Brigadoon

Rating:
Summary: Only 100 Years? Why Not Go For 1,000?
Review: This really should have been a good movie. I love most of Vincente Minelli's stuff. Gene Kelly is the MAN! Van Johnson did a decent job playing against type and reminded me of his hoofer roots. And Cyd Charrise was her perenially lovely and swift-footed self. But I am just sort of lukewarm on this one. The songs were o.k. The choreogaphy was good, but the plot lacked something like maybe spontaniety and cleverness. The sets looked flat and uninspired. I didn't get involved in this one at all.

I often lament the death of the MGM musical, but here it seems like it really needed a expedidited funeral service.
This is one rare example where a great stage musical just didn't translate well as a movie. If you want to see MGM at its best, try SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, or SHOWBOAT, but avoid this mess.

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: Brigadoon is out of this world!
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: 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: 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.