Broadway Melody of 1940

Norman Taurog's 1940 musical is remembered as the only film in which Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell appear together. The plot, in which one half of a dance duo is picked by mistake in place of the other, is really a pretext for the Cole Porter number at the end. That number, Begin the Beguine, is among the most watched dance sequences in film history: a mirrored floor, a space that appears endless, and a rare meeting of two dancers technically equal to each other. Powell was one of the fastest tap dancers of the era, and pairing her with Astaire gives the film a particular charge. The rest of the story is thin and the characters slight; the film exists for its dancing. Who it's for: viewers who love classic Hollywood musicals and tap dancing. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a strong story, or who will find the dance numbers long.