State Fair (1945)

I have been wanting to write a proper review of this movie for ages now, and now the time has finally come!
But before I get carried away, let me start by telling you the plot.

                   

The Frake family is going to the annual state fair and each member of the family has different expectations. Abel Frake is certain that his prize hog will win the grand award, his wife, Melissa, has high hopes of winning a prize for her pickles and mincemeat, their son Wayne wants to get back at the owner of the ring tossing booth who ridiculed him last year, and their daughter, Margy, longs to experience something new and different to cure her melancholy mood.

When they arrive at the fair, Wayne's goal is quickly accomplished, but at the same time he meets Emily, a big city girl who is a singer with the band, and falls head over heels for her.
Margy also meets a charming stranger at the roller coaster, the reporter Pat, who suggests that they spend some time together at the fair.

Of course when everything seems to be going perfect both couples meet complications and difficulties, and it is with lots of new experiences that the family returns home after the fair.

What do you know, I managed to outline the entire plot without spoiling the ending. That is of course deliberate, for I want you to watch the movie for yourselves.

                        

The first time I watched the movie, I wouldn't have imagined that it would come to be one of my favourite movies of all time.

But isn't it funny that the thing I disliked on first watching it is one of the things I love about it today?
Yes, I'm talking about the simplicity of the plot!
I think those of you who have seen the movie can agree that nothing much happens; they go to the fair, have fun, meet people and go home.
But from start to finish the plot is very sweet and idyllic, showing an idealised version of ordinary rural lives. And when you think of the time that the movie was made (1945), this kind of movie would be exactly what many Americans would need to watch - a reminder of what normal life once was and hopefully soon would be again.
And I think that's why I love i so much now and never tire of it (I've watched it 3 times in the last month and it never gets dull).

                    

A second thing I love is the clothes! Everybody wear such gorgeous clothes! Even the extras wear dresses in all kinds of lovely patters. And Margy's wardrobe is something else! I did a whole post on her many delicious outfits here.
And it's not just the clothes, the hairstyle are brilliant too! And for a 1940's aficionado as myself, watching this movie is an endless source of inspiration and source material.

Of course the music should also be mentioned, it is a musical after all!
Although it is not a typical musical of the time, I would describe it more as a movie with songs in it. In the beginning there are a few traditional musical numbers but later on most them are songs sung on a stage by the resident band. But they are definitely good songs! I can't pick a single favourite song, for all of them has been favourites in turn, so suffice to say; I love them all!

                    

Before I end this I should also mention the actors.
Jeanne Crain is just perfect as the young country girl Margy, she is so innocent and sweet and beautiful and just embodies everything good about a stereotype 1940's actress.
And Dana Andrews does a perfect job of portraying the dashing and worldly fellow who completely captures the heart of the audience.

                     

So all in all, this is a really light and sweet movie with lots of romance and pretty dresses, and if you like the 1940's or musicals or feel good movies that make you nostalgic, you should definitely try this one.

Movie Wardrobes: State Fair

State Fair is one of my new favourite movies for many reasons: the plot, the setting, the music and not to forget; the costumes! It is an enjoyable collection of 40's outfits from the beginning to the end!

I personally think the main character, Margy Frake, has one of the most enviable movie wardrobes of all time, so let's take a closer look on each of her outfits.

When we first meet her she wears this lovely outfit that's practically screaming farm girl and femininity. Just look at the details on her skirt - it has pockets! Who doesn't love a skirt with pockets? It combines the pretty with the practical, and must be very handy when going about your daily work.
And don't get me started on that lovely peasant blouse - the ruffles, the ribbons...I don't even have words.

When they arrive at the State Fair we see her wearing this gorgeous pinafore dress/apron (I am not entirely sure what it was called). Again; practical and pretty at the same time.

This!! This is my favourite dress in the movie!
The pale pastels that compliment each other so well, the flattering cut of the skirts, the discreet puff sleeves, the flower details - everything just works together to create perfection.

The dress she wears the first evening has me rather torn; on one hand I think the cut of it a bit strange, but on the other I love the pale purple hues.

Here's another lovely daydress/set. Notice the matching hat in the right corner, how well thought through is that? I wish we could have seen her wearing the hat as well! I really like the colour of the top (red is my favourite after all) and the trimming. The skirt is very simple and therefore works very well to balance out the adorned top.

Margy's second evening dress is very dreamy and billowy. What I love the most is the detail in the fabric - it is hard to see in the photo, but the fabric of the sleeves and collar is transparent and adorned with little bows as part of the pattern (hard to describe precisely, but it's so pretty).

And another pinafore/apron (because one work outfit is just not enough for a three day holiday). I just adore the gingham pattern in this one and the trimming at the front. If I could sow I would make a dress just like this one (and wear it whenever I'm having a stay at home day).

Here's one of Margy's more downplayed outfits - mostly for everyday wear I think. Not my favourite but I like the versatility it has, you can wear any shirt/blouse underneath that dress and get a completely new look out of it.

The dress Margy wears the final evening is really lovely. The placement of the coloured fabric gives a great focus on the waist, and as always I love the cut of the skirt. She just wears so many beautiful dresses. I truly wish I had a wardrobe like that.

That was the final outfit she wore and thus the end of this in depth costume listing. But Margy is not the only one to wear amazing outfits in this movie, so let's end this post with a few honorable mentions: 

This gingham dress worn by Margy's mother is just a plain daydress, but I love the pattern and the details around the collar. Shows that you can look good even if you're dressed for housework.

We actually only see this girl in 2 little scenes, but each time she completely steals the screen with her delightful outfits. Just look at the wonderful hue of pink, the contrast the white buttons make and the little peter pan collar - I want her in more scenes just to see more outfits in that style.

There actually isn't that many hats in this movie (wouldn't want to hide all the curly hairstyles), but this one is certainly a prime specimen. Relatively simple, but the big bow gives it a splash of colour that makes it festive (and you can make the bow match your dress if you like).

So...that's all for this time!
Have you seen State Fair? If so, how did you like it?

Top 10 newly discovered musical numbers

As I have mentioned before, I am currently watching a lot of musicals - both old and new classics. And it has opened my eyes for some wonderful songs, that I didn't even know existed.
I'm not very good at choosing between my favourites songs, mainly because they switch places almost daily, but this top 10 is my favourites right now.

1. Once and for all - Newsies
2. The world will know - Newsies
3. Into the fire - The Scarlet Pimpernel
4. Maybe - Annie
5. Many a new day - Oklahoma
6. The surrey with a fringe on the top - Oklahoma
7. I can't say no - Oklahoma
8. They say it's wonderful - Annie get your gun
9. It might as well be spring - State Fair
10. Santa Fe - Newsies


There it is, it was hard, and I'll admit the top 4 is almost a tie, for I really love those songs at the moment.

The post today is short, but I'm working on another post, with classic musicals I have seen this week, and it should be up in a day or two.
I'm also planning a big post on North & South (the book by Elizabeth Gaskell), but I'm still not quite finished reading it.
Just so you know what to expect in the near future

5 classic musicals

Recently I have been watching a lot of the classic Hollywood musicals, and it has opened a whole new world full of singing and dancing.
I have seen some of the big classics that everybody know, some of my all time favourites, and then some I had never heard of before. 
So I decided to rate them, so you'll know which ones you can miss, and which ones you can't live without seeing. I'm taking both the plot and the songs into consideration, before rating it on a scale from 1 to 10.


West Side Story

The plot: Tony and Maria fall in love with each other, but find it is hard to be together, when they have connections to rivaling gangs.

At first the plot goes very slowly, as in many musicals, but it soon picks up the pace, and the tension rises right until the end.
At the opening scenes, however, I almost had second thoughts about watching the movie at all - and then again, I have never laughed so much as at these first minutes, and it wasn't even intentional. But you gotta admit, having a hardcore street gang dancing ballet through the streets is worth quite a laugh.
But that was the only time the dancing worked against the plot - all the other dance numbers fitted beautifully into the scenes.

The songs: The songs are great. The first songs is, I admit, nothing special, but then all the big hits come in line. I think they underline the plot quite well, without stalling it unnecessarily. And the songs are very expressive. Some of them make you really happy and some of them make you really sad - according to the purpose of the song.
 
Favourite songs: My original favourite song was "Maria", but the songs "Tonight" and "Somewhere" are so beautiful. And "America" is really funny. So it's safe to say I just love most of the songs.


Rating:8,5



Annie get your gun

The plot: Annie, who is a great shooter, falls in love with fellow shooter Frank Butler, and therefore joins the wild west show he is touring with, and tries to become the sort of girl he could love.

I gotta say I wasn't impressed with this movie. The plot didn't make much sense,
and I didn't feel the characters. I actually didn't like Annie that much, but I think that was because the actress overacted - especially during the songs. It would have been fine on a stage, but in a movie it was just too much. And don't get me started on the relationship: at first she likes him and he doesn't know, then suddenly he likes her too (and you are never explained why), then they fight, then they make up, then they fight again - you get the pattern right?

The songs: The songs weren't bad, but they weren't fantastic either. Most of them were rather forgettable, with a few exceptions of cause. And most of them were just too long, doing nothing or very little for the plot.

Favourite songs: Definitely "They say it's wonderful", that song is just so beautiful and touching, and makes the entire movie worth seeing.


Rating:5,0



Oklahoma 

The plot: The cowboy Curly, loves Laurey, who lives at a farm. She likes him too, but have a hard time admitting it.

When I had to summarise the plot, I realised the movie doesn't have much of a plot. But that doesn't mean I was bored at all watching it. It's true the main plot isn't anything special - but the subplot, with the love story between the cowboy who needs 50 $ to marry his girlfriend, but keeps spending them buying her presents, and the girl who just can't make up her mind, which of her admirers she likes the best. That's just priceless.
All in all it's a very nice movie, where you quite forget the lack of plot because of all the good songs. And although it really tries to build up some dramatic tension, it is released so quickly that the dramatic climax is a bit anticlimactic. (But who am I to complain about that - I hate it when there's too much drama in a movie)
And then there's the dancing...it is all very well done, but there is this 10-minute dancing sequence that could have been cut without any loss to the film.   

The songs: What to say about the songs? They tie the the film very nicely together, and blend into the plot just fine. And they are great!! Most of them have gotten a permanent place on my play list of favourite musical songs. There are the light and funny songs, beautiful love ballads, and the big numbers sung by the entire cast.
I think there was one song, that i didn't understand was there, because it did nothing for the plot, but 1 out of 12 is quite good odds.

Favourite songs: Hard to decide, but "The surrey with the fringe on top" was a definite favourite from the first time I heard it. And "I can't say no" is a light and funny song, sung by one of the secondary characters. And never forget "Many a new day".

Rating: 8,0


My fair Lady

The plot: Phonetics expert Professor Higgins bets that he can pass a poor flower
girl, Eliza, off as a duchess if she learns to speak proper English.

This is an old favourite of mine. The story is original and funny, the actors portray the characters really well - especially Rex Harrison as the rude professor Higgins. And furthermore the costumes are gorgeous, and there are plenty of them. The only thing that can possibly pull down, is the length.

The songs: Don't get me started on the songs, they are just great. Some of them sweet and some of them really funny. They style fits the movie nicely, and they melt completely into the plot. Some may say that Professor Higgins' songs cant' exactly be categorised as songs, and are a bit long - and I see their points, but I gotta admit, I laugh so hard through these songs, that I don't notice the length, and never would cut even a line out.

Favourite songs: I love them all!!! But I especially love "I could have danced all night", "Wouldn't it be loverly?" and "The street where you live".


Rating: 9,5




State fair

The plot: A couple and their grown up children, Wayne and Margy, goes to the annual state fair. Romance of course ensues.

This is a really feel-good film. It's not so much a musical, as some of the other on this list. More a movie with some great songs. The plot moves at a slow pace, but in this movie, that is half the charm. It takes place in the 30's or 40's, and to me it tells a story of another time/era where things just did go slower.
It has everything that characterises a classic movie: a fair, a girl longing for adventure, an unforgettable first meeting, an ensuing romance, a little drama and not to forget the unlikely love story between two pigs. Everything you need to make a classic.
Another great thing, is the costumes - I would see the movie again and again just to look at the dresses.

The songs: As I said it is not so much "musical songs", sung as part of the plot, as it is songs sung by a singer in the background. But that doesn't mean the songs aren't good. They fit the movie beautifully in style, and listening to them just makes you happy.

Favourite songs: Definitely "It's a grand night for singing", it's just such a feel-good song.


Rating: 7,5


 So...do you agree with the ratings?
I know I am only scratching the surface of the musical world with this post,so I am planning to make it into a series, as I watch more musicals.

If you have any suggestions to a musical that is a must-see, let me know in a comment.