BookWorm-2
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BookWorm-2's rating
Chorus girls who glittered at the Apollo Theatre at the height of the Harlem Renaissance reunite as The Silver Belles, a different sort of Chorus Line. A film as witty and stylish as its subjects, BEEN RICH ALL MY LIFE features a cast of delightfully indestructible women, who explain how they have persevered through times good and bad, retaining their sense of glamor and their sense of humor and giving audiences a great time along the way. There are melancholy notes among the scenes of joy, but in the end, they embody Stephen Sondheim's "I'm Still Here."
The film was a big hit at New York's "Dance on Film" festival.
The film was a big hit at New York's "Dance on Film" festival.
Anyone who has ever embarked on a construction project, from a tree-house to a skyscraper, will identify with the beleaguered Mr. Blandings. His simple vision of an idyllic life in the suburbs encounters the harsh reality of recalcitrant geology, feuding contractors, exploding costs, and other complications -- all to hilarious effect.
The script has a perfect ear, the director's timing is impeccable, and the sophisticated style of the stars gives the entire production a polished sheen. Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas are all brilliant, but this is much more than a star vehicle. It's one of the best sophisticated comedies Hollywood ever committed to celluloid. And even 60 years later, the story is all too true.
The script has a perfect ear, the director's timing is impeccable, and the sophisticated style of the stars gives the entire production a polished sheen. Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas are all brilliant, but this is much more than a star vehicle. It's one of the best sophisticated comedies Hollywood ever committed to celluloid. And even 60 years later, the story is all too true.
I saw this landmark, two-evening play twice on Broadway, and still live in awe of the experience. I did not see the original broadcast, and I worried about the wholesale cast replacement. (Only Jeffrey Wright remains from the Broadway cast.) Much as I would like to see the performances that blew me away recorded for posterity, replacing Kathleen Chalfant with Meryl Streep, for instance, or Marcia Gay Harden with Mary Louise Parker, is simply a matter of replacing one extraordinary artist with another superb talent.
Having now caught up with a taping of the show, I must pronounce myself profoundly satisfied, and more. Kushner and Nichols and their terrific tech crew have enhanced the magic that fueled the play, broadening its impact. The literally all-star cast delivers. The fantasy scenes are breathtaking. This is a brilliant evocation of a specific time and place (gay New York circa 1985) with a resonance that still echoes today.
While it's far too long for theatrical release, "Angels" is a classic to be enjoyed for years to come. Thanks to Mike Nichols and HBO for getting it recorded so magnificently.
Having now caught up with a taping of the show, I must pronounce myself profoundly satisfied, and more. Kushner and Nichols and their terrific tech crew have enhanced the magic that fueled the play, broadening its impact. The literally all-star cast delivers. The fantasy scenes are breathtaking. This is a brilliant evocation of a specific time and place (gay New York circa 1985) with a resonance that still echoes today.
While it's far too long for theatrical release, "Angels" is a classic to be enjoyed for years to come. Thanks to Mike Nichols and HBO for getting it recorded so magnificently.