YouHeart
I gave it a 7.5 out of 10
Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Brooklynn
There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.
StrictlyConfidential
1955's "Guys and Dolls" was a big-budget musical production that cost MGM Studios $5.5 million.Yes. It was bright and flashy. Yes. It was busy and bushy-tailed. And, yes - It was also a hopelessly boring Rom/Com that ended (after 2.5 hours) on one of the most cringe-worthy bum-notes imaginable.And, speaking about actor, Marlon Brando (aka. "Mumbles") - I cannot figure out, for the life of me, why he would agree to star in this fluffy foolishness.Not only did he come across looking like an utter jackass, singing and dancing - But he was far from being at all convincing as a sweethearted lover-boy in the heat of romance.I mean - Let's face it - Brando was born a bully (of both men and women) and that's the only type of character he's at all suited for playing.Anyway - This film has an interesting behind-the-scenes story involving the strained working relationship, on the set, between Brando (it figures) and Frank Sinatra. (For further juicy details - Check it out on Wikipedia)
classicsoncall
Sometimes it's the movie and sometimes it's just me. I'm not a fan of musicals but will tune into the ones with notoriety and a name cast to see what I might be missing. This one has one of my favorite actors, Marlon Brando, but he couldn't do the trick for me. Through no fault of his own either; gee, I never saw him sing before and he didn't sound too bad, so at least that was a surprise plus in the picture.I guess it's just the format with all the song numbers that drags a musical out and this one had plenty of them. If the story behind the picture were reworked into a different genre I would probably feel better about it. You can tell this one came out in an era well before the women's movement came along, because a character like Sky Masterson (Brando) gets to come out with a line stating that 'all dolls are the same'. Done today, he'd be getting a lot of hate mail.But say, I was impressed by Jean Simmons' right cross when they all got into that brawl later on in the story. That was no girly punch by any means. Her character Sarah Brown seemed to make a better match with Masterson than Vivian Blaine's Adelaide did with Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra). For some reason, Sinatra looked older to me than his actual age of forty at the time, and even though the marriage angle with Adelaide kept getting repeat assurances, I just never caught the chemistry between them.One other thing I noticed was the story's emphasis on getting twelve sinners for Sergeant Brown's mission, but by the time they had that prayer meeting, a good thirty or more gamblers showed up. I see a wager there after the fact, who would have believed that that many sinners would have come around?
dallasryan
I love this movie. I never realized all of the songs I recognized and sang in school were from this movie. A fantastic mix of singing, dancing and acting. Rich characters that you love from beginning to end. Of course there are better singers than Brando but Brando did hold his own with every tune, and he was the best one for the part with his usual magnificent acting and likability. Frank Sinatra is in top form and I always love watching the great and stunning actress Jean Simmons. You are in for a great time with this enriching musical. Fun for everyone. Will leave you falling in love with musicals all over again. A Must see!
l_rawjalaurence
Sometimes reviewers need to rid their minds of their knowledge of a film's production history and approach it on its own terms. This is certainly the case for Joseph L. Mankiewicz's GUYS AND DOLLS, which was beset by problems arising from the antipathy between Sinatra and Brando in the leading male roles. The finished product turns out surprisingly good, not least because there are few sequences in which these two actors appear on their own. They are part of an outstanding ensemble in which many of the stars of the original Broadway production (Vivian Blane, Stubby Kaye) recreate their roles. Jean Simmons offers a winning interpretation of Sarah Brown although her songs are dubbed. Designer Oliver Smith creates a surreal yet haunting world of Runyoneseque New York, full of small shops with Expressionist facades, iconic mid-Fifties automobiles and passers-by thronging the streets. The costumes are both colorful yet indicative of an underworld where outward show mattered as much as honoring one's marker. These guys might have been small-timers but they were proud of their images. Brando is surprisingly good as Sky Masterson; he brings a Method Actor's sensibility to the role, which means that each gesture matters, even during his songs. Sinatra doesn't do much, even though he has a song especially written for him. The stand-out performances come from Blaine and Kaye; their interpretations are just definitive. For lovers of the Broadway version, Skip Martin's orchestrations of the Loesser score are perhaps a little too lush; and the arrangement of Kaye's classic "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" is just too speedy, preventing from appreciating the sheer brilliance of the lyrics. On the other hand Michael Kidd's choreography is truly miraculous - a riot of color, energy and subtlety.
