Kismet (1955)
by Stanley Donen, Vincente Minnelli
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Product details
Actor: Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray, Howard Keel, Monty Woolley, Vic DamoneDirector: Stanley Donen, Vincente Minnelli
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Running Time: 113 minutes
Release Date: 1995-02-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
VHS Movie Reviews of Kismet (1955)
Movie Review: Fun, catchy, I love this movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not an historically accurate, intellectual movie. This is a fun and catchy and stick-in-your-head musical romp. I've been looking for this movie on DVD for years and can't wait for April! I have the soundtrack to tide me over til then. It's actually one of my favorite musicals from this time period because it does what a movie is supposed to do...it entertains!Movie Review: A fabulous movie filled with wonderful music and story!
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie marries the most wonderful and inspiring music with a beautiful, poetic, romantic story that is one of my favorites. A great movie!Movie Review: Entertaining, but it dragged....
Summary: 3 Stars
Kismet follows the adventures of the notorious 'king of beggars' as he attempts to swindle his way through the noble court as well as on the streets of Baghdad in an attempt to find a rich husband for his dauhter. Howard Keel, is a handsome, but loveable rogue, Ann Blyth as his impoverished dreamer of a daughter was a bit wooden and rather unbelievable as the 'most beautiful princess in the world.'
The musical numbers didn't excite this reviewer. I did like the costumes, and thought Howard Keel was entertaining, but I wasn't excited about Blyth's performance and Dolores Gray's costume and makeup were worthy of an episode of Star Trek. Her lipstick, while I'm sure was the style during the fifties, still makes me cringe.
Entertaining, but not epic. 3 stars.
Movie Review: "Heavy Handed"
Summary: 2 Stars
That was Howard Keel's own description of the film, and it is accurate. And critic Ethan Mordden said the film managed to "drain the sensuality out of one of Broadway's steamiest musicals." Keel and Delores Gray are the only two cast members who manage to make something out of their roles in the production. Ann Blyth and Vic Damone are insipid. Sebastian Cabot is less menacing than a teddy bear. How this came out so leaden with Vincente Minnelli directing is impossible to figure out. A sad affair that did nothing to prolong the life of the Hollywood musical.Movie Review: A Mixed Bag of Tricks
Summary: 3 Stars
Truly the best part of this busy musical is the interplay between the wonderfully showy Dolores Gray and the reliably bearded Howard Keel. Gray was a formidable talent and brings her broad, beautiful voice into full force for a fantastic "Not Since Nineveh", tones it down for the sultry "Rahadlakum" -- shamelessly edited -- and slinks around her boudoir in "Bored". Keel responds well, even if with a small side of ham. His baritone voice is always a welcome addition to the MGM musical.
Vic Damone sings like Vic Damone. He and Ann Blyth don't really have much chemistry; his acting is far too inferior. Blyth's portayal of Masinah is a little prissy, but she rises adequately to the occasion. The "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" number is actually quite lovely, despite being studio-bound.
There are a few disappointing numbers, but they are due to their being the weaker songs from the show. "Gesticulate", while semi-integrated into the plot, is a failed song and a visual horror.
Look for Mike Mazurki, traditional gangster heavy, playing...a Mesopotamian heavy. It can only be an inside joke. Also you can catch a glimpse of a very heavily made-up Jamie Farr. The Ababu princesses bring some of the terpsichorean glory we've come to expect from an MGM musical.
Overall, I would say this is a second-tier classic. It's definitely not on par with "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "Meet Me in St. Louis", "Singin' in the Rain", or "On the Town". Instead, I would put it in the same company as "High Society", "Brigadoon", "Kiss Me Kate", and "The Pirate".
Summary of Kismet (1955)
Hollywood's excursions into Arabian Nights exotica don't come much daffier than Kismet, a 1955 MGM adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. The score includes two standards, "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads" and "Stranger in Paradise," but the blend of Broadway razzmatazz and Middle Eastern culture is, to say the least, awkward. (One comic number revolves around a man about to have his hand chopped off for thievery.) There's plenty here for musical fans to enjoy, and a well-cast Howard Keel does his chesty best as an itinerant poet who fast-talks his way to riches; this was Keel's last starring role in an MGM musical. Unfortunately, Vic Damone is a wet rag as the young prince, the garish Eastman Color photography has not aged well, and director Vincente Minnelli seems not entranced by the material. Still, there is something fascinating about Dolores Gray belting out "Baghdad, this irresistible town!" as though singing the praises of Vegas or Monte Carlo. --Robert HortonRags to Riches Video
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