Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. Actually appreciate it even more through young adults eyes, due to having more knowledge of it, various animation styles, studios, directors and how it all works.
'Let It Be Me' is not one of Friz Freleng's, a director who did many great cartoons and a director held in high admiration by me, best, not being one of his funniest, wittiest or freshest. For relatively early Freleng, 'Let It Be Me' is watchable though he would do much better later. Freleng's later efforts show more evenness and confidence in directing and the story.
It is quite thin in terms of story, despite a clever and unusual spin the basic premise is predictable and melodramatic and not executed with enough freshness, and the structure is basically an excuse to string events along.
The content is similarly thin on the ground, lacking freshness and feels more tired than witty. Laughs are lacking and the morality aspect a bit heavy-handed and of the time. The Bing Crosby caricature that is the lead character is interesting if unflattering and the character is difficult to get behind.
'Let It Be Me' has a few amusing and charming moments in the second half, the ending lifting it to a better level when things got more involving. Emily is appealing, really felt sorry for her.
Animation is very good, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading, vibrant in colour and very meticulous in detail. The music is outstanding, being lovely on the ears, lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it. The title song is very catchy.
Overall, very watchable but other than the animation, music and the ending there is not an awful lot exceptional. 5/10 Bethany Cox