#1028: ARZNER, Dorothy: Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)

ARZNER, Dorothy (United States)
Dance, Girl, Dance [1940]
Spine #1028
Blu-ray

Dorothy Arzner, the sole woman to work as a director in the Hollywood studio system of the 1930s and early '40s, brings a subversive feminist sensibility to this juicily entertaining backstage melodrama. A behind-the-footlights look at friendship, jealousy, and ambition in the ruthless world of show business, Dance, Girl, Dance follows the intertwining fates of two chorus girls: a starry-eyed dancer (Maureen O'Hara) who dreams of making it as a ballerina, and the brassy gold digger (a scene-stealing Lucille Ball) who becomes her rival both on the stage and in love. The rare Hollywood picture of the era to deal seriously with issues of female artistic struggle and self-actualization, Arzner's film is a rich, fascinating statement from an auteur decades ahead of her time.

89 minutes
Black & White
Monaural

1:37:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2020

Director/Writers

Story by Vicki Baum.

Screenplay by Tess Slesinger and Frank Davis.

Dorothy Arzner was 43 when she directed Dance, Girl, Dance.

Other Arzner films in the Collection:

#1076: Merrily We Go To Hell (1932)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Eight-panel foldout featuring an essay by critic Sheila O’Malley.

Commentary

None.

Introduction

By critic B. Ruby Rich.

Interview

With filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

99

By Director
By Spine #