Although it didn’t end up in the top two of JA’s Make Me Watch A Musical survey, I wanted to give a special ‘shout out’ to the gorgeous Top Hat, one of my favorite Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals. While JA won’t be watching it this weekend, I hope he’ll put it in his queue for future viewing.
In thinking about this lovely cinematic confection, my mind leaps to a moment in another great film, Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo. Nathaniel has written about it very eloquently in the past and I must say I share his passion.
The specific scene I’m thinking of beautifully captures the transformative power of movies. Mia Farrow’s character Cecilia, dejected and disappointed, seeks comfort in those images on the screen. She finds that solace in Top Hat.While Fred and Ginger can’t change the world around her, they can--at least temporarily--take her outside of herself and to another place.
Here’s the wonderful “Cheek to Cheek” scene from the film. I must warn you that if you haven’t seen it before, you may want to save this for another time since it’s the highpoint. But those of you who choose to indulge will probably have a wistful look on your face by the time this clip is finished. Enjoy:
And that’s why I love movies. What transports you?
