001)
La Vie En Rose (2007) - story of Edith Piaf
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