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The Band Wagon

Released Aug 7, 1953 1h 52m Musical List
95% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Famous musical movie star Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) fears his career may be on the skids, but his friends, Lester (Oscar Levant) and Lily (Nanette Fabray), have written a Broadway vehicle to kick-start his professional life. Tony is ecstatic -- until egotistical director Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan) joins the project and casts ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) as the leading lady. Tony's second chance seems to be fading, but he may get more than he bargained for as the show goes on.
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The Band Wagon

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Edward Porter Times (UK) Its song-and-dance numbers (also featuring Cyd Charisse, Jack Buchanan and Nanette Fabray) are first-rate, and the script's mickey-taking humour is urbane. Aug 1, 2022 Full Review Lou Lumenick New York Post Sorry, the beloved "Singin' in the Rain" isn't the finest of the legendary MGM musicals. "The Band Wagon'' has better music, better dances, better direction, more lavish sets and costumes and a wittier script (by the same writers). Rated: 4/4 Apr 11, 2015 Full Review Jeremiah Kipp Slant Magazine A love song for the narcissistic, and theater people are sure to eat up the film, commentary, extras, and first rate DVD packaging. Mar 14, 2005 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Though the sets and locales for the first few numbers are engaging, the songs themselves are largely minimal and forgettable. Rated: 5/10 Aug 9, 2023 Full Review Tim Dirks Filmsite Director Vincente Minnelli's and MGM's great "backstage" movie musical, under the guidance of producer Arthur Freed, was satirically self-mocking, and also took shots at show business and those who were involved in musical-dance productions. Rated: A+ Oct 21, 2022 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Manic Minnelli, which isn't always for me. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 17, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (237) audience reviews
Alec B The general outline of the plot is pretty close to what we're used to in these kinds of musicals, however the character's emotions feel more real which I imagine is the result of how closely they mirror their real life counterparts involved in the production. Also there are some truly great and almost surreal numbers in this. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review Steve D Nothing special but amusing. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/04/23 Full Review Red T An All Time Classic. The acting, and pacing in this is really well done. It can be a bit loaded on expose throughout most of it but its well written dialogue the whole way through. Though the lack of music in the non musical numbers at times can give it a bit of a dry feeling throughout. The editing is excellent as well with a witty and tight script the whole way through. The cinematography is phenomenal with dance number and scenes that pop with color and creativity. The best element is the musical numbers which are all really good to amazing. some are more catchy than others but make up for it with amazing choreography and creativity. The ending Noir Music number is really unique. Everyone should give this a watch once! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/04/23 Full Review Frank G Tremendous dance numbers, especially love the mob club scene toward end. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/12/22 Full Review Audience Member Second best movie musical I've ever seen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member The general outline of the plot is pretty close to what we're used to in these kinds of musicals, however the character's emotions feel more real which I imagine is the result of how closely they mirror their real life counterparts involved in the production. Also there are some truly great and almost surreal numbers in this. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Band Wagon

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Famous musical movie star Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) fears his career may be on the skids, but his friends, Lester (Oscar Levant) and Lily (Nanette Fabray), have written a Broadway vehicle to kick-start his professional life. Tony is ecstatic -- until egotistical director Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan) joins the project and casts ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) as the leading lady. Tony's second chance seems to be fading, but he may get more than he bargained for as the show goes on.
Director
Vincente Minnelli
Producer
Arthur Freed
Screenwriter
Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
Musical
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 7, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 5, 2008
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Mono
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