Although sneered at by some Fred and Ginger fans because they don't have top billing, it's still got that exact same familiar fun feel you'd expect from any of their early movies. They are actually in most of the scenes anyway so it's still essentially a Fred and Ginger film - although without their usual dance routines.
The plot is there just to connect several utterly disjointed ideas together and is so absurd it seems you've just had a weird dream. But because everyone simply accepts that all this weirdness is absolutely normal and they just go with the flow, it seems completely realistic...until you think about it - it seems like they made it up as they went along but they clearly didn't because it's so slick, so perfectly co-ordinated and well produced. RKO had just invested in the latest technology with new cameras and faster film stock giving a new crystal clear film quality which audiences hadn't experienced before. This still looks dazzling even today and enhances the visually luscious Art Deco sets brilliantly. Unlike the contemporary WB musicals, which focussed on people making good during the dark and grainy depression, RKO ignored the depression completely and replaced it with a fantasy world of nonsensical, dreamlike escapism.
The stand out number, the one with the song which will get stuck in your head for days, is the spectacular but completely batty finale featuring dozens of pretty chorus girls 'dancing' on the wings of planes flying over Rio. The fact that this is meant to be a show for the folks down on the ground where it would be impossible for them to actually see any of this doesn't matter at all...it's just happening so just accept it. It should be remembered that this was made in 1933 and although RKO were the masters of technical innovation (i.e. King Kong), that this silly, fun sequence in a daft movie like this is put together so perfectly demonstrates the skill of the team back then. Some of us might also be grateful that they chose to use that clearer quality film when we notice that some of those pretty girls on the planes are actually wearing see-through shirts.... I'd need a cold shower after that....well I would had this been an actual film rather than some crazy dream I'd had after eating too much cheese?
The plot is there just to connect several utterly disjointed ideas together and is so absurd it seems you've just had a weird dream. But because everyone simply accepts that all this weirdness is absolutely normal and they just go with the flow, it seems completely realistic...until you think about it - it seems like they made it up as they went along but they clearly didn't because it's so slick, so perfectly co-ordinated and well produced. RKO had just invested in the latest technology with new cameras and faster film stock giving a new crystal clear film quality which audiences hadn't experienced before. This still looks dazzling even today and enhances the visually luscious Art Deco sets brilliantly. Unlike the contemporary WB musicals, which focussed on people making good during the dark and grainy depression, RKO ignored the depression completely and replaced it with a fantasy world of nonsensical, dreamlike escapism.
The stand out number, the one with the song which will get stuck in your head for days, is the spectacular but completely batty finale featuring dozens of pretty chorus girls 'dancing' on the wings of planes flying over Rio. The fact that this is meant to be a show for the folks down on the ground where it would be impossible for them to actually see any of this doesn't matter at all...it's just happening so just accept it. It should be remembered that this was made in 1933 and although RKO were the masters of technical innovation (i.e. King Kong), that this silly, fun sequence in a daft movie like this is put together so perfectly demonstrates the skill of the team back then. Some of us might also be grateful that they chose to use that clearer quality film when we notice that some of those pretty girls on the planes are actually wearing see-through shirts.... I'd need a cold shower after that....well I would had this been an actual film rather than some crazy dream I'd had after eating too much cheese?