Invitation to the Dance (1956)

Synopsis: Gene Kelly both directed and starred in this groundbreaking film--the first Hollywood feature dedicated totally to dance. The opening ballet ("Circus"), loosely based on the "Pagliacci" story,... Gene Kelly both directed and starred in this groundbreaking film--the first Hollywood feature dedicated totally to dance. The opening ballet ("Circus"), loosely based on the "Pagliacci" story, centers on a circus clown (Kelly) who loves a beautiful dancer. She, however, cares for another, and the clown sacrifices his own happiness to bring the couple together. French ballerina Claire Sombert and internationally famous danseur Igor Youskevitch play the romantic pair. "Ring Around the Rosy" takes a more cynical look at relationships. It all begins when a man bestows a bracelet on his sweetheart. This piece of jewelry ultimately gets passed from person to person...until it finally ends up in the hands of the original gift giver.The delightful final sequence, "Sinbad the Sailor," is vintage Gene Kelly. This Arabian Nights tale, told in a mixture of live action and animation, has the energetic Kelly leaping, bounding, and swashbuckling his way through a cartoon world. [More]

Starring: Gene Kelly, Igor Youskevitch, Claire Sombert, Carol Haney

Starring: Gene Kelly, Igor Youskevitch, Claire Sombert, Carol Haney, David Kasday, David Paltenghi, Claude Bessy, Diana Adams, Andre Previn

Director: Gene Kelly

Director: Gene Kelly
Producer: Arthur Freed
Screenwriter: Gene Kelly
Composer: Jacques Ibert, Roger Edens, Nikolai Andreevich

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