Invitation to the Dance (1956)

Directed by Gene Kelly. Starring Gene Kelly, Igor Youskevitch, Claire Sombet, David Kasday, Tamara Toumanova, David Paltenghi, Belita, Claude Bessy, Diana Adams, Tommy Rall, Daphne Dale, Irving Davies, Carol Haney.

Proof that sheer talent and technical excellence don’t always translate to compelling art. Three-part anthology of stories with dancing and pantomime in place of dialogue: “Circus”, a tragic love triangle; “Ring Around the Rosy”, a romantic roundelay in the form of La Ronde; and “Sinbad the Sailor”, a mash-up of “One Thousand and One Nights” story traditions with Hanna-Barbera animation. The dance techniques are fine throughout, and there’s a hearty dose of imagination in the art direction and scenario concepts to embellish the demonstrative storytelling, but they’re not especially fresh story ideas, and there’s nothing here that comes close to Kelly’s best moments in other films—his dance out on a street in “Rosy” isn’t the same without splashing puddles, and when he shares the screen with cartoon palace guards or a dragon in “Sinbad”, it’s not quite as endearing as when it was Jerry the mouse. In short, fanatics of the star and interpretative dance will get something out of it, but it’ll be a pretty forgettable showcase for everyone else. The third episode is the hands-down best. Music credited to several composers, including André Previn, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Jacques Ibert. Shooting started in 1952, took almost two years to complete, and then sat on the shelf for two more because MGM didn’t know what to do with it.

59/100