Sweet Charity Details

Dancer, theatre director and choreographic genius Bob Fosse made his film directing debut with this adaptation of his Broadway hit about the sad life of a dance-hall hostess whose run of bad luck fails to dampen her belief in fairy-tale romance. Though it's jam-packed with stunning numbers — Hey, Big Spender, Rhythm of Life, If My Friends Could See Me Now and more, all marvellously staged and danced — the film is brash, gaudy and overheated. It lacks the sophisticated edge and sharp impact of the stage original, with Shirley MacLaine's turbine-powered Charity substituting energy for subtlety. However, Sammy Davis Jr, Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly are as electrifying as Fosse's choreography.

A revue-type musical bowdlerized from Fellini's Le notti di Cabiria accords ill with real New York locations, especially as its threads of plot come to nothing; but behind the camera are sufficient stylists to ensure striking success with individua