Royal Wedding (1951)

Directed by Stanley Donen. Starring Fred Astaire, Jane Powell, Sarah Churchill, Peter Lawford, Albert Sharpe, Keenan Wynn.

Sibling Broadway dancers Astaire and Powell find romance in London while prepping to perform for a royal wedding; he falls for fellow dancer Churchill (Winston’s real-life daughter), while her heart goes pitter-patter for Lawford’s lord. Not many genuine laughs in this frothy musical vehicle, and the twin love stories are on the perfunctory side, but Astaire’s graceful athleticism proves to be enough of a reason to tune in. On the one hand, the dance sequences are over-reliant on random gimmicks (including a parody of Gene Kelly, a swaying dancefloor, and Astaire defying gravity by tapping toes up the walls and onto the ceiling); on the other hand, they’re often far too entertaining to complain. Song numbers include ballad “Too Late Now” and the sesquipedalian “How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life” (phew!). Released as Wedding Bells in the UK to avoid confusing patrons who might expect it to be about the actual recent wedding of Princess Elizabeth.

65/100