The Music Man (1962)

Hermione Gingold's indignant disapproval of the "smutty" Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, was the icing on the cake of this exceptional film. Are we to infer that she would have perhaps preferred to err along with Elinor Glyn ? Two dateless all-time best-sellers, but meaningless, no doubt, to the cinema-goer of today.Impossible not to admire the dexterity of Robert Preston's dynamic transference of his stage role to the screen. Highly theatrical, but wholly cinematic. Great cast, all the way. I agree with the reviewer who interpreted the story as an account of the way America buys into the conman's spiel, and finds happiness in being played for a sucker. Forget the US holocaust, ethnic cleansing of the natives, slavery, the fake revolution, the civil war. This is how the West was won, and the way Iowa once was. Makes you think !

This review contains spoilers. The ending is brilliant. It is an intelligent, yet subtle statement on American consumerism. At the end, we see that the Town has bought the lie, they allowed themselves to be grifted and were so delusional and desperate to believe that their children weren't horrible musicians that we the viewer are witnessing a unified mass hysteria taking place. During this surreal moment, the uniforms that once were filthy rags, change to beautiful band outfits, and the band begins to play like John Sousa himself. The reason I reached this conclusion is that through out the film, we see no signs of magic, or fantasy, thus the ending is either done because they couldn't come up with an ending and whipped out a "magical anomaly", or this was a deftly crafted representation of the American citizen so willing to be lied to , and an examination at the happiness they feel when they buy a product and the weird yet fantastical reality that they then delve into after acquiring that product, believing their lives are better and now they are better than others. I gave this film a ten, because it is a classic, yet on a much deeper level than is comfortable for us to view openly.

As someone who's a lifelong fan of musicals, The Music Man is one of the standouts of the genre and an example of a film that gets better and better every time I see it. Adaptation-wise it's one of the best, those who love the Broadway show will appreciate how faithful it is to it in a way that few other film musicals are, and the film is an invigorating experience as a musical and as an overall film.The production values are top-notch, with plenty of bright colours, handsome sets and some of the cleverest cinematography of any film musical, adding so much colour and verve to every song. The score is energetic and lush and the songs are marvellous and don't make the mistakes of bogging the film down by being too lengthy or pointless. Even the admittedly silly Shipoopi, thankfully not in a cringe-worthy annoying way. Favourites being the heartfelt Till There Was You and the show-stopper that is 76 Trombones, you also have to love how virtuosic Ya Gotta Trouble is. The choreography is just electric and some of the most fun-filled and dynamic of any film musical(along with the likes of West Side Story), particularly in 76 Trombones. Morton Da Costa, who also directed the musical on Broadway, re-creates it on screen with all the expertise and energy he brought to his Broadway directing, without it being too overly-literal.Love the script too, which is snappy and smart and in a way that's warm-hearted and good-natured. A few of my favourite lines come from Hermione Gingold the lines "Well, I'd certainly know if I gave you a son!" and ""It's a smutty book" and her delivery of them are just hilarious and her chemistry and interplay with Paul Ford(also very funny) is scene-stealing. One may worry that the story plays second fiddle to the songs and choreography, and it didn't feel that way really to me. Maybe not as strong, but the energy and charm it has is non-stop as well as the warmth and heart(those things and how they're executed more than make up for that), if a film cheers you up when it's needed it does its job well, The Music Man is one such film. It is a long film at nearly 2 and a half hours, but personally it sure didn't feel it. The characters are also very engaging, as well as wonderfully performed.Robert Preston's performance(a possible career-best, it's certainly the role I remember him most for) is one for the ages and one of my favourite lead performance from any film musical. Shirley Jones is as lovely as she was in Oklahoma! and Carousel and sings just as beautifully with a slightly more mature quality than before. Paul Ford and Hermione Gingold are terrific fun and steal each scene they're in. Buddy Hackett and Ronny Howard's singing are not brilliant exactly(I don't class either of them as singers really), but the performances from both are still great, particularly from Howard who plays the younger brother with sweetness and pathos. Hackett is very amusing too. Buffalo Bills also make appearances and quite special ones too.Overall, an invigorating experience and a wonderful film in general, one of the best film musicals ever made. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Robert Preston, the vivacious actor, did outdo himself in this heart-warming musical classic about a typical film-flam man who, in the first score of years in the twentieth century, claimed to be a music professor when the truth of the matter was he didn't know the first thing about music. He steps off the train in this Iowa town where too many people were very naive, and their naivete was something upon which this "music professor" (known by the pseudonym Harold Hill) preyed. Little did people know, however, that he would bring the community much good. Shirley Jones, (who even at the age of seventy-eight is still a very pretty lady,) does a fine turn as the librarian Marian Peru (sp.) (?), a lady who definitely distrusts and dislikes the music man. (Her thoughts about him do later change.) Ron Howard, who even here is like Opie, does a superb acting job as Marian's little brother Winthrop. (Who would have thought then that many years later he would be producing such movies as "Backdraft" and "A Beautiful Mind"?) Paul Ford is nutty as Mayor Schinn, a cantankerous man who is, to some extent, someone no one fears. The mayor's wife, played by the veteran actress Hermione Gingold, is equally as amusing. Buddy Hackett, there in the movie mainly for decorative purposes as well, is convincing in his role as "Harold Hill"'s conniving friend. The costumes are colorful, there is much good humor, good acting by a great cast, excellent directing by Morton DaCosta, and, again, it is a wonderful story. Truly, it is Meredith Willson's "signature work".