Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Hitchcoc "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and other Gershwin tunes allow Astaire and Rogers to strut their stuff. These movies are always about an excuse to dance, so this silly plot doesn't really matter. Fred is a ballet instructor who falls in love with Rogers' character and talks her into working for him. At first she isn't impressed but things start to settle. They travel on an ocean liner and someone starts a rumor that they are actually married. She is furious (as she is in just about every one of their films together). They have decided to get married and then divorced, to get the rumors off their backs. There is a silly, contrived scene at the end which doesn't matter because we know they will be back together, no matter what.

jc-osms Another entertaining Fred and Ginger vehicle even if it has one of their more preposterous story lines, which is saying something. This time he's a famous ballet dancer masquerading under a Russian nom-de-plume, I presume for artistic reasons, complete with put-on accent. Thankfully we're spared seeing the great man in tights although it's obvious he's a song and dance man at heart and besides he's determined to charm the leading female revue artist of the day, our Ginger of course, while they're both in Paris.It's not too long though before they're aboard an ocean liner back to New York where their typical on-off-on etc romance finally blossoms just in time for the end titles. Along the way there's much wheeling and dealing in their affairs / affair by a motley selection of interested parties but there's little doubt it'll all come right in the end.The humour here is a little more adult than usual with, whisper it, elements of near-bedroom farce at times and another sub-theme of blending ballet with ballroom dancing seems ahead of its time too. Not that I'm making any great narrative claims for the movie of course, it's still a frothy Fred and Ginger feature after all. The best things about the film are the probably too few dance set-pieces between the stars, the roller-skating routine in particular is a marvel and his "dance with a thousand Gingers" while the fine score by the Gershwin brothers features many of their classic songbook entries. The sets are plush although on the costume front I've seen Ginger in nicer frocks than she wears here. The weirdest scene for me was having Fred dance with a ballet dancer-come-contortionist, not for the first time in one of their movies and some of the humour was a little forced, especially the hotel manager's spelling-bee call from the local jail.Nevertheless, as always it's the song and dance element we look for most in an Astaire and Rogers and both are of top quality in this particular movie.

mark.waltz First of all, Fred Astaire is far too American to be believable as a Russian dancer named "Petrov", and the squabbling he goes through with Ginger Rogers (as an off-key star of musical revues) is a repeat of everything that they've done in their movies up until now. But when you've got Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore and RKO's top art decco set directors, that's enough to distract you from the silliness of the plot. Add on songs by the Gershwins (the first of two films where they collaborated together) and all those reluctant complaints seem redundant.The basic plot has Astaire and Rogers being mistaken in the press as married, and before you know it, they're hotter than Brad and Angelina. Ginger wants no part of this, but Freddie has a few tricks up his sleeve to win her for good. Thanks to George and Ira's music (some of George's last), it works. Fred woos her to "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (which he would repeat 12 years later in "The Barkleys of Broadway") and even has a bunch of dancers with Ginger masks prancing around him in the title number. What tough Broadway star wouldn't fall for that? The lyrics for Ira are very clever too, particularly in "They All Laughed" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off". As visually exciting as the ship set song "Let Yourself Go" is, what boiler room looks like a Broadway set? Horton & Blore provide droll humor, and exchange some great lines. All they are missing is Franklin Pangborn.

Chris_Docker In recent years, the title of this film has become overshadowed by two modern movies of the same name: a superb Japanese movie and its American remake, respectively entitled Shall We Dansu? and Shall We Dance. Yet this 1937 classic is worth revisiting not only for its famous Gershwin numbers, but as the last of a series of classic-format films between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Deeply flawed, yet the tremendous effort poured into its production is evident. And, when viewed as part of a series, touchingly beautiful.Utilising talent from their earlier films, Shall We Dance pushes the established formula of light romantic farce coupled with stunning dance routines. But here are many innovations and subtle references to delight fans. At the end of their previous film together (Swing Time), Fred serenaded Ginger with the song Never Gonna Dance, so Shall We Dance? suggests a delightful comeback through association. Their respective characters have grown through successive films, as has their on screen relationship. Now, for the first time, both play fully fledged divas in their own right. Fred is Petrov, a Russian ballet star, and Ginger is Linda, a celebrated jazz dancer. Many of the gags involve rumours about the characters being secretly married or having children. By way of a complex plot, half conducted on a transatlantic liner, the couple do actually get married for the first time in their films together. Copy pictureThe star personas of both Astaire and Rogers have been carefully managed by the studios since their debut together in Flying Down to Rio (1933). Fred woos her with increasing conviction or intensity in each successive movie. To suspend disbelief effectively, the audience has to be thoroughly confused for a while about the nature of their relationship (in real life, both Astaire and Rogers are married to other people at this time). The on screen characters are not married at the start of the story – Fred is pursuing Ginger, as usual. But an offhand comment by Petrov to an over-persistent admirer (to the effect that he and Linda are secretly married) is blown up by the newspapers in the story. The only way they can dispel rumours is to get a divorce – which means they first have to get married.In terms of dance routines, most things had been done already, so Shall We Dance has to come up with something new. One idea is a duet on roller skates. Depending on which account we read, it took filming up to fifty takes to complete (unusually, as Fred would mostly insist on a single one). It's filmed in Central Park, and the idea is to make it look like something people would naturally be doing. It's also the longest dance Fred and Ginger have together in the film, and is made even more enjoyable by their singing Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.Another innovation is the way the story line is tied up. (Note – a light spoiler follows, but I think it's worth knowing what is coming in this case, so as not to miss the full effect). Petrov, now distraught that Linda won't dance with him, has a choreographed scene where he serenades with numerous showgirls who wear Linda masks. This in itself recalls earlier scenes involving a dummy positioned next to a sleeping Petrov, to 'prove' in the tabloids that they are married; and also in a flick-book he has that creates moving images of Linda. Unbeknown to Petrov, Linda yearns for them to be together. She insists on being taken backstage. Petrov's dance involves unmasking the lookalikes only to find that none are the real Linda. When he touches the real Linda's chin, he finds it is not a mask but really her. She extends her hand and, whoever the 'real' Petrov and Linda have been (they both have several identities even within the film), the audience is satisfied that the real living couple finally have a dance of love. Almost all the emotion of the film has been saved for this moment.Shall We Dance not only reprises two established stars; it examines the real life pressures and glare of publicity facing them. They were both under pressure: during filming, Ginger Rogers received a real-life extortion notice and a death threat to her mother. The movie's final dance scene maybe hints at something that is beyond words, beyond the glare of the limelight, and something eternally personal – as the song implies: "They Can't Take That Away from Me."The film's weaknesses include living up to expectations when a formula has peaked. In earlier pairings, Fred's character woos Ginger through dance rather than words. Here, they enjoy some comedy together but there are maybe one too many dance solos. The plot and characterisation has weaknesses too – Astaire is a very accomplished dancer performing balletic moves, but he was the first to admit he is no ballet star. Dance fans may feel unconvinced (similarly, the songs have been covered by much more competent singers). One of the main dance routines sees Harriet Hoctor, not Ginger, imported to dance with Fred – largely on account of her ability to tap through remarkable back-bends. Shall We Dance lacks much of the natural dance chemistry between Fred and Ginger displayed in earlier films, but it is an outstanding piece of their film history that should not be missed.