TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

TheLittleSongbird Daddy Long Legs had a lot going for it, it's based on a lovely book, Fred Astaire is one of the greats in the dance world and Leslie Caron has always been a charming performer. And it doesn't disappoint as a film on its own merits while being a tad disappointing for some book fans.Visually, Daddy Long Longs looks absolutely great, with elegant costumes(in colour and in style), lavish photography and colourful settings and scenery. The songs range from pleasant to wonderful, apart from the rather silly and forgettable(sometimes annoying too) Welcome Egghead. The unforgettably beautiful Something Gotta Give is the highlight. The choreography is constantly full of energy and grace, both of which are sustained right until the last number. Sluefoot dazzles in its choreography and often deliciously funny while showing off Astaire and Caron's strengths as dancers brilliantly, while the ballet sequences are wonderfully dream-like. The script is fresh and witty, there are funny, poignant and warm-hearted moments galore, the film is directed with real class, meticulous eye for detail and a light-hearted touch and the characters have a lot of engaging charm.All the performances are right on the money, Fred Astaire is cast perfectly and dances an absolute dream and Leslie Caron is an immensely enchanting leading lady. The 30-year age gap is a bother for some, it's the thing that Daddy Long Legs is most criticised for, but not for me, because the chemistry is actually really endearing, Astaire and Caron work beautifully together and their performances carry the film beautifully. They are supported by an excellent supporting cast, a delightful Thelma Ritter is particularly impressive(almost a scene-stealer in fact), her charm and comic timing irresistible, but Fred Clark and Larry Keating play with gusto and are no less memorable and likewise with a likable Terry Moore.Not much lets down Daddy Long Legs actually. My only complaints actually are the rather tissue-thin and sometimes too simple story, which sometimes drags and gave the film a slightly overlong feel, and the lengthy final ballet, which- while impeccably danced and choreographed with the right amount of dreaminess- it does go on too long, grinds the film to a halt and felt a little overblown.In summary, a very nice film and a treat for fans of Astaire and Caron. 8/10 Bethany Cox

sam_i_amgirl For a book so popular it spanned (at least) four movie adaptations over the last century and countless plays, musicals and anime series - it's a shame that the most famous adaption was SO adapted it barely resembled the original. Where the original book is witty and funny and sweet - because the leading lady is AMAZING - this version is just sweet and icky based on a may-December (or should I say, may-next-December) romance. Yes, the original book is slightly romantic, but only at the end. And the book focuses on so many societal and political issues such as the suffrage movement and equality and the class rank, that it's modern for it's time and remarkably intelligent. This 1955 adaptation - true to the anti-feminist 50s ideals - completely ignored all that and made Judy (er.. Julie) into this sexy French maiden with a geriatric playboy beau. Gross. And they accused the book of being dodgy?If you don't compare it to the book and look at it on it's own, it has it's merits. But as a huge fan of the book, I can't help but feel that this is an insult to the author Jean Webster herself. I love Fred Astaire, but I don't like the film makers' clichéd and backward views on a classic female story. Imagine if they adapted Anne of Green Gables or Pride and Prejudice* into something like this? There'd be an outrage! Well, I'm part of the outrage for Daddy Long Legs. READ THE BOOK Y'ALL Judy is Lizzie Bennet meets Anne Shirley meets Sybil Crawley. And she's actually funny.*Bride and Prejudice... no comment.

lzf0 Yes, Fred Astaire is in a scene with two Harry Mortons from the Burns and Allen Show: Fred Clark and Larry Keating. All we needed was Hal March and Johnny Brown! Now that the trivia is out of the way, how could Johnny Mercer's score have been so butchered in this film? The only song properly presented is "Something's Got to Give". It became an instant standard. In his tribute album to Fred Astaire, it is the only contemporary song recorded by Mel Torme. The rest of the songs came from the 1930s. With this said, all of the other songs in the film are given the short shift. Astaire's opening song "The History of the Beat" is truncated to one stanza. Mercer's lyrics are extremely witty, but are nowhere to be found in the film. "C-A-T Spells Cat" is buried under dialogue and what can be heard is butchered by Leslie Caron's out of tune singing. Where was Carole Richards or Betty Wand when you needed one of them? The beautiful theme song, "Daddy Long Legs" is ruined by having it performed by an off-screen choir. The lyrics can hardly be understood. Maybe they tried having Leslie Caron sing it, but it didn't work. "Welcome, Egghead" is destroyed by poor staging and truncation. "Sluefoot" almost works. Had Astaire sung it in the film as he did on the recording, it may have become a standard. The Skyliners handle the vocal and it is almost lost to the superb dance that follows. "Texas Romp and Square Dance" is part of a ballet dream sequence and it probably wasn't meant to stand out in the first place. Two more songs written for Astaire by Johnny Mercer, "Dancing Through Life" and "I Never Knew" were cut from the film. Even the Mercer standard "Dream" is given sub-standard treatment. Astaire and Caron perform a pleasant dance to it, but where is Astaire's vocal. It is sung by that off-screen choir, who hid the title song. The two Roland Petit ballet pieces show Caron off well, but Astaire is somewhat out of his element. Alex North's ballet music is unmemorable. The film is a bit long and a bit over-plotted and there are some who probably find the idea of the film disagreeable. To me, it's a sweetly innocent story that needed less dialogue and better presentations of the Mercer songs.

didi-5 'Daddy Long-Legs', previously filmed silent with Mary Pickford and once more in the 1930s, gets the musical treatment here as the story of the millionaire and the orphan he sponsors gets a Technicolor, Cinemascope, Johnny Mercer update.Fred Astaire, at 55, is a little old for his role as stick-in-the-mud business whizz Jervis Pendleton, but hey, this is Hollywood. And his interest in, and subsequent wooing of, the French girl Julie Andre (played with charm and wit by Leslie Caron) is helped a lot by the fact that the two stars do not actually share screen time until nearly halfway through the film! With scintillating choreography for both Astaire and Caron, those wonderful songs, and support from Fred Clark, Thelma Ritter, and Terry Moore, 'Daddy Long Legs' is an excellent musical just balancing on the cusp of classic musical vs rock n roll.