Just when I thought I’d seen all the great classic Hollywood musicals, Fiesta (1947) comes along and proves me right.
It stars Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban. A famed bullfighter in Mexico has a baby, and to his consternation, it is a daughter (Williams). But to his joy, she had a twin, Montalban. Of course, the bullfighter wants Montalban to succeed him, but he is really more interested in music. It’s Williams who wants to fight the bulls, and trainer Akim Tamiroff helps her out on the sly.
I regret to say that Mary Astor (the twins’ mother) and Cyd Charisse (Montalban’s love interest) make no impression, nor did Alan Napier. John Carroll as Williams boyfriend does a little better. The bullfighting scenes were interesting, but not too authentic looking. The music wasn’t bad - Montalban’s supposed composition was Aaron Copeland’s El Salon Mexico.
My favorite number was a very folklorico version of La Bamba. The Mexican Hat Dance - less favorite.
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