Swing Time/Top Hat

(written at a previous date)

   Dear Harriet Walter,

    I'm confused. I've been thinking about the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies Swing Time (someyearinthethirties) and Top Hat (alsosomeyearinthethirties). They're generally considered the two best of the ten Fred 'n Ginger flicks, and different people are always saying one of the two is the best followed by the other. I thought once I saw them both I would have a definite opinion on the debate which would automatically negate everybody else's opinions but I don't.

    Like, Top Hat has a tighter plot, better characters and a better supporting cast...but Swing Time has such damn fine musical numbers.

    Honestly Swing Time is a bit like a mosaic, with the plot forming the grout which frames and holds together the interesting bits which are the musical numbers.


    Also, seeing as the two numbers are basically parallel (at least in my mind), I have to say that Ginger's white swirly gown in "Never Gonna Dance" (from Swing Time) is SO MUCH BETTER than Ginger's gown in "Cheek to Cheek" (from Top Hat). I mean that awful feathery creation is just such an...object!

totally awesome, classy and gorgeous and so on

komondor had sex with an ostrich and their baby was a yeti and it lived in a haystack and ginger murdered it and wore its skin as an evening gown

    (Later PS: Have just learned that the white Swing Time gown was in fact light pink. Am shattered.)