Pretty Good

Perfect cast and a good story

Overrated

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

First saw this movie in the 50s and loved it as a boy. Everyone in the cast is perfectly cast. The singing is really wonderful, and all the songs are great. I like the storyline as well. The unconditional love between Julie and Nole is what really stands out. Need some of that today! I have probably seen this movie 50 times, and I still tear up at the last 15 minutes of the film. BTW if you can find the soundtrack album it includes Ava Garners signing of the songs that were dubbed for the movie. Both versions are great! I think Frank Sinatra was correct. And speaking of Ava Gardner, she certainly deserved an Oscar for this performance. And she is so beautiful in her closeups, wow!I have now seen other versions of this film, and though they are also very well done, the music and emotional impact of this version really are a triumph. If they could make musicals like this one and Sound of Music again, they might make a comeback!!! See it if you have not!!

While it's far from one of my favorite musicals, I did enjoy this version of Show Boat quite a bit. The songs are nice, particularly "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Help Loving Dat Man." The sets, costumes, and Technicolor are all beautiful. Speaking of beautiful, the great Ava Gardner really steals the show here. Despite only playing a supporting part, she's riveting to watch and left a lasting impression on me. That's more than I can say for leads Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel, who are both a little on the dull side. Joe E. Brown is fun to watch in a supporting part. Agnes Moorehead is wasted, however, as Brown's old crow of a wife. She basically just shows up a few times to be a shrew. There are quite a few themes in this that were risqué for their time but won't have as much impact today. Oddly enough, the 1936 film version of Show Boat was more gritty than this one. Both versions are good, though, and you should see them both if you like classic musicals.

And my all-time favorite.First off: I have seen the 1936 version three times. It's great ... but it doesn't begin to match the magical 1951 remake. The '51 version is simply perfect in every way: visually, musically, acting, directing, editing ... you name it.In many ways, it plays like the greatest of the silent films, in that the drama is conveyed almost entirely through the facial expressions of the actors (especially during the many musical numbers). There are few dramatic speeches in this film, and it it packs a far greater emotional wallop because of it. This also serves to enhance the power of the dramatic dialogs when they do occur (Julie's confrontation with Gaylord). It's cinema distilled to its purest and most visceral form.I've enjoyed reading how several scenes were cut to pick up the pacing (the old woman's speech that serves as a catalyst to Nolie & Gay's reconciliation). When they suddenly rush together and embrace *without any explanations or apologies* the effect is emotionally overwhelming. It's got all the grand, sweeping passion that one could wish for in an ideal love affair, which theirs (in spite of their troubles) is. No further words are passed between them. Captain Andy & Parthy comment on it ("It's Saturday night again!"), as they board The Cotton Blossom in one another's arms. Julie's silent appearance in the final shot is both uplifting and heartbreaking. It's got to be one of most memorable images in motion picture history. I've seen this film at least a dozen times over the past 40 years, and have never been able to make it through the finale with dry eyes.By contrast, the ending of the 1936 version is far less emotionally satisfying. In that version, Julie is long gone from the story, and Nolie and Gay have grown old in the 20 years or so they've been apart. Even their "reconciliation" feels iffy (Gay has joined Nolie in her theater box to watch Kim perform, but after so many years apart, one doubts that things will progress any further).

I recorded and watched this movie when it aired on TCM recently. I am primarily a fan of non-musicals, mainly comedies and drama. Usually the only musicals I get into are WWII-era musicals. So since this was adapted from a fictitious musical stage show, it was a bit of a stretch for me. Nonetheless, I fast-forwarded through some of the music just to see the drama elements here and there. I did enjoy "Old Man River" though.The parts that impressed me the most, and I don't see much if any mention of it in these reviews, are the wonderful chemistry between Joe E. Brown and Kathryn Grayson. In it he plays the type of caring father who welcomes his daughter back with wide open arms, under any conditions. You can see it in Brown's eyes, and then Grayson always reciprocates the sentiment in her eyes. You can say what you want about his comic "Happy New Year" parts, but for me the real "meat" of this movie is seeing the warm father/daughter relationship throughout the movie. I first noticed it early on when he is understanding and even dreamy-eyed while his daughter kisses the gambler on stage, despite the mom (Moorehead's) rejection of the gambler. Brown's unconditional acceptance is consistent throughout the rest of the film, all the way to the end.Brown was a minor actor by the time this movie was made. Although I am not familiar with everything he did later on in life, this is probably the most true-to-life part he played.Most people know Brown for his slapstick roles. Among those: Earthworm Tractors, Alibi Ike, The Circus Clown, and Fireman Save My Child. Or even for the bit he did later on in Some Like It Hot. What is probably less known is the amount of time he dedicated to entertaining the troops during WWII.I have read a couple of Brown's books, and in particular one called Your Kids And Mine. It is a documentary of his extensive experiences while he served at the Hollywood Canteen during WWII. Furthermore, he often traveled abroad at his own expense to entertain soldiers. From the Wikipedia entry for Joe E. Brown: "Brown was one of only two civilians to be awarded the Bronze Star in World War II." So here in glorious Technicolor, you get to see Brown be fatherly on film, just like he was in real life. And that is what makes this movie for me.