Rating: NR
Genre:
Musical
Release Date: 03/15/2005
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD1
Run Time: 103 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
Fred Astaire had announced his retirement before the cameras began to roll on
Easter Parade, but he decided to accept the film's leading role when its original star
Gene Kelly became incapacitated. The thinnish plot, which finds
Astaire trying to turn chorus girl
Judy Garland into a star in order to show up his former partner
Ann Miller, is hardly what keeps the audience's eyes riveted to the screen. All that truly matters are the 17 musical numbers, all written by
Irving Berlin (ten were standards, while seven were new to this film). Among the many highlights are
Astaire's slow-motion version of
"Steppin' Out," the
Astaire/
Garland duet
"We're a Couple of Swells," the opening rendition of
"Happy Easter," and the closing performance of the title number. So successful was
Easter Parade that plans were immediately drawn to reteam
Fred Astaire and
Judy Garland in
The Barkeleys of Broadway; this time, however, it was
Garland who withdrew, to be replaced by
Astaire's most famous
vis-à-vis,
Ginger Rogers.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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