Perfection

4 Responses to Perfection

1. Bruce Reid says:

   October 2, 2010 at 3:51 pm

   Indeed.

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2. Bruce Reid says:

   October 2, 2010 at 4:17 pm

   (Just playing along with your post up above.)

   If forced to pick my favorite Astaire move, it would have to be that marvelously dexterous circling round the chair in “Shine on Your Shoes,” negotiating the platform’s few inches of foot room like a grand ballroom floor. His energy and gleeful kicks have such abandon, even as each step lands with the exhilarating crispness of a military drill team.

   Or maybe the way he and Charisse just sort of wander into their duet in the park, with such fluidity between their playful grandeur and sincere lyricism that the dividing line can’t be seen till they’re taking your breath away.

   All right, you could have posted pretty much any scene from the film and stumbled upon a personal treasure of mine. (Except “Triplets,” for which I confess a curmudgeonly distaste.) I’m not generally a fan of perfection in art (and I’m a skeptic as to its existence in life whatsoever), but there’s really few other words that capture Astaire at his best.

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3. sheila says:

   October 2, 2010 at 5:32 pm

   // their playful grandeur and sincere lyricism that the dividing line can’t be seen till they’re taking your breath away //

   You certainly have a way with words, Bruce. You capture that dynamic perfectly.

   She’s marvelous here (I love the move where she bends backwards, throwing her head back – it’s so fierce) – and I love all of the elements he brings to his dance – the specificity, as you said: the choreography is telling a story, not just fancy moves. That was always the way it was with him, and yes, he made it seem effortless. That’s his magic (and technique). What a performer.

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4. sheila says:

   October 2, 2010 at 7:07 pm

   For example, from the clip I just posted: his movement when he first enters the club, trying to hide himself. His body ramrod straight, head down, arms down and jutting in and out, trying to fit in, but unable to – because of the white suit, yes, everyone else in black, but also because there is nothing more obvious than someone trying to be invisible. That is what his body movement says there. He embodies it. It is the quintessential Fred Astaire moment. He’s amazing in the sexy dance with Charisse as well – it’s red-hot – but I love his entrance into the club the best. It gives me goosebumps and I’ve seen it I don’t know how many times.

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