Königliche Hochzeit (1951)
50KKönigliche Hochzeit: Directed by Stanley Donen. With Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Peter Lawford, Sarah Churchill. A brother and sister dance act encounter challenges and romance when booked in London during the Royal Wedding.
“Of course, there is Fred Astaireu0026#39;s delightful, legendary, innovative dance on the ceiling and his dance with a hatrack in the gym, both of which are great. But then there are also his delightful partnerings with Jane Powell, playing his Adele Astaire-esque sister and dancing partner. These include the opening number, u0026quot;Every Night At Seven,u0026quot; their cute little attempt to dance aboard a rocky boat, and the dynamite u0026quot;How Could You Believe Me, etc.u0026quot; AND u0026quot;I Left My Hat in Haiti.u0026quot; Powell, known mostly for her operetic soprano that never quite seems to match her speaking voice, (and which can also be heard in a few forgettable songs here) rivals Ginger Rogers in her ability to keep up with Astaire and match him every step of the way. Not to be missed if you love musicals, dancing in musicals, and/or Fred Astaire dancing in musicals.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs for the rest of the film, the plot is thin as expected but breezes along smoothly. The characterizations of the English are silly caricatures. (Alan Jay Lerner wrote the screenplay and lyrics, but remember, this was five years before u0026quot;My Fair Ladyu0026quot;) Keenan Wynn does okay with the double role of an American agent and his British twin counterpart, though. Peter Lawford is Powellu0026#39;s English honey bun. (In real life, Adele Astaire did leave dancing when she married an English lord) And yes, that is Sarah Churchill, Winstonu0026#39;s daughter, as about the only romantic partner of Fredu0026#39;s on film that was his own age.”
