This is a hodge-podge, and that makes it hard to sit through. Being almost two hours long doesn't help.
First, the good: Ann Southern. She is very good in this movie, and sings some songs very beautifully. Robert Young does a good job with his character, but that character is all over the place. Eleanor Powell is good as Southern's friend - which is fortunate, because she only gets two dance numbers, which is one of the negative things about this movie. Giving her only two numbers is wasting her.
The bad: this movie goes on way too long, and has way too many segments that have nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Actually, the best moment in the movie has nothing to do with the rest of it. Suddenly, with no warning, Reginald Owen announces that the song-writing team (Southern and Young) have written a new song. With no other explanation, Southern sings, very beautifully, "The Last Time I Saw Paris", which, unlike the rest of songs in the movie, is not by Gershwin but Kern. Suddenly we are made aware that the Germans have occupied France, and we are made to regret it with Oscar Hammerstein's moving words. The famous Paris monuments are run behind Southern's beautiful face. It is a perfectly filmed moment.
And then we go back to the rest of the movie, and the war in Europe is forgotten.
Young's character is disagreeable. There are too many extraneous numbers. The song that gets plugged the most, "Words and Music", is not that good.
There is some real good stuff here, mostly the musical numbers. The rest just gets aggravating after awhile.
First, the good: Ann Southern. She is very good in this movie, and sings some songs very beautifully. Robert Young does a good job with his character, but that character is all over the place. Eleanor Powell is good as Southern's friend - which is fortunate, because she only gets two dance numbers, which is one of the negative things about this movie. Giving her only two numbers is wasting her.
The bad: this movie goes on way too long, and has way too many segments that have nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Actually, the best moment in the movie has nothing to do with the rest of it. Suddenly, with no warning, Reginald Owen announces that the song-writing team (Southern and Young) have written a new song. With no other explanation, Southern sings, very beautifully, "The Last Time I Saw Paris", which, unlike the rest of songs in the movie, is not by Gershwin but Kern. Suddenly we are made aware that the Germans have occupied France, and we are made to regret it with Oscar Hammerstein's moving words. The famous Paris monuments are run behind Southern's beautiful face. It is a perfectly filmed moment.
And then we go back to the rest of the movie, and the war in Europe is forgotten.
Young's character is disagreeable. There are too many extraneous numbers. The song that gets plugged the most, "Words and Music", is not that good.
There is some real good stuff here, mostly the musical numbers. The rest just gets aggravating after awhile.