Astaire & Rogers
by Edward Gallafent
First off, this is not in any way a biography. If you thought this was a biography of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (like I did) you’ll be pretty disappointed.
This book is for the Fred and Ginger aficionado. If you’ve seen all their movies and remember all of their dances, you’ll be able to get more of the movie than if you’ve only seen Swing Time once in your childhood. This book is unapologetically straightforward and technical, and Edward Gallafent is not afraid to lose his readers along the way.
Astaire & Rogers analyzes each of the famous pair’s films, commenting on the similarities between the storylines and what their screen dances symbolize. I didn’t really like it, because most of what Gallafent was saying seemed too obvious to write an entire book about. The storylines were similar because of the studio system in the 1930s, not really because of anything deeper than that. Old Hollywood took famous pairings and wrote films for them, to cash in on their popularity. If audiences were unpleasantly surprised, they wouldn’t want to come back and see the next one. And isn’t it obvious that the joint dance numbers were used to represent their relationship as they fit with the story? In Top Hat, when Fred is pursuing the still resistant Ginger, their gazebo dance shows the dynamic perfectly. It’s obvious. No analysis necessary. Still, if you want to see pretty pictures because you love the famous pair, you can find a copy.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's page dedicated to Fred Astaire's films here!
This book is for the Fred and Ginger aficionado. If you’ve seen all their movies and remember all of their dances, you’ll be able to get more of the movie than if you’ve only seen Swing Time once in your childhood. This book is unapologetically straightforward and technical, and Edward Gallafent is not afraid to lose his readers along the way.
Astaire & Rogers analyzes each of the famous pair’s films, commenting on the similarities between the storylines and what their screen dances symbolize. I didn’t really like it, because most of what Gallafent was saying seemed too obvious to write an entire book about. The storylines were similar because of the studio system in the 1930s, not really because of anything deeper than that. Old Hollywood took famous pairings and wrote films for them, to cash in on their popularity. If audiences were unpleasantly surprised, they wouldn’t want to come back and see the next one. And isn’t it obvious that the joint dance numbers were used to represent their relationship as they fit with the story? In Top Hat, when Fred is pursuing the still resistant Ginger, their gazebo dance shows the dynamic perfectly. It’s obvious. No analysis necessary. Still, if you want to see pretty pictures because you love the famous pair, you can find a copy.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's page dedicated to Fred Astaire's films here!