Watch The Belle of New York For Free

People are voting emotionally.

A Masterpiece!

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

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The Belle of New York may best be appreciated by baby boomers. Young children 4 to 9 years of age may also enjoy the movie. This is a good movie for grandparents to watch with their grandchildren to maybe show what good entertainment is to their grandchildren. I enjoy these shows within a show. I love to watch the song and dance routines within a show, especially when they are good. With Fred Astaire in the mix, the dance is always good. The songs are fairly good as well. This is an anytime movie when the family can get together and watch a nonviolent movie that is fun. The plots in these kind of movies are simple and predictable. So what. The movie provides light hearted entertainment. Grab the popcorn or bring the pizza. You will enjoy the movie.

After all of the largely irrelevant negative comments I had read, I found this a surprisingly fun and charming film, with lots of great songs by two of the best tunesmiths in the business:Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer. With legendary Robert Alton as chief choreographer and Arthur Freed as producer, and with Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen as leads, it's hard to imagine this film turning out a bore.For once, Vera-Ellen(VE) doesn't have to share the spotlight with one or more other female leads. She demonstrates that she could hold her own in the dramatic aspects of the film, as well as the musicals. True, she doesn't do any singing or dancing in the first portion of the film, but gets going in a reluctant dance with Astaire, as he croons "Baby Doll". Despite being a prim up-tight leader of a lost soul-reforming women's group, this beautiful woman is affectionately dubbed 'the Belle of New York' by her male clientele. Her very plain-looking friend, Elsie, played by character actress Alice Pearse, provides occasional support for VE and occasional humor throughout the film. Rich womanizing playboy Fred Astaire happens upon VE at one of her outdoor rallies, is immediately smitten by her looks and character, and spends most of the rest of the film wooing her. Implausibly, she is discovered to be an excellent stage dancer and singer, making us wonder what she did before adopting her current repressed lifestyle! Incongruously, Astaire finds that he literally levitates whenever he thinks of her, and eventually she reciprocates in like fashion. Silly, yes, but this is reminiscent of Astaire's first significant Hollywood film role, in which he dances with Joan Crawford on an airborn magic carpet! Of course, he also danced on the ceiling and walls of his room in "Royal Wedding", in celebration of his new found love! Yes, magical happenings are hardly unique to this unjustly much maligned film. The worn, but sometimes valid, take-home message is that true love of and by a good woman can go a long way toward transforming a bad or shiftless man into a good useful one.Astaire and VE had previously been paired as leads in the musical "Three Little Words", but both had to share the spotlight with singing coleads, who were essentially absent in this film. The film moves along at a pretty steady pace, with frequent musical numbers in a variety of settings, including an illusionary dangerous dance by Astaire along the ledge of a high building. Other musical highlights include a romantic dance by the duo while Astaire sings "Oops", a series of romantic dances by the duo in various Currier and Ives settings, "Naughty, but Nice", performed by VE, then by Elsie, and Astaire's opening "Who Wants to Kiss the Bridegroom?" and closing "I Want to be a Dancing Man". The catchy title waltz is featured 3 times.VE's requirement that Astaire take on a menial job as part of his rehabilitation as a useful human, worthy of her love, leads to a variety of comedic disasters, as he is fired from one job after another for his inattention or horseplay, usually while trying to impress or see VE. No matter to VE. At least he tried, made a perfect dance partner for her, and made her levitate. Unfortunately, the night before their wedding, friends kept showing up, requiring Astaire to toast the bride. His hangover makes him late for the wedding. Meanwhile, he has decided he is no good for VE, and resists VE's plea that she is OK to go on with the wedding. However, VE and Elsie show up at the restaurant where Astaire is a waiter, dressed quite garishly, to show him they aren't quite all sugar ans spice. Astaire socks an admirer, resulting in a general melee, after which he and VE argue about their treatment of and feelings for each other, while they are levitating. The chorus of restaurant patrons encores "The Belle of New York", as they dance off into space.This was a perfect role for VE to carry a large share of the drama, as she reportedly was introverted off stage, as was her character in most of the non-musical portions of the film. Ditto for her role in "Call Me Madam". Astaire may have been implausibly old for his character, but that was often true of the top male Hollywood icons of old(think Gable, Grant, Cooper), and he obviously could still dance up a storm, and be an effective all around entertainer.Alice Pearse, who served as VE's plain-looking friend, Elsie, was especially noted for her raucous cackle and lack of a chin. The two women were also connected as friends and dates for Gene Kelly in the previous musical "On the Town"...The beautiful Gail Robbins has a minor role as Astaire's Calamity Jane-like almost wife, whom he dumps when he meets VE. She also appeared with Astaire and VE in "Three Little Words", where she was also dumped as an almost wife, but not before exhibiting her singing talent, having been a singer for various big bands.Astaire's last MGM musical: "Silk Stockings" would have a basically similar plot role for Astaire: taking on the challenge of trying to thaw out an emotionally repressed ice princess in drab uniform. This was a much longer, and more popular film, with Cyd Charisse taking Vera-Ellen's role, and a more complex, politically relevant, screenplay.The song "Baby Doll" was originally composed for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", but the scene, with Gene Kelly and Esther Williams, was cut.

The Belle of New York is not one of Fred Astaire's best movies but it is nowhere near his worst. Everything about the movie is sweet, charming and light. Vera Ellen is one of the best dancers in Hollywood and a great partner for Fred. The color is beautiful. The sets and the costumes are fantastic, and while it is true it is not one of the strongest stories, there are some good laughs along the way. The music is charming. The dancing is excellent. And the movie just glides along, mostly due to the very plentiful musical numbers. If you want some dramatic tension, look elsewhere. This movie has none. If you like musicals, if you like good dancing, in particular if you like Vera Ellen, this movie is a must see. The quality of the DVD release is excellent.

It's a shame that someone couldn't have written a better screenplay for the Belle of New York, because there are some wonderful elements in this film. Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen made a great team. A seductive, charming and talented dancer, Vera-Ellen's graceful yet physical style was a good match for Astaire's smooth elegance. As it is, we only get to see them dance together a few times in the Belle of New York, and most of the time Vera-Ellen is bound up in an unflattering Salvation Army-type uniform. But, hey, it's something. And they do have several good solo turns. Astaire dances on top of the Arch in Washington Square in New York City (or Hollywood's version of New York circa 1900), which is kind of fun. Vera-Ellen does a great job in "Naughty But Nice," finally shedding her austere clothes for a colorful and sexy French Can-Can outfit. And Astaire also sings and dances to what could have been his signature tune, Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer's "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man." Alice Pearce provides some much-needed comic relief in a secondary role, and Keenan Wynn and Marjorie Main do their best, but they're pretty much defeated by the weak writing and the undeveloped and uninteresting story. The score by Warren and Mercer is mostly strong. And, as always, Fred's sheer talent, joy and artistry make up for a lot. If you want to see Fred dance on a horse's back (or the Hollywood version of a horse's back) this is your film. But you'll have to get through some pretty campy and technically suspect special effects that show people "dancing on air." For the general viewer, I'd recommend about 20 other Astaire musicals before this one. The Belle of New York is mostly for serious Fred fans, Vera-Ellen fans or those who are in the mood for an inoffensive Technicolor musical about ye olde New-York.