I have always been very picky about Musicals, and generally dislike most Musical films. I was too young to remember Finian's Rainbow when it was on Broadway. Years after its release, I saw the film version for the first time, primarily because it was directed by an up-and-coming Francis Ford Coppola. I like the music very much. I liked Petula Clark very much. I liked Don Francks, who I wasn't familiar with before, particularly his memorable rendition of "Old Devil Moon". I liked Barbara Hancock. And who doesn't like Fred Astaire? However, I could have done without Tommy Steele. I also was intrigued at how Coppola chose to shoot the film in a "Live" environment, rather than on a set as is usually done. It was also shot on limited scale, admittedly one reason being because of budget constraints, but by doing so, avoided an overblown productions like what happened with "South Pacific".
Review of Finian's Rainbow
