Customer Reviews
Loved it. 
2009-01-06
I loved this CD on Gene Kelly. He was one of my favorite dancers when it came to musicals. I loved to watch him dance.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loved musicals.
Dancer, Choreographer, Director, Actor, Singer 2008-01-15
"Gene Kelly Anatomy of a Dancer" is the DVD edition of an American Masters program narrated by Stanley Tucci.
For those that don't know, Gene Kelly (along with Fred Astaire) was the leading film musical star of the 1940s and 1950's. He is known for the films "An American in Paris" and "Singing in the Rain". In the latter film, Mr. Kelly's single greatest solo performance is dancing to the titled song.
This is a masterfully done retrospective of Mr. Kelly's career as actor, dancer, choreographer and director. As you probably know, Gene Kelly made enormously popular and classic movie musicals during the 1940s and `50s. This DVD covers his life and career using interviews with former associates (Cyd Charisse, Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Debbie Reynolds, etc.) family and film critics.
It starts with a brief biography of Gene leading up to his arrival on Broadway. It is there he meets Betsy Blair his first wife (one of the commentators) and achieves success as the lead in "Pal Joey". (They even show a bootleg film of Kelly's stage performance.) Eventually Hollywood calls where he is mentored in his transition to the by screen by Julie Garland.
One of the things I liked about this program as it discusses the film musical as an art form separate and distinct from a Broadway musical. Like all other art forms, the medium is significant in how it affects our senses. Gene dancing with himself or with Jerry the Mouse requires considerable technical cinematic skill. The finales from "American in Paris' and `Singing in the Rain' involving lighting and instantaneous costume changes impossible to implement on Broadway.
The documentary also discusses the collaboration between Stanley Donen and Gene. Gene handled things in front of the camera, Stanley behind the camera. The collaboration lasted through Kelly's most productive years. The intense creative process caused their professional and personal relationship to suffer. The former Mrs. Kelly's comments are especially insightful.
If you are curious about Gene Kelly and movie musicals, this DVD is essential viewing.
Gifted dancer and so much more 
2007-09-15
Most people know that Gene Kelly was a gifted dancer. This DVD certainly gives plenty of evidence of that fact.
However, he was more than "just" a dancer. As this DVD shows, he was a skilled choreographer and director. He had a great eye for camera shots.
The biography doesn't pull punches or gloss over his faults. I came away with a much deeper admiration for his abilities...and a thankfulness that I never knew him. He took competitiveness to extremes and was intolerant of some groups, such as amateurs; he was also a perfectionist. Granted, he had to push his dance partners to get them "up to speed" if they weren't dancers when hired on...but making them keep at it until their feet were bleeding was going beyond the line.
This is an excellent and balanced biography.
A Knock Out DVD on a Superb and courageous Artist 2007-03-23
This is one of the finest Biographies of a Dancer every put on film. Kelly's form of masculine dancing and his deep involvement in the technical problems of filming dance are brilliantly underlined in this film. He was a complex man, but a dedicated Artist
Excelent 2007-02-14
Thisv video realy make me know the life of Gene Kelly... I was not so sure to buyit but is one of the bet buys that i made in amazon... buy it is Excelent
documentary 2007-01-05
The life and career of this film star and innovator whose work includes
Singin' in the Rain,
On the Town, and
An American in Paris are vibrantly recalled in this profile of the driven genius--often narcissistic, always a perfectionist--who reenergized the movie musical and redefined dance on screen. Packed with marvelous clips (including rare footage of Kelly's breakthrough
Pal Joey Broadway role) and interviews with family members and Hollywood colleagues,
Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer is the definitive look at a magical talent whose story has never been fully told until now. It's a life to be watched, celebrated, enjoyed. 87 minutes.
Singin' in the Dance! 2006-11-06
Superb DVD which told me more about this genius than I thought knew. Gene Kelly is one of our American treasures and the honest portrayal of his life and contributions to dance and film is outstanding. Hope I can meet him in heaven and thank him for making life a better experience for all of us.
Fulsome But Fair-Minded Portrayal of Kelly as Blue-Collar Dancer Extraordinaire 2006-07-09
Just this week, Time Magazine cited this 2002 documentary as one of seven must-see films for any lover of dance, and I agree this is an extremely well-done feature on an indisputably gifted practitioner, Gene Kelly, by filmmaker Robert Trachtenberg (who did a similarly insightful film on Cary Grant, "A Class Apart", two years later). Originally aired as part of PBS's "American Masters" series, the film follows Kelly's life and career chronologically with an obvious emphasis on his golden decade between his 1942 film debut co-starring with Judy Garland in "For Me and My Gal" to his career peak as star, choreographer and co-director (with protégé Stanley Donen) of 1952's "Singin' in the Rain".
While his artistry and perfectionism are well-known with the results proving as much, Kelly is also portrayed fairly for his ego-driven decisions, intolerance for others who did not uphold his standards and an almost obsessive need for attention. But his intentions were clear, and his first wife, actress Betsy Blair, who provides the most cogent and insightful comments among the interviewees, shrewdly observes Kelly's desire to democratize dance for the masses. So focused on this idea was Kelly that he even produced a 1958 TV special, "Dancing: A Man's Game", excerpts of which are shown in the film showing how dance and professional sports were akin to one another.
The film spotlights memorable moments - his newspaper-tearing dance in "Summer Stock", the impressionistic ballet finale from "An American in Paris", the roller skating number in "It's Always Fair Weather" and of course, his effusive turn in a downpour in "Singin' in the Rain". His failures are also documented - an all-dance film, 1956's "Invitation to the Dance", held back from release for four years; 1955's "It's Always Fair Weather", the cynical flip side to "On the Town"; his leaden direction of 1969's elephantine disappointment, "Hello, Dolly!". Several of Kelly's surviving colleagues are interviewed in brief though telling clips - Debbie Reynolds, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron among others.
The inevitable comparisons with his only comparable contemporary, Fred Astaire, are here, but the analysis of their individual styles is thoughtful and respectful to both. For me, Kelly is undeniably brilliant but somewhat aware of it in his onscreen persona, which comes across at times as abrasive and preening. His last years are given just a cursory glance as he was beset with illness, but it would have been nice to see his valedictory turns in 1967's "The Young Girls of Rochefort" or even the soft shoe he does in 1980's execrable "Xanadu". No matter as Trachtenberg has made an exemplary record of a most accomplished career. Actor Stanley Tucci narrates.
WOW 2006-06-29
This movie showed what an amazing dancer Gene Kelly was. This is one movie I recommened for anyone who loves the world of dance, thinks Gene Kelly is Hot (lol) or if you love musical theater.
well done 2006-03-10
This is a fine look at Gene Kelly. Some of the footage used is miraculous - the duet of Kelly with Astaire is amazing. The reminiscences from a number of people work well, the pace of interview/footage is well crafted. Some of Kelly's career gets glossed without much attention, but for a 90 min. documentary, this is about as good as it gets. The tone of the piece is never cloying, for all the admiration Kelly engenders, and rightfully so. He was an immense artist. Stanley Tucci narrates, and there's ample enough coverage of his private life, especially with his children, to whet your appetite for more. The presentation of his art is first-rate, even as you want more. Gene Kelly's admirers won't be disappointed.
