As a biopic, Rhapsody in Blue will disappoint, but musically it is an epic feast that nobody can fail to delight in.
Sure, the script is cliché-ridden and sentimental, the film is a bit too long and drags in places and those expecting accuracy or honesty here will be very short-changed, as with most music biopics of this period Rhapsody in Blue is heavily fictionalised. Herbert Rudley also felt undercast as Gershwin's brother Ira.
On the other hand, Rhapsody in Blue does look good, with the costumes and sets evoking the period accurately and beautifully and the black and white photography is lovely (though maybe the film may have fared even better in colour). It's well directed, the musical numbers are well and solidly staged and the cast mostly do not disappoint. Robert Alda is a charismatic and likable Gershwin, Alexis Smith is charming and Rosemary DeCamp is compassionate and moving. There are also fabulous supporting turns from a pianistically brilliant and very funny Oscar Levant and a fabulously soulful Al Jolson, his rendition of Swanee being the film's high point. What really makes Rhapsody in Blue worth watching is the absolutely phenomenal music, there's lots of it, which will delight die-hard Gershwin fans, and it is all very well performed (Levant and Jolson in particular standing out).
To conclude, a musical feast but could have been better if more attention was put into the biographical elements. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Sure, the script is cliché-ridden and sentimental, the film is a bit too long and drags in places and those expecting accuracy or honesty here will be very short-changed, as with most music biopics of this period Rhapsody in Blue is heavily fictionalised. Herbert Rudley also felt undercast as Gershwin's brother Ira.
On the other hand, Rhapsody in Blue does look good, with the costumes and sets evoking the period accurately and beautifully and the black and white photography is lovely (though maybe the film may have fared even better in colour). It's well directed, the musical numbers are well and solidly staged and the cast mostly do not disappoint. Robert Alda is a charismatic and likable Gershwin, Alexis Smith is charming and Rosemary DeCamp is compassionate and moving. There are also fabulous supporting turns from a pianistically brilliant and very funny Oscar Levant and a fabulously soulful Al Jolson, his rendition of Swanee being the film's high point. What really makes Rhapsody in Blue worth watching is the absolutely phenomenal music, there's lots of it, which will delight die-hard Gershwin fans, and it is all very well performed (Levant and Jolson in particular standing out).
To conclude, a musical feast but could have been better if more attention was put into the biographical elements. 7/10 Bethany Cox