Royal Wedding

2180. ROYAL WEDDING (1950-USA). COLOR, WITH FRED ASTAIRE, JANE POWELL, PETER LAWFORD, SARAH CHURCHILL, KEENAN WYNN. STORY, SCREENPLAY AND LYRICS BY ALAN JAY LERNER. THIS SWEET AND CHARMING MUSICAL IS THE IDEAL VEHICLE FOR ITS TALENTED STARS, FRED ASTAIRE AND JANE POWELL. THEY ARE CAST AS TOM AND ELLEN BOWEN, BROTHER-AND-SISTER STAGE PERFORMERS WHO HAVE COME TO LONDON TO OPEN THEIR ACT. ROMANTIC COMPLICATIONS ARISE ON TWO FRONTS. TOM FALLS IN LOVE WITH DANCER ANNE ASHMOND (PLAYED BY SARAH CHURCHILL, DAUGHTER Of SIR WINSTON). ELLEN BECOMES INVOLVED WITH LORD JOHN BRINDALE (AGREEABLY ACTED BY PETER LAWFORD). POWELL (IN A ROLE ORIGINALLY MEANT FOR JUDY GARLAND) GIVES WHAT MIGHT BE HER BEST-EVER SCREEN PERFORMANCE. AS FOR ASTAIRE, WELL, WAS FRED ASTAIRE EVER ANYTHING LESS THAN PERFECT IN A MOVIE? HE EVEN GETS TO PERFORM TWO CLASSIC DANCE ROUTINES. ONE IS WITH A HAT RACK, WHICH SEEMINGLY COMES ALIVE IN HIS DEFT HANDS. THE OTHER IS ONE Of HIS MOST FAMOUS NUMBERS (IF NOT ONE Of THE MOST CELEBRATED DANCE SOLOS IN THE HISTORY Of FILM). BY WAY Of CLEVER SPECIAL EFFECTS, IT APPEARS AS IF ASTAIRE IS TAPPING HIS FEET ON THE WALLS AND CEILING Of A ROOM! THIS FEAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED VIA THE CONSTRUCTION Of A ROOM WHICH COULD BE ROTATÂED AT PRECISELY THE SAME SPEED AS THE CAMERA. PRIOR TO THE ROTATION, THE CAMERA AND CAMERAMAN WERE FASTENED TO A CHAIR SO THAT ASTAIRE COULD BE FILMED DANCING INSIDE. AS A RESULT THE “CEILING” UPON WHICH ASTAIRE DANCES ACTUALLY IS THE FLOOR, WITH THE CAMERAMAN OPERATING HIS CAMERA UPSIDE DOWN! THIS EXPLANATION CANNOT DO JUSTICE TO THE EYE-POPPING RESULT, WHICH SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT DAZZLING VISUALS EXISTED ON SCREEN WELL BEFORE THE ADVENT Of COMPUTER IMAGERY AND OTHER HIGH-TECH SPECIAL EFFECTS. 93 MINUTES. MUSICAL