Black and white film guide - 1935 - Top Hat

As a second recommendation for this year, 1935 and, moving away from the hard life of the sea lions, we are going to focus on a genre that, in the 1930s and in the United States, was very successful. What genre are we talking about, then, the romantic musical, and in our case, with an elegant gentleman with a «Top hat» and with whom we return to focus on the most famous ballroom dance duo who, together, have danced on these silver dance floors. Well, who does not know the couple that star in it, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? So, with the curtain ajar of what we are going to find dancingly, how about we dissect this «Top hat», without a doubt, the second installment after its success, our also recommended «The happy divorcee»? Yes? Well let’s go there.

And, letting ourselves be carried away by the tapping of shiny patent leather shoes, I can tell you that this «Top Hat» is a romantic musical» produced by RKO Pictures, which, with a budget of $609,000, was rated 7, 4. Finally, add that it was nominated for an Oscar for best film, it occupies, in addition to occupying today, the 40th place of the best «Musicals» according to the prestigious Afi list.

Finally, add that «Top hat» like «the happy divorcee» was directed by Mark Sandrich. And it is that its producers were completely clear that if a success works so that you are going to change it, copy it, period. So with the «Top hat» we are practically going to find an improved copy of what was «The happy divorcee»

So, let’s talk about his interpretation, and as you can imagine, and it has already been dropped throughout the presentation, «Top hat» is the second great interpretation of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers couple and that, together with «The cheerful divorced» from 1934 were, of their five collaborations, the two great successes of this duo. Finally, and with respect to the supporting actors of such a dancing couple, they had as companions, of course, the same actors who accompanied them in the previous film: Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes, Eric Blore, yes, and the new collaboration of actress Helen Broderick.

In its technical aspects, «Top hat» is the musical adaptation of the script written by screenwriters Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor. And finally, we are going to focus on its soundtrack, which was composed by two composers, the first of Russian origin Irving Berlin and the other of Hungarian origin Max Steiner. A beautiful composition that, helped by the orchestrators: Maurice De Packh, Arthur Knowlton, Edward B. Powell, Gene Rose and Eddie Sharpe, got the famous and sensual «Heaven» nominated for an Oscar for best original song.

And now, once this «Top Hat» has been shelled, all that remains is to enjoy this second, carefree and last happy musical that, in memory of this pair of excellent ballroom dancers, we are going to dedicate. An iconic couple as they are: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. To do this, I leave you, under the title page, the post that we have published on Ok.ru and, under its trailer, the link to the complete film in the original version with subtitles. Therefore, to enjoy its contents, you just have to click on the chosen option.

Synopsis: Jerry Travers, an American musical comedy star, arrives in London and settles in the room of his play’s producer, Horace Hardwick. Chance makes him meet the beautiful model Dale Tremont, who is staying in the room below. She mistakenly takes him for Hardwick and, upon finding out that he is married (in reality, and although she does not know it, to a friend of hers, Madge), rejects him and travels with his boss, the couturier Alberto Beddini, to Venice. (Filmaffinity)