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In the oh-so-great Fred Astaire's last musical movie, he wears no top hat, white tie or tails, but one step and you know he's Fred Astaire. His last proves to be one of his most memorable roles, playing the crafty Irishman in the heartland of the American south, amid the bigoted senators, gospel sharecroppers andburying a pot of Leprechaun gold. Astaire's Irish accent is remarkably well- handled, and he plays the role much like Gene Wilder's portrayal of WillyWonka, or Dick Van Dyke's portrayal of Bert, the Chimney-sweep. The songs donot work with his voice as well as they should, but it's still a delight to see him dance, especially working with Hermes Pan, his old partner choreographer from his old films of the Golden days. As the top part of the movie, he runs a close race against Petula Clark as his daughter, and Tommy Steele as Og, theLeprechaun becoming a mortal man. Petula Clark may not look the part, andmay not be as youthful as Sharon should be, but she is a marvelous actress,and sings the songs beautifully, and why her opening rendition of "Look to the Rainbow" is not included in the soundtrack is still a mystery to me. Steele may appear overbearing at times, but his performance is extremely well done, andhe sings and dances "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love (I Love the Girl I'mNear)" with all the charm and grace of a young Gene Kelly. Veteran characteractor Keenan Wynn is also good as the racist senator turned black by amistaken wish, and his "mint julep" skit is just priceless. Barbara Hancock is a spectacular dancer, and her mute innocence makes her a marvelous character,straight out of Truman Capote. Yip Harburg, the genius behind "Over theRainbow" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" gives us a marvelousdepression-era score of negro work-songs and black gospel choirs, mixedsurprisingly well with the Irish ballads and drinking songs of Sharon and Finian. It is plain to see that this is Copolla, of "Godfather" fame's first film, because he is plainly trying to find his style. But he directs the anti-racist story very well, which brings us to another point: the story is a remarkably liberal take on thesegregationist southern politics that still existed in the 60s. So watch this movie, and see a legend doing one of his best and most unusual roles yet! And see it for everything else too, if you can. 7/10.
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