Kelsi

It's not so much that I see a battle of the sexes, but what I did see was Ginger taking charge in the scene. For us nowadays it really doesn't seem like it, but she chooses to get up and dance, she chooses to let him dance with her and she leads him in some of the 'follow me' sequences. That isn't something that we've seen in some of the other examples of Depression Era musicals. I think some of the changes are because the movie is supposed to be a comedy. As such, it isn't as important that the woman follows the typical socially correct role. She can be a bit more spunky and goofy and make some of her own rule because it adds to the comedy and spontaneity of the movie.

The Lubitsch touch is definitely not subtle, but it does help tell the story without the actors needing to have a discussion about it, or even for it to be in a language that one speaks. Just watching the props such as the garter, the small revolver, and the dramatic way the dress needs to be done up at the end, you know exactly what has happened before we arrived at the scene. You understand at least some part of Alfred before seeing the rest of the movie. The introduction of music after the woman ‘shoots’ herself adds a lot of tension to the scene. The fluid strings and abrupt stops lead you to think something bad is about to happen - you anticipate trouble. Which does come, as the husband does try to shoot Alfred. Themes of love, either found or lost, are something I’d anticipate seeing in a lot of Depression-era musicals. They can add tensions, fear, hope and romance to the movie plots. I’m imagining that they might all be a bit dramatic and over the top. A way to pull the audience in, to make them laugh and gasp and forget their lives for a short while.

Their interactions are flirtatious but not over the top. You can see and feel the chemistry between the two characters - their facial expressions, rather than their actions, show their humor, annoyance, flirtation, etc. They like each other but they are holding themselves back from that. There seems to be a lot of 'wanting from afar' in their romance. The studio seems to want the audience to be aware of the love interest but they want it to be a wholesome, slow moving romance. In the clips you never see the two actors touch, either. They may be sitting closely in the boat together but they never touch - everything they're feeling is conveyed via their faces and body language.

1. I believe that it does. In the clip Ziegfeld throws money around like its nothing. He buys terribly expensive flowers and hands the doorman 5 pounds and then jokes about it. The doorman also appears to have the money to go to the theater, as he talks of seeing the French actress, which I assume means he's seen the show. The actress also speaks of having a choice between the two men, meaning she isn't at all worried about money or position, she's free to see what all of her options are, instead of stuck doing what she knows with make her money and make ends meet. 2. One of the themes I saw was people having choices and the freedom to make the choices without much consideration beyond how they’re feeling. They aren't seemingly worried about the future. They don’t seem terribly concerned about money as well, it’s thrown around several times in the short clip. 3. Since the motion picture code was a moral guideline, you don’t see any skin from the woman in this clip. In The Broadway Musical a lot of the clips are women in bras, naked in the bathtub, etc. In this film, she gets off stage and the only piece of clothing that is removed is her hat. Pre-code era she’d probably have stripped down more. Also, she'd probably have been dressed differently on stage, at least less than the fancy, full length, totally covering dress she was wearing in the clip.