1951 Directed by Stanley Donen
Tom and Ellen are asked to perform as a dance team in England at the time of Princess Elizabeth's wedding. As brother and sister, each develops a British love interest, Ellen with Lord John Brindale and Tom with dancer Anne Ashmond.
Noces Reials, Königliche Hochzeit, Bodas reales, Mariage Royal, חתונה מלכותית, Királyi esküvő, Sua altezza si sposa, 로얄 웨딩, Królewskie wesele, Núpcias Reais, Королевская свадьба, Kungligt bröllop, 王室的婚礼
USANR
USANR
SwedenBtl
Netherlands6
Netherlands
Sweden
USA
If you’re going to make a loose film memoir about you and your sister…. Make sure you make one where she is an international horndog.
Fred Astaire is sure to do his real life sister, Adele, a solid in “Royal Wedding,” casting Jane Powell as her on screen equivalent; one half of a renowned sibling dance duo - and, a woman who seems to have proudly slept with a wealthy man in every port they visit.
It’s a charming choice of co-lead for Astaire, who - per many accounts - seems to have taken on a gentlemanly big brother role for many rising MGM actors, perhaps most notably, Rita Hayworth and Debbie Reynolds.
Even by Golden Age musical standards, “Royal…
There's only one thing in this world that's more beautiful than Fred Astaire dancing, and that's Fred Astaire walking, and this is one of the few movies where someone had the brains to be like: "Hey, how about we just let him walk a little bit?" Thank you! God, I would have followed that man all the way through town and back and into every dark corner, poor guy. I really don't get why no one ever decided to make an 8-hour movie of Fred Astaire walking through New York City or something, going in and out of clothing and music stores, strolling through the park, tipping his hat to elderly ladies, one hand in his pocket, the other holding…
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell star in Stanley Donen’s musical comedy as a brother-sister song and dance duo who each start a Transatlantic romance while travelling on the ship that’s taking them to Britain at the time of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding.
In only his second film Donen switched from then regular collaborator Gene Kelly to his childhood idol Astaire, giving the veteran star ample showcase for his particular talents. Being a last minute replacement for original director Charles Walters means that this wasn’t Donen’s from the ground up, and as a result isn’t as groundbreaking overall as other films he made around this time, but the filmmaker makes the most of the elements here at his disposal for a fun…
I don't approve of royalty or weddings, but I do approve of dancing on ceilings and walls.
It's such a simple, small thing, but the fact that that sequence is specifically foreshadowed and used as a characterization of Tom's feelings rather than just being some random dream sequence or unexplained bit makes it all the more exciting to watch. It turns an impressive sequence into something meaningful to plot and character without much effort. It makes a clearly wall-breaking moment into something solidly within the confines of the story. What a great way to embrace the fancy of that dance.
Otherwise, this story isn't all that remarkable. The dancing is beautiful, the songs are all right, the colors are bright and bold in some sequences, and the acting works. But you're mostly going to remember Astaire on the ceiling.
This movie has one thing going for it. It has the first of the fascinating rotating movie sets to stun viewers. And it amazed me!
Fred Astaire and Jane Powell as brother and sister in this rivals Sharpay and Ryan's sibling dynamic in High School Musical
It was all fun and jolly games until Fred Astaire started dancing on the ceiling thanks to demonic magic.
Miniature rant: I hate that Fred Astaire and Jane Powell have to be a brother-sister duo instead of just professional friends because of the Pence families of the world; mostly because a number of their stage performances of the traveling duo have a romantic relationship baked into their sketches and that made me feel weird, as did their age difference even as siblings.
HOWEVER, the dance numbers are divine and they are plenty. This is where Fred dancing on the ceiling comes from. And despite my mini-rant above, Stanley Donen's solo directorial debut is forward thinking of not being judgmental of Powell's multiple-lover ways. Even if her journey is to settle down. Anyway, some movie magic that Mike Pence could enjoy!
EDIT: Mr. Moneypenny left me dead in the ditch with some facts in the comments
He didn't have to chase very hard after Ellen, she stood still and waited.
First time watch: December 2020
Source: Amazon Prime
Royal Wedding is the 1951 MGM musical comedy starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell. The film was directed by Stanley Donen and is the story of dancing siblings Tom and Ellen who travel to London to perform at the time of the royal wedding between Elizabeth and Philip.
Fred Astaire is so talented he can dance with a coat rack and make it entertaining. Regardless of being in his 50s when filmed he continues to provide some exciting and energetic numbers including 'You're all the world to me' where he dances on the walls and ceiling (the inspiration…
Absolutely in love with its own world, both in front of the camera and behind it. Sometimes its playful attitude leads to cartoonish humor, and other times, unexpected beauty. Like the artifice of the set working with its immersion rather than against it. Fred Astaire's character bowing at the end of Sunday Jumps could be to an imagined audience, or it could have been Astaire himself bowing to the crew. For a film like Royal Wedding, the energy of its own creation seems as exciting as the development of its story. A film of such confidence can't be crushed in spirit by the accidental acknowledgement that it is, in fact, a film. There is a point where it's as fun, as pretty, and as electric either way.
Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling is cinema. That one scene contains everything that the movies were invented to showcase. A brilliant entertainer at the height of his power performing his craft on a level that few others will ever reach. A visionary artist with the audacity to dream up something that had never been seen before. A whole army of skilled craftspeople working in unison to pull off an illusion that couldn't be achieved in any other medium. As a visual representation of the euphoria of falling in love it's the equal of Gene Kelly splashing through puddles with a smile on his face in Singin' in the Rain. As for the rest of the film? Fred's dance with the hat rack is another one of his all-timers. Other than that, nothing special, really. But those two scenes are enough.
Fred Astaire who looks exactly like the settling down type: "Do I look like the settling down type?"
It's another Stanley Donen musical, and it's delightful, funny, vibrant, colourful and so uplifting. It has that joy of the musical genre and with Fred Astaire there is no going wrong, he brings out the best performances music-wise and dance-wise. For the fans of the genre it's just a fantastic and joyfull ride.
