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Bells Are Ringing

Should you put your towel on your head while showering?

Anyway, this looks great! I really haven’t seen that many movies by Vincente Minnelli — that I can remember. I mean, I probably saw a bunch as a child, but I haven’t seen more than a couple since starting to get back into watching movies about a decade ago…

So I’m hoping this movie’s gonna be awesome so that I can start watching all of his films. Or something.

It’s a fun concept — it’s about a woman running an answering service?

You can tell that Minnelli isn’t American by the way he has women… *gasp*… talking… TO EACH OTHER!!!

Heh heh.

Oh, Dean Martin’s in this? I haven’t really seen many movies with him either…

It’s the cops!

It’s the crooks!

It’s the gay neighbour!

Anyway, I love Judy Holliday here — I’m not familiar with her much, but she plays this slightly over the top, somewhat out of control character with such aplomb — it’s breathtaking. And very funny.

This was apparently her last movie — she died just a few years later.

Where 7th Ave meets Broadway.

The lighting in this movie is so… I mean, it’s extremely artificial, but in a wonderful way. Look at the shadow in the middle of that guy’s face…

Oh, Method actors…

Those cops!

I feel like Minnelli might be making fun of musicals…

It’s a pretty odd movie — it’s so unfocused. I mean, the point of the movie is the romance between Holliday and Dean, but it’s not really focused on that and doesn’t really adhere to the story beats you’re expecting. It’s so… knowing… and seems to delight more in just watching Holliday being silly on the screen instead of moving the plot forward. Which explains the 125 minute running time.

But it really is delightful.

Bells Are Ringing. Vincente Minnelli. 1960.

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