Brigadoon Details

This beguiling MGM version of Alan J Lerner and Frederick Loewe's magical stage musical about a Scottish village that comes to life every hundred years is an overlooked and often derided movie in director Vincente Minnelli's canon: time has proved there's no reason for such harsh judgement. It boasts a wonderful score and magnificent arrangements, plus an imaginative studio set, while the use of early CinemaScope enhances the brilliant lateral stage choreography. Yet the real heart of the film lies in the casting. The great Gene Kelly could not be bettered as the American in love in a faraway time and a foreign clime. His duet with Cyd Charisse — The Heather on the Hill — is enchanting (though, sadly, it was deleted from the British cinema version of the film) and, as Kelly's buddy-in-booze, Van Johnson positively shines.

Likeable but disappointing adaptation of a Lost Horizonish Broadway musical, marred by artificial sets and jaded direction.