I never liked Frank Sinatra. Oh, sure, he's great to listen to when he sings. But, IMHO, his singing talent never could make up for the fact that, even in a tux, he was a skinny, unattractive and terribly common-looking little man ("half-pint imitation" describes him to a T). As a woman I never understood why beautiful women like Ava Gardner, etc., fell over like ninepins around him.
OK, that's a bit off my chest.
Now to the film. I usually like musicals and vintage Hollywood. But this one I had a hard time getting through. I always say that judging films (or anything else) made over 60 years ago by today's standards is stupid, bigoted and pointless. Things were different then and that's all there is to it. If you can't stand it, well, stick to Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston ... er, "comedies"? Having said that, this film is ruined by, among other things, some of the corniest, most cringe-worthy, Ugh!-inducing lines I have ever heard. Even for 1950s Hollywood.
Apparently, the original Broadway show was duly sanitized when they converted it to the screen, which proves - once again - that censorship is NEVER a good idea, whether it's on moral or politically correct grounds. So we ended up with a film that can't quite make up its mind whether it wants to be a sleazy comedy with a romantic twist, or a romantic comedy with a sleazy twist. Kim Novak is absolutely gorgeous, but she's just not convincing as an ingénue. Someone here said that Rita Hayworth's role should have been more Norma Desmond-like and I really could not agree more. And I already said what I think of "Sinatra as Mr. Irresistible."
All in all, unless you're a Frank Sinatra die-hard, just skip it. There are much better "classics" out there.
OK, that's a bit off my chest.
Now to the film. I usually like musicals and vintage Hollywood. But this one I had a hard time getting through. I always say that judging films (or anything else) made over 60 years ago by today's standards is stupid, bigoted and pointless. Things were different then and that's all there is to it. If you can't stand it, well, stick to Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston ... er, "comedies"? Having said that, this film is ruined by, among other things, some of the corniest, most cringe-worthy, Ugh!-inducing lines I have ever heard. Even for 1950s Hollywood.
Apparently, the original Broadway show was duly sanitized when they converted it to the screen, which proves - once again - that censorship is NEVER a good idea, whether it's on moral or politically correct grounds. So we ended up with a film that can't quite make up its mind whether it wants to be a sleazy comedy with a romantic twist, or a romantic comedy with a sleazy twist. Kim Novak is absolutely gorgeous, but she's just not convincing as an ingénue. Someone here said that Rita Hayworth's role should have been more Norma Desmond-like and I really could not agree more. And I already said what I think of "Sinatra as Mr. Irresistible."
All in all, unless you're a Frank Sinatra die-hard, just skip it. There are much better "classics" out there.