Thursday 16 September 2010

Dancing beats painting, every time

I am half watching Brigadoon at the moment, instead of painting my kitchen which is what I am supposed to be doing.

The thing I am enjoying the most, apart from the comically fake painted-on-backdrops Scottish scenery in the background, is the dancing.  It's Gene Kelly, so you wouldn't expect anything less, but my goodness he is incredible to watch. But you know this already, I am guessing.

Gene is playing Tommy, who has just been out gathering heather and falling in love with Fiona.  The dance sequence in that scene, which consisted mainly of her swooning about and falling into his arms at exactly the moment he is there to catch her, and occasionally of her picking up some conveniently located purple stuff which looks not very much like heather, was just a delight to watch.  (The actress playing Fiona is a fantastic dancer too, by the way; swooning doesn't sound nearly impressive on paper as it looks on screen.)

The comically fake Scottish accents adopted by almost the entire cast are also fun.  Probably no worse than I would sound if I attempted a Scottish accent (which I hardly ever do, except under very specific circumstances which involve describing what is was like to go out, briefly, with a slightly mad Glaswegian), but then again I'm not someone who gets paid to do accents.

In other news, my kitchen looks AMAZING.

2 comments:

  1. Caroline, it sounds like you’re making a pretty thorough job of the early mid-life crisis: resigning, painting the kitchen and watching Brigadoon. If you find all your pencils have been relentlessly sharpened as well then you’re really getting into it (maybe that’s pre-IT).

    Yep, Kelly’s good, though of the old hoofers I find Astaire even more impressive. The actress playing Fiona is, you’ll have found out by now, Cyd Charisse (not to be confused with Sid James) who did the Broadway Melody dream sequence thing with Kelly in Singing in the Rain. You see Kelly dancing, with Charisse there to swoon; I’ve always seen swooning Cyd, with Kelly there to catch her.

    I suppose the rest of Brigadoon just has to be blamed on Sir Walter Scott and Queen Victoria for glamorising the teuchters.

    Enjoy your kitchen.

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  2. I thought she looked familiar - thank you! I bet Sid James isn't nearly as good at swooning.

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