Sarentrol
Masterful Cinema
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Suman Roberson
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
jc-osms
As Fred Astaire moved into his 50's, rather than team him with mature female dancers closer to his own age, Hollywood decided instead to pair him with younger girls. However the problem arose as how to depict his relationship with actresses so much younger than him, never more so than in this movie, where as a bored billionaire on a "poverty tourism" visit to France he meets a gamine young orphan girl in the form of Leslie Caron and forms an immediate attraction to her so that within days he's jetted her off to the good life in uptown New York, setting her up in beautiful clothes and at the best college, with nary a thought for the young orphans she's been bringing up and who get left behind. So straight away we get that this isn't just a piece of philanthropy by Fred's Jervis Pendleton, else why not do a Madonna or Angelina and adopt a much younger child, even a boy.I have to state, it makes the film a little problematic to watch in these more cynical and sinister times, where nice old Uncle Fred's Daddy Longlegs schtick can look ever so slightly like grooming, especially the way he uses his influence to exile a more youthful admirer for Caron' Julie Andre character's affections. Indeed it's a problem the film itself realises given the numerous times that Pendleton's motives are called into question by those around him. And as for young Julie's attraction for an old-timer, that can be answered by the question "So just what attracted you to the billionaire Jervis Pendleton?"Of course plot matters much less to musicals than to almost any other movie genre you could mention here, so long as there are compensations in the dance numbers and soundtrack itself, but these too are a mixed bag too. The duo's romantic dance to by far the best number "Something's Gotta Give" can't quite compensate for Fred elsewhere getting down with the youth to a song and dance called the Sloo-foot, while Caron's first imaginings of Daddy L is embarrassingly bad especially when Fred has to play a big-time Texan oil-baron in a terrible hoe-down sequence. Them there's Caron's "nightmare ballet" sequence, a too obvious tilt at artistic pretension in the wake Gene Kelly's "An American In Paris".Lesser things I did enjoy were the interplay of Fred's two hired hands, the frosty Fred Clark and the feisty Thelma Ritter also the 50's New York settings, but in truth Astaire looks like a man out of time here in a film which, colourful and bright as it is on the surface is rather shallow and unengaging just below it.
TheLittleSongbird
Daddy Long Legs had a lot going for it, it's based on a lovely book, Fred Astaire is one of the greats in the dance world and Leslie Caron has always been a charming performer. And it doesn't disappoint as a film on its own merits while being a tad disappointing for some book fans.Visually, Daddy Long Longs looks absolutely great, with elegant costumes(in colour and in style), lavish photography and colourful settings and scenery. The songs range from pleasant to wonderful, apart from the rather silly and forgettable(sometimes annoying too) Welcome Egghead. The unforgettably beautiful Something Gotta Give is the highlight. The choreography is constantly full of energy and grace, both of which are sustained right until the last number. Sluefoot dazzles in its choreography and often deliciously funny while showing off Astaire and Caron's strengths as dancers brilliantly, while the ballet sequences are wonderfully dream-like. The script is fresh and witty, there are funny, poignant and warm-hearted moments galore, the film is directed with real class, meticulous eye for detail and a light-hearted touch and the characters have a lot of engaging charm.All the performances are right on the money, Fred Astaire is cast perfectly and dances an absolute dream and Leslie Caron is an immensely enchanting leading lady. The 30-year age gap is a bother for some, it's the thing that Daddy Long Legs is most criticised for, but not for me, because the chemistry is actually really endearing, Astaire and Caron work beautifully together and their performances carry the film beautifully. They are supported by an excellent supporting cast, a delightful Thelma Ritter is particularly impressive(almost a scene-stealer in fact), her charm and comic timing irresistible, but Fred Clark and Larry Keating play with gusto and are no less memorable and likewise with a likable Terry Moore.Not much lets down Daddy Long Legs actually. My only complaints actually are the rather tissue-thin and sometimes too simple story, which sometimes drags and gave the film a slightly overlong feel, and the lengthy final ballet, which- while impeccably danced and choreographed with the right amount of dreaminess- it does go on too long, grinds the film to a halt and felt a little overblown.In summary, a very nice film and a treat for fans of Astaire and Caron. 8/10 Bethany Cox
writers_reign
I've never been much of an admirer of Lesley Caron but it's undeniable that she does possess the required ingenuousness for the role of an orphan doubling as Cinderella. Jean Webster's novel has been adapted many times not least as a stage Musical, Love From Judy, in the late forties. The natural warmth, charm and grace of Fred Astaire have seldom been better displayed, grace under pressure if you will given that his wife had died only recently. We don't hear enough of Johnny Mercer's great ballad Dream (which was not written for the film) but we do get Something's Gotta Give. As usual Fred dances so effortlessly that you wonder why the second-stringers like Kelly, Daily, Nelson etc even bother. Thelma Ritter could have been given a little more but she clicks with the little she does get and all in all this is a minor charmer.
superstragal
While watching the movie, I have noticed myself the strong resemblance of the orchestra leader to Cary Grant. With a little research you will see that the man with the trumpet is Ray Anthony with Cary Grant-like looks. Actually he was a big name for his time after being discovered by Glenn Miller. In any case, the film is worth watching. It totally captures the sense of its time in a delightful way. Wonderful art direction, beautiful music and choreography. As for the age difference between Daddy Long Legs and sweet Julie, is not that unacceptable. Love is and always will be blind.
