|
| • Advanced Search • Help |
Funny Face | Year: 1957 Classification: Comedy Directed: - Stanley Donen Actors/Actresses: - Fred Astaire - Audrey Hepburn Great movie and the DVD Transfer is Crystal Clear! I don't think I've ever seen a good print of this film till I bought the DVD, which is fabulous! I'm not a die-hard Audrey Hepburn fan, but she is very charming and looks fabulous in the fashions. I love the ability to skip the numbers I don't like with the DVD since I find this a very uneven film. When it is good it is nearly flawless (and that's most of the time--opening credits, Think Pink, Funny Face, Bonjour Paris, The Photo Shoots, S'Wonderful, the final fashion show) but when it is bad it is horrid (a 60 year old Fred Astaire trying to be a beatnik, Fred's unending "matador" dance number, the whole plot with the Professor, Clap Yo'Hands). I was disappointed in the additional features--the original trailer is ho hum and the Paramount "documentary" is really just an extended sales pitch with bad stock footage. Where's an interview with the great Stanley Donen? Still, overall well worth purchasing. A visual and musical treat for the eyes and ears! Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn pair-up to give the viewer a glimpse of glamour and romance in the late '50's. The fashions are fabulous, thanks to Givenchy and a Paris backdrop. Fred Astaire's dance numbers are not as crisp as his earlier films, but are classic Astaire none-the-less and thoroughly enjoyable. Audrey Hepburn, playing a beatnik-type intellectual turned fashion model, sings in this film. Her voice is not always strong, but the wonderful songs help her carry this off. Astaire's role, based on photographer Richard Avedon, provides a whimsical glimpse into the world of production of a glossy fashion magazine at the time. This is a thoroughly enjoyable rags-to-riches story and a must for Astaire and Hepburn fans alike! Where Was MArni NIxon? Funny Face has just about everything going for it. Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Stanley Donen, great Gershwin tunes, a terrific rare glimpse of the incomparable Kay Thompson and above all some of the most exciting visuals and overall art direction ever caught on film. So what happened? The sad decision to let Hepburn do her own singing. That's not to say her voice is bad. It's very... nice. But for a full blown musical of this scale, the audience is yearning for Hepburn's character to really give out with a great set of pipes. Perhaps not quite to the extent of Kay Thompson, an actress perhaps better suited for the stage than the intimacy of the screen. Yet while the movie does not fulfill its promise, it's still well worth seeing. The transformation of Hepburn from mousy bookstore clerk to haute couture model is as wonderful as her similar transformation in "Sabrina". The modeling sessions with Astaire directing Hepburn are delightful and above all the VistaVision presentation of late 50s gloss can not be matched, (the opening credits nearly make up for the entire movie). With Richard Avedon and Suzy Parker's influence the movie almost makes you forgive its failings. Still by the last frame the audience is left with only one thought: "Where's Marni Nixon when you need her?". Buy Funny Face at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Funny Face Search with the Priority Search Engine on Funny Face This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
|
