Guys and Dolls (1955)
Genre: Music / Comedy
Duration: 150 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Stars: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Frank Sinatra
IMDb score:
7,1 (20.988)
Releasedate: 23 December 1955
Guys and Dolls plot
"It's a living breathing doll of a musical!"
Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit are two arch gamblers. Nathan bets a thousand dollars that his friend Sky will not be able to get a young lady designated by Nathan for dinner in Havana, Cuba. The chosen one becomes sister Sarah Brown of the ailing local Save-A-Soul-Mission. Film adaptation of the successful Broadway musical.
Actors and actresses
Sky Masterson
Sarah Brown
Nathan Detroit
Miss Adelaide
Lt. Brannigan
Nicely-Nicely Johnson
Big Jule
Benny Southstreet
Harry the Horse
Rusty Charlie
Reviews & comments
T.O.
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- 2473 messages
- 2862 votes
The beginning promises a lot, with plenty of verve, a fun introduction of the characters, and witty dialogue. I enjoyed it right up to the scenes in Havana, where the virtuous Simmons hilariously lets loose.
Everything that follows unfortunately becomes a bit tiring; the film really is a bit too long.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Bobbejaantje
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- 2365 messages
- 2119 votes
Absolutely fantastic. I found the opening number immediately incredibly catchy and well done. Of course, one swallow doesn't make a spring, so I was wary that the quality might drop afterwards. But no. For me, this is a classic Hollywood musical at its best. The storyline is solid and contains enough plot twists to surpass the level of the average musical. Furthermore, we are dealing with dialogues full of wit – the tongue-in-cheek way. As director and screenwriter, Joseph Mankiewicz adds a gem here to the few films I have already seen from him. It is impressive how strong he is across diverse genres, but apparently, that wasn't unusual back then. The film is based on a stage musical, so credits probably should go to the original authors as well.
In terms of setting, I thoroughly enjoyed the cardboard-cut New York. It had the formality of a studio film, but so many years later, as an unsuspecting viewer, I find it very fitting within the overall picture. It adds a bit of a cartoon quality to a story that really goes wild. Last but not least, I thoroughly enjoyed Brando and Sinatra. The former surprised me with his vocal performance, and he also executed a dance move well. I also find Sinatra very strong in his semi-comedic role. It is perhaps surprising that he sings so little in the end, but he doesn't even need to to substantiate his contribution.
Translated from Dutch · View original
clubsport
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- 4165 messages
- 7161 votes
A decent musical, but quite a bit too long. I thought Vivian Blaine was the biggest miscast; she has the feminine aura of a nagging 50-year-old woman. Time and time again, you wonder what Nathan sees in her.
Putting women on a moral pedestal has also been elevated to an art form in this story; there are no female gamblers, and Miss Adelaide is allowed to simply lie that she is already married and has 5 children, and Nathan apparently isn't even allowed to get angry about it.
Too few songs are actually good, and the story drags on a bit blandly without any real highlights.
Jean Simmons is certainly a positive bright spot, and her scenes with Brando are the highlights of this musical.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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