AFI Top 100: #90
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are two of the most admirable and electric performers of the early days of film and this particular story is the perfect encapsulation of their energy together. George Stevens' Swing Time is a fantastic musical film that exhibits the many talents of these two leads while providing a romantic story that is easy to fall in love with. While the beats of the story might be exactly what one could expect from a modern romantic-comedy, it is that much more impressive that this film from 1936 carried that same pacing and entertainment value. The comedy was hilarious, the choreography was magical, and I instantly fell in love with this cast of characters. Despite quite a lengthy scene towards the end featuring Astaire in blackface, this film holds up incredibly well, and not once was my attention diverted from the screen. God, I wish I could dance.
Lucky Garnett (Fred Astaire) is engaged to Margaret Watson (Betty Furness) but after showing up incredibly late to their wedding, her father makes him prove himself as a man by making $25,000 before Lucky can get her hand in marriage. While in New York City, Lucky meets and falls in love with a dancer named Penny Carroll (Ginger Rogers) and he must decide which dream he wants to pursue. This script, written by Howard Lindsay and Allan Scott, is the perfect blend of all the genres that this film attempts. A culmination of musical, romance and comedy was done excellently by these writers and brought together in the most concise way by director George Stevens. This film was so fast-paced and quick with its humor that I felt like I was watching something more modern. Swing Time really hits all the beats that modern films of this genre do so well and I was taken aback by how entertained I was by such a simple premise. The idea of this film might be incredibly basic but its elevated even higher by its characters. These lovable and goofy characters are written incredibly well and the accompanying performances are just as fantastic. Astaire and Rogers, in particular, are just delightful together and their relationship was one of the most honest and genuine ones I have seen from a film of this era. It was also great seeing the contrast between Lucky and Penny's relationship and the assumed relationship between Pop (Victor Moore) and Mabel (Helen Broderick). Pop and Mabel met through the former two and while they are just supporting characters, their unspoken love and dorky antics made this film even more multi-dimensional. Stevens never focused entirely on his leads but gave the supporting cast enough time to develop, once again, in a more modern way.
Swing Time might reveal itself as one of the most enjoyable musicals of this time but it is certainly not without its problems. The most glaring one, which it has received backlash for most recently, is Fred Astaire's use of blackface during the final dance sequence. I'm fairly certain this is the first time I have encountered blackface in all of the films I have seen from the AFI's Top 100 list so far and it's quite important to look at this scene critically. This movie is definitely not afraid to show its age and with this scene particularly, it's easy to wince at nowadays and wonder what they could have been thinking. This was simply the time, however, and while the scene revolves around an homage to tap-dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, there was not much knowingness of racism during the time of production. Of course, I do not have to give a lecture about why blackface is bad or how times were much different almost 90 years ago but I think that discrediting this film simply because of a then-accepted choice is ridiculous. I'm personally able to distinguish between the two and I just really enjoyed and focused on the choreography from Hermes Pan and how lively it made this film. The dance numbers throughout this film, whether it be swing, tap, or ballroom, were mesmerizing and to see the sheer talent from Astaire and Rogers take up the screen is fantastic. There is a reason why dancers and musical filmmakers take up their craft and I earnestly believe this film is one of those for many people. The music accompanied every scene so well and while the humor radiated throughout, this movie just ends up giving off a really positive vibe. I might not have found this film to be as artistically affecting as others that I have seen but the glorious extravagance of it all makes this out to be one of the most impressive pieces of entertainment of its time.
Why we don't have more showstopping dance numbers intertwined in film nowadays is beyond me but thank heavens we are able to enjoy the phenomenal talent shown in Swing Time. Rogers and Astaire absolutely steal this show and the tight direction from Stevens helps to tell such a wildly fun story. Many might dismiss this film simply because of its dated and racist artistic choice at the end. While we know it is very inhumane and incorrect today, the wonderful elements of this film are what make it memorable and we as an audience can recognize that it was a different time.
My Rating: ★★★★
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