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Top Hat (1935)

Time was when Christmas television would show a ‘big film’ but now these are to be found on Amazon Prime or Netflix and the main channels have to recycle tired old war films or superannuated blockbusters.

It was therefore a huge relief that BBC broadcast – at the unlikely time of 8.15 am on New Years Day – Top Hat

It has old fashioned cinematic values of brevity (under two hours), glamour and two incomparable dancers (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) who synchronised their movements extremely well.

Add to this numbers like Cheek to Cheek and you have a watchable highly enjoyable film.

Okay, the story is a tad facile – and the Italians type-cast – but, 110 years on, it has worn rather well.

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About Neil Rosen

Neil went to the City of London School and Manchester University graduating with a 1st in economics. After a brief stint in accountancy, Neil emigrated to a kibbutz In Israel. His articles on the burgeoning Israeli film industry earned comparisons to Truffaut and Godard in Cahiers du Cinema. Now one of the world's leading film critics and moderators at film Festivals Neil has written definitively in his book Kosher Nostra on Jewish post war actors. Neil lives with his family in North London. More Posts