White Christmas (1954), directed by Michael Curtiz.
The good:
Gorgeous color!
Bing Crosby was one of the great voices of the 20th century, and the title song a mega-hit of those long, pre-rock decades.
Some impressive dance numbers, particularly those featuring...
Vera-Ellen, anorexic (later: this is disputed) and said to have the smallest waist in Hollywood. Her long legs are of proportions normally found only in glamor illustrations.
WW2 nostalgia, just nine years later. The opening scene has a painted "Vermont" in a bombed out building; the final scene has a painted bombed out ruin in the real Vermont.
The bad:
None of the principle four are romantic lead material.
Apart from the title song, little of Irving Berlin's score is very memorable.
A paper-thin plot, traditional in musicals. The "keep the General from watching TV" skit is feeble.
The weird:
What a boring act the famous "Wallace & Davis" have!
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye do a mock-gay routine with extra mincing.
They do a Minstrel Show without blackface.
They lampoon Martha Graham and modern dance in "Choreography".
When the big show moves to the lodge, where does everyone stay? Any room for paying guests?
How do they fit such gargantuan sets into that little dining room? (Busby Berkeley would do the same thing).
It's not really a Christmas film.
Edith Head costumes. First VistaVision film.
Available on a lovely Blu-ray.