Daddy Long Legs
by Jean Negulesco
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DVD details
Actor: Fred Astaire, Fred Clark, Leslie Caron, Terry Moore, Thelma RitterDirector: Jean Negulesco
Brand: Fox
Cinematographer: Leon Shamroy
Editor: William Reynolds
Producer: Samuel G. Engel
Writer: Henry Ephron
Writer: Jean Webster
Writer: Phoebe Ephron
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 4.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 4.0; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 4.0; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.55:1
Running Time: 126 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-21
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of Daddy Long Legs
DVD Review: A mid-50s Astaire musical pleaser!
Summary: 4 Stars
Daddy Long Legs(released May/55) is a smart film that turns what could have had a very lecherous overtone of a plot into a winner in the home stretch.Astaire's 24 year old co-star,Leslie Caron, stars in her eighth American film and contributes more to the acting sequences than the dancing ones.
The story involves a rich American industrialist by the name of Jervis Pendleton III(Astaire).He is a rather distracted person with his love of dancing and music,which often gets under the skin of his assistant Griggs(Fred Clark), who tries to keep his empire running as smoothly as possible.On a diplomatic mission to Paris with others,the car they are in gets stuck.Jervis wanders off to get help and comes upon an orphanage.While there he is struck by the charm and exuberance of a teenage girl by the name of Julie Andre(Caron).He confronts the American ambassador with a plan to adopt the girl and to bring her to the States to be educated.The ambassador questions his real motivations and a compromise is reached when it is agreed just to sponsor her;a less offending and questionable course of action.Of course Jervis's motives ARE strictly honourable and it is set up that the only interaction he will have with the girl is to receive regular correspondence from her regarding her school work.Andre is of course ecstatic and attends a college in Massachusetts that the Pendletons have sponsored for years.She does well with her studies and sends Jervis regular letters;none of which get answered.Griggs has been intercepting them and giving them to his secretary Alicia(Thelma Ritter)who reads them and dutifully files them away.When Alicia can't take the poor Julie's feelings of rejection anymore she pressures Griggs who in turn finally talks with Jervis.Jervis who had completely forgotten about his charge finally sits down to read the letters.He is touched and attends the college under the pretense of visiting his niece,who is Julie's roommate.They get to dance together and Jervis by nights end is quite taken with her.When she graduates he sets her up in a penthouse apartment in Manhattan.Everything is quite platonic but the feelings between the two are obviously growing.The American ambassador from the beginning of the film happens to over hear and misconstrue a conversation the two are having on their terrace.He calls Jervis and confronts him about what he heard.Even though it was innocent Jervis finally realizes what it looks like and agrees to stop things before they go any further.He travels the world but Julie follows his every move,clipping newspapers.Still not knowing that Jervis is really her "Daddy Long Legs"/benefactor she again writes to him urgently for advice.Alicia can take no more and brings Julie back to NYC to see Jervis in person.Jervis realizes he can't fight what he feels any longer and agrees to see her.Julie is taken aback in that first moment but soon realizes things couldn't be better.The movie ends with the two embraced.
Filming started in early /54 only to be sidelined due to the death of his beloved wife Phyllis.Astaire wanted out of the project but it was agreed to postpone the filming for a few months to let him grieve.Astaire finally came back but still very much upset.He made it through the film and thankfully his dancing does not suffer in the least.He has a great moment near the beginning of the film where he is drumming to some bigband music(very proficiently I might add) and he does a nice routine away from the drum kit with drum sticks in hand.He next becomes a dream like representation of what Julie thinks an American millionaire would look like.Astaire is in a Texas outfit c/w hat and boots and his singing is overdubbed by the venerable talent of Thurl Ravenscroft(Tony the Tiger).Astaire then does a high energy kick up your heels swing dance with Caron and other dancers in the "Slu-Foot" number.Finally he sings his famous"Something's Gotta Give" to Caron,quite reminiscent of his Ginger days.Leslie Caron was discovered by Fred's friend Gene Kelly and the latter starred her in An American in Paris four years before,so Fred asked for her for this project.Caron had(dance wise)more of a ballet background and the musical numbers were geared to reflect that.Caron had trouble with some of the routines and conquered it through constant rehearsal.The trouble I found is her dancing generally comes off as quite stiff and uninspiring.She has an an entire 12 minute sequence in which to shine and the results are disappointing,to say the least.Her best moments come with Astaire in the "Slu-foot" number and in the finale of the film.It is evident the studio was trying to highlight Caron but a sequence like Caron thinking about her "Daddy Long Legs" at a blackboard at the orphanage are flat and could easily have been cut(with her ballet number)with no harm to the film whatsoever.
Costar Fred Clark as always provides good support in his role as Griggs,the over worked and frustrated secretary to Jervis.Thelma Ritter as Griggs' assistant Alicia also has some good moments on screen to help things along.
The movie I would give about a 3 1/2 star rating to.However the technical department is the area this particular release really shines in and bumps the rating up to a solid four.The 2:55:1 aspect ratio along with the absolute pristine and gorgeous transfer evident here is something to behold.It is absolutely gorgeous to look at.The DVD comes with some nice extras:there is additional commentary by Ken Barnes,Astaire's daughter Eva and songwriter Johnny Mercer,Fox movietone news footage of the Hollywood,New York and London premieres of the movie,still photos,the trailer and four repro lobby cards of the film.The DVD itself is in its own case and it is in turn covered by another matching outer sleeve.This is prevalent amongst Fox's recent "Marquee Musicals" collection series.
Finally,while the movie itself would only rate between 3 and four stars,the extras and print here bump it up to a solid four.The film can be uneven at times,due mainly to sequences unfortunately involving Astaires co star Leslie Caron.Astaire suffered personally through this film but his anguish does not come across on screen and his dancing is up to his usual standards.I can recommend this film and Astaire fans will find more than a few satisfying moments to relish.
Description of Daddy Long Legs
Fred Astaire becomes both the benefactor and suitor of Leslie Caron in this charming story of a playboy who falls under the spell of a beautiful French orphan. While traveling through France, Jervis Pendleton lll (Astaire) anonymously sponsors an 18-year-old girl named Julie (Caron), whom he sends to college in America. Two years later they finally meet face to face and start to fall in love. But complications arise and their happiness is threatened when Jervis embarks on a noble yet misguided attempt to do "the right thing" about their age difference. Featuring imaginative production numbers and a Johnny Mercer score that includes the 1955 Oscar® -nominated hit for Best Song "Something's Gotta Give", Daddy Long Legs is a song-filled blend of dance and fantasy for romantics of all ages.Bestsellers in DVD
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