Must See Movie...

best movie i've ever seen.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Not their best collaboration, my personal favourite is 'Winchester 73', but of the ones personally seen (not all but most) 'The Glenn Miller Story' is up there among their better ones. While there's more to see of their collaborations, none of the ones seen are less than good.Biopics are very difficult to get right, especially ones of famous people in entertainment (i.e. film) and music (composing, singing, playing instruments). For example often coming to life when in action (whether acting, singing, composing or playing), but some suffer from the biographical elements not faring as good, with a tendency to play fast and loose with the facts. There are some great ones, some good ones, some uneven ones and some hugely problematic ones.Luckily, 'The Glenn Miller Story' is one of the near-great ones. On a musical front it is nothing short of exceptional, no complaints there, but it was thoroughly enjoyable as a biopic too regardless of it not being a true account and very scratch surface because of not suffering from pacing or tone problems. Stewart is note-perfect in a role that plays to his strengths, despite him portraying a big band icon Stewart not only plays Miller with utter conviction but the performance also epitomises everything that Stewart himself is about and what made him such a great actor.'The Glenn Miller Story', when it comes to Mann is very much removed from his darker and more psychological westerns that also star Stewart (the films that he's perhaps chiefly famous for), but there is not once a sense that he is beyond his comfort zone in an atypical genre for him, far from it. To me, actually, even with a lighter touch (much needed), without it ever feeling too much, it is one of Mann's stronger overall directorial efforts when it comes to his collaborations with Stewart.As said to be expected, the music is exceptionally bewitching, with all the hits included and it was so wonderful to hear so many classics in one film. This said, 'The Glenn Miller Story' does have much more than a great performance and music. As well as June Allyson personifying charm and spunk, the supporting cast are just as good, with a superb Harry Morgan and cracking appearances from Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, The Modernaires and Frances Langford. The chemistry between Stewart and Allyson is irresistible, and 'The Glenn Miller Story' is handsomely mounted and beautifully filmed with lavish use of colour.Script-wise, 'The Glenn Miller Story' a vast majority of the time succeeds, with a nice and well balanced dose of humour that makes one feel good and tender sentiment, while the story's warm heart and bags of charm more than makes up for any misgivings of it being inaccurate and only scratching the surface. Really liked the characters and felt myself caring for them.My only complaints really are the rather too sudden ending that should have been more sombre and the central relationship being portrayed somewhat too perfectly and sugar coated, which does despite the irresistible chemistry mean that parts do fall into saccharine-overboard camp occasionally.In conclusion, a near-great film and it is easy to see why of all Stewart and Mann's collaborations 'The Glenn Miller Story' is generally one of the more fondly remembered ones. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a very tidy film, it's got intelligence, integrity, and above all else...it doesn't merely rely on great tunes to pass as a Glen Miller story. Perhaps guilty of not fully fleshing out Miller's workaholic pursuit of the life changing sound, it manages to portray very well the grind of being on the road, and essentially it doesn't soft soap the defining moment of Miller's career as the swing sound is literally stumbled upon by accident.James Stewart plays it safe as houses as Miller, it's perfect casting when you think that Miller was such a big household name, something of an American treasure it would seem. Though it should be noted that historians say that the sweet Glen Miller portrayed by James Stewart is not quite in keeping with the real man's persona. Regardless of any character liberty taken, director Anthony Mann crafts a very watchable tale, Stewart and the ever watchable June Allyson as Helen Miller ensure it's a very professional piece, and I dare anyone to not start tapping their feet to those wonderful tunes, but I still think that we are waiting for the definitive Glen Miller picture, some 50 odd years later. As for the ending? Well if it's played out as fact then it's a wonderful finale, but if the makers shoehorned "Little Brown Jug" into the end purely for romanticism? Well that could be construed as dangerously sugar coating what should be a sombre ending to the story. 6.5/10

The bloom is off the rose of the Stewart/Allyson partnership from "The Stratton Story" (1949). They still have a nice screen rapport, but no are scenes as good as in their initial effort. Instead, the sad events in the Millers' life seem to be accompanied by a cheerful tear and stiff upper lip; for example, watch how they handle not having children.You definitely get a sense of the importance of the subject, musician Glenn Miller; but, you also get a sneaking suspicion this is a VERY glossed over production. The dancers during one of Miller's most exciting numbers aren't even as excited as the elderly dancers on an old "Lawrence Welk Show" rerun.There are some serious editing/continuity distractions - worse, they are so obvious they spoil the important scene when Mrs. Miller and friends listen to the Christmas program. The filmmakers practically hit you over the head with how its going to end; if you don't know, you'll easily guess. This one should be good for fans of Mr. Miller, Mr. Stewart, and Ms. Allyson; but, I'd like to see a more accurate Glenn Miller film story. ***** The Glenn Miller Story (1954) Anthony Mann ~ James Stewart, June Allyson, Harry Morgan

This hews pretty strictly to the standard biopic formula when the subject is a performer and/or composer, lyricist; the formula is in three-parts comprising Early Struggles, Breakthrough, with the last third a celebration of the subject's Greatest Hits. The majority of biopics also reserve the right to 'tamper' with facts and chronology and this is no exception; long before the band is established - i.e. 1937/38, it finally 'made it' in 1939 - they are heard running down Over The Rainbow which was, of course, written in 1939 for The Wizard Of Oz and similarly they are heard playing - in 1939 - I Know Why, which was written, by Harry Warren, for their first film, Sun Valley Serenade, in 1941. There are other examples; the film clearly implies that Miller was a native of Colorado when in fact he was born in Iowa, moved as a child to Nebraska, and didn't reach Colorado until his teens, also he never saw his second adoptive child, a daughter, yet she is featured in a central scene when Helen brings her from the orphanage on their tenth anniversary.This leaves us with arguably the main event: the music and here it is not so easy to quibble; anyone who likes Miller's records will like the film; it's as easy as that. Jimmy Stewart was a stranger to bad performances and even June Allyson's saccharine quality is not too hard to take in this context. Even non-Miller buffs will probably enjoy it as a sentimental heart-warmer.