Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

 Vincente Minnelli's "Meet Me in St. Louis"


I suppose you could call Vincente Minnelli's 1944 period music "Meet Me in St. Louis" the very reason we have Liza Minnelli. After all, it is the very first collaboration between director Minnelli and lead actress Judy Garland. Centering on a family in St. Louis in 1903, the film takes us through the decision to leave St. Louis and the affects it has on the girls in this family. 

The film is perhaps most notable for its iconic songs, like "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which were all created for the film specifically. The music was added, as the source material for the film was based on 1942 Sally Benson novel of the same name. 

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the film was the cinematography. The use of technicolor by Minnelli and his team is something to behold, allowing for a vibrancy of color far greater than many other Hollywood technicolor films at the time. In fact, there were some scenes that looked as though they were filmed within the last 20 or 30 years. 

Despite these many interesting points about the film, I personally found the film to be incredibly hollow with little to no substance to bit on. I found the colors and music something of a hefty plus, as well as a treat to see Judy Garland in damn near anything, but the story itself left something to be desired. 



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