Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer

GENE KELLY was one of a kind and this documentary celebrates his faults as well as his virtues, refreshing because it's not just a gushing fan tribute to a great actor/dancer who made dancing look as macho as it did when he embraced it with his physical athleticism, the embodiment of the blue collar guy rather than the aristocratic finesse of the other screen great, FRED ASTAIRE. Different styles, different personalities.

And while it has some highly laudatory comments from his co-workers and co-stars, as well as some incisive comments from his longtime ex-wife Betsy Blair, it does reveal the man's flaws rooted in his quest for perfectionism. It also reveals that the longtime collaboration with director/choreographer Stanley Donen became a bitter one by the time they did IT'S ONLY FAIR WEATHER, after which the two never spoke again.

Stanley Donen has been interviewed several times on TV, never discussing his professional relationship with Kelly in much detail, but revealing a condescending attitude toward another MGM star of that period--ESTHER WILLIAMS--whom neither Kelly nor he wanted for TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME and both of them deriding her as not up to their standard of what they expected in a co-star. As it turns out, Esther gave them a charming performance in the film, but she herself related some stories about how unkind their on set behavior could be.

Sorry for digressing, but it gives you a hint of what both Kelly and Donen could be like in this documentary. DEBBIE REYNOLDS tells how she was in tears much of the time on SINGIN' IN THE RAIN because Kelly insisted on hours and hours of rehearsals for the dance numbers and she was a novice in that department--but then says she learned an awful lot from Kelly's sense of discipline. CYD CHARISSE says her husband could always tell whether she'd been dancing on a film with either Kelly or Astaire--if she had bruises, it was with Gene. Things like that give you an idea of his working style, but you have to connect the dots.

As for the documentary, it's brilliant. All the highlights you'd want to see from Kelly's most famous hits are there: including his fabulous dance number with Garland for FOR ME AND MY GAL, COVER GIRL (with Rita Hayworth including the alter ego dance routine), ANCHORS AWEIGH (with the cartoon mouse Jerry), ON THE TOWN, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, AN American IN Paris and IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, as well as other minor clips from his other works.

Among the most interesting clips: amateur movies shot in color of Gene's breakthrough performance on Broadway in PAL JOEY, showing the style and energy that would turn him into an immediate overnight star once he set foot onto the MGM lot.

Having previously seen this back in 2002 when I taped this off of the "American Masters" series from PBS, I just watched this again on the second disc of the An American in Paris DVD set. It chronicled the life and career of dancer Gene Kelly as we see pics of his early childhood with his family as well as his only filmed performance of him dancing with his brother Fred in Deep in My Heart. Of course, what follows are many of his movie highlights in subsequent years: His debut in For Me and My Gal with Judy Garland, his "alter ego" number in Cover Girl, his turn with the animated Jerry the Mouse in Anchors Away, the "New York, New York" number in On the Town, the "An American in Paris" ballet in the movie of the same name, and, perhaps the most iconic of all movie musical numbers, his dancing and warbling in Singin' in the Rain. Also shown are some of his not-so-successful movies like Brigadoon (which I said I enjoyed in my review of it last year on this site) and It's Always Fair Weather. There are interviews from many of his leading lady co-stars but perhaps the most interesting was from his first wife, Betsy Blair, in telling what their home life was like. His career after the '50s is mostly given short shrift but then, it's mainly Gene Kelly's '40s and '50s output that provides the most joy for the devoted moviegoer. So on that note, Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer is well worth seeing for his fans.

Just this week, Time Magazine cited this 2002 documentary as one of seven must-see films for any lover of dance, and I agree this is an extremely well-done feature on an indisputably gifted practitioner, Gene Kelly, by filmmaker Robert Trachtenberg (who did a similarly insightful film on Cary Grant, "A Class Apart", two years later). Originally aired as part of PBS's "American Masters" series, the film follows Kelly's life and career chronologically with an obvious emphasis on his golden decade between his 1942 film debut co-starring with Judy Garland in "For Me and My Gal" to his career peak as star, choreographer and co-director (with protégé Stanley Donen) of 1952's "Singin' in the Rain".

While his artistry and perfectionism are well-known with the results proving as much, Kelly is also portrayed fairly for his ego-driven decisions, intolerance for others who did not uphold his standards and an almost obsessive need for attention. But his intentions were clear, and his first wife, actress Betsy Blair, who provides the most cogent and insightful comments among the interviewees, shrewdly observes Kelly's desire to democratize dance for the masses. So focused on this idea was Kelly that he even produced a 1958 TV special, "Dancing: A Man's Game", excerpts of which are shown in the film showing how dance and professional sports were akin to one another.

The film spotlights memorable moments - his newspaper-tearing dance in "Summer Stock", the impressionistic ballet finale from "An American in Paris", the roller skating number in "It's Always Fair Weather" and of course, his effusive turn in a downpour in "Singin' in the Rain". His failures are also documented - an all-dance film, 1956's "Invitation to the Dance", held back from release for four years; the cynical "It's Always Fair Weather" in 1955; his direction of 1969's elephantine disappointment, "Hello, Dolly!". Several of Kelly's surviving colleagues are interviewed in brief though telling clips - Debbie Reynolds, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron among others.

The inevitable comparisons with his only comparable contemporary, Fred Astaire, are here, but the analysis of their individual styles is thoughtful and respectful to both. For me, Kelly is undeniably brilliant but somewhat aware of it in his on screen persona, which comes across at times as abrasive and preening. His last years are given just a cursory glance as he was beset with illness, but it would have been nice to see his valedictory turns in 1967's "The Young Girls of Rochefort" or even the soft shoe he does in 1980's execrable "Xanadu". No matter as Trachtenberg has made an exemplary record of a most accomplished career.

I am a huge Kelly fan, and this is a superb documentary! Featuring clips from most of his films and all of them being re-mastered makes this documentary great! There are stories and comments from his co-workers and family such as Betsy Blair, Leslie Caron, Debbie Reynolds, Kerry Kelly Novick (his oldest daughter), Tim Kelly (son), and many others. The only problem is that I wish it were longer!

10/10!

If you want clips of all of Kelly's best musicals, and commentary from some of the actors he worked with, then this is for you. It's basically a fun timeline of his movie career, as well as a little private life info, and well worth it for any fan to catch. Features interviews with Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, Betty Garrett, Betsy Blair, and old footage of Gene himself.