Brigadoon

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Brigadoon

G

Released Sep 8, 1954

1h 48m

Musical

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson), two American pals on a Scottish hunting trip, get lost in the woods and come upon the magical village of Brigadoon. Rising out of the Scottish mist only once every 100 years, and only for one day, Brigadoon is an enchanted place where life is simpler and easier, untouched by the worries of the modern world. When Tommy falls for beautiful villager Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse), he must decide whether to stay or to return to his life.

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Jeremiah Kipp

Slant Magazine

Indulges in drawn-out hokum.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 12, 2005

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…aside from the vague tartan gift-shop theme, some musical motifs and a bit of sword-dancing, there’s actually not much Scottish about Brigadoon at all...Minnelli’s film seems so completely and blandly romanticised as to have no local colour at all…

Rated: 2/5

Jun 14, 2025

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

An underrated classic with incredible dancing

Mar 19, 2025

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Magical Scottish village, singing, dancing, and romance.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 25, 2017

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Austin Kennedy

Film Geek Central

It definitely has a dreamlike quality to it that is simply endearing. The story is charming and the dancing is entrancing. Apart from Johnson's heartless character, this is a very enjoyable movie.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 7, 2013

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

The score of Lerner and Lowe's Broadway hit is lovely and Gene Kelly is good but Van Johnson is weak

Rated: C+

Apr 3, 2011

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William R

Shot in Cinemascope a turgidly directed by Vincente Minelli this really is a travesty both of 17th century Scotland and the original Broadway musical. Part of the problem is some of the original plot has been deleted but also nobody can handle the camera - no closeups just static shots of lots of fake Scottish dancing - sometimes quite spectacular but all to often shot at night so distinctly hard to see what is going on. Van Johnson is wasted as the wise cracking New Yorker on a hunting trip with chum Gene Kelly when, for no good reason, they get lost in the mist and discover Brigadoon which only comes to life once every 100 years because the local minister wanted to protect his flock from witches. The villagers appear to wake up and not to question anything not even the strangers and naturally Kelly fall for Cyd Charisse - they dance quite frequently - but goes home only to find he cannot do without her and cannot stand his New York fiance so he goes back and for some reason Brigadoon wakes up and lets him in. It closes as the two meet but not actually in a clinch. It really is how not to take a tricky show - the original can work and I have seen a production in London, although not the 2025 one - and transfer it to the screen. Minelli was definitely having an off day and the evidence is there on screen. The songs are lovely, the out takes interesting and the trailer lies like mad

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/23/25

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D S

Wonderfully done musical.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/25

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S S

Underrated gem. I remember watching this movie with my family when I was a kid on PBS. The musical numbers are lovely and showcase Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse’s dancing skills and his lovely voice. The movie is missing some wonderful musical numbers, but they are included on some versions of the DVD.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/25

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Steve D

Some good actors but unconvincing.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/23/24

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Phil S

So madly in love with Cyd which frightened the neighborhood until they realized I meant Charrise, not Caesar!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/05/23

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Josh G

A dull and drawn out color festival on a studio back lot. It has all the charm of Gene Kelly trying to make this work but the script, music and director giving up and making it long and dull. Meh........

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/12/23

Full Review

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Vincente Minnelli

Director

Gene Kelly

Tommy Albright

Van Johnson

Jeff Douglas

Cyd Charisse

Fiona Campbell

Elaine Stewart

Jane Ashton

Barry Jones

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Synopsis

Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson), two American pals on a Scottish hunting trip, get lost in the woods and come upon the magical village of Brigadoon. Rising out of the Scottish mist only once every 100 years, and only for one day, Brigadoon is an enchanted place where life is simpler and easier, untouched by the worries of the modern world. When Tommy falls for beautiful villager Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse), he must decide whether to stay or to return to his life.

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Producer: Arthur Freed
Screenwriter: Alan Jay Lerner
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: G
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 8, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 48m

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