The Broadway Melody (1935)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Chris W

  
  Boy, this film sure hasn't aged well. Granted, it is over 80 years old, but still. The story here concerns two sisters who are a part of a show on Broadway that get into a love triangle with a guy. I'm not sure, but I think this kinda of story line was old even back then.… More
  Boy, this film sure hasn't aged well. Granted, it is over 80 years old, but still. The story here concerns two sisters who are a part of a show on Broadway that get into a love triangle with a guy. I'm not sure, but I think this kinda of story line was old even back then. This is really not all that great, but it's not terrible. The music is okay, and the dance sequences are all right I guess, but the stroy is really not all that interesting. Plus, it's all very melodramatic. However, this film came out during the transition period from silent films to "talkies", and many films back then were really clumsy and pretty bad. What makes the film notable is its historic importance- it was a "pre-Code" film, so some of the content, though nothing new to modern audiences, was rather bold for back then. Also, it was the second film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, and the first sound film and first musical to take home that prize. This may be an earlier movie musical, but that doesn't mean that it's the best because of it. Many of the films of this type that came after are far better, but as a curiousity piece, this is worth a watch if you are a die hard. If you don't care for this sort of thing, then the only reason I would recommend it is if, like me, you are on a quest to see all the films that won Best Picture.

• Jennifer X

  
  Dull, dull tripe.

• AJ V

  
  A very melodramatic romantic story surrounding this early talkie musical. A lot of the actors aren't so great in this movie either, but I think maybe they weren't supposed to be spectacular anyway, since the main characters are a sister act from the sticks who move to NY to… More
  A very melodramatic romantic story surrounding this early talkie musical. A lot of the actors aren't so great in this movie either, but I think maybe they weren't supposed to be spectacular anyway, since the main characters are a sister act from the sticks who move to NY to make the big time, the characters aren't going to make it because they don't have enough talent yet. Anyway, the sound was really very good for one of the first talkies, and I enjoyed the movie.

• jay n

  
  Keeping in mind that the film is 80 years old and was made just when sound was new its interesting to see considering that it won best picture the year it came out. You can still feel the studios adjusting to the new medium since at several scene breaks they still use title cards, the… More
  Keeping in mind that the film is 80 years old and was made just when sound was new its interesting to see considering that it won best picture the year it came out. You can still feel the studios adjusting to the new medium since at several scene breaks they still use title cards, the sound is often uneven, the acting techniques antiquated and the plot older than the hills.

• Byron B

  
  Very stagy. The acting for the most part is still mired in silent movie style. But it is a look at an interesting culture, the flappers, through the two main characters. And some of the dance numbers are a little impressive.

• Lauren D

  
  It was ok. I didn't really like it all that much, but it didn't bore me either. Despite not knowing about pre-code at the time, I was impressed with it's 'pre-code-ness'.

• Simeon D

  
  From the first "Gee!" to the last "Golly!", this film is incredibly dated. The songs and dances are grand, and everything in-between isn't necessarily bad but it bored me to tears and was extremely sentimental. The performances are very melodramatic, except… More
  From the first "Gee!" to the last "Golly!", this film is incredibly dated. The songs and dances are grand, and everything in-between isn't necessarily bad but it bored me to tears and was extremely sentimental. The performances are very melodramatic, except Bessie Love who's actually pretty good and seems to be the only person who's not naive. Should this have won Best Picture: Definitely not. It lacks a sense of timelessness that made other Best Picture musicals (West Side Story, Oliver!, An American In Paris) masterpieces. Also, this film has no creative film-making force behind it; it was just made for the purpose of entertainment. 71/100

• Lord N

  
  Give Best Picture to something else. anything else. not this! a horrible film that i would never watch again. if i ever have to hear the phrase "Gee that's swell" in a movie again i will put an axe through the TV. they used it way to many times. plus the film had some… More
  Give Best Picture to something else. anything else. not this! a horrible film that i would never watch again. if i ever have to hear the phrase "Gee that's swell" in a movie again i will put an axe through the TV. they used it way to many times. plus the film had some of the worst if not THE worst acting that i have ever seen in a best picture winner. the plot was dumb and the screenplay is the worst that I have ever seen. i really disliked this film. Final Verdict: Huge mistake

• Lizzy B

  
  There were a lot of really odd dance numbers that don't translate to present time audiences and the storyline was a bit hard to accept. I think this film was probably put on the AFI list because of the daring subject matter and high number of scantly clad women for a film made… More
  There were a lot of really odd dance numbers that don't translate to present time audiences and the storyline was a bit hard to accept. I think this film was probably put on the AFI list because of the daring subject matter and high number of scantly clad women for a film made in 1929. Kudos for the risks, but not something I can rave about.

Read all 9 featured audience ratings