SanEat
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Hadrina
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
l_rawjalaurence
Viewers expecting a reprise of some of the great Astaire/Rogers vehicles of the mid-Thirties are likely to be disappointed with H. C. Potter's biopic. This is a low-key retelling of the life of two great ballroom dancers, with the emphasis placed on their life after marriage. There are a few incongruities: Astaire makes no attempt to portray Vernon as an Englishman (who was actually born in Norwich in the east of the country), even though he is shown to be joining the army during the First World War. Their general factotum Walter (Walter Brennan) was in reality an African American, but in Potter's film the role has been transformed into a comic foil for Astaire and Rogers, rather like that of Edward Everett Horton in their musicals earlier on in the decade.The dance-sequences are low-key, but reveal Astaire and Rogers' talent for taking on all types of dance. They glide across the screen like sylphs - as with all of their movies, they ooze style. One wonders why the comic Lew Fields (playing himself in the movie) declined to take them on in his show early on in their careers; and why he believed (quite erroneously) that Vernon was a better comedian than he was a dancer.Director Potter makes considerable use of dissolves, as well as superimposed sequences where the couple are shown rather like phantoms dancing across the screen. This is especially evident at the end, where Irene remembers those wonderful days when the two of them were performing in Paris, just after her husband's unfortunate death in an air crash has been announced. Rogers' performance is especially memorable at this point, as she battles to keep calm, despite her emotional traumas.Astaire seems a little constricted in this film - although he has one or two moments of comic repartee with Brennan, he does not appear especially comfortable in the flying sequences, either in the air or on the ground. It's obvious that he misses his dancing shoes. As other reviewers have remarked, THE STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE takes certain liberties with the truth about their biographical subjects' lives. But then perhaps we should see it not as a biopic, but as a deliberate coda to Astaire and Rogers' career at RKO - as the two of them are seen dancing into the distance at the end of the film, we realize that this is the end of an era. Although the two of them were reunited in MGM's THE BARKLEYS OF Broadway a decade later, they could never recapture the magic of their RKO canon.
hot_in_pink_hate_red
What I loved about this movie was how funny, talented, sweet, and genuine Vernon Castle and Irene Castle were in real life. Along how very much in love they were. This films chronicles their life together along with the love they had for one another. From their struggle to becoming renown dancing sensations to them wanted to have a normal life after their rise to fame.Fred Astaire is just wonderful in this Musical Biopic and gives a very wonderful and touching dramatic role as well. Ginger Rogers is lovely in this movie and also gives a touching dramatic role too. Walter Brennan is funny as their friend Walter Ashe and does quite well in being dramatic also. Edna May Oliver is excellent portraying their agent Maggie Sutton as well.The dancing numbers in this movie are lovely and so romantic. Just watching Fred and Ginger dance is like being hypnotized. The way these two were in the ten films they did in truly enjoyable to watch. They knew how to capture an audience attention.If you love seeing a movie about actual dancers/actors, being portray by REAL dancers/actors. I suggest you see this wonderful movie with the late Astaire and Rogers.
MartinHafer
BEWARE--SPOILER AHEAD--READ AT YOUR OWN RISKThis film is one of the most unusual Astaire-Rogers musicals because for once the story is about a real couple, Vernon and Irene Castle--famous dancers in the early part of the 20th century. So we have a musical bio-pic, though in many other ways it's very similar to the rest of the films Astaire and Rogers made together. Once again, there are strong supporting comic players (Edna May Oliver and Walter Brennan) and plenty of ballroom-style and tap dancing. But what truly makes this different is that the film is forced to stick to the main facts about the people they are portraying, so there is no fairy tale happy ending, since Vernon was killed towards the end of WWI. Those who want the happy ending and demand the Astaire-Rogers formula remain intact will be disappointed, but I was actually pretty impressed that the story DIDN'T include some sort of sappy ending or ended on a cliché. While not a great film, the acting, dancing, direction and writing were just fine and I do respect the fact that it is not just the "same old story".
catmydogs
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is the last of the 9 RKO musicals Astaire did with Rogers. However, from a story point-of-view, it is their best film by a mile. The contest isn't even close, IMO.It's not their best musical. This film is really a drama with a few musical interludes, whereas most of the other Astaire-Rogers films were musical comedies. Those other films had flimsy plots at best and were saved only by their songs and dances. BUT - "Vernon and Irene" could easily stands alone without any songs or dances. It even has some action sequences as is typical of war-time films (WWI, in this case).The film is a bio-pic about the Castles, who in their heyday were even bigger than Astaire and Rogers. The choreography is more attuned to 1910's sensibilities than the usual Astaire and Rogers film, but that's okay. Astaire and Rogers dance just well as always.As the dancing duo's last RKO film, V&C is quite classy and a fine close to a great RKO dancing career for the two.
