May 31, 2006

"Dreams? I'm having nightmares in CINEMASCOPE!"

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955, dir. Sale)



Shamelessly stealing it's title from the classic Hawks film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), this movie is just... well, not good. I kind of don't understand this movie. It has no relation to Blondes other than it's star Jane Russell (who is subsequently the best thing about it) and the general plot (two singing stars, one smart the other apparently quite dim) go on a boat to some place and sing songs except without the hilarious levels of camp). This time they head to Paris and the city is obviously very beautiful, as are the costumes that the two ladies wear (Jeanne Crain being the second lovely lass).

But everything here is just so second grade. The songs are performed with about as much gusto as a dying puppy (have there ever been two leading men with such dull singing abilities?) and the setpieces are bland. The one-liners are lame except for one or two (such as the one in the title, which i LOVED!).

But overall I sort of just didn't get this movie. I think it was bi-polar or something. Schitzophrenic? It would be one thing one minute and then completely change the next. Characters were hypocritical. And quite frankly they don't make sense. For such a simple movie, it didn't really make much sense while watching it. Ugh. It was annoying. What a way to rob the grave of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? C-

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