The Belle of New York

Not one of Freds best, although there are moments of entertainment if you skip the plot. The dancing is, as always, in a Fred Astaire film, the highlight. The songs are not memorable except his signature I WANT TO BE A DANCIN MAN. Vera Ellen makes a great partner and their numbers together are worth watching. Wish the plot were more plausible. The Marjorie Main character knows and helps the Vera Ellen character at a shelter, but her nephew, Astaire, doesn't know about it? The DVD transfer is marvelous, the costumes exceptional and the dancing wonderful, so it does deserve at least 3 stars for that. They could have omitted the "dancing in the air" bit. That brought the movie way down. I know it's fantasy, but please!!

Set in New York circa 1900, this box office failure nevertheless features two of the best dancers ever filmed, Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen, with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by the one and only Johnny Mercer. It's a virtuous Bowery mission worker versus wealthy playboy, with his carefree days brought to an end when he falls in love. While trying to resolve their differences, the stars perform dazzling dance routines, one of which was inspired by Currier and Ives art. Vera-Ellen's "Naughty But Nice" steams, and Astaire's "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man" is a knockout. My nomination for a movie line ahead of its time is Fred Astaire explaining his need to earn Vera-Ellen's attention by doing honest work, "It's the uptrodden who need saving these days." ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

Fred Astaire plays a playboy (an odd job of casting there) and he becomes infatuated with a lady (Vera-Ellen) working in a mission in New York City. So, to impress her, he tries to give up his playboy ways and get an honest job. Can he win her or is he simply out of his league? Despite being filmed in beautiful Technicolor, this is an amazingly sub-par film for Fred Astaire. Despite a lot of songs and dance numbers, none of them stand out--particularly the songs. And, to make matters worse, there really isn't a lot of plot or chemistry in this film. It's a shame, as I adore Astaire films--but this one left me very, very flat. It also didn't help that the film used the traveling matte technique to make people appear to fly. The technique seemed crude and very fake. I'd rather they spent their money writing some better songs than coming up with silly special effects. The only reason the film earns a 5 is that a bad Astaire film STILL is a pretty decent film!

The mostly negative reviews relating to this movie miss the mark. Although the script and special effects are undeniably weak, the partnered dancing of Fred Astaire and Vera-Ellen has never been equaled. One dance of particular note is the finale to the Currier and Ives number. It's simply breathtaking. Don't worry about the plot when you're watching the two best dancers in the history of Hollywood at the zenith of their powers.

Nobody could truthfully say that "The Belle Of New York" is a great movie but it does showcase the dancing talents of Fred Astaire & Vera-Ellen which, for me at least, makes it worth watching. Astaire was the greatest Hollywood dancer of all with the only possible exception of Gene Kelly. Lovely Vera-Ellen was not only one of Hollywood's best female dancers but had a pair of the most gorgeous gams I have ever seen. Astaire is always great to watch & Vera-Ellen does a very sexy dance to a song entitled "Naughty But Nice". She is dressed in a kind of black chiffon can-can dancers outfit & looks fabulous in it. Squeaky-voiced comedienne Alice Pearce also makes an appearance in this movie & a very funny lady she was but, sadly, died fairly young. All in all this movie is pretty good & fairly entertaining.

The Belle of New York is a romantic musical comedy about a rich playboy Charlie Hill, played by the legendary Fred Astaire, who very much falls in love with a girl called Angela Bonfils (Vera Ellen) and he does everything to get this girl to himself. No time and they're getting married.Fred Astaire was a great performer.He could sing, he could dance, he could jump to the sky and fly.In this movie love really makes him fly in the air. The Belle of New York is a nice musical.

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.