This five-tape set includes Swing Time, Shall We Dance, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, and The Barkleys of Broadway.
Amazon.com
Fans of classic movie musicals will be in heaven with two five-video sets of the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the quintessential dancing duo. In this second set, the pair is no longer restricted to frothy comedy revolving around mistaken identities; they occasionally explore deeper emotional threads with a bit of heartbreak. The first film is one many consider their most enjoyable, Swing Time, a dashing combination of great music, dance, and comedy. Favorite musical moments include the spectacular dance-studio number "Pick Yourself Up," the farewell ode "Never Gonna Dance," and the Oscar-winning "Just the Way You Look Tonight," from the team of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. Shall We Dance features brilliant songs by George and Ira Gershwin ("They Can't Take That Away from Me," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" performed on roller skates) and a complex plot that has Fred and Ginger actually getting married before the final credits roll. The eighth and ninth entries in the series tried some different approaches, with Carefree more of a comedy vehicle for Ginger (yet still including some fine dances and Irving Berlin songs as well as their first onscreen kiss) and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle portraying the pair as historical dancing stars and using a score of turn-of-the-century standards. This set also includes their 10th film, their 1949 reunion at MGM 10 years after their final film at RKO. While The Barkleys of Broadway falls short of their best work, it's a fond remembrance of the most glorious partnership in film history. --David Horiuchi
