CAN CAN

US, 1960, 131 minutes, Colour.
Frank Sinatra, Shirley Mac Laine, Maurice Chevalier, Juliet Prowse, Louis Jourdan, Marcel Dalio.
Directed by Walter Lang.

Can Can is a big brassy musical culminating the fifties and its musical styles.

Walter Lang who had made quite a number of musicals, for example with Betty Grable, and There’s No Business Like Show Business, during the forties and fifties, directs.

Frank Sinatra is at home in this kind of role and Shirley Mac Laine anticipates Irma La Douce. Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier are very reminiscent of their roles in Gigi. Cole Porter's songs are used. The film is quite colourfully humorous and Cole Porter’s songs have their own particular arresting style. However the overall effect, while enjoyable, also seems garish and somewhat strained.

1. The expectations of the title? Col Porter’s music, the stars? The conventions of musical comedy?

2. The contribution of Cole Porter’s songs and the singing and staging? The contribution of the stars to the style?

3. The placing of the songs, their dramatic impact? The dance sequences? The Eden ballet? The can can itself, The quality of the choreography and the presentation of the dances?

4. The musical comedy plot? How contrived, how real? Sufficient for the purposes of musical comedy?

5. Colour photography,. Panavision, Paris, 1886, cabarets? The quality of colour/ the touch of garishness ? Appropriate?

6. The theme of the law, the can can itself, attitudes of censorship? The courts? The ease with which the people were persuaded of the legitimacy of the can can? The tongue in cheek criticism of the censorious types?

7. Simone as the focus? Shirley Mac Laine’s style and verve? Owning the cabaret, emotional dancer, the ambiguity of her cabaret, the touch of the brothel? The appeal to two types of men, Francois and Philippe? Her capacity for love, unsure as regards her reaction? Her exuberance with the dance? With Paul Barriere? The law, her reaction in jail, court? Her reaction at the party and her humiliation after the dance? Her shrewdness in working on the fraud as regards Francois? Her change of heart? A character portrayal suitable for this kind of contrived comedy?

8. The contrast between Francois and Philippe? Frank Sinatra’s style and the suavity of Louis Jourdan? What types of men did they represent? Different attitudes towards the law? Simone appealing to both? Francois’ taking her for granted and yet charming her? Philippe and his courtesy? The humour of the shutting of the window? Their different attitudes towards love and marriage? The devices for presenting each of their romantic attitudes?

9. Maurice Chevalier in typical style? The character of Paul, the Gallic attitude towards law, friendship with Francois, with Philippe? The songs with Philippe? A pleasant character?

10. The presentation of the dancers and their personalities?

11. The romantic atmosphere - conventional attitudes towards marriage?

12. Themes of marriage, class, style, faux pas?

13. The moralising points that come through a conventional musical comedy? The happy ending?