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THE BAND WAGON
Vincente Minnelli
(1953)
TRAMA
English
Stage and screen star Tony Hunter, a veteran of musical comedy, is concerned that his career might be in decline. His good friends Lester and Lily Marton have
written a stage show that they believe is perfect for his comeback.
Tony signs up, despite misgivings after the director, Jeffrey Cordova, changes the light comedy into a dark reinterpretation of the Faust legend, with himself as the Devil and Tony as the Faust character. Tony also feels intimidated by the youth, beauty, and classical background of his female co-star, noted ballerina Gabrielle "Gaby" Gerard. Unbeknownst to him, she is just as insecure in his presence, awed by his long stardom.
Eventually, it all proves too much for Tony. He walks out, but Gaby speaks with him alone and they work out their differences. They also begin to fall in love, though she already has a commitment to the show's choreographer Paul Byrd.
When the first out-of-town tryout in New Haven proves to be a disaster, Tony persuades Jeffrey to let him convert the production back into what the Martons had originally envisioned. Tony takes charge of the production, taking the show on tour to perfect the new lighthearted musical numbers. Since the original backers have walked out, Tony finances it by selling his personal art collection. Byrd walks out, but Gaby remains.
The revised show proves to be a hit on its Broadway opening. Afterwards, Gaby lets Tony know how she feels about him.
Notes
The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank, along with Singin' in the Rain, as the finest of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career. However, the play's director wants to make it a pretentious retelling of Faust, and brings in a prima ballerina who clashes with the star.
The songs were written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, and some were created for the original 1931 Broadway musical also called The Band Wagon, with a book by George S. Kaufman and starring Fred Astaire and his sister Adele. (Fred Astaire also stars in the movie.) The movie's dances and musical numbers were staged by Michael Kidd.
The song "That's Entertainment!", which Schwartz and Dietz wrote specifically for the film, was a hit and has become a standard. Another song orchestrated by Conrad Salinger, "Dancing in the Dark", is considered part of the Great American Songbook and was from the original Broadway production. Astaire's early number in the film, "A Shine On Your Shoes" was actually written for a 1932 Broadway revue with music and lyrics by Dietz and Schwartz called Flying Colors. It had originally been performed by the dancing team of Buddy and Vilma Ebsen. In the movie version of The Band Wagon, the song was reworked to show off Astaire's musical talents.
The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, Color, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay. Screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who received the nomination for the screenplay, patterned the film's characters Lester and Lily Marton after themselves, although the fictional characters were a married couple and Comden and Green were not romantically involved.
In 1995, The Band Wagon was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2006, this film ranked #17 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals.
Italiano
Un ballerino ed attore, un tempo rinomato, Tony Hunter, che da qualche anno non prende parte a spettacoli, si trova in ristrettezze economiche. Va New York a trovare Lester e Lily Marton, suoi buoni amici, che gli propongono di essere l'interprete di una loro rivista. Il produttore-regista sarà un uomo di talento, che gode di ottima fama, Jeffrey Cordova. Questi ingaggia come ballerina un'artista assai nota, Gabrielle Gerard e trasforma il copione, facendo della rivista musicale quasi una versione moderna del Faust. Benché non approvi le idee di Cordova, Tony partecipa, come interprete, alla rivista, che alla prima rappresentazione a New York si rivela un insuccesso. Cordova deve riconoscere che Tony aveva ragione. La rivista sarà rifatta secondo le idee di Marton e realizzata con la direzione di Tony. Per procurarsi il denaro necessario, Tony vende alcuni quadri, ultimo avanzo della sua passata agiatezza. Rappresentata in provincia, la nuova rivista è accolta favorevolmente: a New York il successo è trionfale. Tony è felice: oltre al successo artistico, ha conquistato il cuore di Gabrielle.
Note
Spettacolo di varietà è un film del 1953 diretto da Vincente Minnelli, con Fred Astaire e Cyd Charisse.
Nel 1995 è stato scelto per essere conservato nel National Film Registry della Biblioteca del Congresso degli Stati Uniti.
DATI
Spettacolo di varietà
Titolo originale The Band Wagon
Paese di produzione USA
Anno 1953
Durata 111 min
Colore Colore
Audio Sonoro
Genere Commedia, Musicale
Regia Vincente Minnelli
Sceneggiatura Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Fotografia Harry Jackson
Montaggio Albert Akst
Musiche Adolph Deutsch
Scenografia Preston Ames
Interpreti e personaggi
Fred Astaire: Tony Hunter
Cyd Charisse: Gabrielle Gerard
Oscar Levant: Lester Marton
Nanette Fabray: Lily Marton
Jack Buchanan: Jeffrey Cordova
James Mitchell: Paul Byrd
Ava Gardner: sé stessa
Doppiatori italiani
Stefano Sibaldi: Fred Astaire
Elda Tattoli: Cyd Charisse
Bruno Persa: Oscar Levant
Dhia Cristiani: Nanette Fabray
Nino Pavese: Jack Buchanan
Pino Locchi: James Mitchell
Rosetta Calavetta: Ava Gardner
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Languages: English
Subtiles: Eng-Ita-Fra-Ned-Bul-Rus
SCREENSHOTS
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