the belle of new york

June 17 movie: The Belle of New York. This was a musical starring Fred Astaire and Vera Ellen. While watching it Georg and I talked about what it is that makes a musical work. There are so many elements -- the songs, the dancing, the story, the dialogue, the characters -- that all have to come together. Not to mention that ineffable quality that makes a movie sparkle. I guess "chemistry" would be the best word for it. This movie didn't have it, nor several other key elements (for instance, almost all the songs were terrible), but there were a couple of great dance numbers.