Aug. 23, 2002 - 12:51 am

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It's Always Fair Weather (1955)

wow this takes forever to do this diary changeover thing i'm doing. so far i've got 13 of my 150 entries moved. expect a few more days on that. i still haven't come up with a new design i like yet either. oh, so much to do.

this is a Gene Kelly musical. he directed it and starred in it. and it's damn hard to locate a copy of this film. they didn't have it in the public library collection, or at Movie Gallery. luckily i found out today that the manager at the UT Media Center doesn't mind if i watch films over there even though i've graduated and technically shouldn't be allowed to anymore. and guess who's the only person in town with a copy? you guessed it. i really don't prefer the Media Center because you have to actually stay there to watch films. and they have really small TV's and you have to watch with headphones on. i don't know if you've ever tried to watch a 3 hour film with those big headphones squeezing your ears into your skull, but it's mighty difficult. it's nice to have access to the collection for free though. It's Always Fair Weather was only 1 hour and 45 minutes long, so no headaches resulting from the viewing tonight.

the reason i wanted to check this out was basically to be able to say that i had actually seen the film that Leon watches in my favorite film Leon (1994). Leon goes to a movie theater and sees a Gene Kelly film where he sings and dances on roller skates. this is just one of the many ways that Luc Besson tells his audience that Leon is not just some thug or just a cold-blooded killer. he has his own interests and the ability to enjoy the pleasures of the world.

i was kind of expecting this film to be mediocre. especially after having seen Brigadoon (1954). Gene Kelly is a great actor and dancer, but not the best director who ever lived.

the story is about three soldiers who return home after WWII and make a pact to reunite at their favorite bar in 10 years in order to show that their friendship is still intact. when they do come back to the bar after 10 years (very early in the film) they find that they are not as carefree as they once were, and it's really because they don't like themselves and what they've become. as the film progresses, they start to move back towards their original friendship.

just for Leon trivia purposes here, i'll explain in a little more detail the scene he was watching. just before he goes out to the street and starts singing, Ted Riley (Gene Kelly's character) has ducked into a roller rink in order to avoid being caught by some gambling thugs that are chasing him. he forgot to take his roller skates off as he left. he then starts singing the song "I Like Myself" because he realizes that the new girl he has met thinks he is wonderful, and that makes him actually not be disgusted with himself anymore.

this film has a couple of amazing dance sequences in it, most notably the roller skating one. other than that, it's fairly trite. worth watching though if you like Leon as much as i do.