The Great Ziegfeld

Rating: 1.5/5

The Great Ziegfeld is part of that unfortunate old Hollywood film trend where the movie only had three main purposes-1. To show off all the talent they had under contract, 2. To show off how impressive their sets and costumes could be, and 3. To show off just how much money their film studio possessed.

The Great Ziegfeld does have a plot, but it is scattered throughout painfully long musical numbers that have nothing to do with the actual story. All they are is, close to twenty minute long random acts that are all part of Ziegfeld's Follies. So in a way, yes the spectacular numbers are technically part of the plot because this is a biopic of sorts about Ziegfeld and his follies, but the acts are just so long that you practically forget about anything that had occurred before it.

Now, I love musicals, always have, always will, but I have never loved musicals that don't have a plot threaded through the music. This is a big reason why I've never loved Cats, because it's just a show about felines introducing themselves through song. Cats is a show that is guaranteed to be more impressive live, and the same could be said for Ziegfeld's Follies. On film, the musical numbers, though highly impressive with their crazy elaborate sets and costumes, get a bit boring after awhile, though I would imagine seeing it live would be such a spectacle that it would be very easy to be entertained and impressed.

The Great Ziegfeld isn't the worst of the Oscar Winners I've seen, but it's definitely not one that I'm eager to ever watch again.

1937 Best Picture Winner- The Great Ziegfeld

1937 Best Actress in a Leading Role Winner-Luise Rainer

1937 Best Dance Direction Winner-Seymour Felix