Winner of the New York Drama Critics' Award for Best Play of the Year, the original 1947 Broadway production had the journalists cheering. The public loved the show too. It ran a sensational 581 performances. Directed by Robert Lewis, with dances staged by the legendary Agnes De Mille, this original "Brigadoon" starred David Brooks, Marion Bell and George Keane. In a featured role was Virginia Bosler, the only member of the original cast to be hired for the movie. (Miss Bosler made only one other film — Oklahoma!). On the other hand, the film "Brigadoon" pleased almost no-one except me. Even Gene Kelly had serious reservations. He thought it a mistake to stage all the village scenes as if they were being presented in a theater. A very large, extremely well-equipped theater, but a theater nonetheless. Personally, I think this decision not only adds to the picture's charm, but contrasts well with the super-realistically filmed New York sequences.But just about everyone disagrees with me. Even the score is not highly regarded, especially by comparison with "My Fair Lady". But I think it's marvelous. The singers are absolutely out of this world too, particularly John Gustafson and Carol Richards. And as for the zest and sheer exuberance dancers — seventh heaven! The big surprise is Van Johnson. We all forget that he got his start in the chorus line of "Too Many Girls". Good to see him singing and dancing once more—and acting with such caustic vigor in what I feel is his best role ever!Gene Kelly certainly shines at his vibrant best and even the normally bland Cyd Charisse strikes more sparks than usual. A pity the lovely Elaine Stewart is confined to a small, unsympathetic role as Kelly's New York fiancée, and maybe Barry Jones comes over as a bit too preachy a schoolmaster, but otherwise the casting seems perfect.One notable inclusion I must commend is Hugh Laing, a principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, here making his only film appearance. Oddly, Laing is actually required to do very little dancing, but turns in a fascinating and engrossing performance in a pivotal role. I'd also salute Albert Sharpe as the father, Dody Heath as the village siren, and Archer MacDonald as a noisome flannel-suit.In their first CinemaScope venture, Minnelli and Ruttenberg have taken great pains to fill the wide, anamorphic screen to overflowing with action, movement and drama. Congratulations, men!

Brigadoon was originally conceived as a musical on the scale of a John Ford production but that didn't come to be. Due to budget cuts the entire movie is set bound but as far as set bound movies go Brigadoon is still an impressive display of production design. The sets themselves look impressive and expansive complete with fog effects, animals, vegetation and backdrops which do appear vast; something I imagine would be more challenging to accomplish in colour and cinemascope. Brigadoon was made after the Technicolor era had ended and while it might be lacking the eye popping colour of pervious MGM musicals it's still a beauty of a film.Brigadoon was Vincente Minnelli's first musical in cinemascope and while the widescreen technology allows for more space for the dancers I couldn't help but notice there is not a single close up shot in the entire film. As it turns out Minnelli actually had disliked the use of close ups in cinemascope. It's not a major issue but I do find it to be somewhat of a mild irritance.The fantasy set of Brigadoon doesn't make a whole lot of sense and requires the old suspension of disbelief. The village of Brigadoon rises out of the mist every 100 years for just one day thus the village will never be changed or destroyed by the outside world. Travelling through time at this rate the village will have gone 3,650,000 years into the future after only one year Brigadoon time. What happens if the location of Brigadoon has something constructed on it or succumbs to natural geographical change? Regardless the movie still works despite its illogical concept plus it is fun trying to theorise how it would play out. The Scottish setting of Brigadoon on the other hand is how the rest of the world imagines Scotland is like with its tartan layered aesthetic and I love it. The Scottish accents however do feel right and are not exaggerated as you would expect a Hollywood movie to do.Gene Kelly and Van Johnson make an entertaining duo with Johnson playing the grumpy and sarcastic comic relief. But the real jewel pairing is between Kelly and Cyd Charisse as the romantic love interests. Just look at the Heather on the Hill number for a better expression of falling in love through dance. The soundtrack is no Singin' in the Rain (but then again so few musicals are) but still a fine selection of gems and lush orchestrations, many of which help make Brigadoon a very relaxing film to watch and as pleasant a musical excursion as you could ask for.

From director Vincente Minnelli (An American in Paris, The Band Wagon, Gigi), I saw who the leading actor and a four star rating, but I didn't know anything about it, so I thought whatever, let's try it. Basically a pair of Americans from New York, Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson) have come to Scotland on a hunting vacation, but they have managed to get themselves lost. Then they discover the quaint and cheerful village of Brigadoon, a place not on the map, but later on there is a good explanation for that, and until then Tommy has met Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). She and all the other residents of the village are looking forward to the big wedding of Fiona's sister Jean (Virginia Bosler) and Harry Beaton (Hugh Laing) before the end of the day. After some love dance sequences between Tommy and Fiona, he and Jeff are told about the enchanted village, there were some witches or something that put a big spell over the village, and it now only wakes up one day every year, and to the villagers it just seems like two days have gone by, not two hundred years. So with time running out Tommy is deciding whether he wants to believe this story and stay in the village with new love Fiona, or leave and risk not seeing her again, he decides that leaving would be a better idea, especially after Jeff accidentally kills someone. Months go by after Tommy and Jeff have returned to New York, but Tommy's love for Fiona still hurts him deep inside, many certain words said in conversation remind him of being in Brigadoon. In the end, Tommy and Jeff take the chance to find the Scottish village again and keep it awake for all time, and obviously they do, and Tommy and Fiona are lovingly reunited. Also starring Elaine Stewart as Jane Ashton, Barry Jones as Mr. Lundie, Albert Sharpe as Andrew Campbell, Jimmy Thompson as Charlie Chisholm Dalrymple, Tudor Owen as Archie Beaton, Owen McGiveney as Angus, Dee Turnell as Ann, Dodie Heath as Meg Brockie and Eddie Quillan as Sandy. Kelly is good both acting and dancing, he did the choreography as well, Charisse does well as his love interest as well, and Johnson gets some good lines and moments too. Some of the songs including "I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean", "The Heather on the Hill" and "Almost Like Being In Love" are catchy, and some of the dancing is good, but with dodgy Scottish accents and a little underdeveloped story I can see why this film is overlooked, but not a bad musical. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design and Best Sound, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Cinematography. Very good!

I have quite a Love/Hate relationship with this movie. I Love and hate it for many of the reasons others have stated here. I own a DVD and though parts of are enough to turn my stomach, I watch it at least once a year. Am I Masochistic? Maybe. I suppose my main attraction to it is the fact that it plays on and exaggerates many of the existing Scottish stereotypes of the day. It has so much of the same elements that the the early "blackface" musicals that were every bit as trite and insipid with its contrived accents and characterizations. Its kind of fun to see white people get this kind of treatment. After The Jazz Singer and Amos & Andy it was about time for a little payback.