The Unstoppable Dolly Levi
One of the mainstays of American cinema through most of the mid-20th century was the extravagant movie musical.
And while there are a few musicals on the cineplex these days—the recent Elton John biopic Rocket Man, for example—it’s been a while since we’ve had an “OMG it’s a MUSICAL!” type of film for the entire family to enjoy.
Which is why it’s exciting to see one of the all-time greatest movie musicals back on the big screen this Sunday as Hello, Dolly! celebrates its 50th anniversary with a Technicolor masterpiece the way it was meant to be seen.
Matchmaker Dolly Levi, portrayed by the legendary Barbra Streisand, travels to Yonkers to find a partner for “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder, an equally compelling Walter Matthau, convincing his niece, his niece’s intended, and his two clerks to travel to New York City along the way.
Directed by the one and only Gene Kelly, Hello, Dolly! won three Academy Awards and was nominated for a slew of other awards.
And while some modern critics have cast aspersions at the film, it’s a reminder of an almost forgotten era of big-budget mainstream movie musical extravaganzas.
See it this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hamilton Place 8 and at both 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at East Ridge 18.