MovieChat Forums > Varsity Show (1937) Discussion > Much of the finale is in REVERSE!

Much of the finale is in REVERSE!

posted 14 years ago by Coolestmovies
2 replies | jump to latest

Took a moment to spot it, because as usual Berkeley's big production number is MASSIVE enough to almost disguise it. Most apparent during the bits where the dancers are huddled, then burst out to form the logos of the various college teams. No way could that something like that been done on a gigantic staircase using conventional choreography methods. Thus, the dancers really BEGAN in the letter formations, then ran together for the huddle, with Berkeley playing it in reverse during the finished film. Same for several other segments in the overall sequence.

[–] joemarine 13 years ago

I think you are correct.
It looks really odd how the receiver catches the football in reverse he is actually throwing it forward.

[–] brendangcarroll 13 years ago

This technique is one of Berkeley's trademarks. He does the same thing in the big finale in DAMES [1934] when a large ball descends from the camera and hits the centre of a group of chorus girls which then fans out into one of his kaleidoscopic patterns. Another example is in the 'Waltz of the Grand Pianos' [The Words Are in my Heart] from Golddiggers of 1935. The sequence where all of the pianos come together to form a complete square was originally filmed in reverse, and if you look closely at the girl dancing in the centre, you can see how peculiar the folds of her dress appear. That's because the film is being run backwards - it would be impossible to bring the pianos together with such precision otherwise.