The Gang's All Here (1943)
(Busby Berkeley, US 1943, 103 min., 35mm)
Perhaps the high point in the career of one of the great Hollywood choreographers, The Gang’s All Here was Busby Berkeley’s first foray into color. And not just any color: glorious Technicolor! Though the film is best remembered for the outrageous suggestiveness of the sets, costumes and banana props in Carmen Miranda’s performance of “The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat,” the story of a love triangle involving a soldier, his childhood sweetheart, and a struggling choirine resonates with unexpected passions, shocking twists and roaring comedy. Watch for a really fine musical performance from Benny Goodman and his orchestra, and for an absolutely delirious final set-piece that preceded Pop Art for almost two decades!