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 CZcams 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 czcams.com/video/7nJRGARveVc/video.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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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....
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.
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.
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.
@@billwong7420 Taking you in an altogether direction, Bill, I heartened to see the great Anna May Wong finally getting her due. Next, famous cameraman, James Wong Howe? Hopefully! What say you?
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.
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.
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!
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
This is one of those moments when all the years of training and honing the craft of each person involved in this production coalesces to produce this masterpiece. It is for the ages.
Perfect. P-E-R-F-E-C-T. Perfectly in sync, grace, fluidity and beautiful dancing. Not one flaw - even their arms were at the exactly same angle...................oh my, how the world has changed; how standards have changed; how beautiful entertainment has changed!
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.
So sublime. You cannot put into words what this dance conjures. I cannot believe what I am seeing when I see this - it is more miraculous than the planets themselves.
I loved both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly but Cyd was my very favorite female dancer of all time. And this elegant dance to "Dancing in the Dark" is a classic. I could watch this a million times and never tire of it. Thank goodness for film so the greats are immortalized. The trash passing for talent these days is insulting to watch.
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.
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!
One of the most romantic movies scenes ever. When Cyd and Fred walk away from the couples dancing, the look on Cyd's face always chokes me up. Never realized how beautiful she was.
Cyd Charisse was such an elegant beautiful dancer. She was Fred's best partner, IMO. They both exuded class and style. Watching this fills my eyes with tears - so gorgeous!
@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!
Musical taste were changing and Hollywood, under siege by TV, found it economically distasteful to make musicals--they cost about 50% more than a non-musical movie....and then you have the Old Guard coming to an end....how many musicals over the years had been made by the same people, like Vincent M. and Arthur Freed? By the 50s these guys and their cohorts were veritable dinosaurs....about to expire and with not much rising talent to replace them...
Es mi preferido, de los bailes románticos de esta pareja imborrable. Y el de Cantando en la lluvia de ella y Gene Kelly (otro genio, el único que armaba sus bailes sin ayuda) en la escena con el largo pañuelo. Inolvidable.
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
I can honestly say I've seen all of Fred's musical films (at one time owned most of them) and it always seemed that I was never able to take my eyes off of him during one of the dance sequences...Cyd Charrise 'Dancing in the Dark' in the 'Band Wagon' was the exception. Bravo Cyd and of course The Master.
This dance duo to the music of Arthur Schwartz and choreographed by Michael Kidd in the 1953 movie The Band Wagon is the most beautiful and graceful one Hollywood has ever produced.
I come here to prove to myself that there is something left in this world worth watching.
Tracy McMillan right you are, beauty is timeless... this is beautiful.
fred astaire coffee time
Brilliance like this is timeless..
Tracy, so well put and these days so very true.
Tracy, once there was! You can take great solace inthat!
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 CZcams to keep the memories alive.
I could'nt agree more! this is poetry in motion in its truest form. Astaire and the enchanting Cyd Charisse - what a pairing!
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
czcams.com/video/7nJRGARveVc/video.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.
Thanks for returning me to an era and a culture never to be seen again. Oh, what we have lost.
eso es amor el sabe amar quiero enamorarme de alguien que sea un señor se que me va a llegar en mi bella vida amen ❤❤❤❤❤
THankevilBidenandthefilthyILLEGALScominginherenottomentionsthegrossmixing....
Yes, absolutely lost.
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.
agreed! i have to see Cyd Charisse at least once a day!
You are so spot on. Incomparable is the word.
Good words!
Same here! So elegant
Me too
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.
EandMetal What would Martha Graham say of Charisse?
@@ccaammiinniiito2 bravo
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.
Jim Rich .
Cyd= Goddess of ballet
This type of dancing is timeless, people will still be watching this 100 years from now - and so they should, this scene is perfect.
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
Timeless 雋永
You are so right!!! 🐶🐶🐶🐶
It''s already almost 70 years ago that it was filmed (1953) and it's far better than anything being done today
Yes, almost as perfect as "Heather On The Hill" in Brigadoon.
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
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.
ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND ROMANTIC DANCE SCENES IN HOLLYWOOD HISTORY!
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.
v
It’s sooo beautiful.
❤️❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I love the simplicity of the presentation. No fancy costumes or set. Just elegant and expressive dancing.
Indeed. I, being in my mid-'70s can truly say that her dress and actions are far more romantic, if not sexy than all those Latin costumes and dances.
Maravillosa pareja. Vida Chariss que bien baila. Una belleza ambos!!
No CGI
It has an acrobatic element, and a ballerina flare. It is just beautiful.
@@anytimeiwake l
Thank goodness this has been preserved for posterity via the internet. Thanks to somebody. England, February, 2024.
Это очень красиво!!! Как хочется побывать в этом мире, где нет войны,ЛГБТ и всей этой мерзости.. которая сейчас...
Fred Astaire was the epitome of elegance and grace.
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.
Great analysis!
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.
Oh, dear me!
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.
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.
refined.
WELL SAID FRED ASTAIRE WAS THE MOST GRACEFUL DANCER THAT EVER LIVED.
@Kay...What impresses me with the Astaire technique is that he never attempts to mix athleticism with his work, either in ballet or tap.
unlike Gene Kelly.
@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?
The flow of her dress is mesmerising. Costume designer played a huge part in this scene. Just beautiful.
I was just thinking the same thing. I know if I had a dress like that I could dance like her too!
Yes, her way with her dress, elegant flare! Elegant burlesque, if you will.
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.
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 Good analysis.
+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.
mca1218 An out of the ballpark comment if ever there was one. Please go and stay in the best of health!
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!!!
This is so emotional. Jxxx
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.
Well, Virginia Katherine McMath--Ginger Rogers to you--did not do too shabbily, either.
I wonder if Cyd had classical ballet training; she's got those toes pointing all the time! She was wonderful with him.
Nothing is more romantic than seeing two people move so beautifully and effortlessly together.
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.
Dlaczego. Taniec jest wow wondefull.
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.
So so agree. Hats off to Minnelli.
EXACTLY!!! It's a masterpiece of editing, directing, and dancing.
Hats off also to Michael Kidd for choreographing this masterpiece.
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!
Cyd Charisse was one of the most elegant and graceful dancers I have ever seen on film!!!
Another era, long gone....simple, flowing, ELEGANT, unseen since.
Yes ellegance
So smooth, it looks like they're floating. They simply defy gravity. LOVELY!
That’s what I was just thinking!
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.
Wow, now that's a testimony! God let it be me.
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!!
She was the same when she danced with Gene Kelley. Superb! Cyd is my all time favorite female dancer.
Excelente!!!!!
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.
Новим поколінням дуже корисно подивитись на ціх великій акторів!!!!
I think Fred was the most stylishly dressed man who ever lived! Damn, I wish I could dance like him!
@Jason...Yes, he was. But then again so was the Duke of Windsor.
He was classy..looked what He has on ..you can duplicate that .....
When Fred and Adele played London in the Twenties, he exchanged fashion tips with the Prince of Wales, the future Duke of Windsor.
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.
I agree, This and his "big steps" was his forte.
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.
hula elenor powell
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....
Sublime tout simplement❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The leap from the bench... It's amazing how easily it's done with grace and lithe...
The most elegant dance number ever filmed.
Esta es una película que ALEGRA la vista y el alma
yes, it is correct, is the most elegant dance number, for the music, the performance for everything
The best dance scene ever. I don't know how often I watched it, but everytime I see it, it is marvelous. Two great dancers 😍
I've never seen someone play a dress better than Cyd. Magical!
one of the most magical moments ever.
By far, this is Fred's greatest paired dance without Ginger. Beautiful, classic, and imaginative.
Rita and Fred were a stunning duo as well !❤❤❤
yes!!!
And Rita Hayworth ! They were awsome dancing together
As Fred Astaire said, "When you've danced with Cyd Charisse... you've been DANCED with." Stunning. The Band Wagon.Great movie.
I caught this on cable the other day, and this scene made me cry it's so beautiful.
Wonderful Just wonderful dancing and the music
Cyd and Fred
2 perfect dancers
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.
After 60 years, this film and this scene still generate extreme goosebumps.
May I get a second?
La légèreté,..la grâce,l'élégance de ce couple mythique étaient,sont et resterons inégalables,un vrai Bonheur
Fred Astaire was the greatest dancer to ever live and with Cyd Charrise is awesome. My favorite of all his dances.
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.
Cyd Charisse is elegance personified. Oh what we have lost.
Это ощущение изысканности движений и чувственности восприятия партнёра
Yes so much
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.
Sublime Cyd dancing with Fred, you couldn't get a better spectacle than that.
Beautiful to watch, Astaire and Cyd Charisse in a truly iconic and inspirational dance scene.
No pyrotechnics, no fanfare.... just good, old fashion dance performance by people with talent that you rarely see anymore!
Movie studios don’t make movie like it used to be. Time has changed, and nothing we can do about it.
@@billwong7420 Taking you in an altogether direction, Bill, I heartened to see the great Anna May Wong finally getting her due. Next, famous cameraman, James Wong Howe? Hopefully! What say you?
The best dance routine Fred ever did
Absolutely beautiful....
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.
Hola y fíjate el vuelo de la pollera,es sensacional,baila sola
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.
I only have one thought every time I see this...WOW!
I am just imaging my mum and dad dancing like this. Both long since gone ,but still graceful and dancing in heaven. Thanks mum and dad!!
Just so graceful, so effortless and oh so romantic.... ❤
I said it before and will say it again, worth 10,000 of any of todays performers.
No doubt and so sad !
This is so romantic and beautifully elegant.
This is just fab beyond fab. Amazing performance we will never see the likes of this again. Ever. End of. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊
Absolutely perfect dance
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.
Only 2 cuts in the dance number......
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!
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
Być świadomym głębi uczucia, pięknie ukazanego choreografią to sedno tego co się nazywa sztuką tańca i to jest właśnie to 💃🕺♥️🍀🎯
Cyd Charisse was sooo graceful! Beautiful girl!
Sublime dancers !!! Absolutely wonderful!!!❤
Le talent, la classe, l'élégance se résument en un seul mot " LA GRÂCE "
Their timing is perfection.
It is simply perfection. ❤️
This is one of those moments when all the years of training and honing the craft of each person involved in this production coalesces to produce this masterpiece. It is for the ages.
If you have had a bad day, your team lost, the computer froze, whatever...just watch this and you'll smile.
i have never seen anyone equal the great fred on a dance floor he was the best
+willie shank I totally agree with you - I could watch him all day, all week, all month! Fantastic.
So beautiful, always gives me goosebumps!
They're time is is perfect - so crisp and precise!!❤
Perfect. P-E-R-F-E-C-T. Perfectly in sync, grace, fluidity and beautiful dancing. Not one flaw - even their arms were at the exactly same angle...................oh my, how the world has changed; how standards have changed; how beautiful entertainment has changed!
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.
Lovely, just lovely - two masters at dance
So sublime. You cannot put into words what this dance conjures. I cannot believe what I am seeing when I see this - it is more miraculous than the planets themselves.
I loved both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly but Cyd was my very favorite female dancer of all time. And this elegant dance to "Dancing in the Dark" is a classic. I could watch this a million times and never tire of it. Thank goodness for film so the greats are immortalized. The trash passing for talent these days is insulting to watch.
The beautiful music should be credited as well.
Fred Astaire, the man was so smooth, so graceful, his timing was perfect. I still marvel at his movies today. No one did it better.
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.
He danced in 5th dimension it's unreal
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!
The most beautiful woman! beauty, elégance, strengh, feminity and masculinity both!
You will never find anything to equal such wonderful dancing from two professionals as Fred and Charisse🎶😊
Le plus grand moment de toutes les comédies musicales américaines, un pur moment de bonheur. La quintessence du genre!
Can never get enough of this one!!! I watch it once or twice a month. Nostalgia.............
Cyd Charisse was splendid in the film Red Shoes!!
Cyd Charisse was not the featured dancer in the Red Shoes
Moira Shearer was the dancer
One of the most romantic movies scenes ever. When Cyd and Fred walk away from the couples dancing, the look on Cyd's face always chokes me up. Never realized how beautiful she was.
I know perfection doesn't exists, but here they nailed it.....
Cyd Charisse was such an elegant beautiful dancer. She was Fred's best partner, IMO. They both exuded class and style. Watching this fills my eyes with tears - so gorgeous!
An era that can never be replaced, with talent, class, and a story.
Agree. And this is why I never managed to watch La La Land right through to the end!
Cyd Charisse, Eleanor Powell, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers - Fred did alright for dancing partners.
@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!
OMG didn't he! With every dance partner he danced as they were the only ones ever
This is simply a joy to watch. It's almost life affirming to see something so perfect.
Beautiful, exquisite, timeless ...
I wish they still made movies like these ...
Fortunately these are forever alive on film for generations to see🙏🏻
Musical taste were changing and Hollywood, under siege by TV, found it economically distasteful to make musicals--they cost about 50% more than a non-musical movie....and then you have the Old Guard coming to an end....how many musicals over the years had been made by the same people, like Vincent M. and Arthur Freed? By the 50s these guys and their cohorts were veritable dinosaurs....about to expire and with not much rising talent to replace them...
Es mi preferido, de los bailes románticos de esta pareja imborrable. Y el de Cantando en la lluvia de ella y Gene Kelly (otro genio, el único que armaba sus bailes sin ayuda) en la escena con el largo pañuelo. Inolvidable.
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
I can honestly say I've seen all of Fred's musical films (at one time owned most of them) and it always seemed that I was never able to take my eyes off of him during one of the dance sequences...Cyd Charrise 'Dancing in the Dark' in the 'Band Wagon' was the exception. Bravo Cyd and of course The Master.
one of the most beautiful dances ever on film
Wow, Wow, i said a mouthful a year ago, and still goes today almost 10/18 they are the best, and thank you for upload!
all these genre of movies--such elegance,class to get lost in.
The costumes , the flow and motion of their gowns-incredible and timeless.
I think one of the key qualities of Fred Astaire is he always had his dance partner shine a little bit brighter than himself.
This dance duo to the music of Arthur Schwartz and choreographed by Michael Kidd in the 1953 movie The Band Wagon
is the most beautiful and graceful one Hollywood has ever produced.
The melody is by Arthur Schwartz. The beautiful and inventive orchestration
Is by Conrad Salinger.
A thing of rare beauty.
The most amazing dance. But of course it would be, look who's dancing. Can anyone dance as wonderfully as Fred Astaire today?
To my mind the most romantic of all the great movie dances