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Belle of the Nineties | Year: 1934 Directed: - Leo McCarey Actors/Actresses: - Mae West - Roger Pryor Not Mae's best script, but her best score Like her nearest competitiors the Marx brothers and W.C. Fields, Mae West worked best in films where the logic of the plot made the least sense (as in I'M NO ANGEL where she's a lion tamer who conquers New York's society lions). In this film version of one of her stage plays, the plot is pretty sensible, which acts to its detriment. Mae doesn't get nearly as great lines as she usually does, and there's all this creaking plot machinery to establish her moral position and that of her no-good boyfriends. Still, it has great sets and costumes, and you get to hear her really cut loose with some of the best honky-tonk songs she ever got to sing in her wonderful adenoidal way, including "My Old Flame" and "Memphis Blues." her accompaniment is by Duke Ellington and his orchestra (you even get to see them with her in one scene), which should let you know how special this score is. And Mae is of course always Mae. After the Code...still worthwhile The Production Code certainly did its duty (and damage) with Mae West's films. Her lines and remarks were dramatically "toned down". If you compare this movie with its immediate Pre-Code predecessors "She Done Him Wrong" and "I'm No Angel", you'll know what I mean. Anyway, still worthwhile to watch, West has a field day as "the flame" of both, St. Louis and New Orléans, with boxer Roger Pryor, upper-class Johnny Mack Brown and villainous casino owner John Miljan, at the top of the list of her admirers. Mae never looked so ravishing again as in this picture, in those awesome 1890s gowns designed especially for her by Paramount's top couturier Travis Banton. She also gets to sing a great deal here, mostly accompanied by a young Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. Sex appeal oozing from her pores She aint no stick figure, but she is ALL woman. Mae was the sort of woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to ask. She had a great voice for the blues and a good head for the double entendre's. It's a fun movie and never tries to take itself seriously. Well worth a look. Buy Belle Of The Nineties at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Belle Of The Nineties Search with the Priority Search Engine on Belle Of The Nineties This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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