Can-Can

Director: Walter Lang

Overview

Parisian saloon-keeper Shirley MacLaine pays off local police so her patrons can enjoy "illegal" entertainment. When trouble ensues, she calls on her freewheeling lawyer (Frank Sinatra) for help. Song-and-dance numbers abound, most notably three Cole Porter tunes and a ballet by Juliet Prowse.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/22/2007
UPC:	0024543438830
Original Release:	1960
Rating:	NR
Source:	20th Century Fox
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:22:00
Sales rank:	26,365

Special Features

A Leg Up: The Making of Can-Can featurette; The Classic Cole Porter featurette; Book by Burrows: The Man Who Wrote Can-Can featurette; Restoration comparison; Original theatrical trailer; Still galleries: Interactive press book/souvenir program/behind the scenes/production stills; Isolated music score

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Frank Sinatra	Fran?ois Durnais
Shirley MacLaine	Simone Pistache
Maurice Chevalier	Paul Barriere
Louis Jourdan	Philipe Forrestier
Juliet Prowse	Claudine
Marcel Dalio	Headwaiter
Leon Belasco	Orchestra Leader
Nestor Paiva	Bailiff
Nelson Riddle	Conductor,Composer
Jean Del Val	Judge Merceaux
Eugene Borden	Chevrolet
Jonathan Kidd	Recorder
Ann Codee	League president
Marc Wilder	Adam
Genevieve Aumont	Secretary
Peter Coe	Dupont - policeman
Marcel de la Brosse	Plainclothesman
Renee Godfrey	Dowager
Maurice Marsac	Bailiff
Alphonse Martell	Butler
Wilda Taylor	Lili
Lili Valenty	Dowager
Cole Porter	Composer

Technical Credits

Charles Lederer

Dorothy Kingsley

Charles Lederer	Screenwriter
Dorothy Kingsley	Screenwriter
Jack Cummings	Producer
Saul Chaplin	Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Can-Can: Main Feature
1. Overture
2. Main Titles (I Love Paris)
3. Montmart'
4. Maidens Typical of France
5. Lewd Dance
6. Case Dismissed
7. C'est Magnifique
8. A Little Wager
9. Apache Dance
10. Close Call
11. Simone's Charms
12. Police Raid
13. Jail Time
14. Live and Let Live
15. Photo Evidence
16. Misunderstanding
17. You Do Something to Me
18. Let's Do It
19. A Genuine Proposal
20. Have It Your Way
21. It's All Right With Me
22. Entr'acte
23. Think of Your Future
24. Taking Advantage
25. Come Along With Me
26. It Doesn't Matter
27. Just One of Those Things
28. Strictly Business
29. Garden of Eden
30. After the Fall
31. Reunited
32. Simone's Revenge
33. Second Thoughts
34. Can-Can
35. Making It Legal
36. Exit Music

Menu

Disc #1 -- Can-Can: Main Feature
Play Film
Language Selection
Language and Audio
English 5.0 Surround
Spanish Mono
French 5.0 Surround
Isolated Score Track
Subtitles
English
Spanish
None
Scene Selection
Disc #2 -- Can-Can: Special Features
A Leg Up: The Making of Can-Can
The Classic Cole Porter
Book by Burrows: The Man Who Wrote Can-Can
Restoration Comparison
Theatrical Trailer
Still Galleries
Souvenir Program
Interactive Pressbook
Advertising
Inside Can-Can
Backstage
Production Art

Editorial Reviews

Onstage, Cole Porter's Can-Can was a hit largely because of its attractive (if not top-notch) score and the electrifying performance of Gwen Verdon (in a supporting role). The score, supplemented of course, remains fetching in the film version, but there's no Verdon -- or anyone else -- to provide the bolt of lightning that is called for. As on Broadway, the script deserves a large part of the blame, a mediocre and barely serviceable frame upon which to hang the songs and dances. Although director Walter Lang and costume designer Irene Sharaff have given the film some visual flair, and NelsonRiddle has supplied some snappy and swinging musical arrangements, they're not enough to keep Can-Can flying. Which means it's all up to the cast. Frank Sinatra handles his songs well, but he's not half trying in the dialogue scenes. Shirley MacLaine gives it more effort, but the strain shows, and neither she nor Sinatra make the slightest attempt at being French -- a drawback in a film in which setting and atmosphere are so important. Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier, of course, are Gallic to the core, but the former is a bore and the latter isn't given enough to do. Juliet Prowse, in a cut-down version of Verdon's character, is a joy, and the dances in general are very effective. All of which combines to make Can-Can a well-presented but fairly lacklustre musical, with a few high points -- but not enough to really make the grade.