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Information

Year
1953
Runtime
112 min.
Director
Vincente Minnelli
Genres
Romance, Comedy, Musical
Rating *
7.6
Votes *
5,873
Checks
3,236
Favs
202
Dislikes
32
Favs/checks
6.2% (1:16)
Favs/dislikes
6:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. AndrewB's avatar

    AndrewB

    The last musical number is a must-see for noir fans. 4 years 12 months ago
  2. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    There's something autobiographical about The Band Wagon, in which Fred Astaire is painted as a has-been tapping around in old-fashioned entertainments and being told he needs to reinvent himself. Was he feeling this in 1953 at the age of 54? If so, this flighty musical is a statement. It denies the need for reinvention and affirms the relevance of the kind of song and dance shows he does best. In the story, he is roped into doing a Broadway show with a maverick director who proceeds to change everything so it will become an "important" work, a premise that provides a lot of funny comedy, especially if you know theater people. We're told the original script of the show had "just enough plot" to hang musical numbers on, and folks, that's exactly how The Band Wagon works. At times, it feels like a collection of musical numbers the production wanted to do, plot be damned, but see, it gave itself permission to do that, so you can't get too frustrated. It's all worth it anyway for that expressionistic musical film noir number (the one that inspired Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal video), which is incredible. And look, Cyd Charisse is in this and I'm not made of wood. I don't think there's a more precise and beautiful dancer in all of cinema. 5 years 6 months ago
  3. Brantastic16's avatar

    Brantastic16

    Surprisingly enjoyable. I do like musicals but I didn't expect this one to be as good as it was. 12 years 9 months ago
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In 14 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #6 in BFI's 100 Film Musicals
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    BFI's 100 Film Musicals

    6
  2. This movie ranks #38 in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese
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    A Personal Journey with …

    38
  3. This movie ranks #58 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
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    The New York Times's Boo…

    58
  4. This movie ranks #83 in Cahiers du Cinéma's 100 Films for an Ideal Cinematheque
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    Cahiers du Cinéma's 100 …

    83
  5. This movie ranks #104 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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    Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…

    104
  6. This movie ranks #172 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
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    Library of Congress's Na…

    172
  7. This movie ranks #221 in Emma Beare's 501 Must-See Movies
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    Emma Beare's 501 Must-Se…

    221
  8. This movie ranks #228 in BFI's 360 Classic Feature Films Project
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    BFI's 360 Classic Featur…

    228
  9. This movie ranks #245 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    245
  10. This movie ranks #257 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1001 Movies You Must See…

    257
  11. This movie ranks #268 in Roger Ebert's Great Movies
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    Roger Ebert's Great Movi…

    268
  12. This movie ranks #333 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
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    Sight & Sound's The Grea…

    333
  13. This movie ranks #345 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
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    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…

    345
  14. This movie ranks #456 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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    David Thomson's Have You…

    456
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