This charming antique must be viewed on its own terms--as a very early talkie. In this context, this is a splendid musical with terrific songs. The plot is creaky and the production numbers are stagy, but Bessie Love, Anita Page, and even Charles King have plenty of pzazz. King's rendition of the title song is one of the great moments in musical cinema, a forerunner of all the other great 30s musicals (42nd Street, Dames, the Golddiggers series, etc.) Love deserved her Oscar nomination as best actress. And I am very fond of the Love-Page duet on "The Boyfriend." Please view films in the context of their time!
Review of The Broadway Melody
