It's Time to Brush Up Your Shakespeare
We kick off our Keel countdown with Kiss Me Kate, a film version of the Broadway show, itself a musical adaption of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. And let it be known far and wide, my love for all things Shakespeare- within reason. I'm thinking my next list will be on Shakespearean adaptions. And despite the moral bone a contemporary audience can pick with the play, it is undeniably clever in the sparring, often bitter spewings of a certain not-so-kissable Kate. The tale is of two actors whose lives for the evening merge and somewhat mirror the main thrust of the play they are performing. Fred (Keel) and Lilli (Kathryn Grayson) have ended their defunct marriage and will be giving one last performance together before she moves on to the greener pastures of a millionaire rancher. As the show progresses, they reveal they are not as over one another as it may seem, though a series of mishaps involving costar Lois (Ann Miller) and her indebted gambling boyfriend (Tommy Rall) constantly get in the way. All in all, it's a reasonably fun story, leaning a bit heavily on the "you must learn to obey your lord and master" side of things, but that is not to say that the Lilli/Kate character does not hold her own in a refreshing, for the 50's anywho, way.
Now, I must shamefully admit that I believed the 3D craze was a somewhat contemporary (sometime in the 90s-00s) thing. I had absolutely no idea it went back in waves all the way to the 50s. It puzzled me for the entire movie why actors were constantly throwing junk at the camera. It was kind of surreal, like breaking the 4th wall in a way. Now, I will never see this film in 3D, so I have no idea how successful it would have been, but it irks me to have that curtain of suspended reality somewhat raised. But it is interesting, what with all the Avatar and 3D this and that, to know that they aren't such novel ideas after all. Technicolor is hands-down the most beautiful way to shoot film in the history of cinema. There is nothing more gorgeous, more lush than a film done well in technicolor. Kiss Me Kate certainly takes advantage of the tool by having an outrageously saturated palette, in fact it often hurts during the stage sequences. The overwhelming abundance of vivid colors, especially red, was on the garish side. Kathryn Grayson looked beautiful as a blonde, perhaps even better than her natural brunette, but she was absolutely a fright in the hideous reddish wig they gave her Kate character. I have never seen an actress with hair color less suited to her complexion or costumes.
Although I know it's a Broadway musical, I cannot help but be wearied by the sheer number of songs in the film. The story could have been vastly lightened by the removal of some, where it would feel less like introduce a character- and sing about it! Introduce a plot point- and sing about it! Change scene- and sing about it! I know I sound like the Emperor form Amadeus saying - cut a few, any few will do, but I am a big supporter of wanting songs to advance plot, not rehash and stall it. Too Darn Hot, Why Can't You Behave, Brush Up Your Shakespeare and From This Moment On are the best of the 17 or 18 songs, though two I single out mostly for their dance routines. From This Moment On is the best showcase of talent, a wonderful nod to the efforts of the dancers who don't always make it to the leading roles.
Speaking of, Ann Miller is saucy as ever and a wonderful dancer, one of the best tap dancers in Hollywood period as evidenced in Too Darn Hot. Tommy Rall was just so talented- we'll be seeing him again shortly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Kathryn Grayson, she was alright. I enjoyed the feistiness of her character, though I believe Jane Powell capitalized on the type better. Though her voice is lovely, it can be so operatic and trilly I have difficulty following everything she sings, plus her style just doesn't mesh with the Broadway score or the styles of the other singers, except Keel, who could make a horse sound spectacular. And then there's Howard Keel. His character on script is a total douchebag: of all the characters on this list, this is the least likeable and the one with the shallowest arc. But somehow when it's Howard Keel up there being all smarmy and whatnot, it's ok. His charm and swagger are so powerful, all other senses are dulled while I quietly drool, knowing deep inside nothing he does could make it possible to despise him. And I can't. I simply cannot hate him. Especially in guyliner. Curses!
So over all, Kiss Me Kate is worth viewing, and viewing again. Come on, it's Howard Keel doing Shakespeare while singing in a dead-sexy voice. How can you not love it?
My Rating:
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