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I grew up with Danny Kaye as a sort of Jim Carrey fella. Into mugging, being obvious etc. The diff with Carrey? Parents loved Danny, I suppose because of the Disney connection (Hans Christian Andersen etc).
Just saw this flick on TCM. What a revelation! The late 40s were full of movies practicing the party line of mindless entertainment while putting in gotchas that were almost subliminal. Film Noir is the obvious genre here, but Westerns and comedies and musicals all did the same. Multiple levels of meaning.
This movie conveys the message of joy, at a time when doors were shutting, McCarthy was looming, the bomb was on the horizon. It makes fun (nice fun) of those intellectuals who (in different fields) brought us the bomb.
One stereotype down. Then it makes fun of women "bombshells". Virginia Mayo is to die for, and yes the professors want to study her. In more ways than one.
To do this film justice intellectually would take a lot more words.
But then you also get the most amazing clarinet transformation on film, musical interludes that make it clear why music has always been so dazzling until recently, pictures of various real musicians at the height of their powers, and an obvious love story that is eternal!!! Whoee....
score 10/10
evitts-1 25 April 2006
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1351885/ |
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31-3-2021 04:36:14