Joseph Yeh You are so right Joseph. I have long thought that this is the most beautiful and elegant dance number in the history of movie musicals. And just listen to that incredible MGM orchestra! Astaire is without equal and Charisse was so sexy and my favorite of all female dancers.
Thomas Leary Appreciate your rapport. Also totally agree with your last sentence! I guess there must be millions upon millions of people out there who love Cyd and Fred.
There is nothing more enchanting than to watch Fred Astaire dance and when he does it with Ms. Charisse it is sublime. NOTHING comes close to this by anyone, anywhere today and that is tragic. I am glad I grew up in an era where this was appreciated and I am glad to see it still is today. Every now and then I must come here to see the likes of performers like this so I might, for a little while, return to an era of grace, class and elegance. Thanks for sharing.
+medford briggs Sadly, you are 100% correct. I'm afraid we have gone past the point of no return. But at least we have RU-vid to keep the memories alive.
One amazing thing that I always notice: Fred Astaire was always as graceful as a gazelle or a swan, but, he never looked anything less-than-masculine in any shot. One of a kind.
open our minds and our hearts, our era has its beauties. let's look at this sequence shot, the style is very different but it has its perfections ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7nJRGARveVc.html
There is great innovation in today's dance choreography, but I think the major difference between dance then and now was the elegance you saw back then.
I never get enough of this . I have seen this dance several hundred times and it still makes me nostalgic for what used to be. Class and style and incomparable music.
Cyd shines here, and her ballet training is very much in evidence. Very fluid, the way she moves her arms and upper body, and how she holds her hands. Stunning grace.
Cyd was simply the most talented and most beautiful of all Fred’s partners. Incredible woman !!! If someone here is implying Martha Graham would have found fault with Cyd’s dancing ? Then Martha is not so smart.
My dad as an apprentice actor during the mid-late 40s worked with Cyd Charisse in Theatrical Productions at LA's Wilshire Ebell Theatre 'He was indeed fortunate & would periodically talk about this chapter of his life following WW11
Every comment below is said with sincerity. The music, the gorgeous Cyd & elegant graceful Fred. Their skills match perfectly. It brings a lump to my throat each time i view this wonderful dance routine. The likes we'll never see again. Thank you
Let me say first that i am not a fan of dance in any form. In my 93 years I have seen every movie dancer you can name and most dances I have at best tolerated. This dance is the exception. I have copied it to my hard drive and have lost count of the number of times I have watched it. It just gets better every time. If it is true, as some have claimed, that Gene Kelly called this the best pairs dance ever filmed, he will get absolutely no argument from me.
Есть красота, изящество, настроение, впечатление. Для кино это главное, а не спортивные достижения на площадке. Назови хоть один достойный пример из советского кино, или уж тем более российского. Нет ничего подобного. И не было ни одной балерины в СССР или РФ, которая была бы так красива, стройна, с такими красивыми длинными ногами и элегантна как Сид Чарисс. Она везде во всех танцах радует глаз. Нет таких и не будет. Прошли эти времена. @@ИннаБорисовна-ю5у
This is truly the most beautiful on-screen dancing number that I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched it probably over 50-60 times and I’ve yet to be able to watch it without getting choked up and teary eyed. The simplicity of the costumes and slow build of the dance and music have never been better displayed than through the long, lean, elegant lines of Cyd and Fred. They are simply…..perfection.
At 0:30 seconds into this video they appear to be walking....in actuality, they are dancing. Notice their feet and bodies are in perfect sync with each other as they appear to be strolling, but it is actually a very slow and unassuming dance which builds into an obvious dance. I wouldn't have known this but for the fact that I just watched a Cyd Charisse interview where she talked about how Astaire walked and moved when he wasn't dancing.....I think dancers walk and move much more gracefully and deliberately than we clumsier humans, and that is evident in watching these two stroll through the scene of extras who are obviously dancing....Cyd and Fred have more grace and beauty in their stroll than any of the extras who are actually dancing.
What a delight! Cyd's ballet training is magnified here, and Fred capitalizes on it for her. One of the best dancing pair in the movies. Fred made any of his partners shine, as he was so superb, and Cyd just fits with him like a glove.! Cyd is one of the most graceful, fluid dance partners of Fred, ever!! Thanks for sharing with us - the one who uploaded this great piece of art!!
No matter where I am or what I'm doing, if I see Fred Astaire on the screen I just have to stop and watch. It's like if a piece of velvet or silk could come to life, it would be Fred! So smooth and seemingly effortless. Just wonderful!!!
A stunning number for several reasons: I first saw this in "That's Entertainment," and was awestruck at how it was performed: outdoors, a park setting on a summer night, the two dancers informally dressed, and most of all, the gorgeous Cyd Charisse was a dancer who looked nothing like any of Astaire's previous partners: swarthy and exotic, she wore her black hair short; she was a classically trained ballerina (with long, exquisite legs to prove it); and carried herself with a bit more sophistication than Astaire's other partners, so that their age difference (she was 30, he 54) did not appear so blatant. Also, the entire dance is foreplay. There is no dialogue- yet the entire number illustrates them not only working out their ability to dance together, but falling in love with each other. By the time they have both leapt off the bench and danced up the stairs back into the carriage, their courtship has been 'consummated,' so to speak, and it is glorious.
+mca1218 May I applaud the beauty of your post. Jeez, a semantic ballet! You must be an artist. No other could have written a prose that's so poetic! Thank you. I enjoyed the ballet between the two.
+mca1218 It's me again. May I please see a review from you on the ballet between Astaire and Miller in "It only happens"? I hope you at least read my humble request.
+Jay Young Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment. I've been indisposed physically for the last 6 weeks, and unable to read your wonderful comments until now. A fan of dance musicals since I was about 12, this was one of the first I found completely bewitching. It was also the first dance duet I ever saw which had no dialogue or vocal preceding it. That made it more romantic, and even a touch erotic. Then again, it was Fred and Cyd, who only danced together in 2 films, and the world is all the more grateful for even those.
Watching Cyd Charisse is like cinematic poetry, those legs, legs, legs, she hypnotizes the senses, if just walking across the room, with each movement, you are hooked. Audrey Hepburn would be her equivalent, but in voice. With her every spoken word, you are addicted, in love, regardless of what she’s saying. I could listen to her read a phone book and feel the same way. Both had figures built for fashion, looking flawless in anything they donned. Both magical.
Not only is it a beautiful dance to a beautiful composition, but it underscores the conflict (classical ballerina paired with a tap dancer), and the resolution, between the characters. At first she pirouettes, and he follows; then they mirror each others movements but still not touching, until he spins her and allows her room to move, stretching those amazing legs in classical ballet moves, until she steps into his arms and allows him to lead her. Perfect in every way.
Yep! For another timeless dance sequence, From this Moment on, Kiss Me Kate. Bob Fosse's big screen choreography debut, partnered by the tragic and brilliant Carol Haney.
@@michaelstrauss4910 Lord have mercy. You mean you actually remember not only two greats in the world of dance but their names. Wow! When they departed, they left a great big hole in the world of dance.
Muy Buen video...!!!! deberían indicar cuando se realizó esta excelente danza, después de la 2da. G. Mundial ??? la década de los 60s.??...YO particularmente, tuve la suerte y privilegio de estar VARIAS veces en este emblemático Parque (Central Park) de N. York desde el 2000 al 2013 cuando radicaba en Pensilvania, GRANDIOSO y ejemplar este GRAN país de los EE. UU. Saludos para todos de Cusco-Perú.
Cyd Charise was wonderful with Gene Kelley, but I think that she was more able to show a larger range of her talent with Fred Astaire. This is so beautifully impressive!
Astaire and Kelly were both great original dancers. But Fred is tops in my book, not only because he came before, but because his imagination, and complexity of his work was greater. When Charisse was asked whom she preferred as partner, she demurred, but once let slip the comment, that with Kelly she often accumulated quite a few bruises; with Fred nothing. This tells you something of the difference in style.
followthefleet1 I love them both. I just remember the first time I saw Kelly and Charisse dance together my focus was drawn to Kelly, whereas when I see Charisse and Astaire dancing together my focus is drawn to both of them equally. :)
shadowflower93 It was an extraordinary era with so many talented people...dancers, composers...Astaire, Kelly, Rogers, Charisse, Hayworth...to name but a few.
Not the most famous of either dancer's repertoire or partners - but this is my favorite dance sequence of all time. We'll never see this particular blend of class and talent again. Thanks for posting it.
Walking .... Walking ... Getting a spiritual feel for each other ... he is with only her as they walk among others.... Alone ... walking ... he isthe same ... respectful. She extends an invitation to dance ... he accepts ... frames her... focused ... she chose well ... he is consistent, gallant, respectful...Amen2-19-16
Absolutely beautiful. Also love dance scenes with Leslie Caron in Daddy Long Legs. We could definitely use some of the respect, class and elegance today. Thankyou for sharing.
It's difficult to believe just how perfectly Cyd Charisse moves. Every step is placed perfectly, no adjustment, just down. When she lights on the bench at 3:04 in one instant she is gliding and then she is still, no adjustments to take away from the beauty of the instant.
Were did we go wrong.. Oh goodness I hope heaven is like this I can't live into eternity with all the rubbish that's called dance these days..... 💃💕Romantic perfection
Well, when you get old like me, many odd things choke you up. THIS is definitely one of them for me! What a pair of experts! I really think that Cyd was the most graceful of all his partners.
They seem to be flying or floating in the air like the clouds in the spring sky... So light, gracious and beautiful! And it's not professionalism because it comes from the soul, from the depth of their being that's why this dance is so beautiful and magical and makes us cry. Only the things that come from the very depth of one's heart can reach hearts of others....
Utterly beautiful. The incomparable Cyd and Fred, not so young by this time, yet still able to give us a glimpse of "The moves". Enchanting stuff with romance running through it, which as has already been said. No words necessary.
Lucky you could wish to live in any time and be okay if you were. I love the look of the time, but considering I'm black I'm glad I WASN'T born back then!
From someone with two left feet and has no love of watching dancing; but Fred Astaire was incredible, the like of which I think we will never see again. But more than that, he was a great actor and a thoroughly decent man as well. We have lost someone very special - it's a great shame! I love this piece of music which I have on an old 78.
@Robby...What? No mention of wonderful Ann Miller? "It always happens when I dance with you"? Then, with Jane Powell, usually associated with singing roles, doing "I left my heart in Haiti." How could you, Robby? lol!!!!!
Forgot her, and that is incredible, because I was blessed to meet her in the early 80's in Los Angeles. A gracious woman she was. At that time her concern was her infirm mother. Now she is gone. Time really passes all of us by. The one I deliberately did not mention was Barrie Chase, I just didn't like her, with our without Fred as her partner. She never had the status of those women who preceded her in that role.
Robby Bonter Agreed. Miller was the ultimate movie star. Chase? Too much hype. I thought all his partners COMPLEMENTED him, except for Kay Thompson in "Funny Face." I thought Kay was a bit much with that poor southern accent. Her duet with Astaire was Hey, everybody, look at me.
and you also forgot Vera Ellen. Like all of Fred's dance partners, Vera Ellen was beautiful and talented. Fred had his pick of the litter and he obviously chose well. Fred was a very lucky man!
The difference in their dance background shows in the way they move their arms and hands - Cyd's ballet training shines here to wonderful (and mesmerizing) effect; her movements are so graceful and fluid.
Charisse was not only a great talent she was a lady in every sense of the world. She was one of the few actresses of that time about whom one can say that. Never a breath of scandal touched her or her husband.
Neil Huff You are totally correct. She was the whole package. Ever the consummate artist and at the same time a gracious and honorable wife and mother to her husband and children.
Watching this for the billionth time (I think it's one of the all-time great Hollywood dance scenes), I realized...the dancing is three long takes. It only cuts twice. When I realized that, I realized too how much they must have rehearsed over and over to get it all right and be able to do it so perfectly in just three takes. The modern musicals (few as they are) tend to cut, cut, cut, cut and you seldom get a chance to sit back and just watch...and as good dancers as they may be in the new flicks, you don't get a sense of their dedication and professionalism as you did in these older films.
Also, I love how it's photographed so you can see them in full figure the entire time. I've seen too many musicals where they're too close in and they show the stars from the waist up, then cut to the feet dancing, etc. It makes the dancing look faked (and undoubtedly sometimes it is).
Cyd Charisse was an excellent dancer. Tha'ts why they did not need more than 3 takes. Watch Dance Scenes with Ginger Rogers. One take every 30 seconds!
No tats, no piercings, all her clothes on, no fake breasts and no pink hair! This woman, the moment she starts to move, has so much sexiness it's dripping off of her. Nobody I can think of today even comes close!
Such a beautiful fluid and graceful dance. Never get tired of watching it. The way Cyd Charisse moves with such elegance and grace is a joy to behold. And Fred partners her so well. It is pure romance.
I love how they walk without talking. He follows her lead, waiting for an invitation from her. Wonderful subtiety. My favorite dancing duo and one of the most memorable scenes in movie history.
@Kay Abel...Indeed. You could've thrown in the Nicholas Bros., who often ruined their ballet by coming up with acrobatics, re "Down Argentine Way." Their ballet was wonderful up until that point. What say you, Kay?
This where the term poetry in motion was derived. Two splendid icons of yesteryear displaying an outstanding rendition of one of the greatest ballads ever written. We miss you both RIP and know you are both gone but not forgotten.
my absolute favorite dancing scene ever! Such a beautiful piece of music and with Astaire and Charisse, it's truly poetry in motion.....what a hole they left behind them, hope they are dancing through heaven!
This one broke the mold. No one could possibly top the execution of this dance. From choreography to staging to set design to wardrobe to that great MGM orchestration all the elements coalesced to produce this utter masterpiece. Every time I watch it it's as fresh as the first time I experienced it.
Sublime. And not just Astaire and Charisse. Look how Minnelli keeps the camerawork so simple, subservient to the choreography and without unnecessary cuts. My favourite dance sequence from my favourite musical. (Wonderful production design too.)
Hah, just left a comment on here about this incredible dance, and I opened it up with "Sublime." Scrolling through after, I saw this comment echoes that same feeling as well! A perfect word for a perfect dance.....
And a special nod to orchestrator Conrad Salinger and the MGM studio orchestra of Johnny Green for the musical frame in which this masterpiece is enclosed.
Vincente Minelli's picturization of musicals was just fantastic. The camera movement enhances the swing inherent in the music and the choreography. Gigi is probably his best. The amount of movement in the picturization of The Night They Invented Champagne, filmed in a set of what's supposed to be an apartment in Paris... Wowza!
Cyd Charisse was an incomparable dancer, and a great beauty, yet when they danced together there was absolutely no chemistry between them. For that reason, Ginger was a far more effective partner for Astaire.
DIVINE ! SUBLIME! every time i watch this video i cry . the music is perfect , the danse artistic and Cyd so charismatic ! And Fred so graceful . Dance with the stars now
