SWING TIME was one of the three films from the AFI Top 100 that I had not seen, so I took a look at it the other night. It was a pleasant surprise for the most part. I like TOP HAT a lot, even though it's obviously dated, so it's a little odd that it took me so long to see this one. Fred Astaire might not have been much of an actor, but he did have a natural likability on the screen which makes him a joy to watch, especially when dancing.
SWING TIME had two big surprises, the first being just how good of an actress Ginger Rogers is in the film. She really could act. The rest of the cast is quite funny as well, and although the plot was simple, predicatble, and dated, it was involving enough to watch it to the end.
The other big surprise was the black-face dance sequence. I'm not sure how I forgot about this, but it really pulls a contemporary audience out of the movie. That said, it's still a brilliant dance sequence, but without the real Bill "Bojangles" Robinson onscreen, its a constant reminder of how racist an era it was. (Instead he literally plays Astaire's shadow while he dances.)
It's too bad, it really dates the film terribly. But just like the "n" word in Mark Twain's novel, it's an important historical reminder of a time gone by.
4 comments:
"It's too bad, it really dates the film terribly. But just like the "n" word in Mark Twain's novel, it's an important historical reminder of a time gone by." ~ Don't give anyone ideas or we'll end up with "politically correct" versions of films!
Another film that has a similar problem is "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The appalling Mickey Rooney portrayal of Audrey Hepburn's Asian landlord makes me cringe, but no one made a peep when the film came out. Times change, thank goodness.
We already have sanitized versions of movies! Remember the edits they made to FANTASIA?
Oh, and I remember the BREAKFAST character quite well, I often show scenes from that film in my class and every once in a while I will accidentally let it run into one of Rooney’s scenes. It really feels like someone accidentally changed the channel in the middle of the movie whenever he shows up. I think there is probably a way to cut him form the movie, but again, it’s a good reminder that we’re not that far from blatant racism.
Sunflower! (I had to look up her name.) And, yes, it is always a shock and rather embarrassing to see blatant racism on screen or in print. I guess that's why some people want to try to rewrite history rather than deal with it.
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