Something for Thursday

The 1957 musical Funny Face is kind of an odd duck of a movie. It seems to me a bit underrated, coming as it did when the musical was likely on the decline, but it’s still an entertaining film loaded with great songs. Every time I see it I’m struck anew by the lack of…well, chemistry between the leads. I yield to no one in my love and admiration for Fred Astaire, and my feelings on Audrey Hepburn border on worship, but in all honesty, the age difference between the two stands out like a sore thumb in this movie. Astaire was thirty years older than Hepburn, and by 1957 Astaire was nearing 60, so the age difference is very noticeable. I’ve often wondered how the movie would be seen today if it had starred Gene Kelly instead of Astaire, but of course, we’ll never know–and it’s not as if this flaw sinks the movie anyway. Astaire at near-60 is still Fred Astaire, after all.

And Audrey Hepburn is still Audrey Hepburn.

Here is Ms. Hepburn with “How Long Has This Been Going On.”

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