La fée blanche

Watching this 1945 made movie in 2002 gave me "warm fuzzys" all over. This was when Hollywood was careful not to offend folks with abusive words and over the top plots. `It's a Pleasure' was a pleasure to watch. It is funny, entertaining, a little suspenseful and had some drama. The scenery and costumes were beautiful. This "Miss Susie Sunshine" of a movie creates a wonderful fantasy world that I think we need more of these days. The coloring and quality of this movie made it hard to believe it was made in 1945. `It's a Pleasure' is a nice, romantic, pleasurable escape.

I was channel-surfing one evening and came across this movie on Showtime's Family Showcase channel and my first thoughts were, "Wow! They sure did a good job of recreating the 40's in this picture." Then, I put the cable movie info on the screen to discover this film was MADE in 1945, which really amazed me because the color quality is so modern-looking and the clarity of the picture is unlike any other movie I've ever seen that was produced in that era, just amazing. Obviously, it's been digitally restored to some extent but it must have been shot right the first time for this kind of quality. As for the movie itself, the actors and actresses were excellent and the storyline very entertaining, keeping me watching to the end (I came into the film maybe 20 minutes late or so). Old classic movies aren't really something I've ever been a major fan of with the exception of the classics like Gone With The Wind, Wizard of Oz, etc. but I really enjoyed this film. Again, the quality of the picture makes watching this film seem like modern-day filmmakers were transported back to 1945 and shot it with their present-day cameras & production. Highly recommended from both entertainment value and technical expertise for the period.

Watching this was a rare treat to see since it was the only time I got to see ice skating star Sonja Henie in Technicolor as opposed to black and white. She's still impressive as an ice dancer this late in her career and also was compellingly good in her one number without skates. The story has her married to a hockey star who's been banned from the sport because of some unruly behavior. So she gets him in the show as another skater but things get complicated when the boss's wife has designs on him. Since this was made during the Production Code, nothing explicit happens or is even implied. And I'm guessing this was very much meant to be a family picture, anyway, as evidenced by the added formula of some kids near the end. In summary, It's a Pleasure was quite enjoyable as fluff so that's a recommendation.

Lent ongoing allure by the extraordinary early Technicolor process, this ice-skating romance also benefits from contributions by several Oscar-winning technicians, all in top form here, including cinematographer Ray Rennahan (Gone With the Wind), interior designer Wiard Ihnen, and set decorator Julia Heron. Additionally, those responsible for the superlative costumes and hair styling should be recognized, with all of these crew strengths nearly making the plot irrelevant, as a viewer is dazzled in one way or another and, of course, often by the skating of Sonja Henie. For precision skating, Henie has never been topped, and here her known acting shortcomings seem less obtrusive than is usual, as she is supported by a solid cast, including Michael O'Shea, Gus Schilling, Iris Adrian, and a startlingly beautiful Marie McDonald, whose agenda to steal O'Shea from Henie comprises the core of a somewhat melodramatic and simplistic screen play. The script turns upon Henie's love for O'Shea, who plays a professional hockey player who is permanently banned for punching an official, and whose fondness for alcohol leads to a variety of thorny situations which turn his life upside down, and which link him with the difficult to ignore McDonald. All involved in this effort are served well by journeyman director William A. Seiter, who takes charge of the action whenever the scenario flags, although the editing and blocking are at times obtrusive. It all comes down in the end to Henie on ice, and there the pirouetting dervish provides as usual, with her at times off-putting Norwegian inflections not an issue, skating as well as ever and benefiting, as throughout the film, including one non-gelid partnered dance scene, from a lovely score composed by Walter Donaldson and Edgar Leslie.

Hockey star Don Martin (Michael O'Shea) punches a referee and gets banned from professional hockey. Skating star Chris Linden (Sonja Henie) has a crush on him and helps gets him a job in the ice skating show. Buzz runs the show and his bored wife Gail Fletcher (Marie McDonald) wants to play with Don.

O'Shea doesn't feel like a leading man type and Sonja Henie's acting skills have always been questionable. The pairing is better than I expected. They are two flaw pieces which fit well together. It's nothing spectacular but it works. The story has little else going for it. It has barely any drama. They try to throw in Gail, but she is ultimately no threat to the relationship. It would be better if she's just evil rather than in love with Don. Of course, Henie does some of her ice skating. In the end, I just got bored with this movie after thirty minutes or so.