Silk Stockings (1957)

I am astonished by all the positive reviews. I have watched with delight Fred Astaire's amazing performances over the years and was thrilled to discover one I haven't seen yet. Cyd Charisse was the ice on the cake. What a huge letdown! Large empty sets, that you hope will be filled with beautiful dancing numbers. Sadly no. Everything is dull from start to finish. Story, acting, all those empty sets shot with static cameras...When a very few good moves comes towards the end, you're already bored to death and only wish to end this fiasco fast.By far the worst I've seen with Fred Astaire, up there in the hall of shame of the musicals.

Rarely have I seen my wife and oldest daughter hate a film as much as they hated "Silk Stockings"! I didn't think it was that bad, but I did understand SOME of their feelings. It sure should have been a lot better! "Silk Stockings" is a musical remake of "Ninotchka". Now that is a serious problem, as this Ernst Lubitsch film is a wonderful classic--a film that is very, very hard to top. But the film didn't even come close to the quality of the original for many reasons--though the biggest one is the music. Too often, the romance or comedy of the film grinds to a severe halt when the musical numbers intrude--and they did intrude! Few of the song and dance numbers were that good or had much to do with the film, but the tempo was even more seriously a problem. While the film is a sweet little plot--the songs are often HUGE production numbers. The fit is all wrong. And you know it's a problem when Fred Astaire is totally lost in the process! On top of all this, the characters are way too cartoony and silly to work. Overall, I see no need to see this one considering that "Ninotchka" is light-years better!

There is a good reason so to why this is still well-remembered. I love this movie because Julie Newmar is in it. Isn't she beautiful? Classy, elegant, and smart!Actress Julie Newmar wasn't just a pretty face, she holds some patents for shaping pantyhose! This movie launched her career. What a success! It makes me nostalgic to watch this in a way because those women look so real. They don't pretend and they are not stick thin like these days. Their smiles are real.Jessica (blogger)Fantasy Stockings Blog www.fantasystockings.com

Unlike Fred Astaire's other 1957 release, Funny Face, Silk Stockings was not filmed on location in Paris. The film tells us that "Paris loves lovers", but never really shows it. Granted, very few of M-G-M's CinemaScope musicals were shot on location, after the first one (Rose Marie, 1954). Silk Stockings was no exception - though I have no idea if anyone even wanted to shoot it on location. Most of it takes place indoors. Not unlike the original, Ninotchka - but that was a more talk-oriented comedy. At any rate, elegant decor, costumes, and dialogue are relied upon here to convey the magic and romance of the setting as dictated by the script. Sometimes that works, and sometimes you may find yourself feeling cooped up, wishing you could see some of this immortal city everyone keeps singing and talking about. As Ninotchka, Cyd Charisse had the right looks for the part. As an actress, it's a stretch for her, requiring character acting, even a Russian accent. She pulls it off, but not brilliantly. Except when she dances - then she's Ninotchka to the life. It's one of her best roles as a dancer, and she's thrilling. As American producer Steve Canfield, Fred Astaire is not really on entirely familiar ground, either. The part seems a little aggressive for him. But he does his usual first-class job. Rouben Mamoulian - the director of the brilliant Love Me Tonight, and other early, innovative sound films - had his final hit with this one. It's not as creative as some of his other musicals, but overall it's a fine show.