GUYS AND DOLLS

This film musical was very expensive for its time - stars like Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra didn't come cheap, not to mention the cost of creating Times Square and its environs in the studio.

This is one of those highly stylised and theatrical musicals where there would be no point in filming it on location because it is not interested in realism.  All the colours are bright and garish, and everyone is moving and talking in a rather heightened manner.  

The source material for 'Guys and Dolls' were some stories by Damon Runyon, whose dialogue was slang expressed in a very formal style. This grated on me, especially in the opening scenes which set up the world of illicit gambling in which the story is set.

Or should I say stories, since the plot is really about two separate romances.

The first is between Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) and his fiancée for the last fourteen years, Miss Adelaide (Vivian Blaine). I didn't find their relationship compelling, not helped by the two big musical numbers that Miss Adelaide gets being quite forgettable.

The film sparks into life when we meet Sky Masterson (great name) played by Marlon Brando at the height of his fame and at his most charismatic.  Giving him the lead role in a musical was a huge gamble (appropriately) but it pays off handsomely even if his singing voice is only just adequate.  (I was amused to learn that Sinatra wanted the role, and rather disparagingly referred to Brando as Mumbles).

A curious romance slowly develops between Sky and an evangelist, Sister Sarah, played by the wonderful Jean Simmons, one of my favourite actresses of the period.  I loved every scene between her and Sky, especially the prolonged scene when they first meet and clash.  Their dialogue is sparky and entertaining, and the scene ends with a very nice song, in which  Simmons reveals a lovely singing voice.

It would be interesting to compare the dialogue from the original Broadway show with that in the film, given that the screenplay was written by Joseph L Mankiewicz, who also directs this film.  He was adept at writing sophisticated and witty scripts, such as the Oscar-winning screenplay for 'All About Eve', and my guess is that his main contributions were to the scenes between Sky and Sarah.

Inevitably everything works out happily in the end, and we finish with a double wedding, although I was a little surprised and disappointed that a reconciliation scene between Sky and Sarah that must have happened before their wedding takes place offscreen.

So is this a great film musical? 

For me, no, merely a very good one. Even though the choreography won a Tony, I didn't think much of the dancing, whilst the songs are a mixed bunch, my favourites being 'If I Were A Bell' and 'Luck Be A Lady'.

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do