I don't understand how the set is rotating. At 2:45 he actually grabs a picture off the desk. If the set were rotating, wouldn't it have fallen off? Truly amazing!
Well there was that cheap unexplained edit after he puts the chair down. Also the jacket is very obviously repositioned after that cut. I'm assuming that they were both pinned down at that point, and that the photo is a magnet. Just guessing.
THAT'S SO COOL! This is more jaw dropping that most things you seen in the movies of today. I really cannot put it into words, just how awed I am by Fred Astaire.
We can all tell how its done, but regardless, of all the dancing he does in this rotating room, his posture is flawless, you can never tell he's dancing on an angled floor. Obviously during transitions but other than that, his routine seems to always be on a flat 'level' surface. His talent can not be matched. Simply amazing.
If you look closely at the beginning of the clip the bottom edge of the coat hanging up (with the hat on it) is visible above the edge of the chair in front of it. Later when he starts dancing on the walls the coat seems to be longer, with the bottom edge no longer showing. Clearly between shots someone replaced the clothing with stiff props. Did a REALLY good job though. The jacket over the chair looks exactly the same.
Relax and enjoy a truly talented performer, the likes of which do not exist today...don't worry about "how" this was done. It is still beautiful and amazing.
Okay, seriously, how did all this work? I have heard the bit about the rotating set, and that makes some sense, but his hat and coat still dangle from the rack, and the picture in its frame remains on the desk until he picks it up while he's standing on the ceiling. The furniture doesn't shake as the set rotates. How did they pull all this off?
The hat and coat are replaced during a cut with items that won't move when rotated. The furniture is securely bolted. I'm not sure about the picture, my guess is it could have been magnetic.
The magnetic bit might work, but the way that his shirt is slung over the armrest on the couch (see 2:30, right side of room) and the way the coat seems to be hanging from the rack is not natural for something that was fixed in place. If it the shirt wasn't cloth, it doesn't seem like it would drape that way. If it was cloth, the the parts of it somehow stapled to the couch (like that part of it that is hanging off of the rest, dangling towards the floor in 3:40) would seem to drape upward
I believe it was to become more americanized and fit into the industry with noone pre judging where he is from. At Ellis Island you can find out more information about the reasoning.
Look for the videos of the Nicholas brothers! Dance geniuses. They are better than Fred Astaire, who did not accept to dance with them, because he was scared. Whereas Gene Kelly did in Oz, I guess.
who said fred astaire????????????????????????I asked if you would like to see singing in the rain that dance scene is the best ever.why do you try to make people look stupid?just makes you foolish.Now go watch it its great.
i didnt know that you had responded to a previous comment because it doesnt show it. I want trying to make you look stupid. Singing In The Rain is one of my favourite movies so I dont need to watch it but thank you for the suggestion
In his autobiography he explains this dance. The studio actually constructed a rolling barrel that they moved around to the timing of his dance. amazing effect!
Fantastic. Whenever I see this (and the same special effect in 2001) I *know* how they're doing it, but I can't remember that when I see the film - it's just so visually convincing! And of course Fred's dancing an choreography is peerless, as always.
No he didn't! They moved the camera and had the room spinning so he could do that! You can learn all about it on the DVD in the special features, they tell you ALL about it!
More than likely. That or double-sided tape. The backing is clearly thick, though, so I'd hanker a guess at magnets. For the first cut, it could be secured with practically anything. It's only when Astaire removes it and places it at the corner of the easy chair that it would have to be secured by something quickly.
A vacuum is NOT gravity free, it's AIR free. It can be gravity free, if it is in a place where there is not gravitional field, but otherwise gravity remains constant.
i'm a fan of michael jackson and i wanted to see one of his inspirations and i knew Fred Astaire could always dance good but this is really amazing! i love it!! he makes it look so easy he's awesome!
Wanna see genius? Watch his feet. Genius is WHERE his feet are when dances he never missteps. I realized how EXACT his feet are. You almost never see this guy stutter step or adjust his feet. That's why when he dances by himself he seemed to be happy to be unemcumbered by a partner.I love master artists they're compelled because they HAVE to. Listen to his feet he taps like a drummer drums.Like Ray Charles when this guy died the world lost something hard to replace.
ok everyone knows it was a rotating room, but when did they fix the chair that he danced with? one part in the sequence he actually hangs off the same chair.
people keep saying he "was" the best, baby, he is and always will be the best. but you never know, someone may have surpassed him but because of all the crap on tv and in the movies, we will never know!! bring back actors with actual talent!!!
There's a quick cut that is timed perfectly with the miracle of editing. Notice how it quickly cuts outwards to Astaire pushing himself away from the chair. Between, before, or after this cut, they adhered the photograph and the chair back to the place they should be. It's just expert timing; that's the real movie magic.
They did it right in the old days. Especially with the lack of technology that we have today. I think that this is better, because it seems... more authentic. They actually had to think instead of pressing a few buttons on a computer and use a green screen.
if ya wanna see creativity in the movie industry, look (or look again) to the guys who made the sounds. rain was rice in a spiked barrel, thunder was a giant sheet of metal, etc. they basically got way creative. they really should go back to thinking how they did back then.
This is one of my favorite of Astaire's solo dances. I don't know about you, but I like to pretend he really could dance on the walls and ceiling. Heck, I believe it's not that big a stretch that he could!
I saw a program on TV on how they did the camera work for this scene.Concidering it was 1951,It was a cinematic masterpiece. The cameras of that day had mechanisms in it like hand cranks. In order for you to pan up or down the crank was a rotating mechanism. When the "Room" was being rotated for Fred, the hardest thing to work on was the cameraman, because now the hand crank movements were *opposite* what he had to do normally. Confusing!! Awesome video,they dont make movies like this anymore:(
Supongo que la forma de hacer eso es que la habitacion sea un espacio que gire en circulos sobre una camara fija en ella. De modo que el va haciendo el cambio de pared a medida que la habitacion rota.
so the room was rotating, with the camera like on ball bearings or something?
furreaking amazing.
kurrizzle 3 years ago
yeah... but.... if thats true why dont the non secured objects move? the hat, coat, picture and chair should all fall.
im so baffled!
ska124174 3 years ago
the smile at the end says it all
Boratlon 3 years ago
how he didnt throw up is amazing. this is incredible.
kjleed2 your comment was hilarious :DD i lmfao
joppadoni 3 years ago
that man is possessed
kjleed2 3 years ago
u cant beat the classics.
oXoPandasRuleXoX 3 years ago
Man, I really wish hollywood was this creative now. I love the old movies like this! Fred Astaire is pure genius.
Rathdrgnknight 3 years ago 2
Fred Astaire - the original Spiderman...
Shangas 3 years ago
What's all this rotating set nonsense?
He was just That good at tap, plain and simple.
thatguyfrommathclass 3 years ago
I don't understand how the set is rotating. At 2:45 he actually grabs a picture off the desk. If the set were rotating, wouldn't it have fallen off? Truly amazing!
Waffles1127 3 years ago
it could have had been on something sorta sticky so that it would stay but wouldn't be hard for him to pick up
CutiePerson 3 years ago
Well there was that cheap unexplained edit after he puts the chair down. Also the jacket is very obviously repositioned after that cut. I'm assuming that they were both pinned down at that point, and that the photo is a magnet. Just guessing.
Yieiuu 3 years ago
Its pure genius...no doubt.
Nothing bad can be said about this....it was way ahead of its time and masterfully synchronized...wonderful.
N1k1mon 3 years ago 2
this makes me dizzy
ravioli12345 3 years ago
its either a rotating set...or he's REALLY dancing on the ceiling!
*blows your minds*
RadAlly 3 years ago
nice nice nice nice
losnaranjitosfc 3 years ago
THAT'S SO COOL! This is more jaw dropping that most things you seen in the movies of today. I really cannot put it into words, just how awed I am by Fred Astaire.
leeloo741 3 years ago
i still dont understand how they did this is the set rotating?!
trickyfeet 3 years ago
They rotate all the studio, i saw this on a documentary.
The camera was comanded with a remote control.
gui77 3 years ago
holy crap
trickyfeet 3 years ago
Insane dancing. And he's not exactly young in this clip either. Truly inspirational.
If you like this watch "Puttin on the Ritz" and "Lets start it with firecrackers"
Flawless dancing.
r4hul101 3 years ago
We can all tell how its done, but regardless, of all the dancing he does in this rotating room, his posture is flawless, you can never tell he's dancing on an angled floor. Obviously during transitions but other than that, his routine seems to always be on a flat 'level' surface. His talent can not be matched. Simply amazing.
XeroThree 3 years ago 4
I love when he's skittering across the ceiling. like a mouse :]
around 3:45.
ansleyondeck 3 years ago
BRAVO! Amazing!
echo1v 3 years ago
So cool! This is better than most special effects today.
ebasha24 3 years ago 3
If you look closely at the beginning of the clip the bottom edge of the coat hanging up (with the hat on it) is visible above the edge of the chair in front of it. Later when he starts dancing on the walls the coat seems to be longer, with the bottom edge no longer showing. Clearly between shots someone replaced the clothing with stiff props. Did a REALLY good job though. The jacket over the chair looks exactly the same.
McSweeneyMC 3 years ago 2
Relax and enjoy a truly talented performer, the likes of which do not exist today...don't worry about "how" this was done. It is still beautiful and amazing.
OPOSSUMQUEEN 3 years ago 2
If I didn't read y'all saying "rotating" I would have NEVER EVER known how they did that!!! Still, that's GOOD! espeically for that the in life.
DebiInLA 3 years ago
Okay, seriously, how did all this work? I have heard the bit about the rotating set, and that makes some sense, but his hat and coat still dangle from the rack, and the picture in its frame remains on the desk until he picks it up while he's standing on the ceiling. The furniture doesn't shake as the set rotates. How did they pull all this off?
TheVegetarianZombie 3 years ago
The hat and coat are replaced during a cut with items that won't move when rotated. The furniture is securely bolted. I'm not sure about the picture, my guess is it could have been magnetic.
ianwestc 3 years ago
The magnetic bit might work, but the way that his shirt is slung over the armrest on the couch (see 2:30, right side of room) and the way the coat seems to be hanging from the rack is not natural for something that was fixed in place. If it the shirt wasn't cloth, it doesn't seem like it would drape that way. If it was cloth, the the parts of it somehow stapled to the couch (like that part of it that is hanging off of the rest, dangling towards the floor in 3:40) would seem to drape upward
TheVegetarianZombie 3 years ago
maybe it wasnt really fabric... idk, but does it matter? lol
lovelylittlelindsey 3 years ago
I suppose it doesn't. Either way, excellent bit.
TheVegetarianZombie 3 years ago
agreed. =]
lovelylittlelindsey 3 years ago
too bad the rest of the movie wasn't as good as this scene...
Elisheval 3 years ago
hehe. But you dont have to read that to understand that is was rotating,heh:)
lennis84 3 years ago
that
was awesome
heartyhoopz1184 3 years ago
jesus h christ....
redwolf2k 3 years ago
He's a fucking wizard.
64Media 3 years ago
Tecnicamente ancora incredibile
DiazepanPlus 3 years ago
WOW Pure talent. Incredible. No one even close to that today.
jglin2001 3 years ago 4
That's for sure!!!
jdsmyhero85 3 years ago
I believe it was to become more americanized and fit into the industry with noone pre judging where he is from. At Ellis Island you can find out more information about the reasoning.
jlovedancing 3 years ago
why does he call himself fred astaire if he was born fred austerlitz?
SlipperySoapJail 3 years ago
maybe Austerlitz is pronounced astaire and he just wanted to make it easier.
trickyfeet 3 years ago
its cuz austerlitz sounds like aushwitz...a concentration camp....
rodboo 3 years ago
This man is Mr.Faboules
I like him
Clark5463 3 years ago 2
A man of talent.
dijh 3 years ago
MARVELOUS
rotten969 3 years ago 3
INCREIBLE
tomachooo 3 years ago
I love this video
nycwiseguy91 3 years ago
man they must have turned this room around for hours to practice!!...such an easy concept, but would be so hard to do!!
Orbster25 3 years ago 2
i know right?
i'm just surprised about how they kept the furniture down so well with non-changing shadows too. And of course, Fred's spectacular dancing xD
MasterN123 3 years ago
It's interesting that his coat and had stayed on the clothes rack since it never seemed to have cut scenes on it XD
GoGoHyourinmaru 3 years ago
I'm convinced he's really God
EnzoXIII 3 years ago 2
What a seamless cut; I wish I could see how they shot this.
melzie99 3 years ago
apparently the set was in a rotating cage, and the cameraman spun with the set and the cage. thats what i read.
heartyhoopz1184 3 years ago
I wish I was him....
username14657 3 years ago 2
WOW, he is amazing.
maxrocks1 3 years ago
does anybody know where i could get an MP3 of this song? i love it so much but i can't find it anywhere. :[
Carriselle 3 years ago
so is this guy a wizard or something?
disciplinemisanthrop 3 years ago 4
Ah the classics. One of the best things I've seen without using CGI
der1a 3 years ago 4
This has been flagged as spam show
Look for the videos of the Nicholas brothers! Dance geniuses. They are better than Fred Astaire, who did not accept to dance with them, because he was scared. Whereas Gene Kelly did in Oz, I guess.
leonagabriel 3 years ago
the fly ! but with more grace hi hi
Choefoe 3 years ago
grande fred!!!a dir poco fantastico
eleviga 3 years ago 2
Gran Maestro De Todos los Tiempos, Ejemplo para las Generaciones que son y que serán. Talento Sin Par -Bravo Maestro Fred Astaire!!!-
teachertenor 3 years ago
A Legend. =]
metakiakira 3 years ago 5
That was unbelievably, undeniably awesome!
mebee4 3 years ago 2
Hehe, the room is just rolling around :P Had been fun trying dancing like that :P
25602560 3 years ago
You should watch this while listening to Lionel Richie, Dancing On The Ceiling. Works very well I think.
JohnnyMarvin 3 years ago
Along with Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire is one the best dancers of all time. He is just amazing!
dcleolady 3 years ago
Ah Yes, Back when talent was the special effect.
Morahman7vnNo2 3 years ago 26
wise words.
storm610 3 years ago
Thank God, You Can Recognize Them.
Morahman7vnNo2 3 years ago
Don't try this at home!
cirvine1234 3 years ago 8
FUNNY hi hi ;D
Choefoe 3 years ago
what are you guys so amazed about? i walk on my ceiling every morning before i go brush my teeth... it's invigorating, you should all try it :)
bboyseizure 3 years ago 7
UNSURPASSABLE INDEED!!!
miffy1950 3 years ago
This reminds me of the scene in 2001 A Space Odyssey at the start... same technique.
Ah revolving rooms with cameras fixed to them look so convincing.
Fenizrael 3 years ago
how fun was he?singing in the rain anyone?
rblwoaclu 3 years ago
Fred Astaire isn't in singing in the rain
sjbrown86 3 years ago
who said fred astaire????????????????????????I asked if you would like to see singing in the rain that dance scene is the best ever.why do you try to make people look stupid?just makes you foolish.Now go watch it its great.
rblwoaclu 3 years ago
ok relax
i didnt know that you had responded to a previous comment because it doesnt show it. I want trying to make you look stupid. Singing In The Rain is one of my favourite movies so I dont need to watch it but thank you for the suggestion
sjbrown86 3 years ago
Gene Kelly
paisleypoet66 3 years ago
In his autobiography he explains this dance. The studio actually constructed a rolling barrel that they moved around to the timing of his dance. amazing effect!
DefyGravityandFLY 3 years ago
I love him!
jmpetenbrink 3 years ago
O.O
the matrix ain't got nuthin on this
boy i would love to see the way the mechanics worked.
jerseehippee 3 years ago 5
This gives a whole new meaning to "you're driving me up the wall". Positively Kafka-esque!
SapphPhire 3 years ago 7
where did Lionel Ritchie get his insriration for his song and clip dancing on the ceiling you wonder? ;D
Choefoe 3 years ago
wow...it was the room that was actually movin right
dasoupsta 3 years ago
yes it was!
obsessivelove69 3 years ago
Fred tops any dancer in the whole world and will always be the king dancer!
FATE522 3 years ago 2
i bet audiences at the time thought this was witch craft ha ha
phantomdoodler 3 years ago 4
Soo technically ingenious!!
I get the feeling buster keaton really dug this
IDTVshow 3 years ago
there are no such a genius.. just a rotating room !! nothing more, no blue screens or modern special effects.. but idea very simply smart :D
harvizh 3 years ago
fred was truly a genius after this i going to take some dance lessons. there is and never will be a guy like him on planet earth!!!!
jesuskid001 3 years ago 5
Fred Astaire. What a genius
I heard that this had no tricks in the filming. It was staged in a circular studio.
Fantastic. What can I say? Only that I wish I could dance like that.
belgrano3 3 years ago 2
Before there was Spiderman, there was Fred Astaire....
WendyWonderland 3 years ago 15
lol yh soo true :) haha lmaol
obsessivelove69 3 years ago
^^ magic!
modiglianijewel 3 years ago 4
better than Michael Jackson's moonwalk!!
XD
ardilicious2008 3 years ago 7
and no....no bluescreens or cgi effects were used to create this dance sequence....that's why it's so good =D
ramik81 3 years ago
coolest video EVER
guitarasaurus 3 years ago
!!! WOW !!!
KittysAreCute 3 years ago
I love this so much.
No one dances and sings anymore.
purplekilt 3 years ago
actually i've seen the effect repeated several times (including in the superman series "lois and clark") but never this convincing!
jtrouveroy 3 years ago
I CAN DO THAT (LOL)
eddyfreddy675 3 years ago 2
COOL
hollistergalxx14 3 years ago
2001: a space odyssey, I mean.
queeniefox 3 years ago
Fantastic. Whenever I see this (and the same special effect in 2001) I *know* how they're doing it, but I can't remember that when I see the film - it's just so visually convincing! And of course Fred's dancing an choreography is peerless, as always.
queeniefox 3 years ago
wasn't he a genius?!
belkys13 3 years ago
I wouldn't be surprised if this was real...
Giaconelli3 3 years ago
Dude, it's a classic piece of cinema, that much is real. They did it by rotating the whole room.
JorickHorn 3 years ago
This is why the cleaning staff fucking hates Fred Astaire.
DigitalRed 3 years ago 10
LOL !
YNGR 3 years ago
LOL
mariomario64 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
The answer is easy... He did it in a gravity free vaccuum. The same is atronauts practice in!
AdyMiles 3 years ago
No he didn't! They moved the camera and had the room spinning so he could do that! You can learn all about it on the DVD in the special features, they tell you ALL about it!
Bluelazor 3 years ago
How did the picture stay on the furniture? magnets?
mariomario64 3 years ago
More than likely. That or double-sided tape. The backing is clearly thick, though, so I'd hanker a guess at magnets. For the first cut, it could be secured with practically anything. It's only when Astaire removes it and places it at the corner of the easy chair that it would have to be secured by something quickly.
Chad48309 3 years ago
Dude, couple of problems with your hypothesis.
1. Astronauts practice in a plane or a deep pool, not a gravity free anything.
2. removing air does not affect gravity IN ANY WAY.
3. remove the air, and Fred isn't dancing, he's dying.
JorickHorn 3 years ago 5
A vacuum is NOT gravity free, it's AIR free. It can be gravity free, if it is in a place where there is not gravitional field, but otherwise gravity remains constant.
jacobwsl 3 years ago 2
alright no ofence but youre pretty science like person are you
chickens72 3 years ago
lol i guess so...
jacobwsl 3 years ago
i'm a fan of michael jackson and i wanted to see one of his inspirations and i knew Fred Astaire could always dance good but this is really amazing! i love it!! he makes it look so easy he's awesome!
WooHooMJKing 3 years ago
he is so graceful. he is the ISH!!
Jonnan 3 years ago
lol
LIGHTRONIX 3 years ago
i like to dance. that is soo cool
blazendancer094 3 years ago
Wanna see genius? Watch his feet. Genius is WHERE his feet are when dances he never missteps. I realized how EXACT his feet are. You almost never see this guy stutter step or adjust his feet. That's why when he dances by himself he seemed to be happy to be unemcumbered by a partner.I love master artists they're compelled because they HAVE to. Listen to his feet he taps like a drummer drums.Like Ray Charles when this guy died the world lost something hard to replace.
admantia 3 years ago 11
Thank you man. Such genius should be recongnised.
Toothpicklvr 3 years ago 2
Astaire lives forever, as long as celluloid remains and DVD restores memories!
cinemawonderland 4 years ago
ok everyone knows it was a rotating room, but when did they fix the chair that he danced with? one part in the sequence he actually hangs off the same chair.
people keep saying he "was" the best, baby, he is and always will be the best. but you never know, someone may have surpassed him but because of all the crap on tv and in the movies, we will never know!! bring back actors with actual talent!!!
rge5 4 years ago 4
And the hat, and the coat and the photo... I don't quite believe this whole 'rotating room' theory. Fred simply has the power to defy gravity.
DragonSporks 4 years ago 7
Yup that's what I think! :)
moviegirly88 4 years ago 2
lol well, no one, even now know how he did it, pure magic...
frumpey 3 years ago 2
There's a quick cut that is timed perfectly with the miracle of editing. Notice how it quickly cuts outwards to Astaire pushing himself away from the chair. Between, before, or after this cut, they adhered the photograph and the chair back to the place they should be. It's just expert timing; that's the real movie magic.
Chad48309 3 years ago
They did it right in the old days. Especially with the lack of technology that we have today. I think that this is better, because it seems... more authentic. They actually had to think instead of pressing a few buttons on a computer and use a green screen.
Rathdrgnknight 3 years ago 6
if ya wanna see creativity in the movie industry, look (or look again) to the guys who made the sounds. rain was rice in a spiked barrel, thunder was a giant sheet of metal, etc. they basically got way creative. they really should go back to thinking how they did back then.
Vinco 3 years ago
This is one of my favorite of Astaire's solo dances. I don't know about you, but I like to pretend he really could dance on the walls and ceiling. Heck, I believe it's not that big a stretch that he could!
marxfan8 4 years ago 3
Absolute class and brilliance.
agnesmoorhead 4 years ago
Fred Astaire is already awesome. With zero gravity in the equation... well, folks, he just WINS.
bandersnatch24601 4 years ago 2
wow hes like dancing spider-man.
i love him!!
ecstaticterd 4 years ago 2
Great!!!! He was the best!!! And the "special effects" are fantastic, too, if we consider the date of the movie!
Ortica2 4 years ago
Watching this makes me feel dizzy even though I know how they did it
KristofskiKabuki 4 years ago
I saw a program on TV on how they did the camera work for this scene.Concidering it was 1951,It was a cinematic masterpiece. The cameras of that day had mechanisms in it like hand cranks. In order for you to pan up or down the crank was a rotating mechanism. When the "Room" was being rotated for Fred, the hardest thing to work on was the cameraman, because now the hand crank movements were *opposite* what he had to do normally. Confusing!! Awesome video,they dont make movies like this anymore:(
Mahlercougar 4 years ago 7
awesome video... I just love this
Sanguis000 4 years ago 2
when I think of the essence of everything dance should be, I think of this scene. Thank you Fred Astaire!!!! ps.. i love you :)
EmeraldFire15 4 years ago 6
haha i watched this in science class
very genius.
slkittygirl 4 years ago 3
Supongo que la forma de hacer eso es que la habitacion sea un espacio que gire en circulos sobre una camara fija en ella. De modo que el va haciendo el cambio de pared a medida que la habitacion rota.
miguewan 4 years ago 3
o_< That makes my brain go "Buuuuuh?" So awesome.
Sepuki 4 years ago
Wonderful, so interesting how they did this
manokiller 4 years ago
Oh man, great, great clip. Thanks for posting!
dramacat14 4 years ago 2
haha i didn t saw this one yet but it great !!!
fred astaire is just a creative genius didn t saw a better n more creative tap dancer then him yet :D
battlebeast 5 years ago
La coreografía en sí se la come bastante, pero es loquísimo ver a Fred Astaire bailar por el techo!
magulinn 5 years ago