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.