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Daddy Long Legs

1955, Movie, NR, 126 mins

Daddy Long Legs: Review

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Inert and lengthy version of the old chestnut. The musical numbers, rather than lightening the vehicle, tend to weigh it down. Jean Negulesco helmed this fourth version of Jean Webster's tale about a love affair that has everything going against it but eventually flourishes anyway. Caron is the waif in an orphanage; Astaire is the playboy who finances her from afar. Unless you've been under a rock, you know this means love. Johnny Mercer, writing both music and lyrics for one of the few times in his life, received an Oscar nomination for "Something's Gotta Give," which remains a standard; it's the only foolproof number in the score. Other tunes serve as almost adequate backdrops for Caron and Astaire as they dance their way into our hearts, or at least each other's. The weakest element of the film is Petit's choreography for the dream ballets, which evidences little of the brilliance he'd demonstrated in ANYTHING GOES. Nor does the Astaire-Robel choreography evidence much strenuous innovation. What also hurts is that Astaire and Caron manage to generate considerable rapport together as actors but almost none when they dance together. Both their styles and their bodies are largely incompatible. Ritter occasionally adds verbal snap and Moore supplies that other quality we've come to expect from Hollywood in spades. leave a comment
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