Synopsis
The Band Wagon (1953) is an MGM musical comedy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Fred Astaire opposite Cyd Charisse. It stands as one of the most polished productions to come out of Hollywood's golden studio era.
Tony Hunter is a faded movie star coaxed back into the spotlight by old friends who talk him into headlining a Broadway show. The production immediately goes sideways — an ambitious director turns a breezy musical into a self-serious art piece, the lead ballerina can barely acknowledge Tony's existence, and the investors start getting cold feet. Astaire does some of his finest dancing here; his slow number with Charisse in "Dancing in the Dark" is the kind of sequence that gets into film textbooks for good reason. Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray round out a cast that seems to be genuinely enjoying themselves.
The screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green is sharp enough to still hold up, and Minnelli keeps the color and energy at a level that Technicolor was practically made for. Stream The Band Wagon (1953) online on iFILM.
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