superficically and brigadoon be a very promising entertainment package . gene kelly and vincente minnelli and the team behind an american in paris and be reunite with a lot of the great craftsman and woman behind their previous collaboration . gene lead lady be cyd charisse and one of the best dancer of 40s/50s cinema and and unlike the generally superior it always fair weather this film give them the chance for not only one but two dance . lerner and loewe be the rise team behind such future hit a my fair lady and minnelli musical masterpiece gigi while lerner and minnelli have already demonstrate their sanguine collaborative juice on the excellent american in paris . what happen along the way . why be the movie itself such a stupid bore . minnelli himself do not want to do the movie and despite his previous warm artistic and personal relationship with lerner . maybe it be because the movie innate conservatism be just a bit too much of two step forward for mgm and one step backward for vincente minnelli . but once trap in this assignment like the denizen of brigadoon be trap within it city limit and minnelli strive to turn it into something that would be entertain in a specifically distracting and if not liberate way . the ultimate result be truly horrific to behold . while aim for the naive charm of previous minnelli hit like cabin in the sky and meet me in st. louis and the plaid tights wear inhabitant of brigadoon can conjure up none of the illusive nostalgia of those never have be locale . it whimsy doesn not even match up to the glossy luster of yolanda and the thief or the pirate because the highland setting seem at the same time too specific for such an exotic fantasy and too generic for real human emotion . the only people in brigadoon who i at least can relate to be the malcontented man who try to escape and the unfortunate fellow traveler play by van johnson who accidentally shoot him . the general proceeding in the township of brigadoon itself be too arcane and provincial even to be attribute to a backwards form of christianity represent they seem positively pagan in their aspect . for example and in exchange for brigadoon immortality and the honorable and most generally good pastor of the town have sacrifice his own place in the supposedly bless refuge . at one point be assure that everybody look for their own brigadoon . suffice it to say the box office for this picture confirm my own suspicion that most of u aren not look for this kind of quasi queasy paradise . the premise itself be ridiculous and almost insultingly patronizing and but could work if the player be perfect . but kelly himself be the most patronizing thing about the movie and and charisse be horribly miscast a a virginal optimist in much the same way a lucille bremer be miscast in yolanda and the thief . van johnson do his best version of the classic oscar levant sidekick to kelly ( even light 3 cigarette at one point like levant in aip ) and and he provide a lot of amuse moment . but it say something in itself if the best part of a big budget extravaganza with all the best talent of mgm be a tossed off van johnson performance .