Clevercell Very disappointing...

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Vonia I was pleasantly surprised by the film. The reviews were mixed; at least it was not as overwhelmingly positive as I feel it deserves. I think it might have a little to do with the fact that, for a musical, it did not have as many musical numbers. I especially liked the three different points of view, told on the stand in flashbacks by two of the girls, Lady Sybil Wren and Angèle Ducros and Barry Nichols, the director of the show. It was a testament to the psychology behind our memories and a fun exposition on how broadly different the facts can seem when seen from a different point of view. The classic he said, she said. Gene Kelly was handsome as always and a lot of fun. Taina Elg, Mitzi Gaynor, and Kay Kendall all gave impressive performances. The costume design and sets were done beautifully, winning this film its only Academy Award. The dances and music numbers were both engaging and a pleasure to listen to; this comes as no shock Les Girls being the great Cole Porter's last film score. Three girls, three tries at love. In the end, it is Gene Kelly's love story that wins my heart. His character is the type that tries to pretend he does not need a girl, but is an adorable romantic at heart.

JohnHowardReid Copyright 1957. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 3 October 1957 (ran 6 weeks). U.K. release: 22 December 1957. Australian release: 12 December 1957. 10,278 feet. 114 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Which of his three dancing partners is Barry Nichols in love with?NOTES: One of the last original (as opposed to Broadway adaptations) big-screen musicals, this movie also stands in the record books as Cole Porter's last score and Gene Kelly's last film for Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer. While the critics loved it (the film came in 6th in the Film Daily's annual poll of film critics and commentators) and New Yorkers took it to their hearts, the rest of the nation was pretty well indifferent. I remember seeing it with a very modest crowd at its L.A. showcase.COMMENT: A most stylish and invigorating musical, "Les Girls" gives the impression that director Cukor set out to emulate the best of Minnelli, whilst producer Siegel threw down a similar challenge to Arthur Freed.Like all the very, very best musicals, the plot of "Les Girls" is particularly strong. In fact, so fascinating and appealing is it that our novel story and its colorful characters actually tends to overshadow the musical numbers — even with a score by the great Cole Porter.Naturally, being a Cukor film, the acting is particularly enchanting. Kay Kendall enacts a most difficult role with a consummately delightful ease which will set both critics and fans cheering.Taina (pronounced "Tina" to rhyme with China) Elg also handles a challenging role with considerable skill and finesse. In fact, she even succeeds in eliciting and maintaining audience sympathy for a character who is too worldly-wise for her own good.Both comediennes receive able support from the two men in their lives, namely British stalwart Leslie Phillips and charming (if aptly a little stiff) Frenchman, Jacques Bergerac.It is the wonderful Mitzi Gaynor who receives somewhat short shrift from the script. True, she looks most attractive, but it is not until the third of the story flashbacks that she has anything much to do. And as for her singing and dancing abilities, these are hardly catered for at all. Her numerous fans from "South Pacific" are going to be mighty disappointed.Mr. Kelly of course is much his usual calculatedly easy-going self. As mentioned above, "Les Girls" is nothing if not stylish. The color, the sets, the costumes — all represent M-G-M musical craftsmanship and artistry at its highest. If the movie is not a masterpiece, it's not for want of creativity and sensibility, it's simply that the score itself is — by Porter standards — somewhat second-rate.OTHER VIEW: I don't consider myself a director of musicals, like Minnelli or Stanley Donen. There's something illogical about musicals: people open their mouths and start singing, all of a sudden. It has to be done with a certain amount of style, not realistic at all. Did you notice how carefully color was used in "Les Girls"? Color- coordinator George Hoyningen-Huene and I decided to give each girl a color to herself, that would color each girl's sequence. Sometimes there was no color at all, which whets your appetite for later. Of course, we also had Gene Allen working with us, a very talented designer and now, sometimes, a writer. Gene is credited with George for designing the main title, but he actually did much, much more than that. - George Cukor.

writers_reign George Cukor directed one of the all-time great musicals in the Best (Judy Garland) version by far of A Star Is Born and Cole Porter was one of the all-time great songwriters so together they should have turned out a masterpiece. Helas! Hard to say what went wrong. None of the Porter Broadway shows that were adapted for the screen really worked and that includes two versions of Anything Goes, Dubarry Was A Lady, Panama Hattie, Let's Face It, Kiss Me Kate, Can Can and Silk Stockings. The latter was released the same year as Les Girls and had they waited for Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse to wind up Silk Stockings, deep- sixed Kelly and Elg Les Girls might have given Porter a more successful swan song - he did, in fact, pen one final score, the made-for-TV musical Aladdin the following year. With only five songs it weighs in with four less than the previous years' masterpiece High Society, written directly for the screen, and even one of those, Ca, C'est L'Amour was a recycling of C'est Magnifique from Can Can. Anything Cole Porter wrote is worth hearing but this remains a disappointment.

TheLittleSongbird Gene Kelly was one of the most talented and charismatic performers in classic musicals, some of his dance routines being among cinema's most jaw-dropping. And George Cukor was a fine director with a filmography that contained a number of favourites.Both have done better films than 'Les Girls', in fact everybody involved pretty much has, but the film is definitely well worth watching and is entertaining in its own right. To me, what came off least successfully is the story, which is basically a musical version of Akira Kurosawa's 'Rashomon' (except that film handled its story structure much better). It is certainly intriguing, and it is difficult to resist its often risqué and disarming nature, but it does struggle at times to sustain momentum and material for a running time that feels over-stretched, making the latter half pedestrian narratively. And while interesting the flashback structure doesn't always feel as smooth as it could have been, some of it clumsy and disorganised.Cole Porter's songs have been criticised for reasons that are understandable. None of the songs are bad, Porter was too good a composer/song-writer to write bad music, and are reasonably pleasant, but this is not one of Porter's better song scores. Pleasant enough, but nowhere near as memorable or as inspired, apart from some witty and naughty lyric-writing (though there are instances where they are over-shadowed by some distracting stage business in the choreography), as they could have been, disappointing for a great composer/song-writer who should have gone out on a high note but didn't. Jacques Bergerac is also insipidly dull in a role with practically nothing to it, basically the sort of role that's there for the sake of being a plot device but nothing more.Despite how this all sounds, 'Les Girls' does have a number of merits that it is difficult to be too hard on it. The best assets are the production values and the performances of the ladies. 'Les Girls' is simply a stunning-looking film, the colours are eye-poppingly ravishing, the sets are lavish, the costumes are beautifully chic and the cinematography often dazzles. The ladies manage to steal the show under those who most would naturally see the film for (Kelly, Cukor and Porter). Particularly note-worthy is the perfection that is Kay Kendall, who is charming and hilarious and would have had a bigger career if it hadn't been cut short so early and tragically. Mitzi Gaynor also has fun with her role and makes the character sympathetic too, while Taina Elg is suitably sultry.Kelly is always watchable, and dances with charisma and his usual polish and technical meticulousness in routines that, while not exactly career highlights, do show off how incredible a dancer he was, even if his character is one of his least endearing (though he does bring wit and charm). Cukor makes the most of the production values and there is enough elegance and lightness of touch, but it does seem in the early parts especially that he wasn't in complete control, or entirely trust or was comfortable, with the material. The script is wonderfully witty and also has a risqué boldness and sexiness.On the whole, not a great film, and doesn't see the enormously talented people in front of and behind the camera doing the best work of their careers, but absolutely worth watching for the production values and Kendall. 7/10 Bethany Cox