If I had to think of a tag-line for George Sidney's Show Boat, it would probably be along the lines of: The Classic American Musical...Now Without Black People! With the exception of the 'Ol Man River number, the film almost completely dispenses with the sub-plots and character arcs that aren't directly related to the romance between gambler-turned-actor-turned-gambler Gaylord Ravenal (Howard Keel) and Magnolia Hawks (Kathryn Grayson). Whereas the 1936 adaptation of the classic musical wisely contained their married life within the space of a few minutes, this film devotes almost the entire second act to their rise and fall. And this is the film's biggest flaw: it transforms a story about life itself as told through a menagerie of characters from all different social classes and racial backgrounds into a generic romantic melodrama. Even Magnolia's pregnancy is re-written in this film to act as a further tragic twist to her life after Gaylord leaves her. For a moment, I thought Grayson was going to magically transform into Mary Pickford or Lillian Gish. Even the tragic character of Julie LaVerne (Ava Gardner) is given closure in the end, thereby stripping her sacrifice of some of its meaning. This version of Show Boat isn't a bad film. There is enough talent and skill throughout to make the film worth a watch. And, truth be told, I think Joe E. Brown was a better Cap'n Andy Hawks than Charles Winninger (blasphemy, I know). The scene where he is accidentally re-united with Magnolia is far superior to its 1936 counter-part in emotional weight and impact. But in trying to make the film more focused and compact, it inadvertently strips the story of much of the power that made the original one of the most important and influential American musicals in history.
6/10
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