Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

Ploydsge just watch it!

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

MartinHafer Finian (Fred Astaire) and his daughter (Petula Clark) arrive in the fictional Southern American state of Missitucky. There, Finian encounters several problems--including a leprechaun who wants his pot of gold back, a racist senator and the need to marry off his daughter. How all these are worked out are something for you to discover if you decide to see the film."Finian's Rainbow" was a very successful play back in 1947. However, because it directly addressed racial prejudice, studios passed on making a film out of it. Efforts to have the play 'cleaned up' to please a wider (in other words, more prejudiced) audience were in vain, as the playwright refused (justifiably) to sanitize the film. However, by 1968, its themes of racial harmony and bigotry were much more acceptable and timely--and so the film was finally made. In this sense, the film was very timely. HOWEVER, when it came to the music, by 1960s standards it was VERY corny. In particular, the songs sung by the leprechaun were amazingly bad--with some horrible lyrics. But, the bad lyrics weren't confined to his songs but occasionally popped up among other cast members (such as Clark who sang a line that went 'Zsa-Zsa Gabor-ah' and later when Astaire sung about 'dames'). Because of this, a bit of trimming would have greatly improved the film--making it far less dated and silly. Plus, the bad moments really detract from its central message of racial harmony--a laudable theme that occasionally got lose among the silliness. It also meant a few too many songs--a problem that can hurt any musical. Overall, this can truly be called a mixed bag. While it stars Fred Astaire and I LOVE him in films, this just isn't all that great a film. A time-passer--and that's about all--even though it has some nice moments.By the way, for years Fred Astaire was NEVER shown dancing in films unless ALL of him was shown. He felt it detracted from the dancing if he wasn't shown from head to toe. Well, he did NOT negotiate such a contract with the folks making "Finian's Rainbow", as he DOES dance and you don't see him from head to toe in songs such as "The Idle Rich". Perhaps this was due to his age and his slowing down a bit--which might explain why this was his last musical.

mark.waltz The cynical world of the late 60's didn't really want the number of sweet movie versions of Broadway musicals that they were producing, and "Finian's Rainbow" was no exception. While it may not have been an absolute disaster at the box office (and broke Warner Brothers the way "Hello, Dolly!" did 20th Century Fox), it wasn't the hit the studio must have expected. However, it is still a fabulous movie and holds up a lot better than some of the film versions of shows released during this time.Take a look at Fred Astaire while he dances to "Look to the Rainbow" with a group of kids he meets in Rainbow Valley, located near Fort Knox where his Irish character has come to bury a pot of gold he has stolen from the leprechaun, Og (Tommy Steele). Astaire, then 69, starts off slow, and as the music pumps up begins to swing his bag around, lifting the bag high up in the air, twisting and turning as if he was a 20-year old. This is a rare moment in a movie where you want to start cheering with joy as a living legend shows what he's made of and the results of the discipline he's held onto for over half a century. Even 8 years later, dancing with Gene Kelly in "That's Entertainment Part II", Mr. Astaire still could move better than most people half his age. While he's top billed (and definitely the lead, as the character is the film's protagonist), the bulk of the movie's running time goes to his on-screen daughter, Sharon (played beautifully by Petula Clark) and the leprechaun, Og. Tommy Steele is a performer who is not for everybody's taste, and some of his character's humour seems to be really outdated. But overall, he's quite likable. In regards to Clark, what other singer/actress in 1968 could have done this role? Shani Wallis, perhaps, but Clark proves here she is more than a singer and brings her acting roots (she was a star in British films in the 1950's) to American audiences. When she breaks out into "How Are Things in Glocca Mora?", she gets the audience in the palm of her hand. And getting to sing the beautiful "Old Devil Moon" with her on-screen love interest, Woody (a slightly wooden Don Francks), she holds onto them.Most of the Broadway score is intact, save "Necessity", and is sung beautifully. Some people may find offense in the racist character Keenan Wynn plays, but he's played as a parody of real-life racists to show how ridiculous they are. Try not to laugh as the black scientist (Al Freeman Jr.) slowly shuffles towards Wynn with his bromo seltzer after Wynn's right hand man tells Freeman he doesn't shuffle enough like the old fashioned black servants they were used to. Wynn's agony and Freeman's glee are a joy to behold. In this storyline, I was slightly disappointed by the fact that Wynn's character, who is wizened up after briefly being turned into a black man, doesn't turn around and fire the bigoted staff he controls once he gains true wisdom and looses his prejudices. "The Begat" (Wynn's song with the black gospel singers he meets up with) is a true show-stopper, even though it really doesn't move the plot forward at all.Sadly, a wonderful Broadway revival only a few years ago didn't catch on with audiences even though critics loved it, but this film is as faithful a record as Hollywood could possibly do. I think Francis Ford Coppolla did an amazing job directing this film, and should be proud of his accomplishments. It is beautiful to look at, wonderful to listen to, and sentimental in the way it utilizes the magnetic Astaire almost 50 years after his Broadway debut.

annevejb Who is the real Fred? The stories that he has appeared in show a whole range of peoples and this does have some really nice sides. The stories also often appear to be lower budget than I would expect for his appeal, but in this case the result is still impressive.Nice to discover that it is now on DVD. The differences to the 4x3 UK television version that I saw in the late 1980's mean that I now like it for different reasons and it is now possible to like some bits even more. The opening is more noticeable, the job hunt at the politician's house shines strongly as the commentary pointed out more detail to me.Looking at the IMDb reviews, that is really what I feel a need to comment on.The DVD includes a useful introduction and commentary by the director. How should one interpret this in order to get a fair and okay interpretation? I get the impression that many of the reviews are looking to this background stuff and taking it too literally. Many director commentaries include occasional comments that hint that that the detail should not be interpreted 100% literally and I find that it is best to assume that of most any DVD commentary.Many musicals have an unreality to their storyline. To single this one out for that seems to be to be out of touch with the historic musicals? The director does point out that he would have preferred such as the mentholated tobacco plot, that he added, to be not there but I can actually accept that as an interesting SF angle. Many musicals do worse? Finian's daughter and tobacco Woody as the wrong age. At least they play their roles well.The director appears to have come at this from a love of the music rather than dance. He also appears to be trying to escape from the Broadway musical scene. A USA viewpoint. From England, through the sixties I had been noticing Tommy Steele as a big name for kids stuff and television, leading to kids films. That his performance in the televised Yeoman Of The Guard was a knockout will surprise no one who knows that work. When I saw Finian in the 80's he was a big plus for me. Steele as a Leprechaun, I do not know how Irish kids would have understood that.Mute Susan's dance? Small screen 4x3 it felt okay. Now I find the earliest talk dance parts as difficult to get to like, but not impossible. The director raises the question of choreography, if use of sign language conventions would have helped. I am finding that not looking too closely at those parts helps them to gradually start to feel like acceptable dance.Fred's dance on the boxes, referred to as the big production number. Who is kidding who? The commentary here is part of what makes me consider the director to not be orientated to dance. Except that the actual filming of many parts of this and other stuff in the feature often shows dance well. He might be talking around questions of the best way to film dance that he felt a need to muse on, while not have phrased that question clearly enough yet? The feature did not have a long planning stage.A lot of musicals are overlong, but this often feels okay. A lot of musicals are unreal but this often feels okay. A lot of musicals would likely appear to be theatrical if I knew what details to look for, best not to know what to look for? This feature really does have more good music than I had realised. I just wish that the politics was not so scary, scary from left and from right.

tijo (pardon for my English) If you are an "impossible worlds dreamer", then you'll love at the most Finian's Rainbow. Otherwise you probably hate it. I love it, I think that it is the BEST musical ever, in certain moments full of overwhelming poetry. Do not linger on details. Breath the magic breeze from Glocca Morra, and let the movie fly you to the sky. Finian's Rainbow has a sort of intrinsic and pervasive grace, that turns everything into gold. And remember that music is absolutely outstanding. All characters in the film are in constant motion: Finian's is always searching for his rainbow, Og descends to earth, Senator has his white-black-white trip, Susan grows to love. Maybe the more static is Sharon, that since the beginning can implement "Look to the rainbow" lyrics, finding and confirming her own rainbow in Woody's eyes. But Sharon wonderfully sing, no need for great movements. Anyway, put aside all these comments above. They are too much rational. And Finian's rainbow must be watched by your child's heart. Wonderful !