bandwife64

I'm not sure I see a "battle" going on, but there is a reluctance on Ginger's part to just comply with whatever Fred suggests (shrugs and eye rolls when he states it's a lovely day). She makes sure he knows that her agreement is an individual thing and things won't progress unless he takes note of that. For its time, this is a refreshingly "modern" take on male-female roles. Compared to the earlier musicals (primarily the Keeler-Powell flicks) the leading lady is no fragile ingenue, she's a woman with opinions, suspicions, perhaps a past -- and yet she's still a desirable and intelligent woman

1. Brighter perspective of life: Yes, given the nature of Anna Held's flitty and flirtatious character. She was a major start at the time, certainly working hard and dealing with a lot of troublesome situations as a solo female act, yet in this film they chose to make her a bit ditzy and unaware. Even in France one would have heard of Florenz Ziegfeld? I suspect this character was used not only for factual history, yes, but to elevate our perception of Ziegfeld's ego and power. It also sets up Billie Burke to be a woman of far more "substance". 2. What themes or approaches migh