Bolero (1934 film)
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Bolero was a 1934 film starring George Raft and Carole Lombard. It was a rare chance for him to star, and to play a dancer rather than a gangster.
The film's tagline is "He rose to fame on a ladder of dancing ladies!"
Plot summary
The film opens shortly before World War I. Raft is a dancer from New York City, aiming to become king of the European night-club circuit. He wants to get Rand as his dancing partner, but she refuses. He recruits Lombard as his partner, and devises a very athletic routine to be accompanied by Ravel's Boléro (an anachronism, as Boléro was not written until 1928). He falls in love with Lombard, but she does not reciprocate, and marries Ray Milland. Raft serves in World War I, and emerges with a weak heart. Nevertheless, he vows to carry on with his career. He opens a smart nightclub in Paris, and recruits Rand (now desperate for work) as his new partner. On the opening night, as he is about to start the show, he finds Rand drunk and unable to perform. Fortunately, Lombard is in the audience and agrees to stand in. Raft hopes that she will re-join him. Desperate to impress the audience, Raft overdoes his athletic routine; he collapses and dies.The film predates the Hays Code, and at least two scenes would have been banned by the code. Firstly, George Raft tells Carole Lombard, when she auditions in his hotel room, to do so in her underwear; she does so. Later, Sally Rand performs her famous Fan Dance; in this, she hides her nudity behind two enormous ostrich feather fans.
The dance routine was copied by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean for their ice-dance routine to the same music.
Notes
- A double was used for Lombard in many of the shots in the dance scenes.
- Although the film is regarded as a musical, there are no songs.
- The film was such a success, that the following year Raft and Lombard made another film with a fairly similar plot, Rumba. However, this was much less successful.
Cast
- George Raft as Raoul De Baere
- Carole Lombard as Helen Hathaway
- Sally Rand as Arnette
- Ray Milland as Lord Robert Coray
References
- Clive Hirschhorn, "The Hollywood Musical", pub. Octopus, 1981
- John Doglas Eames, "The Paramount Story", pub. Octopus, 1985
External links
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