Parade spotlight
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Parade spotlight |
| Original title | Footlight Parade |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1933 |
| length | 104 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Lloyd Bacon |
| script |
Manuel Seff James Seymour |
| production |
Robert Lord for Warner Bros. |
| music |
Harry Warren , Al Dubin , Sammy Fain , Irving Kahal |
| camera | George Barnes |
| cut | George Amy |
| occupation | |
| |
Parade in the spotlight is an American musical comedy from the year 1933 with James Cagney and Joan Blondell in the lead roles. In 1992 the film was entered into the National Film Registry . It was Cagey's entry into the comedy business.
action
Since the imaginative musical producer Charles Kent is no longer successful because of the stock market crash and the subsequent economic crisis as well as the rise of the sound film , he develops " Prologe ". These are shown in the cinema before the actual film begins. Since he has to constantly develop new prologues so that they can run in the movie theaters in America, he soon becomes stressed. That inhibits his creativity. In addition, a rival steals his ideas and Kent suspects that it is one of his employees. In fact, he's so stressed out that he doesn't notice that his secretary Nan is attracted to him.
Kent's business partners make a deal with George Apolinaris' large Apolinaris Theater , so that his prologue runs there. However, two other groups also apply, and a decision must be made. Kent even locks himself in his office during rehearsals so that no one spies on his choreographies . Finally it comes to the finale: The three groups show their choreographies with a time delay in three cinemas so that Mr. Apolinaris can see them.
Spectacular deposits like a waterfall follow. The people in charge of Apolinaris and Charles Kents producers are thrilled. Kent gets the job, and he and Nan become a couple.
background
When the film was made in 1933, many musical comedies were being made in Hollywood . Especially dance films with Fred Astaire like dance with me! and I dance only for you enjoyed great popularity. The director of Parade in the Spotlight , Lloyd Bacon , was already knowledgeable in this field, after all, in the same year he shot the film drama The 42nd Street , which is now considered a classic of the genre. In such films, music and dance interludes are almost always packed into a comedic plot.
With Guy Kibbee , Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell , three actors from 42nd Street were included in this film, whose roles are comparable to their roles at the time. The three actors also played together in the musical film Goldgräber from 1933 , with Joan Blondell also starring here . The film was also produced by Robert Lord . So Blondell was also experienced in this area. Lead actor James Cagney had previously played predominantly in crime and gangster films such as The Public Enemy . Apparently they were satisfied with Cagey's performance in retrospect, at least he was used successfully in comedies such as A Midsummer Night's Dream , The Wild Twenties and Yankee Doodle Dandy , often with Frank McHugh at his side, who plays Francis here.
The film was relatively expensive at around $ 700,000 for a comedy, but it became a hit, grossing about $ 1.75 million. The well-known choreographer Busby Berkeley designed and realized demanding and highly acrobatic choreographies, for example dancers once united in one scene to form a giant cake.
The film was made at the time of the Pre Code - before the time of the Hays Code , which banned lewd and brutal scenes - and contains lewd jokes in a few places, which are, however, rather subtle. The dancers, however, are mostly lightly dressed in the dance scenes.
In 1992 the film was included in the National Film Registry and rated as "historically, culturally or aesthetically significant".
Reviews
The US critic portal Rotten Tomatoes has Footlight Parade , based on nine reviews, a positive rating of 100%.
The film service writes: “Perfect Hollywood musical in the absolutely unreal, artificial style of the dream factory; Excellent performance and especially the choreography by Busby Berkeley make the film a high point of the music films of the 30s. ”The TV magazine Prisma was also overwhelmingly positive:“ James Cagey's […] screen presence was so omnipresent that he managed the plot to dominate even amid the countless legs, breasts and flawless teeth with which director Lloyd Bacon and legendary choreographer Busby Berkeley flooded the scenes. [...] Combined with the triangles, sunflowers and cubist decors, the girls form a realm of ornamentation that makes them the most daring Art Deco museum in the world and the most voluptuous triumph of the camp. (3 out of 5 stars) “.
Web links
- Parade in the spotlight in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Footlight Parade. Retrieved September 8, 2018 .
- ↑ Parade in the spotlight at Zweiausendeins.de
- ↑ Parade in the spotlight at prisma.de