The Thrill of Brazil (1946)

Just so...so bad

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

While this move is entertaining has some good performances, much of the script pulled word for word from His Girl Friday. But having Keenan Wynn talk about his dimple is very different than Cary Grant. They changed the story from a newspaper setting to a show biz one. Most importantly, this version allows for scenes for Ann Miller to dance, and does not allow for the ad libs that Cary Grant and Rosalind Russel did in the original. While this movie has its moments, it does not hold a candle to the original. Not sure way they copied the script, other then to save money. However it is nice to see some normally supporting actors, like Wynn, in lead positions.

Okay, I enjoy these old, obscure 1940s movies. "The Thrill Of Brazil" is a hokey, corny, and just plain fun musical that just happens to feature the father of a friend of mine in a major supporting role. That's how I came to be familiar with this old, obscure flick. This is a fun bit of cinematic fluff with lots of clever writing and musical numbers.I'm not sure if I would have sat through it were it not for Sid Tomack's major supporting role as the cab driver "Irkie Bower". Sid's elastic face and big beaming smile made his performance as the goofy cab driver quite entertaining. But what was more surprising was the quality of the writing of the entire film! As one reviewer mentioned, there are an abundance of puns.The theme of this film can best be stated as: "Their marriage didn't work out, but there is hope, neither did the divorce." And it's set to music!

Non stop puns. That and a whole lot of song and dance, tap dancing, and verbal sparring are what we get in "Thrill of Brazil." All in good natured fun, Steve (Keenan Wynn, Annie get your Gun ) and John ( Allyn Joslyn) are fighting over Vicki (Evelyn Keyes, Gone with the Wind, many others). Meanwhile, Ann Miller is caught up in the whirlwind as Linda Lorens, tries to sing and dance her way through the her entertainment numbers. Also some great music from Enric Madriguera and his orchestra, as well as Tito Guízar, all of whom actually did perform and record in public at the time. This film might have been even more hokey if the music and dance weren't so good. Filmed after the war, so the mood is very upbeat and happy. Ann Miller had been making movies for 10 years by now, but she still has the look and demeanor of a young, rookie, but this could just be good acting on her part. Interesting scene where Vicki captures some of the local downtown market scenes and fights in pencil drawings, to be used in their nightclub act later. Several sight gags have a vaudevillian feel, but it all works. Although she was a major starlet in her own right, Evelyn Keyes is also known for her marriages to the bigshots Artie Shaw, John Huston, Charles Vidor. Also look for Ludwig, played by the always funny Felix Bressart, who had made "Shop around the Corner" with J Stewart. Bressart and Wynn had just made "Without Love" together in 1945.

A goofy Columbia musical: let's remake Hawks' HIS GIRL Friday as a musical, only instead of Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy, we'll have Keenan Wynn, Evelyn Keyes and Allyn Joslyn, and instead of it being about newspapers and death, it will be about --- nightclub producers! Sounds like a waste of time, doesn't it? Well, despite the undeniable talent of the people involved -- as well as that of director Sylvan Simon, yes it is. Except for the musical numbers and those are standouts. The songs aren't much, decent but forgettable, but dance director Nick Castle knew how to choreograph a dance number so well that they were lifting them five years later for MGM musicals. And then, of course, there's Ann Miller. When she starts tapping, the movie becomes not just good but great.But there's too much time between the musical numbers. Worthwhile, but not great.