The Belle of New York

Classically simple Arthur Freed musical with Vera-Ellen in the unlikely guise of a high-kicking 'Daughter of the Right' who proves capable of moving from primness to flamboyant sauciness with remarkable efficacy, while her doll-like dancing is overshadowed but never overawed by Astaire's light-footed zaniness. The plot - dissolute playboy seeks redemption in the arms of purer-than-the-driven-snow maiden - is merely the minimal requirement for an escape into fantasy. If it isn't quite on the level of Minnelli's jagged surrealism, the film's central conceit - that those truly in love can walk on air - allows for some spectacular special effects as the lovers levitate up and away over the star-spangled roofs of New York.