The best of Astaire-Rogers
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, in their sixth movie teaming, starred in 1936’s “Swing Time,” arguably the best of the ten films this legendary movie duo made between 1933 and 1949. Astaire plays dancer and gambler Lucky Garnett, Rogers is Penny Carroll, a ballroom dance instructor. The film is based on mistaken identity and the on-again, off-again romance between Lucky and Penny.<br /><br />The film starts with about a half-hour of comic exposition until the first musical number kicks in. That number is “Pick Yourself Up,” staged in the dance studio where Lucky locks eyes on Penny through a plate glass window. Lucky rushes in and pretends to be a disaster on the floor so Penny will have to “teach” him. His “klutz” antics prompt the exhausted Penny to tell him no one could teach him to dance, and her boss fires her on the spot. Lucky immediately comes to her defense and leads her in an amazing, high spirited dance.<br /><br />The film features four dance routines that are regarded as masterpieces. The other three in the Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields score are the “Waltz in Swingtime;” “Bojangles of Harlem,” Astaire’s solo tribute to Bill “Bojangles” Robinson; and “Never Gonna Dance.” “A Fine Romance” is a comic non-dance duet between Lucky and Penny and, interestingly, the Academy Award-winning “The Way You Look Tonight” is only sung by Astaire.<br /><br />Comedy is provided by the witty Howard Lindsay/Allan Scott screenplay and the supporting performances of Eric Blore as Penny’s boss, Helen Broderick as Penny’s co-worker and friend, and Victor Moore as Lucky’s crafty sidekick. Their dialogue is snappy, and often wry and sarcastic. With some of the best comic lines in the film, they shore up the slight plot with their veteran expertise in timing and delivery.<br /><br />This was George Stevens’ first of two directorial assignments for Astaire-Rogers and his first film musical for R-K-O. The story is imaginative, the gags are good-natured, the supporting players are veteran comedy actors, and the song and dance numbers are timeless. The dances are performed mostly in a single take showing the dancers’ full bodies, with few if any cutaways. This was primarily at Astaire’s behest and he’s often quoted as saying, “Either the camera dances or I do,” a reference to the elaborately staged Busby Berkeley musicals being made around the same time that relied on unusual camera angles sweeping above geometric patterns of chorus girls.<br /><br />Astaire is his usual charming self, and Rogers is quite his match as she  initially conveys annoyance but later is literally swept off her feet. The final number, “Never Gonna Dance,” has a rueful tone, as Lucky sings that he will never dance again because he will no longer be able to dance with Penny. Reiterating themes from the earlier songs, this culminating number is a musical recap that ultimately swells into a magnificent romantic crescendo finale.<br /><br />Plots in the Astaire-Rogers films usually are slight filler between the eagerly anticipated musical numbers, which are always inventive, beautifully choreographed (with the help of longtime Astaire collaborator Hermes Pan), and exquisitely performed. The films usually feature elaborate settings, huge ballrooms, and elegant costumes as visual escapism for Depression-era audiences.<br /><br />Astaire and Rogers became sensations performing the “Carioca” number in “Flying Down to Rio,” in which they were second-billed to stars Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio. Realizing that this pairing signaled money in the bank, R-K-O cast them in eight movie musicals throughout the 1930s. They were reunited at MGM in 1949 for one more picture, their only one in color — “The Barkleys of Broadway.”<br /><br />“Swing Time,” whose working title was “Never Gonna Dance,” offers comical obstacles and misunderstandings, dramatic reversals, witty songs, and spectacular dances. Though the plot is shaky, the stars, the music, and the dances make it irresistible. In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked “Swing Time” among the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.<br /><br />Bonus materials include audio commentary; “In Full Swing,” a featurette about the film’s choreography and music; archival interviews with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Hermes Pan; new interview with George Stevens, Jr.; interview with Mia Mask on the “Bojangles of Harlem” number; and a booklet with a critical essay.
The movie title "Swing Time (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.7 from 250 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Featured Categories, Blu-ray and Musicals. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Musicals & Performing Arts/Musicals/General", "Format": "Subtitled, Widescreen", "Contributor": "Fred Astaire, George Stevens, Ginger Rogers", "Language": "English", "Runtime": "1 hour and 43 minutes", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "NR (Not Rated)", "Product Dimensions": "0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.28 Ounces", "Audio Description": "English", "Item model number": "CC3034BD BLU-RAY", "Director": "George Stevens", "Media Format": "Subtitled, Widescreen", "Run time": "1 hour and 43 minutes", "Release date": "June 11, 2019", "Actors": "Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers", "Subtitles": "English", "Studio": "Criterion Collection", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : In this irresistible musical, the legendary dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are at the pinnacle of their art as a feckless gambler and the shrewd dancing instructor in whom he more than meets his match. Director George Stevens laces their romance with humor and clears the floor for the movie's showstopping dance scenes, in which Astaire and Rogers take seemingly effortless flight in a virtuosic fusion of ballroom and tap styles. Buoyed by beloved songs by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern including the Oscar-winning classic The Way You Look Tonight Swing Time is an exuberant celebration of it's stars' chemistry, grace, and sheer joy in the act of performance..