A remarkably dull and insignificant piece of nothingness which was surprisingly popular in 1934 primarily because of the sex appeal of its two stars. There's absolutely nothing else to this.
That this was such a hit when it came out is testament to the appeal of George Raft and Carole Lombard. This film exists entirely to show to the masses what good looking people these were. Whilst it was, and still is common for films to focus on the attractiveness of its female lead (in the early thirties including the obligatory lingerie and bathtub scene), dwelling on the looks of the male lead as much as this does is s bit more unusual. George Raft seems to me a reasonably good looking guy but clearly in 1934 he was the one making the women go weak at the knees. Whilst it seems predictable and acceptable to see Carole Lombard in her undies and some very sexy dresses, there's a lot more screen time devoted to Mr Raft in various states of undress. Were I one of those people who get hot under the collar about such things I'd by shouting that the poor man's being sexually exploited..... oh and given hundreds of thousands of dollars, a life of sheer unadulterated luxury and the most beautiful women in Hollywood throwing themselves at the foot of his bed.
Not being a 1930s girl, I can't see George Raft's appeal. His 'thing' is cold insouciance and expressionless detachment.... some might call it 'inability to act' but good luck to him for making a career by not having much talent - you've got to admire him for that. This doesn't go as far as recommending this film though. It's ok I suppose but it's really, really, really dull. Maybe if you like that kind of dancing you might appreciate a few minutes of this but the story is lifeless and predictable.
George Raft is completely characterless. I know that's deliberate - he's meant to be 100% focussed on his ambition to dance but not having any personality because of his obsession with dancing doesn't make for a character you can emote with in any way whatsoever. Carole Lombard is ok in this, she looks pretty, dances quite elegantly but she doesn't do anything most stock actresses would be able to do. She was better than this.
So, if you want to see moderately good dancers do their thing for a couple of minutes amongst a load of trivia...... watch Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing with the stars in the US)!
That this was such a hit when it came out is testament to the appeal of George Raft and Carole Lombard. This film exists entirely to show to the masses what good looking people these were. Whilst it was, and still is common for films to focus on the attractiveness of its female lead (in the early thirties including the obligatory lingerie and bathtub scene), dwelling on the looks of the male lead as much as this does is s bit more unusual. George Raft seems to me a reasonably good looking guy but clearly in 1934 he was the one making the women go weak at the knees. Whilst it seems predictable and acceptable to see Carole Lombard in her undies and some very sexy dresses, there's a lot more screen time devoted to Mr Raft in various states of undress. Were I one of those people who get hot under the collar about such things I'd by shouting that the poor man's being sexually exploited..... oh and given hundreds of thousands of dollars, a life of sheer unadulterated luxury and the most beautiful women in Hollywood throwing themselves at the foot of his bed.
Not being a 1930s girl, I can't see George Raft's appeal. His 'thing' is cold insouciance and expressionless detachment.... some might call it 'inability to act' but good luck to him for making a career by not having much talent - you've got to admire him for that. This doesn't go as far as recommending this film though. It's ok I suppose but it's really, really, really dull. Maybe if you like that kind of dancing you might appreciate a few minutes of this but the story is lifeless and predictable.
George Raft is completely characterless. I know that's deliberate - he's meant to be 100% focussed on his ambition to dance but not having any personality because of his obsession with dancing doesn't make for a character you can emote with in any way whatsoever. Carole Lombard is ok in this, she looks pretty, dances quite elegantly but she doesn't do anything most stock actresses would be able to do. She was better than this.
So, if you want to see moderately good dancers do their thing for a couple of minutes amongst a load of trivia...... watch Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing with the stars in the US)!