Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageMusicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM (1996)
Director: David Thompson
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This lucid, lively and informative account of the lyricist-turned-producer who transformed the movie musical (from revue fare with contemporary hits and tap-dancing chorines, to lavish stories in which songs and dance furthered plot and characterisation) features terrific clips from all his hits and a raft of revealing interviews. Rare highlights include footage from the abandoned version of Annie Get Your Gun starring a less than capable Garland, and of the Broadway version of On the Town, with songs cut from the film. Best clip: the amazingly erotic blues section of the American in Paris ballet.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: David Thompson
Producer: Margaret Smilow
Cast: Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Betty Comden, Stanley Donen, Adolph Green, Michael Kidd, Ann Miller, Andre Previn, Mickey Rooney full cast
Genre(s): Documentaries
Duration: 85 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now