It's not possible to watch this film without comparing to the 1936 version. Both films have their strengths and weaknesses and if it were possible to combine the best elements of both, I think you would end up with a definitive version. What's mainly lacking in the '51 version is Whale's attention to narrative and his inspired staging, which told stories within stories. I am missing the lover's nighttime tryst on top of the riverboat with the mist swirling around them, the wonderful montage of suffering and toil during Robson's "Old Man River", the charwoman's faces as Dunne auditions in the Trocadero and most of all the incredibly staged New Year's Eve scene which was pure movie magic. By contrast, Sidney's staging is claustrophobic and mundane, which serves well enough for the Champion's excellent dance numbers - but all that is really required here is to hold the camera steady - and well enough for Gardner's scenes because here's an actress who knows how to emote with her whole body and and is able to completely inhabit even this cramped and uninteresting framing. Grayson, doesn't fare as well, she seems lost and lacking in affect compared to poignancy of Dunne's luminous performance. To be fair, Sidney seems to have no clue how to present her character, which is most glaringly obvious when he trots her out in a hideous bottle green dress for her over lit Trocadero number. In Whale's version this scene is probably the emotional high point of the film. Dunne is framed in long shot, a tiny ethereal presence isolated on a cavernous black stage, transforming her into a fragile, otherworldly creature who just blew in from another realm. Very disappointing.
Which brings me to the next problem - costuming. Just because it's Technicolor and you can showcase every noxious color in the spectrum and bring every light to bear on it doesn't mean you should. Less would have been better here, even if Gardner is gorgeous enough to carry off the most blinding hues of magenta and gold - she shouldn't have to. I often felt sorry for Grayson, perpetually squeezed into gowns that made her head look several times too large for her body.
Much or the casting is also misjudged, though this holds true for both films. While the captain is written to provide some comic relief to what is probably the most melancholy of classic musicals, Brown turns the part into too much of a bad joke. Keel on the other hand is fine, though a bit too strong for the part of the weak and feckless riverboat gambler. But too much presence is preferable to the utter absence of it brought by Allan Jones. In spite of this miscalculation, Keel still manages to convey some of the wistful sadness of the story, a responsibility that he is left to shoulder alongside Warfield and Gardner in the face of Sidney's bland and bloodless imagery. Moorehead also was fine, what little I saw of her, as her part was almost completely written out. I could have done with more of her and a lot less of the unlovable Helen Westley of the '36 version. Warfield's amazing voice and emotive power was an entirely acceptable alternative to Robson for me, but again, Gardner's departing carriage,though not unaffecting is still an inadequate substitute for the original montage. Last, but by no means, least, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that as much as I admire Helen Morgan as Julie LaVerne, I prefer Gardner, dubbing and all. She basically carries the movie and I found myself waiting through scenes to see her back on screen. Although she didn't have to, I doubt that Morgan could have brought that off. Many speak of that last shot, but for me Gardner delivers her best during her final scene with Keel on the riverboat - she brings all the physicality the part requires effortlessly - proving that she really knows how to work a red dress.
To sum up, Whale's version is elevated by a compelling expressionistic vision but somewhat hampered by a few casting mistakes. Conversely, Sidney's film is sunk by a banal conceptualization and only partially rescued by some lucky casting and extraordinary talent. Both films are worth watching for different reasons and beyond the obvious comparisons, probably both should be watched, as they seem to inform one another.
Which brings me to the next problem - costuming. Just because it's Technicolor and you can showcase every noxious color in the spectrum and bring every light to bear on it doesn't mean you should. Less would have been better here, even if Gardner is gorgeous enough to carry off the most blinding hues of magenta and gold - she shouldn't have to. I often felt sorry for Grayson, perpetually squeezed into gowns that made her head look several times too large for her body.
Much or the casting is also misjudged, though this holds true for both films. While the captain is written to provide some comic relief to what is probably the most melancholy of classic musicals, Brown turns the part into too much of a bad joke. Keel on the other hand is fine, though a bit too strong for the part of the weak and feckless riverboat gambler. But too much presence is preferable to the utter absence of it brought by Allan Jones. In spite of this miscalculation, Keel still manages to convey some of the wistful sadness of the story, a responsibility that he is left to shoulder alongside Warfield and Gardner in the face of Sidney's bland and bloodless imagery. Moorehead also was fine, what little I saw of her, as her part was almost completely written out. I could have done with more of her and a lot less of the unlovable Helen Westley of the '36 version. Warfield's amazing voice and emotive power was an entirely acceptable alternative to Robson for me, but again, Gardner's departing carriage,though not unaffecting is still an inadequate substitute for the original montage. Last, but by no means, least, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that as much as I admire Helen Morgan as Julie LaVerne, I prefer Gardner, dubbing and all. She basically carries the movie and I found myself waiting through scenes to see her back on screen. Although she didn't have to, I doubt that Morgan could have brought that off. Many speak of that last shot, but for me Gardner delivers her best during her final scene with Keel on the riverboat - she brings all the physicality the part requires effortlessly - proving that she really knows how to work a red dress.
To sum up, Whale's version is elevated by a compelling expressionistic vision but somewhat hampered by a few casting mistakes. Conversely, Sidney's film is sunk by a banal conceptualization and only partially rescued by some lucky casting and extraordinary talent. Both films are worth watching for different reasons and beyond the obvious comparisons, probably both should be watched, as they seem to inform one another.