Gene Kelly - Anatomy of a Dancer
by Robert Trachtenberg
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DVD details
Actor: Betsy Blair, Fred Astaire, Jeanine Basinger, Leslie Caron, Stanley TucciDirector: Robert Trachtenberg
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: David M. Ferrara
Producer: Robert Trachtenberg
Writer: Robert Trachtenberg
Editor: Arnold Glassman
Producer: George Feltenstein
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-09-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 37554
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- The life and career of this film star and innovator whose work includes Singin' in the Rain, On the Town and An American in Paris are vibrantly recalled in this profile of the driven genius - often narcissistic, always a perfectionist - who reenergized the movie musical and redefined dance on screen. Packed with marvelous clips (including rare footage of Kelly's breakthrough Pal Joey Broadway role
DVD Reviews of Gene Kelly - Anatomy of a Dancer
DVD Review: Fulsome But Fair-Minded Portrayal of Kelly as Blue-Collar Dancer Extraordinaire
Summary: 5 Stars
Just this week, Time Magazine cited this 2002 documentary as one of seven must-see films for any lover of dance, and I agree this is an extremely well-done feature on an indisputably gifted practitioner, Gene Kelly, by filmmaker Robert Trachtenberg (who did a similarly insightful film on Cary Grant, "A Class Apart", two years later). Originally aired as part of PBS's "American Masters" series, the film follows Kelly's life and career chronologically with an obvious emphasis on his golden decade between his 1942 film debut co-starring with Judy Garland in "For Me and My Gal" to his career peak as star, choreographer and co-director (with protégé Stanley Donen) of 1952's "Singin' in the Rain".
While his artistry and perfectionism are well-known with the results proving as much, Kelly is also portrayed fairly for his ego-driven decisions, intolerance for others who did not uphold his standards and an almost obsessive need for attention. But his intentions were clear, and his first wife, actress Betsy Blair, who provides the most cogent and insightful comments among the interviewees, shrewdly observes Kelly's desire to democratize dance for the masses. So focused on this idea was Kelly that he even produced a 1958 TV special, "Dancing: A Man's Game", excerpts of which are shown in the film showing how dance and professional sports were akin to one another.
The film spotlights memorable moments - his newspaper-tearing dance in "Summer Stock", the impressionistic ballet finale from "An American in Paris", the roller skating number in "It's Always Fair Weather" and of course, his effusive turn in a downpour in "Singin' in the Rain". His failures are also documented - an all-dance film, 1956's "Invitation to the Dance", held back from release for four years; 1955's "It's Always Fair Weather", the cynical flip side to "On the Town"; his leaden direction of 1969's elephantine disappointment, "Hello, Dolly!". Several of Kelly's surviving colleagues are interviewed in brief though telling clips - Debbie Reynolds, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron among others.
The inevitable comparisons with his only comparable contemporary, Fred Astaire, are here, but the analysis of their individual styles is thoughtful and respectful to both. For me, Kelly is undeniably brilliant but somewhat aware of it in his onscreen persona, which comes across at times as abrasive and preening. His last years are given just a cursory glance as he was beset with illness, but it would have been nice to see his valedictory turns in 1967's "The Young Girls of Rochefort" or even the soft shoe he does in 1980's execrable "Xanadu". No matter as Trachtenberg has made an exemplary record of a most accomplished career. Actor Stanley Tucci narrates.
Description of Gene Kelly - Anatomy of a Dancer
GENE KELLY - ANATOMY OF A DANCER - DVD MovieThis biography of Gene Kelly comes from the American Masters series, and even by the high standard of that pedigree, it's an unusually fine portrait. The clips from Kelly's films are superbly chosen (and in sparkling condition), illustrating his low-to-the-ground dancing style and his sky-high choreographic ambitions. "Singin' in the Rain" is here, of course, but so is his lonely, lovely solo with a newspaper in Summer Stock and his double-exposure "Alter Ego" number from Cover Girl. The documentary is not fawning; testimony from collaborators such as Debbie Reynolds and André Previn leaves no doubt about his vanity and his perfectionism. The best of the interviewees is the actress Betsy Blair, Kelly's first wife, whose intelligence and frankness reflect well on him. A running theme is Kelly's masculine, blue-collar image, which allowed audiences to accept sailors and baseball players dancing with balletic precision. It's the precision of genius. --Robert Horton
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