Product Description

A stern Communist envoy comes to Paris to retreive three wayward comrades and a Russian composer. Instead she warms up to capitalist attractions like champagne, silk stockings, and an American man who convinces her that they were fated to be married.
Genre: Musicals
Rating: NR
Release Date: 22-APR-2003
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20158 in DVD
• Brand: ASTAIRE,FRED
• Released on: 2003-04-22
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 117 minutes

Features

• You'd think chilled borscht pulses in her veins. She's Nina Yoshenka, a lovely yet severe Soviet envoy sent to Paris to rescue wayward comrades from the perils of champagne and capitalism. But there may be a thaw in Nina's cold war. She meets Steve Canfield, a smoothly brash American who won't take nyet for an answer.Running Time: 117 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: N

Amazon.com
Fred Astaire took one of his final musical turns in this delightful 1957 comedy, a cold war update of the classic Ninotchka. Cyd Charisse, having previously wrapped her endless legs around Fred in The Band Wagon, plays the Greta Garbo role: a humorless Soviet functionary who sternly refuses the allure of Paris… for a while, anyway. Like some of the first widescreen musicals, Silk Stockings feels a little slowed down by the horizontal format, but nothing can dim the sparkle of Astaire and Charisse, nor quench the razzmatazz of Janis Paige. Paige and Astaire assess the current state of movies by singing that films today need "glorious Technicolor, breathtaking CinemaScope, and Stereophonic sound!" In the hands of Cole Porter, that phrase becomes wonderfully musical--and by the way, it's nice to see the composer identified with so many breezy 1930s songs staying au courant in the age of Sputnik and television. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

One of my favorite musicals of all time!
After starring together in the movie "Bandwagon" (1953), Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse are back, better than ever! For lovers of musical/comedies, "Silk Stockings" is not to be missed!

When the Russian offficials find out that their beloved composer Peter Boroff (Wim Sonneveld) does not want to return to Russia after staying in Paris, they decide to take action. They send three comrades Bibinski (Jules Munshin), Brankov (Peter Lorre), and Ivanov (Joseph Buloff) to bring him back. But little do they realize that Boroff had secretly agreed to compose music for director Steve Canfield's (Fred Astaire) new Peggy Daiton (Janis Paige) movie. Steve then gets a plan to make a fake document saying that Boroff is actually half French! He easily convinces Bibinski, Brankov, and Ivanov to stay in Paris while settling the dispute of Boroff's nationality. Meanwhile the three Russians are having the time of their life smoking cigars, going to nightclubs, and enjoying themselves. The Russians take action by sending in envoy extraordinaire Ninotchka (Cyd Charisse) to once and for all bring by not only Boroff but also the other three comrades. Extremely cold and very 'Russian', Ninotchka is disgusted with the decadent Capitalistic Paris. But Steve who starts to fall in love with her, is determined to break her ice and to show her how to live... and to love.

Everything is just so totally fantastic about this movie! From the fun-loving Fred Astaire, the icy Cyd Charisse, the three bumbling and hilarious Munshin, Lorre, and Buloffe, and of course, who can forget Janis Paige in her very wacky and outgoing part as the swimstar actress, Peggy Daiton! And of course there are the musical numbers! Here are the dance numbers (Not in any order):

"All of You": Beautiful number done by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. Steve certainly finds out that Ninotchka can really dance!
"Siberia": Hilarious number done by the Russian trio! It's so amazing seeing Peter Lorre singing and dancing in a musical number! And he seems to be enjoying himself so much!
"Silk Stockings": Cyd Charisse showcases her ballet talents in this very well done and beautiful dance.
"Red Blues": Very fun song and dance with the seemingly dull Russians having a great time.
"Too Bad We Can't Go Back to Moscow": I just love this song and Fred Astaire gets to dance with three Parisian girls who definitely know how to dance!
"Fated to Be Mated": Another Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse dance number.
"Ritz Rollin' Rock": There of course has to be a dance routine where Fred Astaire taps solo. And boy does he tap!
"Stereophonic Sound": Janis Paige and Fred Astaire say the three qualities that are needed nowadays in movies.
"Satin and Silk": Peggy Dainton is desperate to have Boroff's music made into popular songs. This is the number where she 'convinces' him.
"Josephine": The popular song that is made from Boroff's music, "Ode to a Tractors". We never really get to hear the whole thing though.

Here are some of my other favorite musicals/comedies which I highly recommend. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", "Bandwagon", "Cover Girl", "Tea for Two", "Singin' in the Rain", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "The Barkleys of Broadway", the three "That's Entertainment" videos, and "Guys and Dolls". Of course there's plenty more!

Fred and Cyd are Pure Silk!
Here's an interesting Fred Astaire film from the late fifties that is both dated and timeless. The timelessness comes from Fred and Cyd Charisse in a great musical romantic comedy. The dated aspects are most of the digs at the Cold War Russians, but it's all part of the fun.

In this retelling of "Ninotchka", lots of comedy mileage is gotten from the Cold War and the sad state of the Russian citizenry ("You mean you want to get IN to Russia? Of your own free will?!"). Three whole numbers are dedicated to the misery of being a Russian under Communist rule ("Siberia", "Too Bad, We Can't Go Back to Moscow", and "The Red Blues"). Some other tunes like "It's a Chemical Reaction, That's All" pit the Commie view of love against the good ol' red white and blue all-American view.

Two numbers, "All of You" and "Silk Stockings", are both well worth the price of admission. There has never been a finer example of the pure grace in the art of dance than when Cyd and Fred perform in "All of You". In the "Silk Stockings" number, Cyd solos in a balletic dance showing how the Russian robot becomes seduced by the luxury and femininity of Paris.

The Cole Porter songs are okay, but hardly his apex. "Ritz Roll and Rock" is an interesting curio if nothing else, as Porter and Astaire try their hand at rock n' roll. Even though the song is so-so, the dance number is pretty good, and when the curtain rises on Fred in this one, you know he and he alone owns the dance floor... before the dance even starts!

"The Poet and Peasant Overture" is included as a short subject, apparently to show off the new miracle of the CinemaScope widescreen process. As an odd, but added treat, an early Bob Hope short "Paree, Paree", rounds things out. Bob gets second billing to the (now) forgotten actress Dorothy Stone in this 1934 musical tidbit. There's even a strange, Busby Berkeley look to the impromptu dance numbers, with a score of leggy dancers forming ever-evolving star and pinwheel patterns.

A good disc by far for Fred fans, and a keeper, regardless.

RITZY LOOKING TRANSFER OF A GREAT MOVIE MUSICAL
In hindsight "Silk Stockings" proved to be one of MGM's last great musical acheivements and Fred Astaire's final appearance in a musical worthy of his inimitable talents. Astaire plays, Steven Canfield, a rotten capitalist and movie producer who butts heads with communist, special envoy, Nina Yoshenko, who has been sent from Moscow to Paris to apprehend a wayward Russian composer. The cast also includes Janis Paige in a hilarious and campy lampoon of an 'Esther Williams-type' actress attempting to play Napoleon's Josephine in a musical remake of "War and Peace". Peter Lorre and Jules Munshin are at their comedy best as two communist sympathizers wooed by the pleasures of Paris.
AT LAST - a transfer worthy of the elegant Mr. Cole Porter. Warner Home Video gives us a rich looking, robust sounding DVD that really celebrates the performances in this memorable musical. Colors are deep, rich, gorgeous and consistant throughout. Contrast and shadow levels are outstanding. Fine details are amazingly sharp. Edge enhancement, shimmering and aliasing are practically non-existant. There is no pixelization or film or digital grain to speak of, for a thoroughly smooth but sharp visual presentation that will surely please. The audio has been remixed to 5.1 and is marvelous, rich sounding and fully realized within the confines of its dated characteristic.
Extras: Another Cole Porter/making-of featurette that is really a throw away, save the few glimpses of Cyd Charisse and Janis Paige that we get. Theatrical trailer and cast bios and a couple of short subjects - not anamorphically enhanced, even though the film (thank heaven) is!
Bottom Line: This disc is a must have and the only DVD of the Cole Porter bunch worthy of your hard earned money. BUY IT TODAY!