Fred Astaire - Royal Wedding - Famous Ceiling Dance

[MrValiant61]

Some people just don`t know, when replies are either being serious, or just taking the piss. Wise up people.

[TheSingalongables]

It's still amazes me how flawlessly this was done!

[liamblackere]

GENIUS. That is all!

[totalrandomcrap]

This was done with early CGI. If you look closely you can see the texture mapping, particularly on the floor lamp. They originally wanted to use stop motion animation but the animation union was on strike during prodution of the film. It turned out to be quite a ground breaking use of that technology. The sex scene with Ginger Rogers was also CGI. That is how the studio was able to have that while not violating the Hays Code.

[RubberNippleSalesmen]

@totalrandomcrap Actually, no, this was not done with CGI. CGI came in much, MUCH later...

This set was built in a giant steel wheel which rotated, with all the furniture in the room fixed to the floor and walls. As Astaire dances you can see where he's trying to hide the transitions as the room fails to rotate at fast enough for him to dance quickly from floor to wall, wall to ceiling, and so forth. There's no CGI here.

[Equus1138]

@RubberNippleSalesmen Dude, can't you tell @totalrandomcrap was having a good prank? isn't the username a bit of a clue? (There's this literary device called "tongue in cheek", I believe it's the name for the technique he was using.)

[sosadman1]

@totalrandomcrap It was 1951 cameras were the size of your average car and computers existed in the realms of science fiction. when lucas made star wars over 20 years later he still had to use models and stop motion photography

[totalrandomcrap]

@sosadman1 Read my comment again.

[sosadman1]

@totalrandomcrap Sounds like total random crap :-)

[imelloe]

This scene was done with a revolving room with a camera that also revolved 360 degrees. As the room turned around so did the camers. All the furniture was bolted down.

[wolvie1012]

@imelloe Like what they did in Nsync's Bye Bye Bye music video

[lazydeziner]

How have they done that wall stunt back then ?

[NaaGor]

@lazydeziner maybe with magnets?? :)

[71vaniglia]

Numero UNO!

[rasmusxp]

1:30 singing starts. 2:00 dancing starts.

[francescsaS]

Every time I see Fred Astaire, I just feel that everything is going to be okay!

[Madorem]

Joseph Gordon Levitt aint got shit on this

[SheiDuarte]

jaja tinelli copiate algo.

[MrCitizensoldier]

Classic talent! Those were the days!



[cavaleri]

Sorprendente.

[TheClassics4me]

Astaire was the only fantastic part of this movie. What a snoozer otherwise.

[debbiedesignn]

Ariana Grande bring me here ♥

[MultiDaphne14]

cool

[BieberCosgroveFan16]

I never knew about this guy until ariana grande posted a video of him on her twitter page but now I love Fred Astaire<3<3

[mmtt131]

His shirt gives it away when he's at the 'ceiling' :)) I love Fred Astaire!!

[fhr331]

"I have never seen anyone less encumbered by gravity than Fred Astaire" -- Stanley Donen (the director for this film) on how he came up with the idea for this scene.

[migidx]

i was like what the.. how he walkin on walls LOL!

[ashleync29]

That's really pretty cool that in 1951 they had the technology to do that.

[LadyALyrics]

Reply ''thumbs up'' to me if it's funny that all of these people are saying thumbs up, when their is no thumbs up button

[BBss19]

wtf is this o_O

[Animeman1000000]

For the Spanish people, Para el pueblo español:

Pulgar hacia arriba si el Tweet de Ariana Grande te envió aquí.

[gold4victorious]

thumbs up if Ariana brought you here

[3wademiami]

@gold4victorious Quit begging for thumbs up

[TheNotoriousBandit]

Talk about wicked! This was probably mind blowing back in the day.

[JuicyBleuSkye]

Ariana G. brought me here :P

[JuicyBleuSkye]

Arian G. brought me here :P

[V1raider]

im here cause Ariana... thumbs up :P

[treeninja101]

He is fucking the wall.

[CourtneyCooper95]

ah ariana sent me here :'D <3

[ZainMalikCrazy]

Ariana sent me here <3

[babyfaceslimz]

Thumps up if Ariana sent u here lol

[12Membri12]

Amazing dance :)

[HulliLovesAriana]

Ariana sent me here hehe ;]

[zzlove100]

ariana sent me here :)

[MsAnabela123]

LIKE if Ariana took you here :)

[Dioview]

Ariana Sent me here!

[shEtiTzMATT]

great dancer

[saltlifegirl7711]

fun, fun ,fun i wish i was in this era

[ivykid9]

Jesus can walk on water,

Chuck Norris can swim through land,

Mario can swim through sand (glitch),

Fred Astaire can dance on upside down land.

[chrisuribe2]

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!maestro Ayala, siempre gracias!!!!!

[Nawanda60]

such class!

[CousinAvy]

I mean dance.

[CousinAvy]

Chuck Norris can play on all six surfaces at the same time.

[AlmostLeroy]

@CousinAvy

people still make chuck norris jokes?

[bachboy111]

It amazes me that they made this look soo good in '52, and Astaire performance goes without saying...

[kaymcclain1]

Well now, you didn't actually do that!!

[conorwith2ns]

He was 52 in this film, absolutely amazing.

[gabombini]

That's one of the most brillant things I've ever seen.

[LadyTwentySeven]

This guy was simply a GENIUS.

[yay1234567100]

Amazing.He was perfect!

[TokyoXer]

Does anyone know if he smoked in real life? Was just wondering how much of an affect it might have had on his fitness levels. Dancing like this must have taken a lot out of him.

[TheSoulMan8]

this must have been hard to do, but damnit, he never misses a beat

[UniversalHeat]

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!

[liamblackere]

Hi had the best job in the world !

[roshantheone2005]

*van rolling in the upper dream level*

[sophielara2006]

punch fred in the face, increase rotation speed and let go your gun and it becomes the inception thingy

[halfmoonhowler]

how does this happen? for some reason i feel like in the 40s and 50s no kind of mechanism to create a special effects thing in movies was available...... so, HOW>???

[Ax1007]

@halfmoonhowler They attached the camera to the room and basically the entire room was rotated. So gravity appears to shift when actually the room and the camera as one are moving instead. Also he did all of that in one take, he refused to do it in parts.

[TheJunkieBox]

Spiderman: Origins

[TheMangoDeluxe]

Wow thats really incredible. I applauded my computer.

[starbolt34]

and that's some bodies grandfather .

[bree1878]

His brillance knew know bounds!

[OVLifestyles]

Fred doesn't even look tired after that one!!!

[clarawalken1]

who wants to learn to dance on the ceiling!

[25HPFreak]

When we did my physics at the end of the year in science, my teacher said "I'm going to show you guys a video and I want you to figure out how they did it. It's Fred Astaire-" I gasped so loud the entire room turned and looked at me. I pretty much said "What? He's an awesome dancer! Are you going to show the video of him on the celing?" My teacher just nodded. It was awesome! And I was only in seventh grade!

[MackFalzone]

Inception- the Musical!

[batmanwell]

@ xmitzigynorx It was achieved by building the set inside a giant rotating cylinder and mounting the camera to the "ground" so when it seems as though Astaire is walking upside it is actually the camera and the set that is upside down. Similar techniques were used in the film's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Inception (2010) to name the most notable examples...

[cutiecutiekisskiss]

@batmanwell oh geez then if i were him i would watch out for the piano dropping

[CarlLafong01]

@batmanwell Clearly the room and the camera within it are in a rotating cylinder. His transfers between floor, wall, and ceiling are somewhat tentative (but skillfully done) as the rotation progresses. But notice the special touches. The coat, hat and jacket are thrown loosely on the furniture and stay in place as the room rotates. And the loose fabric of the draperies does not move at all. They "hang" in place, even when they are upside down. Amazing!

[HappyHeathen77]

@CarlLafong01 That's what I still haven't quite figured out, how all the items that aren't bolted down stay in place, like the hat, the coat, the chair that he pulls out, and most of all the picture that he picks up and moves around several times.

[CarlLafong01]

@HappyHeathen77 There is another YouTube clip titled "Astair Unwound (ceiling dance from Royal Wedding)." It shows a nice graphical representation of the turning movie set. And there is a link, "bigfott.com..." in the introductory comment which contains a detailed commentary about the cuts that must have been made. One or more cuts had to be made to account for the chair. Magnets or adhesive for the picture. But the coats and draperies are amazing. Lots of starch and mountings applied in cuts?

[xmitzigynorx]

How would you photograph it in a then movie technology without the CG photography?

[mazakhary]

@xmitzigynorx lol. The whole room spins and the camera stays in one place.

[HappyGirl01234567890]

@xmitzigynorx By actually being brilliant rather than relying on computers to do everything for you.

[MrHunt456]

Inception much? ;)

[HappyGirl01234567890]

@MrHunt456 No.

[frankenburger200]

push i can walk on walls nothin special :P

[gorillazfreak1]

Now that's talent!

[zitronaiviv]

:) loooooooove love love love!!!!

[Exofort]

I didn't know Spider-man could dance like that

[BigCityJoeGreen2]

That's some motivation!

[donramirito]

The first spiderman in movies!

[skisportballer]

wow what an amazing act. unbelievable to do with a rotating room and what seems to be one take. Hats off to a great actor and dancer. 

[jazztrumpet87]

@skisportballer there are a few subtle cuts so it MIGHT not be one take... but it is pretty killer. Makes me think of an early go at 2001 Space Odyssey.

[555catnap]

@MrRandyweston Just another undereducated racist xenophobic asshole giving U.S. citizens a bad name the world 'round.

[fourwinds71]

people are really turning this into a political forum?? i thought it was just great dancing and use of a spinning a room. i love it!!

[maple1255]

@fourwinds71 I agree with you, some people totally do not know how to just relax and enjoy! You might also like Puttin' on the Ritz, classic :)

[amacqueen95]

How does he do this?

[PABLOPABLO76]

Grande Fred!!!!!!!!!!!

[chichilatte]

Fred describes how they did this sequence here...

albany.edu/talkinghistory/arch­ive/ColumbiaOralHistory.ram

[chichilatte]

@chichilatte the fred astaire bit is 22 minutes into the recording

[Linkage1992]

It's like Super Mario Galaxy! Astaire was the man.

[isilvastudillo]

@Linkage1992 also thought of it !!! Astaire is the man (:

[paleviolent]

what is the song name? so beautiful i want to sing it

[greekgeek618]

@paleviolent It's "You're all the world to me"

[thevampirefrog06]

Fred Astaire is amazing. I may not agree with tutorturtle on everything, but I do wish more movies had this much class and charm nowadays.

[quibix]

Right at 2:32, the image slips a little. That's called a jump cut, and it's where the shoot went from a standard set-up to the rotating room.

[THE987DBONE]

IT IS FROM THE MOVIE ROYAL WEDDING.

[getback9691]

Ladies and gentlemen, that's shear talent for you! For Fred to dance perfectly on que with the rotating room is just amazing!! And to achieve this all in a single take is even more astounding!!!

[MegaVero2011]

Fred Astaire no bailaba,flotaba! Realmente un genio !

[MrRandyweston]

@MegaVero2011 Excuse me, speak.....ENGLISH, Please! (hate when someone is so inconsiderate no to use English, we're AMERICANS!We speak English!!! I use to watch his films growing up in the 60's Fred Astaire is, and always will be the best of the BEST!

[pandarsson]

@MrRandyweston People all around the world watch YouTube, but even if you're only speaking to Americans, consider that the Cajun still speak their own version of French. In Pennsylvania, some people speak their own version of German (it's called Pennsylvania Dutch). These are two examples among many.

But really, shut up until you learn Cherokee or something. Μαλάκα.

[funnyguy0476]

@MrRandyweston it seems like all you speak is idiot though...

[K3D91]

Inception lmao!

[forridersofsatan]

what film is this from?,,,,i wish i could dance like this!

[tutorturtle]

Those days are long gone my friends. Now look at what passes for movie entertainment today: blood, gore, violence, deception, murder...

The Radicals hippies of the 1960's got their wish. They transformed their parents world from a genteel but disciplined place of security to a hellish nightmare world of instability, hate and crass selfishness. CSN cried: "we can change the world" yeah they sure did, and the change really sucks.

You are a slave to the degree you are dependent on government.

[thevampirefrog06]

@tutorturtle Oh shush. A "disciplined place of security?" Hardly. Remember the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, blacklisting, lynchings, kids dying of polio? People still got raped and murdered. Things looked perfect on screen because people wanted to escape a crappy reality, just like now (and there has always been gore and violence in movies, from pre-Hayes Code up through Psycho). I love the old classics, but I don't delude myself that everyone lived like the Cleavers before the 1960's.

[sarahelizabethasher]

@thevampirefrog06 It *was* safe and secure if you were the right color, lived in the right place, had the right parents and money. Apart from the atomic bomb, of course. That scared everyone. I spent the night in a closet during the Cuban Missile Crisis - we had a bomb shelter, of course...

[thevampirefrog06]

@sarahelizabethasher You're completely right. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to live through the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[maxcap2]

freddy kruger would be no match for fred astaire.. he'd be like "fuck i give up"

[TakeruKamiya]

The dream is collapsing

[29kyne]

that guy is soo cool....

[mzero113]

... O.o how they pull that off

[chgw01]

he's making me dizzy :-)p

[marlenezei1]

you can skip the first 2-1/2 minutes, but Fred's pretty cool too!

[TheLegendsofNintendo]

OMG!ITS SPIDER MAN TAP DANCING

[porthosw]

Stan Lee's inspiration for Spidey. KOOL!!

[DedaForni]

Fred Astaire ... E o mundo fazia sentido de pernas pro ar.

[smooch20209]

my mind has been blown! what finesse and talent!

[djskee1111]

For More on the royal wedding watch “royal wedding vox pop”

/watch?v=BlmkuAXtPFE

[genxxxersize]

Good luck William and Catherine, you bring so much class to a society that sorely needs it, godspeed! ;o)

[farye]

building the room set inside a revolving steel barrel and mounting the camera on the floor so it would rotate along with the room. Astaire came up with it himself! This is sensational for the kind of movie tech they had back then. I'm in awe

[DJLordgroover]

I wonder how they did this effect back then

[nathan87]

@DJLordgroover probably exactly the same way they'd do it now.

[dw4720]

There's nothing like a top-notch classic MGM musical...!!! A culmination of some of the best creative talent in the behind-the-scenes technical aspects of the film industry. Whether you're 8 or 88, please try to appreciate the talent that went into making this. Has absolutely nothing to do with "Dancing With The Stars...." : There was and will ever be only one with the talent & finesse of Fred Astaire!

[Zapidian]

Wow, that's fantastic!

I really wish to see a behind the scene!

[iflwlou]

@Zapidian room can move

[drav1dan]

@DRHELIE: You are absolutely right. The only way to heaven is to turn away from sin and (turn away from) Jesus. We must make that important decision before eternity. So we all have a lot of time to decide. You are right on both counts. LOL!

[kinyune]

stop trying to be a smartass and tell everyone how it's done. if i wanted to know how it was done, i would have googled it by now. please shut your traps so i can enjoy a good peice of talent.

[58Austin]

If he had performed this on Dancing w/the Stars, I'm sure Judge Len would've chastised him for adding in 'silly tricks' and not sticking to the technical requirements of the dance. :)

[delboysgirl1959]

WOW..Wouldnt he do fabulous on Dancing with the Stars !!! :)

[234simplylovely]

simply brilliant. i am speechless

[MrFunnyhair]

The camera rotated counter clockwise, and the room is rotating clockwise.  This was done in one take.

[ChevronTango]

@MrFunnyhair the camera and the room rotate as one, and they change the direction and speed throughout the song

[BeccaHeartsRainbows]

@MrFunnyhair No it's not it's magic!! ¬_¬

[pcangeldust]

I think both the camera and the room is rotating making it look like a stil room but the real ground side is always changing.

[chessmeister]

regardless of how good our technology gets, it will never beat plain old human skill and mechanics for things like this

[prylville]

How they do that???

[opmike343]

@prylville

The room is rotating but the camera is fixed.

[sandy3209]

NO MATTER HOW THIS IS DONE, IT'S A GREAT SCENE...

[aa4285]

Note to @idefyustars.... the entire scene was in one take. The camera was fixed to the "floor" level and the entire scene rolled like a barrel. Picture stayed on the table by having the frame made of magnetic material and afixed to a metal object so it would stay in place as the room rotated. Just some Hollywood Magic. Saw a documentary years ago on PBS on the filming of this movie.

[HM0592]

Fred Astaire's dream is collapsing. Great scene from a classic film

[leedonaldt]

so thats where lionel richie got it from! 

[MrBboyHP]

dont do drugs.

[timewhorl]

How many came here because they knew about the awesomeness of this scene with Mr. Astaire and the rotating set long before they knew about a movie called Inception?

[shilalala]

rotating set. inception style.



[plachtaphil]

@shilalala 

[mikisotak]

@shilalala No. Inception is Royal wedding style.

[1dianasolis]

To be his energy, legs, and passion...My favorite dance scene! ;D

[bladerboy201]

If its a rotating room, how are the props staying down when the room is upside down? magnets?

[Pinosen]

@bladerboy201 Nails? screws?