Top Hat
It’s definitely been awhile since the last time I have seen “The Dreamers” which I told myself I would watch every year to assess how my love for films has changed. Without even seeing the film, one thing is for sure: I definitely outgrew it by now, and I have always known that I would one day. It actually makes me a little sad to have lost that youthful, foolish spirit, yet at the same time, a big part of me thinks that adulthood (and motherhood especially) actually made my life richer than the foolishness of youth, much unlike what your average Hollywood film would suggest. I read that Rohmer only makes movies about young people and I suspect his disdain for old people is merely more open than other people’s. Films like “Make way for tomorrow” or “Amour” are rare. But I digress. So I looked through my 2014 favourites list and realized that nothing has changed from it. I barely watched anything in 2015 and my sense of films has basically stagnated. This is dangerous, and I hope to improve on that in 2016.
“The Dreamers” is also the main reason why I want to see “Top Hat”, apart from the fact that I have never seen anything by the famous Rogers/Astaire couple. I also realized that “Top Hat” is actually their most famous film (or at least that is my impression), with none of the truly famous dance musicals of later days featuring any of them. I got the impression that the pair is more famous for themselves than their movies, and seeing “Top Hat” confirmed that for me. The storyline is nice, funny sometimes, but ultimately somewhat dull. It’s the music, the choreography and the ridiculous but stylish stage design that make 50% of the film’s appeal, and the other 50% is the unparalleled chemistry between Astaire and Rogers. I have never seen anything like that, and I doubt I ever will again. There is so much joy in the way they dance together that I never even thought of falling asleep for a second, even though it was late and some of the others either went to sleep or fell asleep during the film.
By the way, my favorite dance is actually not the one in which Rogers had all the feathers on her dress fly off, but the one where they initially seek shelter from the rain and fall in love. She wears pants in that scene, and somehow that made their moves much more appealing to me.
I definitely want to see “Swing Time”, even though I expect its story to be even worse. If the dances are good, I think I would accept the most absurd plot just to see Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance, that’s for sure. It’s sad if “Top Hat” really is their best film, but then it’s definitely worth a second look.
* On a completely unrelated note: If you ask a female feminist who advocates for equality between men and women in all regards, she is on a sinking ship with a single male who offers her his life vest because she is a woman – would she refuse?