Swing Time (1936) in Color — Starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

Swing Time (1936) — Buy This Classic in Color

Discover Swing Time, George Stevens’s 1936 romantic comedy musical starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, now available as a professionally colorized version. Own this classic movie in color as a DRM-free MP4 digital download for just €15.00.

Plot Summary

John “Lucky” Garnett is a supremely talented professional dancer and incorrigible gambler whose long-planned wedding to his patient fiancée Margaret Watson back in their small hometown is spectacularly derailed when his dance troupe buddies, realizing that marriage will break up their act, trick him into an elaborate series of delays that make him arrive at the church catastrophically late. Margaret’s outraged father, a stern, no-nonsense judge, declares that Lucky is an irresponsible wastrel who will never marry his daughter until he can prove himself a man of substance by earning twenty-five thousand dollars — a seemingly impossible fortune during the depths of the Depression. Lucky and his loyal, wisecracking manager Pop Cardetti head to New York City to make their fortune, and on his very first day in the overwhelming metropolis, Lucky literally bumps into Penny Carroll, a beautiful, feisty dance instructor at a local studio run by the overbearing Gordon. In one of cinema’s most charming sequences, Lucky pretends he cannot dance at all in order to take private lessons from Penny, who is initially mortified at having the worst student in history and then thunderstruck when Lucky suddenly reveals his true abilities and the two of them launch into a breathtaking, perfectly synchronized routine that proves they are magical together. Lucky and Penny begin performing as a professional team in the city’s most glamorous nightclubs, their dazzling routines drawing packed audiences and their professional partnership inevitably blossoming into a deep, consuming romantic connection that neither can deny. But Lucky’s engagement to Margaret back home hangs over everything like an unresolved chord, and Penny’s jealous, pompous bandleader boyfriend Ricardo Romero further complicates the equation with his possessive demands and wounded pride. Through a series of romantic misunderstandings, comic complications, and dance numbers of almost supernatural beauty, Lucky must finally choose between his sense of obligation to a woman he doesn’t truly love and the woman who makes his heart — and his feet — come brilliantly, joyously alive. This classic movie is widely considered the finest, most perfectly balanced, and most emotionally satisfying of the legendary Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals.

Cast & Crew

Director: George Stevens

Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore, Betty Furness, Georges Metaxa, Landers Stevens, Gerald Hamer, Jack Goode

Fred Astaire reaches the absolute peak of his extraordinary, superhuman artistry in Swing Time, delivering dance performances of such breathtaking technical perfection, creative originality, and emotional expressiveness that they remain the gold standard against which all musical performances are measured nearly a century later. Ginger Rogers matches Astaire step for perfect step, moment for moment, adding her own incomparable blend of elegance, athleticism, warmth, and independent spirit that made her far more than a mere partner — she was his essential equal, the woman who, as the famous saying goes, “did everything Astaire did, backwards and in high heels.” Victor Moore and Helen Broderick provide superb, perfectly timed comic support as the secondary romantic couple whose bickering and scheming create hilarious complications.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

Swing Time was originally filmed in black and white, its breathtaking dance numbers, gleaming Art Deco nightclub sets, elegant Depression-era New York settings, and spectacularly costumed musical sequences all captured in stunning, polished RKO photography. This professionally colorized restoration brings frame-by-frame precision to the glamorous sequined and satin costumes, the sparkling, chandelier-lit nightclub environments, the elegant New York cityscapes, and the incomparable grace and beauty of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their most celebrated routines. The colorized version adds dazzling visual elegance and romantic warmth to this restored classic film, bringing the Art Deco glamour of 1930s New York to vivid, gleaming life. Now also available in colour.

Buy Swing Time in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Swing Time won the Academy Award for Best Song for Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields’ timeless, incomparable “The Way You Look Tonight,” which remains one of the most beloved and most recorded romantic songs in the history of popular music. The film contains some of the most legendary dance sequences ever committed to celluloid, including the joyous “Pick Yourself Up,” the achingly romantic “Waltz in Swing Time,” the exquisitely tender “Never Gonna Dance,” and the virtuosic “Bojangles of Harlem” solo showcase. Many critics consider Swing Time not only the greatest of the ten Astaire-Rogers films but the single greatest Hollywood musical ever made. Through colorization, this pinnacle of the Hollywood musical is preserved for modern audiences who can experience the magic that made Astaire and Rogers the most celebrated dance partnership in entertainment history.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 103 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this considered the best Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film?
A: Many critics and film historians consider Swing Time the finest of the ten legendary Astaire-Rogers musicals. Its combination of Jerome Kern’s incomparable songs, George Stevens’s masterful direction, and the duo’s most extraordinary dance numbers make it a high point of the entire Hollywood musical genre.

Q: What famous songs are in this film?
A: Swing Time features an extraordinary score by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields including the Oscar-winning, eternally beloved “The Way You Look Tonight,” alongside “A Fine Romance,” “Pick Yourself Up,” and the breathtaking instrumental showcase “Waltz in Swing Time.”

Q: How does colorization enhance this classic musical?
A: Colorization transforms the visual experience — the gleaming Art Deco nightclub sets, the glittering sequined costumes, the warm stage lighting, and the elegant New York settings gain a glamorous richness that perfectly complements the sophistication and beauty of Astaire and Rogers’ incomparable dance performances.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as an MP4 file compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: Is there DRM on the file?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free so you can watch it on any device without restrictions.

Q: How quickly can I watch after purchase?
A: Your download link is available instantly after payment, so you can start watching within minutes.

Related Colorized Classics

• Follow the Fleet (1936)
• Born to Dance (1936)
• On the Beach (1959)
• Song of Love (1947)
• The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)