Flashback Films
Swing Time
By Annette Blanc
Sep 1, 2002 - 5:56:00 PM

HOLLYWOOD—I admit it; I was a fledgling dancer at age seven. Though I only took one class through the local parks and recreation department, I was hooked. If you, like me, have unfulfilled artistic dreams of becoming a dancer then block off your next Friday night and check out "Swing Time."

Directed by George Stevens in 1936, this light romantic comedy starring who else but Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers will get you tapping and twirling around the house once again. Astaire stars as John "Lucky" Garnett, a gambler who moves to New York to make it big so he can earn enough money to marry the girl back home. Of course, his chance for success in the Big Apple is directly linked to his new dance partner Penny Carrol (Rogers). There are some great songs in the movie; "The Way You Look Tonight" performed by Astaire, won the Academy Award for best song that year.

So the story line may be a bit predictable, Lucky and Penny fall in love, but are you really choosing this movie for the great dramatic scenes? No! You will watch it for the elegance of movement, you will wish you had devoted your life to dance when you were eight, and you will twirl around your house for a day and be happier for it. Enjoy!

By: Janice Chan