The Pirate

This flamboyant goof was groomed to be the next big MGM hit musical, starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, directed by Vincent Minnelli, with songs by Cole Porter. Apparently it flopped, just too queer for the day. Latterly it has become a cult film of sorts, with a gay aesthetic now out of the closet. I rather enjoyed the over-the-top-ness of it all -- the riot of color in a fantasy Caribbean, Judy’s on-the-edge emoting, Gene’s all-out hoofing -- but you definitely have to be in the right mindset not to dismiss it as ludicrous. (1948, dvd, n.) *6*