On # List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


42nd Street (1933)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 1/17

42St
1/17: 42nd Street is an okay musical; only the ending saves it from being a complete clunker.

A surprise hit in 1933, the movie was so financially successful that it saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy and that it was responsible for rescuing the musical genre. Now, it's a relic of the 30's cinema which is, in other words, interesting but hopelessly dated. Everything you can possibly find in an old classic Hollywood picture is included here. Even the fashion looks impeccable.

I'm not familiar with the names of the cast except for Ginger Rogers and Dick Powell. Warner Baxter gives a standout performance as Julian Marsh, keeping me awake from start to finish. However, there are several troubles.

One, I can't tell most of the characters apart. Among the females, they have too many pencil-thin eyebrows with hardly any other distinguishing characteristics. I don't know their characters' names and who goes to which subplot. Ditto for the males. Two, the subplots are weak which serve mostly as throwaways just to pass the time. Worse, they have little, if any, impact on the musical show which was going to go on, no matter what. Three, as impressive as the final show is, I'm surprised to spot numerous faces because I didn't see any of them during the rehearsals.

All in all, if 42nd Street would have less pencil-thin eyebrows and more relevant subplots, I might have enjoyed it more.