Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Davalon-Davalon I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I saw this film. I always loved Fred Astaire and Petula Clark. I also vaguely remember having a favorable impression of Tommy Steele from my childhood. The first few minutes were quite amazing, cinematography-wise, and we get to hear the first of about 3 (maybe 4) outstanding Broadway songs ("Look to the Rainbow," How Are Things in Glocca Morra" "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love"). After that, this Titanic sinks quickly. The plot, if there is one, is a rambling mess about Finian, who stole the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and stupidly thought it would "multiply" if he buried it somewhere near Fort Knox. Ooookay. Then we have the bizarre racist story-line which has no connection with the music. Next, we are bouncing back and forth between Fred and Petula and Tommy and Don Francks as "Woody" (horrid! -- we kept taking bets for when his toupee was going to come flying off) and Keenan Wynn as "The Senator" and poor lonely "Silent Susan" (Barbara Hancock, a gifted dancer, yes, but otherwise...)It was impossible to know who to root for or care about and so we just sat and laughed and made jokes about Don and Fred's toupees. It was amazing to see how incredibly well Fred could still dance; at the same time, he looked like he was exhausted and about ready to drop dead (even though he hung on for nearly 20 more years). So, yes, Fred was entertaining when he was dancing. Otherwise, he and everyone else (especially Tommy Steele, who redefines "over the top" every time he screams "Doom and gloom!") seemed to be lost in the flotsam and jetsam of what, I imagine, had some impact as a Broadway musical in the 1940s. By the time they brought it to the screen (directed, inexplicably, by Francis Ford Coppola), it was way too late for anyone to care. It seems woefully out of date and out of touch. Again, the three songs mentioned above were superb examples of fine songwriting, but the rest is a slogfest and a jaw-dropper. There are moments of unexpected hysterical laughter (but not for any reasons the filmmaker intended) and the will-he-won't-he-lose-his-wig betting contest you'll be having, but otherwise... run for the hills ... just not the ones that Finian's Rainbow floats over.

SimonJack Fred Astaire was 69 years old when he left Glocca Morra as Finian McLonergan to put down roots in America. In "Finian's Rainbow," he gives us his swan song as a hoofer. It's nothing like the dazzling, sometimes complicated, yet always seemingly effortless routines he delighted audiences with through the mid-1950s. But, the lighter, softer footwork here still exudes the magical touch of the master of dance.Astaire is joined by a superb cast for this fantasy musical that also departs from the usual stage settings for Astaire routines. Here, the dancing, songs, and story take place mostly in the outdoors of the village of Rainbow Valley and its nearby woods. Finian has come with his daughter, Sharon, to plant the pot of gold he snatched at the end of a rainbow in Ireland. He came to bury it in Missitucky which is near Fort Knox. Planted next to America's gold deposit, the pot is sure to grow – or so thinks Finian. And he wants to get his gold buried before the leprechaun that is in pursuit catches up to him. Petula Clark is superb as Sharon and Tommy Steele is fantastic as Og, the leprechaun.In Rainbow Valley, they are welcomed by the townsfolk and join in their party after helping stave off the sheriff's attempt to auction off the village property for back taxes. Senator Billboard Rawkins wants to acquire all the land. Don Francks plays Woody Mahoney, who soon woos Sharon. A movie newcomer, Barbara Hancock, plays Susan the Silent. She is a ballerina in her first part in a movie, and she dances her heart away in this film. Keenan Wynn plays Senator Rawkins. Al Freeman Jr. plays Howard, a researcher and partner with Woody in a project to develop a menthol tobacco plant. All of these lead characters and supporting actors are backed up by a troupe of dancers and singers who perform or support some wonderful musical and dance routines in the film.The story and music come from a book by E.Y. "Yip" Harburg and Fred Saidy. Harburg wrote the lyrics for all of the songs and Burton Lane wrote the music. "Finian's Rainbow" was first made into a staged musical on Broadway in 1947. Five of the songs became hit tunes that year. The most popular and well known number was "How Are Things in Glocca Morra." Ella Logan first sang it on stage in the 1947 musical. The other four hit tunes were "Old Devil Moon," "If This Isn't Love," "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love," and "Look to the Rainbow." Columbia Records was the first recording studio to issue an album with all the songs from a musical. The music of Finian's Rainbow was also the first LP issued by Columba, in 1947. The original Broadway production ran for 725 performances. But it took 20 years before a movie studio would take on the project. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the beginning of the end of racial segregation of all kinds, a story like that of Finian's Rainbow was considered too hot to handle beyond the Broadway stage.The story and film have aspects that take segregation head-on. They also have considerable humor that mock race stereotyping. Most of this is done with humor that people today can appreciate and enjoy. In that regard, the film strikes an historical chord for its portrayal of racial bigotry and prejudice that still prevailed well past the middle of the 20th century in America.While the name Yip Harburg may not be recognizable to most people in the 21st century, a lot of his tunes are well known today and likely will be long into the future. Harburg wrote the lyrics for all 18 of the songs in "The Wizard of Oz." "Over the Rainbow" won the 1939 Oscar for best original song and became Judy Garland's theme song. It became one of the most enduring standard songs for movies through the 20th century. Harburg's original songs or reprisals of his tunes have been in 385 movies through 2015.The movie does have some unique and some odd things about it. One that is both of these is its series of scenes in the opening while the credits are running. The scenes are beautiful panoramas mostly of scenic or historic places in America. They show Finian and Sharon (or their stand-ins) walking over hills, through fields, down steep mountain trails, and high above vistas that show many American trademarks. We see the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco, Monument Valley in Arizona, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the Rocky Mountains or Cascade Mountains, a boat ride on the Everglades, and more. While the scenery is excellent, it also doesn't make sense. Finian came from Ireland and started walking across America from the West Coast? Zigzagging up and down across country? Even with its hit songs, and an overall entertaining production, "Finian's Rainbow" doesn't have the punch that the more elaborate musicals have had. Still, the mythical Glocca Morra will likely live on from the tune itself. And the movie is a fine and fitting end of the musical film productions of a great cinema dancing legend and, as it turns out, the near end of musical films by the top British female singer of record. Astaire appeared in just a few more non-musicals and Clark sang in only two more films. But we all can still enjoy the dancing and singing of Fred Astaire and Petula Clark in the number of their recorded works that will be available for decades to come.

bear1955 Too bad about Fred Astaire, in this. Why not have made him Og and gotten someone else for Finian? My take is this well among poorly conceived late-1960s movie musicals. The screenplay is nearly cheerless and un-redeemable because of the integral socioeconomic and racial issues reprised possibly whole, from the late 1940s stage show. Broadway and the West End theatergoers were enthusiastic for the premier runs which both started in 1947. People swooned over the songs. Mentholated-tobacco? Black-face. Heavy-handed stereotyping galore. Irish, southern, and Negro. Tommy Steele being a 'thing'! What were the director (FF Coppola) and producers thinking? Shame about all effort to bring it back as this major movie musical 20-years-plus, later. I've read of several short-run revivals. Read, not heard of. Why ask why.

eyecandyforu Whimsical is not a word I get to use often, but that's exactly what Finian's Rainbow is. Based on the 1947 stage musical it's part fantasy and part political satire. The plot follows the quintessential Irishman Finian(Fred Astaire in his last full screen role) and his daughter Sharon (Petula Clark) as they basically flee to America with a pot of gold stolen from the leprechaun, Og (Tommy Steele). After an amazing opening credit sequence ("Look To The Rainbow"), they arrive in "Misitucky" which is supposed to be near Fort Knox, to bury the gold in the belief that it will multiply. The small hamlet of Rainbow Valley becomes their home, a kind of Tobacco Road with very poor but very happy hippie-like inhabitants. Here Sharon meets her love interest Woody (Don Francks) Add Keenan Wynn as the villain, Senator Hawkins, a racist Southern stereotype that during the course of the story turns black. Several minor plots weave in and out, creating a rich and unique film. Astaire used to sound stages and carefully planned dance numbers balked at dancing outside in a field and the director, Francis Ford Coppola (an odd choice, but what's done is done) tried his best to meet his demands. Ironically the field sequence, which comes early in the film is beautiful and very well done by the choreographer Hermes Pan, who was subsequently fired from the film. Petula Clark clearly steals the movie. The camera loves her in this and her natural beauty and performance are such a pleasure to watch. Astaire, who was criticized cruelly for his appearance (he was 69 at the time) is as usual charming and no one danced like he did. Francks holds his own and makes a nice compliment to Clark. Tommy Steele's performance rolics between delightful and way too over the top. Beautifully filmed, it does suffer from jarring "this is real, this is fake" scenery but if you just go with it, it's not that bad. The DVD presents Astaire's dance numbers complete and full body (something Astaire always insisted on but was overlooked in the original release) Finian's Rainbow is known now more for many of it's songs than itself as a whole, but it's still very much worth a look, especially if you love musicals.