After reviewing the clip, my responses tend to agree with the rest of the group.
1. Do you agree that the clip exhibits a brighter perspective of life than might be realistic? Why or why not? Definitely agree the clip is extremely light and jaunty. Examples start with the doorman scene, through the use of the hand mirror on stage, the extravagant expense on the orchids, and finally the vacillating between which man to see.
2. What themes or approaches might you anticipate from this clip in other Depression era musicals? The whimsical mood of the musicals of this era are (TOP HAT included) are relief from the Depression era.
3. Since this is a musical that was made after the motion picture code was enforced, how might you imagine it might have been filmed or scripted differently if it had been pre-code? Give specific examples. Perhaps the doorman scene would have been more baudy, and Ziegfeld would have delivered the flowers himself.
Until next time.
