Footlight Parade

Composite Score: 81.43

Starring: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Ruth Donnelly, Hugh Herbert, Claire Dodd, and Gordon Westcott

Director: Lloyd Bacon

Writers: Manuel Self and James Seymour

Genres: Comedy, Musical, Romance

MPAA Rating: Passed

Box Office: $2.42 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Footlight Parade explores the unique era of film history when theaters and movies were transitioning from a focus on silent films to “talkies”. It tells the story of Chester Kent, a theatrical musical producer dealing with the transition by producing “prologues” for the new talking films in the form of extended musical numbers. It features incredibly well-choreographed musical numbers, comedy that has aged surprisingly well, strong performances from its actors, and a story that is unique, especially in the modern age. With all of these pieces, Footlight Parade establishes itself as a film worth watching and deserving of its place among the Greatest Films of All Time.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                Being a film based around musicals in the 1930s, Footlight Parade does feature a minor plot point of Chester looking into creating a prologue that features blackface at its focal point. The performance is never staged or shown but is something that he mentions multiple times, adding a problematic aspect to an otherwise pretty positive character. Obviously, blackface was commonplace in theatrical performances during the time period, but that does not excuse their portrayal in the modern day; and celebrating art that features it without any mention of the problem of blackface is inexcusable. There is also a problematic racial stereotype made into a joke about Asians in one of the musical numbers toward the end of the film.

                Some people may also take issue with the film’s incredibly fast pacing. The story moves from scene to scene at a breakneck pace, often forcing the viewer to process what happened in the last scene while the new one is starting. There’s a lot of information offered, making it a very rewarding watch, but it requires your full attention throughout, making it a potentially difficult watch if that’s not something you are prepared to do going in.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                First, let’s talk about the musical numbers. This film features a few massive, intensely staged and choreographed musical numbers during its climax. Each one is unique in its flavor and impressive in its scope and execution. The first is a musical comedy bit about the “Honeymoon Hotel” featuring a large hotel set and choreographed movements around the area with some effective, if raunchy, comedy throughout. The second is a forest/fountain dance and music number featuring some impressive water features and water-based choreography. The third is a military number featuring the racist joke but, again, impressive vocals and choreography and well-designed set pieces. All of the musical numbers in the film are notable for the way that they all feature close-ups of their side actors, giving even the “little people” some screen time, which is a really cool touch.

                Aside from the Asian joke in the final musical number, the film’s comedy has aged surprisingly well. The film features mostly dry humor, some sight gags, and even some situational ironies. The humor is darker than many films from pre-1970s Hollywood, mainly because it is a pre-code film and takes place in the Depression era, so people had to make light of some otherwise dark situations. This self-deprecating humor fits in well with modern comedic tendencies, and I found myself laughing along with the witty nods at the struggles of the film’s protagonist and his supporting cast.

                The acting of the leads is very intense, most likely as a carry-over from the more theatric form of acting that had been used in the silent film era and even the stage background that many of these performers and/or their mentors had. Such intense visual action, from facial expressions to actual movements, is impressive to behold. The physical capabilities of Cagney are consistently on display, and his costars Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell also have opportunities throughout to showcase their acting abilities. This more physical form of acting may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it plays well as part of this fast-paced comedy and helps the audience engage with the film’s frenetic energy.

Some of the best musical choreography ever put on screen combined with mostly well-aged comedy and impressive acting performances help make Footlight Parade one of the greatest films of all time and make it worth watching despite the racism of the day and the sometimes-tiring pace that the film takes. Overall, it is a solid representation of the early days of film and features an interesting story about the time period that is bolstered by all of the aforementioned benefits. When watched with a modern social awareness of its issues, the film is worth the watch.