Brigadoon

Rating:
Summary: Brigadoon
Review: Ah, Brigadoon. What can I say about this one? It was an excellent film, I don't care what anybody says. Brigadoon is a town in Scotland that comes to life just once every 100 years. Gene Kelly and Van Johnson are Jeff and Tommy, hunters who get lost and are looking for some food and a place to stay. Then they see Brigadoon. Van Johnson was just hilarious as Jeff, the cynical guy who just can't bring himself to believe that all this craziness is really taking place. Gene Kelly portrays Tommy, a guy who falls in love with Fiona (brilliantly portrayed by Cyd Charisse). He has to make a decision at the end of the day, whether he wants to go back to New York and leave Fiona and Brigadoon behind forever, or stay with Fiona and leave New York forever. A difficult decision for anyone to have to make. Just a wonderful romance with some beautiful dance routines. Go to the movie store and buy it. If you like romance/musicals, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Not great musical film, but charming in its own way
Review: I've written several reviews of films over the last couple of days, and they all seem to have not gone through. This is one of them; hopefully it'll go through.

While Brigadoon is certainly not a great musical, it's quite charming. The songs aren't as good as those in later Lerner&Loewe musicals, but some still are pretty good, such as "Go Home With Bonnie Jean", "Almost Like Being in Love", and "The Heather on the Hill". The film does take a while to really get going. And yes, Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse don't give their finest performances here, but are quite fine anyway. They make a good couple, and their romance is believeable. Van Johnson is pretty funny, too. Even though the movie was filmed on sets, not in Scotland like Kelly and Vincente Minnelli wanted, the scenery still looks okay, and besides, lots of movies were fimed on sets back then, anyway. Really, there's just something about this film that's very charming, even if it isn't great cinema.

Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: My Life, and a great song called Come to Me Bend to Me. Almost Like Being In Love is in the Campbell house, and Waitin' for My Deary isn't. Tommy and Jeff aren't in Bonnie Jean and there's more to Meg Brockie than what they have in the movie. And the Campbell family is actually the McLaren family. There's a sword dance before the reel and Tommy and Fiona don't do as much dancing as they did.
But enough of the differences between stage and movie. It is an awesome movie, full or great, catchy songs and great dancing. My friends and I who were in it always got Bonnie Jean stuck in everybody'shead and who couldn't like Gene Kelly singing "Almost Like Being in Love"? If you just watch the movie and not the play, then it is awesome. It shows true love is out there, you just don't know where you'll find it. And that "the hardest part in life is giving up everything, but that's the only way you'll get everything."

Rating:
Summary: A Musical That Grows On You!
Review: If you would of asked me three years ago what I thought of the musical "Brigadoon", I would of said YUCK! I am a big fan of musicals, but I am not the wild about period pieces (ie..."Yolanda And The Thief" and "The Pirate). However, my stepfather was watching "Brigadoon" one day, and the movie transformed my views about it.

With songs written by Lerner and Lowe, it is definitely one of their most catchy scores. The cinematography is breathtaking, and it one of MGM's most colorful musicals. (Directed by Vincente Minnelli, it is reported that he supervised everything, down to the flower arrangements). The icing on the cake is the cast. I think this was the best pairing of Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, and with choreography by Kelly himself, the dance numbers are breathtaking as well. Van Johnson rounds out the cast as Gene's wisecracking best friend. He doesn't have much of a musical background, but he's one of my favorite things about the movie.

Take a chance and watch "Brigadoon". It will transform you to another world...

Rating:
Summary: Charmed.
Review: BRIGADOON is a charming less well-known Lerner and Loewe musical about two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland. The two yanks get lost looking for birds in the Highlands and happen upon the quaint little village of Brigadoon, a town that appears not to have changed for hundreds of years. Gene Kelly stars as Tommy, the American who falls for the beautiful bonny lass, Fiona (Cyd Charisse). The film is full of wonderful dance numbers revolving around these two; after all they were two of America's finest dancers. Van Johnson also stars as Tommy's comical best friend, Jack. Johnson steals just about every scene he's end and that's without doing much dancing. The theme of the show is that love can conquer all, even in an enchanted place such as Brigadoon. Until another time and another place.

Rating:
Summary: A WONDERFUL MUSICAL
Review: You've never seen a musical quite like "Brigadoon". Charming and rich and amusing and romantic, it's a musical that seems to have everything: colorful songs, marvelous dancing, and a unique story. And with Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Cyd Charisse as the stars of the show, you know you're in for great entertainment. And with Vincente Minnelli as the director, you know you're in for something that's just beautiful.

The story follows two hunters, Tommy Albright (Kelly), and Jeff Douglas (Johnson), on a joytrip to Scotland. The men lose their way and accidentally stumble onto the animated Scottish land of Brigadoon, bustling with boisterous merchants, cheery townsfolk, and beautiful women. When Tommy meets the beautiful Fiona Campbell (Charisse), it's love at first sight. But to his dismay, Tommy realizes that they may be forced apart when he learns that Brigadoon is a magical land that appears only once every century. In making his decision, Tommy realizes that "if you love someone enough, anything can happen... even miracles."

Beautifully photographed by Minnelli with his artist's eye, and bubbling with a rousing and wonderful musical score including the title song, and many others: The Scots singing and dancing to the boisterous "Go Home With Bonnie Jean", Kelly and Charisse waltzing through "The Heather On The Hill", Kelly's marvelous (very 'Singin' In The Rain'-esque) rendition of "It's Almost Like Being In Love", and the film's incredible "Wedding Dance". And the cast couldn't be better: Kelly has never been more likable, Charisse never more appealing, and Johnson never quite as cynical. And a great supporting cast including Barry Jones, Virginia Bosler, Albert Sharpe and Hugh Laing add extra flavor to the show.

Timeless and fresh after almost fifty years, "Brigadoon" is a movie to be treasured, and enjoyed, by every generation, and stands as one of the last great achievements of the MGM musicals.

Rating:
Summary: Brigadoon is out of this world!
Review: I thought that "Brigadoon" is one of Gene Kelly's best films. As you watch "Brigadoon", you will be transformed into another world, both beautiful and mysterious. The scenery and dances are very impressive. "Heather on the Hill", "Go Home With Bonnie Jean", "Almost Like Being In Love", and the wedding dance are all brilliant and breathtaking. This film also shows how true love conquers all, even the spell of Brigadoon. A must-see.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite movies
Review: When I first rented BRIGADOON from the public library last spring, I immediately fell in love with it. Just added the DVD to my collection yesterday. It is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. It is a 1954 film adaptation of the 1947 Broadway musical. The Lerner and Loewe score is one of the greatest ever written for the stage (or screen). The great cast includes Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Cyd Charisse. Although certainly not the greatest singers in the world, Kelly's and Johnson's singing is more than adequate and is really quite lovely. Charisse's singing voice is dubbed for this film, and she works great as well.

When Brigadoon made the transition from Broadway to Hollywood, a good chunk of its score was dispensed with in order to make room to highlight the dancing abilities of its stars. This is, in fact, where many people find fault with this film; the lack of the rest of the Broadway score. To these people, I have this to say... ---This movie is not the Broadway play. It is a **film adaptation.**--- This is also the common complaint about MGM's "Show Boat" from 3 years earlier. Another common complaint about "Brigadoon" is that it was obviously shot in soundstages on the MGM lot in Culver City instead of the highlands of Scotland. This was due to the fact that producers were working with smaller budgets than they had been just 3 or 4 years earlier. This, coupled with the unpredictable weather in the British Isles, necesitated that the film be shot at the studio. This is also evident in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" from the same year. Although the sets are obviously painted backdrops, they are nicely done and work well. IMO, they do not demerit the film.

Brigadoon more than makes up for the missing songs by adding some spectacular dance numbers. "Heather on the Hill" is one of the most sweeping dance numbers I have ever seen in any film. Kelly's and Charisse's gracefulness really hits the spot.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the DVD, with its lush color, clear picture, and stereo sound. If you haven't seen "Brigadoon," you should see it. At the very least for some of the greatest dance numbers you will ever see.

Rating:
Summary: Once in the "Highlands"
Review: Vincente Minnelli's film of Brigadoon suffers greatly from its reliance on studio recreations of the Scottish Highlands. Instead of shooting on location, MGM provided very fake-looking scenery and landscapes, and although these perhaps add to the image of Brigadoon as a mythical town, they nevertheless rob the film of its potential grandeur. Additionally, the score is mutilated; 6 songs were cut from the original Broadway score, including the rapturous "Come to Me, Bend to Me", the lovely 2nd act duet between Tommy and Fiona ("From This Day On"), and the 2 'naughty' songs for Meg, the town squeeze. Gene Kelly is outstanding as Tommy, and the very flexible Cyd Charisse makes a wonderful leading lady, despite her dubbed singing voice. Their dance sequences are the film's most beautiful moments. Van Johnson provides some welcome humor that counteracts Kelly's dreamy and relaxed manner, and the cast as a whole performs with zest and folksey charm. Still, the film, despite its widescreen splendor and expert direction, is overall an underwhelming presentation of one of the musical theater's great shows.

Rating:
Summary: Insipid '50s
Review: Some people love this movie. It has Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, two fabulous dancer/performers and I was eager to watch them. Sadly, it's not really a dance movie and what dancing there is is pretty bland, as is the romance between Kelly and Charisse. I found myself sympathizing with the Brigadoon resident who wants to leave---everybody is trying to stop him: if he leaves the spell will be broken and the town of Brigadoon will vanish. I'd feel trapped there too.