The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Teh 3 hours Oscar Best Picture winner starring William Powell [My Man Godfrey and The Thin Man]. The film is full of musical performances, but I have trouble labeling it a musical. It is really an epic biography about a performance manager that follows his life from promoting a weightlifter to musical talents to complete and elaborate stage shows.


I'm a big fan of Powell, probably because I've seen his very best films only, and I really like him in comedic roles. So a drama was a little hard for me because I found it dull most of the time. The problems with his marriage never really got very intense, like a film nowadays would have, and his financial troubles were taken lightheartedly as well.

It was just way too long. I couldn't find the time to commit to a film that was this dull, and it ended up taking me 4-5 days to get through. I did a pretty good job of watching it for 30-40 minutes in each sitting, but it was never compelling enough for me. I definitely wouldn't suggest it.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027698/

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