Ziegfeld Follies

Released Feb 18, 1946

1 hr. 50 min.

Musical

List

69%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Running between 1907 and 1931, the Ziegfeld Follies were elaborate stage revues mounted by the great Broadway showman Florenz Ziegfeld, inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris. In 1945, film producer Arthur Freed recreated the lavishness of Ziegfeld's shows with this all-star revue, consisting of comedy sketches and song-and-dance numbers featuring MGM Studios' musical comedy stars including Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Lena Horne and Red Skelton.

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Denny S

Hit and miss. Interesting to see a late career appearance by Fanny Brice, in technicolor yet. Red Skelton's sketch "When Television Comes" certainly predicted his future in the new medium just a few years later.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/08/23

Full Review

Steve D

Nothing works in this boring mess.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/27/23

Full Review

Red T

This is entertaining but it really isn't a movie. It's skits like SNL with the central theme being there all musical dances and singing and some standup. The best ones are Fred Astaire's and the next to last one is the best with Gene Kelly & Fred Astaire. Some are funnier than others, the stand ups I found the least entertaining. This is filled in the dance scores with lavish sets and lots of pomp. Anyone who is a die hard musical fan will like this.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's the WWII-era version of watching a Youtube compilation of the best performances from TikTok, and let me tell you, watching Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire dance together is [fire emoji]—though the rest of the mix are mixed results.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best musical movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Maybe the biggest dud Hollywood ever produced The kind of talent displayed here can be found in almost every neighborhood in America. Some of it is, in fact, sub par, as the dance numbers could be performed by anyone in a dance program at any local university better than what you have here. Most tragic is that the glory of the 1936 "Great Ziegfeld" in its scenes of unique musical numbers and the attendant birthday cake number make this new "Ziegfeld" a throwaway by comparison. Its almost indecent for this to carry the name of "Ziegfeld" after MGM's careful crafting of the fabled showman's Broadway smashes, which are nowhere apparent here. Everything suffers mightily in comparison. The people we consider stars were truly embarrassed by this movie or they are just performing whatever is in front of them for the money or to fulfill a contract. The general public is not going to consider this dud as anything but what it is: a glaring mistake that, unfortunately, brands all old movies as being this cheap and unwatchable. Try to get anyone under 70 to watch this. It's about as bad as you can get.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Lemuel Ayers

Director

Roy Del Ruth

Director

Robert Lewis

Director

Vincente Minnelli

Director

George Sidney

Director

Charles Walters

Director

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Jana Monji

Age of the Geek

This film is worth seeing for its historic value in showing Fanny Brice toward the end of her career and other stars at the beginning. The Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire segment is a treasure, but Astaire with Lucille Bremer in yellowface is so cringey.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 19, 2024

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

There are certainly individual elements to enjoy here, but the scattershot nature of Ziegfeld Follies may test the patience of even the most ardent fan of classic Hollywood musicals.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 5, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The quality between sketches is inconsistent - respectively taking the gold, silver and bronze are ...

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 19, 2021

Full Review

Edgar Anstey

The Spectator

The Ziegfeld Follies is a most entertaining musical of spectacularly colourful settings and beautifully timed camera movements, each calculated to extract the maximum of luxury from acres of adorned studio.

Aug 26, 2020

Full Review

Pat Padua

Spectrum Culture

Takes some of Hollywood's grandest silk purses and makes a bunch of sow's ears.

Aug 31, 2018

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

A spangled hodgepodge, conjured up for the benefit of Powell-Pressburger and Ken Russell

May 2, 2010

Full Review

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Synopsis

Running between 1907 and 1931, the Ziegfeld Follies were elaborate stage revues mounted by the great Broadway showman Florenz Ziegfeld, inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris. In 1945, film producer Arthur Freed recreated the lavishness of Ziegfeld's shows with this all-star revue, consisting of comedy sketches and song-and-dance numbers featuring MGM Studios' musical comedy stars including Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Lena Horne and Red Skelton.

Director: Lemuel Ayers, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, Vincente Minnelli, George Sidney, Charles Walters
Screenwriter: John Murray Anderson, Peter Barr, Guy Bolton, Allen Boretz, Irving Brecher, Eddie Cantor, Erik Charell
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 18, 1946, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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