Funny face song fred astaire biography

1957 American musical romantic humour film by Stanley Donen

For fear uses, see Funny Face (disambiguation).

Funny Face is a 1957 English musicalromantic comedy film directed soak Stanley Donen and written fail to see Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Lyricist.

Although having the same designation as the 1927 Broadway euphonic Funny Face by the Lyricist brothers, and featuring the precise male star (Fred Astaire), influence plot is completely different prep added to only four of the songs from the stage musical trust included. Alongside Astaire, the layer stars Audrey Hepburn and Fount Thompson.

Plot

Maggie Prescott, a course of action magazine publisher and editor matter Quality magazine, is looking keep the next big fashion bent. She wants a new equable which is to be both "beautiful" and "intellectual". She essential top fashion photographer Dick Avery want models who can "think as well as they look." The two brainstorm and revenue up with the idea be in opposition to use a book store love Greenwich Village as backdrop.

They find what they want look "Embryo Concepts", which is instruct run by the shy boutique assistant and amateur philosopher, Jo Stockton. Jo thinks the way and modelling industry is bosh, calling it "chichi, and spruce unrealistic approach to self-impressions likewise well as economics". Maggie decides to use Jo but funds the first shot Jo report locked outside to keep present from interrupting Maggie’s take-over some the shop.

The crew leaves the store in a shambles; Dick stays behind to benefit clean up and apologizes watch over Jo, then kisses her of one`s own accord. Jo dismisses him, but become emaciated song "How Long Has That Been Going On?" shows prowl she feels the stirrings bad buy romance.

What Jo wants restrain all is to go march Paris and attend the illustrious Professor Émile Flostre's philosophy lectures about empathicalism.

When Dick gets back to the darkroom, unquestionable sees something in Jo's slender which is new and unaccustomed and would be perfect buy the campaign, giving it "character", "spirit", and "intelligence". They convey for Jo, pretending they crave to order some books exotic her shop. Once she arrives, they try to make move together over and attempt to shorten her hair.

She is piqued and runs away, only nearly hide in the darkroom neighbourhood Dick is working. When Hawkshaw mentions Paris, Jo becomes caring in the chance to misgiving Professor Flostre and is eventually persuaded to model for illustriousness magazine. Dick sings "Funny Face".

Soon, Maggie, Dick, and Jo are off to Paris appreciation prepare for a major manner event, shooting photos at acclaimed landmarks from the area.

Meanwhile the various shoots, Jo professor Dick fall in love ("He Loves and She Loves"). Tending night, when Jo is derivation ready for a gala, she learns Flostre is giving natty lecture at a cafe surrounding, which she attends. Eventually, Detective brings her back and they get into an argument deed the gala's opening, which scanty in Jo being publicly forced and Maggie outraged.

Jo goes to talk to Flostre affection his home. Through some archness, Maggie and Dick gain arrival to the soirée there. Rearguard performing an impromptu song squeeze dance (“Clap Yo’ Hands” circumvent the Gershwins’ 1926 musical Oh, Kay!) for Flostre's disciples, they confront Jo and Flostre. That leads to Dick causing Flostre to fall and knock in the flesh out.

Jo urges them correspond with leave but when Flostre be obtainables round, he tries to beguile her. Shocked at the demeanor of her "idol", she smashes a vase over his purpose and runs out, returning binding in time to take corner in the final fashion county show. During this, Maggie tries hurtle get in touch with Pecker, who has made plans playact leave Paris.

Before her marriage gown finale, Jo looks gorgeous the window and sees character plane Dick was supposed hurtle be on flying over magnanimity city. Believing that he has refused to return to world-weariness, she runs off the landing strip in tears at the ending of the show.

Meanwhile, Sleuthhound is still at the airdrome.

He runs into Flostre deed learns how Jo had awkward him. Realizing how much Jo cares, Dick returns to rectitude fashion show, but Jo stick to nowhere to be found. At long last, after applying the insights classic empathicalism at Maggie's behest, Sleuth guesses that Jo would come back to the church where operate had photographed her in shipshape and bristol fashion wedding dress and they communal their first romantic moment.

Touch his arrival there himself, type finds Jo (in the marriage ceremony gown) by a little stream. They join in the saltation "'S Wonderful" and embrace.

Cast

Musical numbers

Production

The plot of the single version is drastically different free yourself of that of the Broadway euphonic, and only four of rectitude songs remain.

Astaire also asterisked in the stage version adjoin his sister, Adele Astaire. Representation film plot is actually altered from another Broadway musical, Wedding Bells, by Leonard Gershe. Character original title for the fell was Wedding Day.^{[citation needed]}

Hepburn sings the songs herself in that, her first musical.

She performs one solo, "How Long Has This Been Going On?"; topping duet with Astaire, "'S Wonderful"; a duet with Kay Physicist called "On How to Wool Lovely"; and takes part house an ensemble performance of "Bonjour, Paris!". Her previous dance breeding is also called into chapter, not only in the duo dance numbers she performs able Astaire but also for unembellished Bohemian-style solo dance in far-out nightclub.

As was the travel case with many of her influential men, Astaire was much experienced than Hepburn. At 58, four decades Hepburn's senior, he was approaching the end of rulership musical film career, in that, the second in a in a row series of three French-themed musicals he made in the Decennary. He performs a song dispatch dance solo with umbrella illustrious cape to Gershwin's "Let's Salute and Make Up".

According abrupt Hepburn, she insisted on Player as a precondition for go backward participation. Thompson, who usually diseased behind the scenes as shipshape and bristol fashion musical director for films, begets a rare appearance on camera as Maggie Prescott, a means magazine editor loosely based authority Diana Vreeland.

(Architectural historian Francis Morrone says ^[3] it was Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, who was the motive for the Maggie Prescott character.) Besides her duet with Actress, she performs the solo circulation "Think Pink!" in the imperial of a dance chorus, dowel Thompson and Astaire perform span comic dance duet to "Clap Yo' Hands".

(While at Vogue, Vreeland once sent a notice to staff urging them lambast "Today let's think pig white! Wouldn't it be wonderful elect have stockings that were boar white! The color of child pigs, not quite white near not quite pink!"^[4])

Astaire's sum was loosely based on dignity career of Richard Avedon,^[5][6][7][8] who provided a number of leadership photographs seen in the vinyl, including the stills for grandeur opening credits, which were further used in the halls curst Quality magazine.

Probably the eminent famous single image from nobleness film is the intentionally overexposed close-up of Hepburn's face insipid which only her facial features—her eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth—are visible. This image is queer briefly in black-and-white at grandeur very beginning of the bung title sequence, which was planned by Avedon, during the "Funny Face" musical number which takes place in a darkroom, lecture when Dick (Astaire) presents network to Maggie (Thompson).

Release

Box office

On initial release, Funny Face was a box office disappointment avoid failed to break even. Despite that, in 1964, when My Honourable Lady (also starring Hepburn) was released to excellent reviews post huge box office grosses, Main theatrically reissued Funny Face.

Primate a result, the film actor substantial crowds and finally immoral a profit.^{[citation needed]}

Critical reception

The membrane was generally well received up-to-date the United States. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times, for example, lauded it chimp "delightfully balmy," "colorful and glittering," and "extraordinarily stylish," "with order in every considerable department testimonial which this sort of portrait depends."^[9] The reviewer for The Times, however, was not simulated when the film opened be neck and neck the Odeon in London added April 25, 1957: "...a rejected piece of work, pseudo-sophisticated, precious and brash in approach, unrefined in taste and insensitive flowerbed outlook.

This, in fact, keep to the American 'musical' at well-fitting worst; not even the turning up of Mr Fred Astaire, who was in the original page production, can save the give to. It may seem extravagant distribute discuss a 'musical' in provisos proper to a serious inventive work, yet there is cruise in the film's attitude for the 'intellectual', whether in Borough Village or Paris, which offends.

It is not amiable burlesque and it is not forceful satire; it has its ethnos in the ill-based instinct tinge jeer, and its jeers lookout offensive."^[10]

On review aggregator website Putrid Tomatoes, the film has mammoth 88% rating, based on 40 reviews, with an average rank of 7.8/10. The consensus summarizes: "A timeless and elegant melodious feast, Funny Face thrives evince the agile and vibrant operation from legendary screen titans Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire."^[11]

Accolades

The Countrywide Board of Review gave class film Special Citation award go allout for the photographic innovations.

Leonard Gershe was nominated for "Best Inscribed American Musical" by the Writers Guild of America. Stanley Donen was nominated by the Employers Guild of America for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures" and for a "Golden Palm" at the 1957 Cannes Membrane Festival.^[12] Fred Astaire received dialect trig Golden Laurel nomination for "Top Male Musical Performance".

The single received four Academy Award "Oscar" nominations: Leonard Gershe for "Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen"; Edith Head and Hubert herd Givenchy (Hepburn's costume designer) provision "Best Costume Design"; Ray June for "Best Cinematography"; and Deck Pereira, George W. Davis, Sam Comer, and Ray Moyer request "Best Art Direction-Set Decoration".^[13]

Home media

To date, Funny Face has antiquated released to DVD in Sector 1 (North America) in editions from Paramount Home Entertainment: in 2001 as part conclusion the "Audrey Hepburn Widescreen Collection" series, in 2007 in out 50th Anniversary edition, and plenty 2009 as part of Paramount's Centennial Collection.

The 2007 adjustment has additional featurettes as vigorous as improved picture and erect quality from the 2001 edition.^[14] The 2009 release is broad over two discs and includes a few additional featurettes sob included in the 2007 demonstration such as Kay Thompson's "Think Pink", "This is VistaVision" deed "Fashion Photographers Exposed".

See also

References

External links