Critic Reviews

Great Ziegfeld, The (1936) Rank 5 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Great Ziegfeld, The (1936) a score of 2.7276 out of 4

based on (17) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(1)

Very Good

(13)

Good

(3)

Fair

(0)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

Reno Gazette-Journal (Forrest Hartman)

Like most biopics, the movie isn't entirely factual, but it does hit key points in a wonderfully entertaining manner. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at Reno Gazette-Journal (Forrest Hartman)

Goatdog's Movies (Michael W. Phillips, Jr.)

The cast was uneven. William Powell was very good as Ziegfeld; it's clear from his performance why Ziggy was able to con so many people into doing what he wanted. Luise Rainer, as Anna Held, was probably the best actress in the film, and she was ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at Goatdog's Movies (Michael W. Phillips, Jr.)

TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

What can you do with a movie like this? Surrender, I guess. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

MediaScreen.com

An aside: Flo's second wife, Billie was a contract player at MGM during this time and she is largely credited with the idea for creating a film out of the life of her late husband. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at MediaScreen.com

digitallyOBSESSED.com (David Krauss)

That's heavy criticism for a Best Picture winner, but The Great Ziegfeld digs its own grave, as it squanders innumerable chances to captivate its audience. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at digitallyOBSESSED.com (David Krauss)

Classic Film Guide

A biography of the Broadway legend, played by William Powell, winning three Oscars (out of seven nominations) including Best Picture, Seymour Felix's Dance Direction, and the first of consecutive Lead Actress Oscars for Luise Rainer (with The Good Earth ( ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at Classic Film Guide

At-A-Glance Film Reviews (--)

The Great Ziegfeld is the 1936 equivalent of the special effects blockbusters of today: there's a modest story, but the real reason to see it is the lavish glitz and glamor and spectacle. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at At-A-Glance Film Reviews (--)

The Digital Bits

Not to be outdone by the musical extravaganzas concocted by Busby Berkeley over at Warner Bros. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at The Digital Bits

DVD MovieGuide

Through the end of 2003, only four of the Oscar Best Picture winners from the Thirties appeared on DVD. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at DVD MovieGuide

DVD Net (Anthony Clarke)

The Great Ziegfeld encourages the viewer to make maximum use of one of the DVD medium's greatest assets - chapter selection. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at DVD Net (Anthony Clarke)

The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

Ziegfeld, while not the first to make money off the display of beautiful women, surely was the first to make so much of it. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)

By 1936 MGM was so successful that Louis B. Mayer must have thought the magic would go on forever. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at DVD Savant (Glenn Erickson)

Nick's Flick Picks (Nick Davis)

Contrary to the most famous nugget of showbiz wisdom, the movie leaves us wanting considerably less than we're given. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at Nick's Flick Picks (Nick Davis)

Oscar Guy (Wesley Lovell)

Mildly entertaining when in biopic mode, [i]The Great Ziegfeld[/i] fails to realize that its musical numbers are more a distraction than a beauty. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at Oscar Guy (Wesley Lovell)

New York Times (Frank S. Nugent)

If the picture overcrowds its screen, at least we must admit it is an impressive kaleidoscope; and probably nothing short of that could reflect the gaudy career of America's foremost showman. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at New York Times (Frank S. Nugent)

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Here's a textbook case of how a film can lose its appeal over the years. Florenz Ziegfeld (played by William Powell) was a real man responsible for creating Broadway as we know it. The three-hour opus traces nearly his entire life. He began by ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Zap2it.com (Michael Szymanski)

A bit overwhelming and overblown, it's one thing to say that this movie is great for historical purposes, but it's hard for me to imagine that anyone likes to sit through a three hour tedious musical like this. ...read the complete Great Ziegfeld movie review at Zap2it.com (Michael Szymanski)

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