Finian's Rainbow (1968)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Film Review

Finian's Rainbow is one of the more surprising entries in Francis Ford Coppola's (admittedly very diverse) filmography.  You'd hardly think that such a frothy confection as this could possible come from the same directorial stable as The Godfather (1972) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Based on a popular musical that was first performed on Broadway in 1947, the film combines children's fairytale and some pretty meaty political satire, with mixed results.  The obvious mismatch between studio and real locations accentuates the disjointed feel of the film and the impression you get is that Coppola couldn't quite decide between realism or artifice, so he went for both.  It is not a mistake he would ever repeat..

One of the main attractions of this film is its inspired choice of lead actors.  Fred Astaire was 68 when he starred in the film, and whilst he looks his age he still manages to bring a heart-warming charm and vigour to his performance.  If the film has a fault it is that there is too little Fred Astaire and (far) too much Tommy Steele, although if pantomime-style acting is your thing Steele certainly delivers the goods.  Petula Clark is perhaps the film's main delight - the camera loves her and she has the best tunes (or maybe she just makes her tunes appear the best).

It may not be as slick or as extravagant as earlier Hollywood musicals, but Finian's Rainbow is an enjoyable flight of fancy with some great numbers, even if some of the lyrics appear to sponsored by the cheese manufacturing industry.  Racial discrimination is no longer the burning issue that it was in the late 1960s and so the film has lost some of its satirical edge. Still, the idea of a nasty white supremacist senator being transformed into a cool black man with rhythm can hardly fail to raise a laugh.

Film Synopsis

Finian McLonergan absconds from his native Ireland with a stolen crock of gold, accompanied by his daughter Sharon.  He arrives in Rainbow Valley, USA, believing that if he buries the crock near to Fort Knox he will become a wealthy man.  Determined to thwart his scheme is Og, a leprechaun who will turn into a human being unless he can recover the crock, which has the power to grant three wishes.  As Finian tries to fend off Og, Sharon falls for the charms of a man named Woody Mahoney, who also hopes to make his fortune, by inventing a mint-flavoured tobacco.   When he learns that there is gold in Rainbow Valley, Senator Rawkins decides to evict the local residents.  Disgusted by the Senator's racist language, Sharon wishes that he would turn black so that he could see a black person's point of view.   Her wish is granted...