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Let's be realistic.

A Major Disappointment

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Dolly Madison is a truly fascinating character from American history. Unfortunately, while "Magnificent Doll" does center on her life, it also is filled with historical inaccuracies...enough so that it's not a particularly good history or civics lesson. The biggest problem is that romance between Madison (Ginger Rogers) and Aaron Burr (David Niven) as I could find no indication that they ever dated or had any sort of relationship apart from taking a room at her mother's rooming house. There also is no mention of a child from her first marriage...one that did NOT die from Yellow Fever. And, sadly, what we know Dolly DID do was generally omitted or given only brief mention. Apart from the inaccuracies, the film is a mildly entertaining but occasionally stuffy film. In particular, the latter portion of the movie seems to go off the rails...and boredom set in as I watched. Not terrible...but Dolly sure deserves better than this tepid plot.

Plot spoilers—Dolly's father forces her into an arranged marriage, and, as a result, she willfully hates her husband. After the death of her husband and child, she becomes the toast of Washington and the object of the most powerful politicians. She vows to truly love the next man she marries. This film is a political romance with Dolly looking for love and fulfillment among Washington's most powerful men. She proves to be their equal intellectually and politically. I've seen many Ginger Rogers films, and I've enjoyed them all. Some are frivolous and entertaining, some are musical and entertaining, and some are dramatic and entertaining. This movie is powerful and provides historical background to an intense drama. Just as Dolly's intellect and influence equaled the politicians of her time, Rogers' performance equals the skill of the other stellar actors in the cast. Some movies I can't wait to end, but with Magnificent Doll, I wanted it to continue beyond "The End." Captivating, entertaining, and a Rogers hit. Must see viewing.

Twenty years before playing matchmaker Dolly Levi, Ginger Rogers played a real-life Dolly, the famous Washington hostess who eventually became first lady and the name on a donut box. She's a feisty young lady whose father promised her hand in marriage to a man she didn't love, and after a marriage where she doesn't utter "I love you" until its too late, she finds herself involved with two rising politicians, both on opposite sides of the spectrum in government. Aaron Burr (David Niven) is handsome and charming, but his ambitions go far beyond the ideals of early American freedom. James Madison (Burgess Meredith), "the father of the constitution", is quiet and idealistic, even though he quietly manipulates Burr into an introduction to the lovely Dolly. As she learns the truth about each man, her feelings towards both of them change, even though her loyalty towards a traitorous one remains as far as praying that they will see the error of their ways. But evil ambitions rarely change, and Dolly will have to make a drastic decision based upon her own conscience rather than what lies deep in her heart.If you get past the casting of Ginger Rogers as Dolly Madison, you've won half the battle. She's much more attractive than the real Dolly, but that's Hollywood for you. Another issue is the fact that Ms. Rogers didn't play any other period roles than this one, so her acting may make the character seem a lot more modern than the colonial days this was set in. Getting past all that, she's very sincere in her portrayal and makes Dolly a vibrant force to be reckoned with. Meredith's James Madison is played with quiet dignity, while Niven's Aaron Burr is a force of nature, and one to be reckoned with. Probably the only time Niven ever played a villain, it seems like a role more likely for someone like Vincent Price or George Sanders, but it is a nice switch to see someone as dashing as Niven playing somebody totally despicable.As the devoted first husband longing to hear the words "I love you", Stephen McNally is very effective and Rogers believably allows her feelings to change from hatred to admiration and later on an unspoken love. If this doesn't really reflect who the true Dolly Madison was, it at least gives the viewer a chance to see what life may have been like at the time and to see Rogers in a different type of role than they are used to. The real power of the drama is in watching Niven's Burr literally go mad with his desire for power and how he is ultimately destroyed by it. Rogers is powerful in her final scene where she begs a mob out to hang Burr not to do so otherwise make him a martyr. The scene is obvious fiction as is the speculation of a romantic connection between Dolly and Aaron, so on that level, this isn't a historical document but a speculation by the writers. It is still enjoyable on a fictional level utilizing real life historical events to cap its story around legend.

I saw this movie 45 years ago on the "Fabulous 52", a late night show dedicated to old movies. I was a teenager at the time and would stay up very late while babysitting. It made a big impression on me and I never forgot it. I especially enjoyed the story line of her first marriage although, I later found out it was not accurate. I searched in recent years to find it on DVD to no avail. To my delight, I recently was able to watch the entire movie on the Internet, 45 years later! What a treat! I remembered a lot of it. I would love to have a copy of it. Although the story line is not quite accurate, the movie got me interested in Dolley Madison and her life. I thought it was very well done for a movie of its time. I would recommend it to old movie buffs.