Ice Follies of 1939 is a Joan Crawford vehicle from MGM which has a Warners feel with a supporting cast from Columbia and shot at Republic.
This is the film that Joan is prepping for at the beginning of Mommie Dearest.
Jimmy Stewart is Joan's male lead in this picture. He looks like he has just turned 18.
Joan looks old enough to be his mother in some shots.
The plot is secondary to what they put poor Joan through.
30 some minutes into the movie she isn't even in it for a long stretch where to is totally focused on the Jimmy Stewart character and his ice follies. The background bit runs straight into an ice follies review of skating. It is pretty hum drum. Cramped and shot cheaply.
The whole movie feels cramped until the end where there is an insane Technicolor nightmare of mediocre skating in garish costumes in an ill conceived Cinderella plot involving dear Joan. She doesn't skate.
She looks lovely when sitting in the audience watching herself on screen though. Reddish highlights to her hair in a gorgeous green and gold sparkly Adrian creation that defies description. One number she is forced to wear looks like it came off of a Lorretta Young picture, complete with halo.
You see Joan in several different looks in this picture. Few of them are flattering to her. Some make her look downright hard bitten and hawkish.
There is one scene early on where Joan is sitting at a table in yet another cramped room with Jimmy and Lew Ayres. She looks young and vibrant, her hair perfect for her. She looks great. then it is all downhill until the final Technicolor shots of her in the audience at the end.
Somebody wanted to make her look bad.
You can tell by where they spent the money.
One of the black and white skate bits is wonderful. Far better than the other ones. Then there is the color skate film in a film sequence at the end.
This film is designed to make the star look bad on the screen and on paper.
Joan does have one great bit where she plays drunk. It looks like she is really having fun with it.
Trog is better.
This is the film that Joan is prepping for at the beginning of Mommie Dearest.
Jimmy Stewart is Joan's male lead in this picture. He looks like he has just turned 18.
Joan looks old enough to be his mother in some shots.
The plot is secondary to what they put poor Joan through.
30 some minutes into the movie she isn't even in it for a long stretch where to is totally focused on the Jimmy Stewart character and his ice follies. The background bit runs straight into an ice follies review of skating. It is pretty hum drum. Cramped and shot cheaply.
The whole movie feels cramped until the end where there is an insane Technicolor nightmare of mediocre skating in garish costumes in an ill conceived Cinderella plot involving dear Joan. She doesn't skate.
She looks lovely when sitting in the audience watching herself on screen though. Reddish highlights to her hair in a gorgeous green and gold sparkly Adrian creation that defies description. One number she is forced to wear looks like it came off of a Lorretta Young picture, complete with halo.
You see Joan in several different looks in this picture. Few of them are flattering to her. Some make her look downright hard bitten and hawkish.
There is one scene early on where Joan is sitting at a table in yet another cramped room with Jimmy and Lew Ayres. She looks young and vibrant, her hair perfect for her. She looks great. then it is all downhill until the final Technicolor shots of her in the audience at the end.
Somebody wanted to make her look bad.
You can tell by where they spent the money.
One of the black and white skate bits is wonderful. Far better than the other ones. Then there is the color skate film in a film sequence at the end.
This film is designed to make the star look bad on the screen and on paper.
Joan does have one great bit where she plays drunk. It looks like she is really having fun with it.
Trog is better.