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Flying Down to Rio (1933) More at IMDbPro »

Astaire & Rogers Collection Volume 1 (Flying Down to Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet) (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Fans of classic movie musicals will be in heaven with two five-video sets of the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the quintessential dancing duo. Fred and Ginger weren't always stars--the former Broadway hoofer and studio chorus girl were cast as the second-tier "comic" couple in three of their early films (Flying Down to Rio, Roberta, Follow the Fleet), and the pace drags whenever they're not on the screen. The high points of the first set are The Gay Divorcee, which proved that the pair could carry a film, and Top Hat, generally considered their definitive movie. All the films mix light romantic comedy (usually centered around mistaken identities and ending, inevitably, in blissful wedding promises) with elegant dinner wear and surreal sets intended to transport '30s audiences away from the Depression to such locales as Rio, Paris, and Venice. But of course the real reason to watch these films is the sensational dancing set to great songs by the likes of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Jerome Kern, numbers that are not merely entertaining but also innovative for their time in that they reveal character and advance the plot. The quintessential romantic duet "Night and Day," the grand ensemble number "The Continental," the definitive tuxedo setting "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails," the famously feathery "Cheek to Cheek," and the epic show-within-a-show "Let's Face the Music and Dance" are some of the best musical moments ever set to celluloid. --David Horiuchi

Flying Down to Rio (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In 1933, RKO Pictures had the bright idea of pairing Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond for their new musical blockbuster, Flying Down to Rio. The film was a smash, but not for the reasons anyone expected. The fourth- and fifth-billed stars were a RKO bit player and a Broadway man breaking into Hollywood. Their names were Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, and their pairing in this and eight subsequent RKO films would rewrite cinematic history. Most of Rio's screen time is spent on a humdrum romantic triangle involving Del Rio, Raymond, and Raul Roulien, but Fred (as Fred Ayres) and Ginger (as Honey Hayes) are still able to establish many of the trademarks of their later films. Ginger fronts the band (with Fred on accordian!) in the saucy "Music Makes Me," and Fred does some solo tap, then sings and leads the band for the spectacular airborne finale featuring chorus girls perched on the wings of biplanes. The heart of the film is "The Carioca," a company dance extravaganza that would be imitated by "The Continental" and "The Piccolino" in later films. Here Fred and Ginger take the floor together for the first time; their eyes meet and their foreheads touch. Their dance lasts only a few minutes, but it was the highlight of the film and audiences wanted more. The most prophetic moment occurs toward the beginning of the dance, when, after watching for a while, Fred grabs Ginger and tells her, "I want to try this. Come on, Honey." She declares, "We'll show 'em a thing or three." They did indeed. It was magic, and it was only the beginning. --David Horiuchi