Das ist New York (1949)

Das ist New York: Directed by Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly. With Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller. Three sailors wreak havoc as they search for love during a whirlwind 24-hour leave in New York City.

“The Bronx is up and the Batteryu0026#39;s down, and Kelly and Sinatra are back in sailor suits, in this effervescent MGM musical. The three matelots (our two heroes are joined by Jules Munshin for this caper) have a 24-hour shore leave in which to savour New York City. u0026quot;What can happen to ya in one day?u0026quot; asks a shipyard worker, and the guys answer the question by picking up girls, destroying a dinosaur and getting chased to Coney Island by the cops… in just one day.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLeonard Bernstein composed the tunes, and the writers of the stage show (Green u0026amp; Comden) provided the lyrics, supplemented by Bernstein himself and the associate producer, Roger Edens. Of the songs, u0026quot;On The Townu0026quot; and u0026quot;You Can Count On Meu0026quot; are nerve-tingling showstoppers. u0026quot;Prehistoric Manu0026quot; is much weaker, but saved by crisp, playful choreography. The two expressionist ballets, u0026quot;Miss Turnstilesu0026quot; and u0026quot;A Day In New Yorku0026quot; bear the hallmark of Kellyu0026#39;s directorial style, which first reached its maturity in this picture. Kellyu0026#39;s slide on his knees towards the u0026#39;Miss Turnstilesu0026#39; poster is a piece of cinema magic.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKelly plays Gabey, a supposedly worldly-wise ladyu0026#39;s man who turns out to be a Mid-Western innocent in the big city, and who falls in love with a struggling hoofer(Vera-Ellen), a girl he takes to be a celebrity. Sinatra is the serious-minded Chip, the enthusiastic sightseer who gets snapped up by Hildie Esterhazy (Betty Garrett), a knowing cabbie who has one aim – to get Chip alone in her apartment. Ann Miller sings and dances impeccably as Claire Huddesen, the bluestocking who gets turned on by Ozzieu0026#39;s primitive quality.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;On The Townu0026quot; has a daffy story, as musicals often do, but it fizzes with flirtatious youthful energy. Each of the three couples has its own song and/or dance, and these are sensitively tailored to suit the individualsu0026#39; personalities. The Empire State Building observation platform set is a knockout, and the filmu0026#39;s sense of fun even extends to a sly Ava Gardner joke at Sinatrau0026#39;s expense. Notional time runs from 6am at the start of the boysu0026#39; leave (u0026#39;boysu0026#39;, or u0026#39;kidsu0026#39; as they are twice described, is not quite accurate – Kelly was 37 and the other two 34 at the time of filming) until 6am the following morning, as it ends. Three new sailors come charging down the gangway to start their 24 hours in the Big Apple, reminding us that love and youth are eternal, and New Yorku0026#39;s a wonderful town.”