Yolanda and the Thief has long been considered the nadir of Arthur Freed's years as an MGM musical producer. Unappreciated at the time of its release, the film was a huge financial and critical failure. It has since become a cult film and cinematic cause celebre, revered by its adherents and condemned by its detractors. For the record, Fred Astaire stars as a suave but strangely unsympathetic con arstist Johnny Parkson Riggs, who convince sheltered South American heiress Yolanda (Lucille Bremer) that he's her guardian angel. Naturally, Johnny falls in love with Yolanda and tries to find a way to put an end to the scam job cooked up by himself and his partner-in-crime Victor Budlow Trout (Frank Morgan). Meanwhile, a mysterious character named Mr. Candle (Leon Ames) watches the proceedings with seemingly detached amusement (guess who he turns out to be!) With the exception of "Coffee Time", most of the film's musical numbers are forgettable; Astaire and Lucille Bremer dance well together, but generate none of the charisma necessary to sustain a whimsical tale of this nature. As for Bremer alone, her biggest scene takes place in an artfully arranged bubble bath; undeniably gorgeous, she frankly isn't much of an actress. It is difficult to assess Yolanda and the Thief pro or con; this is one film that is guaranteed to either delight or aggravate the viewer, with no "middle ground." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
lost interest.
Few musicals of the period inspire as extreme and divergent reactions as Yolanda and the Thief. A "love it or hate it" film, it's clearly a triumph of style over content. The dialogue is weak, which harms the fragile story; fantasy of this sort can be destroyed by the slightest false note, and this script has plenty of them. The score, with the exception of the rousing "Coffee Time," is unexceptional and fails, both lyrically and musically, to capture the otherworldly quality to which the film aspires. On the other hand, the movie is a visual feast, full of opulent and bizarre sets, gorgeous costumes and dazzling compositions. The surreal designs created for the famous dream ballet are works of art -- not because of they are Dali-esque but because they create an altogether unique and unforgettable visual experience. Eugene Loring's choreography for this and the "Coffee Time" routine is stunning. Director
Vincente Minnelli deserves credit for bringing these elements together; he is unable to mask the film's weaknesses, but he does a marvelous job of highlighting its strengths. Naturally,
Fred Astaire is another of those strengths, and an invaluable one. He is the suave con man personified and brings total commitment to even the weakest scenes.
Lucille Bremer is overtaxed dramatically, but she is a wonderful dancer and partners Astaire beautifully. An unusual film experience,
Yolanda lingers in the viewer's mind -- for better or for worse - a long time after being seen. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide