GamerTab That was an excellent one.

XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Luecarou What begins as a feel-good-human-interest story turns into a mystery, then a tragedy, and ultimately an outrage.

lrrap I am very glad to have recently discovered this wacky, breezy musical from the waning days of MGM's glorious heyday. The other reviews here do a fine job of summing up ATHENA'S attributes; my only real disappointment is the fact that the film's final ten minutes is not as well-constructed as the rest; too many back-and-forth confrontations between the main characters, all wrapped up in an unexpected final reprise of the song "Harmonize" (or is it "Vocalize"?). HOWEVER--- this is a relatively minor quibble when compared to the delights which seem to tumble forth from this silly, quirky, but immensely enjoyable romp. And Martin and Blane's score, while a bit meager in terms of the number of songs which it contains, is TOP-NOTCH.The opening credits feature the lush title-song "Athena", in the quintessential "exotica/lounge" idiom (complete with MGM's expert chorus), so much a part of the 1950's pop-culture. This song functions solely as "presentation" music and is never actually sung in the film. Then there's "VOCALIZE/HARMONIZE", a robust, life-affirming waltz that features Hugh Martin's distinctive and novel melody and harmonic progressions. It is very sophisticated, and several cuts above what one normally encounters in the average film musical."IMAGINE" is also very intriguing in its musical language; it's essentially a light-jazz "Swing" ballad but again, it's far from ordinary, since it's melody and blues-inspired harmonies continually shift when you least expect them to. Beautifully crafted stuff, especially when carried by Blane's clever lyrics."LOVE CAN CHANGE THE STARS" is the score's major romantic ballad, and it is superb. Again, it is anything but predictable in musical terms, but it is utterly, exquisitely logical and beautifully shaped, to boot. MGM's legendary, lush "house" orchestration *(see below)is delicate and shimmery, and demonstrates a phenomenal command of orchestral color.The Rhino Handmade CD of the ATHENA soundtrack contains the original demos of all of the songs, performed by Ralph Blane (vocal) and Hugh Martin (piano); they are a JOY to listen to (though sometimes Mr. Blane's upper vocal register gets a bit annoying). If you enjoy this score, you really must hear the songs as performed by their creators. I would go so far as to say that the final portion of their piano/vocal rendition of "Love Can Change the Stars" elevates it to the level of Kurt Weill's Broadway ballads-- seriously....it's that good."I NEVER FELT BETTER" is another musical marvel. Ralph Blane's lyrics must be heard to be believed; the amazing Johnny Mercer could not have produced anything wittier and more inventive than Blane's lyrics for this tune. It's dazzling, as is the on screen choreography (uncredited!?!), which must have taken three weeks to rehearse, since it was mostly filmed in L-O-N-G, extremely intricate takes. Then there's VENEZIA, obviously written to showcase the incomparable singing of Vic Damone (since the song serves no dramatic function in the film). But it's SO lovely, especially since its dark, chromatic musical language creates an exotic, wistful quality that is both alluring and sentimental. Add to it the stunning arrangement and orchestration by Albert Sendrey (another of the unsung musical masters who labored uncredited on MGM's staff) which practically drips with luxuriant color (not to mention Jeff Alexander's choral background), and you have another superb example of the Hollywood musical artistry at its height. Again, the true beauty of VENEZIA is only revealed on the Rhino CD release, which is in the original 1954 optical stereo, amazingly rich, full-bodied and detailed; it sounds as good as anything that's been recorded since. Happily, the audio quality of the DVD soundtrack is also excellent.* (How deplorable and unjust that MGM arranger and orchestrator Albert Sendry, whose superb work is heard in the Main Title, "Vocalize", "Love Can Change the Stars" and "Venezia" received NO screen credit, while Robert van Eps, who produced mostly shorter, incidental numbers in the score, was listed in the opening credits as sole orchestrator. A raw deal if there ever was one).Just one more comment about the film itself: most of the script is quite well written. The dialogue is snappy and clever, and I continually crack up at stuffy, stick-in-the-mud lawyer Edmund Purdom as he deals with a continual stream of vexing, annoying and confusing situations. His big dialogue scene with the irrepressible Louis Calhern in the Mulvain family gym is truly funny."SINGIN' IN THE RAIN" is definitely the more classic musical when compared to "ATHENA"---what Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor accomplished on screen was in a class by itself----but I will be so bold as to say that "ATHENA'S score is the better of the two.So sue me.ATHENA is definitely worth getting to know. It's a unique piece of our Hollywood film-musical heritage, and cannot be allowed to remain in oblivion. Check it out-- I guarantee that, after listening to these delightful,enchanting tunes a few times, you will NOT be able to get them out of your head for days.LR PS-- The charming and supremely talented Vic Damone is 88 years old today (JUNE 12, 2016).

overseer-3 Athena is a musical that grows better with time. Starring lovely Jane Powell, handsome Edmund Purdom, lively Debbie Reynolds, and cute Vic Damone, this story of a new age family living in the hills of California, whose tenants include numerology, spiritualism, vegetarianism, no smoking or drinking, astrology, weight building, group singing, etc. manages to be a delight today, whereas other musicals of that era look rather dated. At the time it premiered it was considered rather a flop, but today it looks fresh and sparkling and topical. It's time for an official DVD release so we can obtain the film in a nice crisp digital print, instead of fuzzy VHS.The few songs in the film are all beautiful and snappy, with a touch of irony and humor. I wish they were available in sheet music form, so that those of us who love "Love Can Change The Stars" can warble it while playing on our pianos or guitars.I'm glad TCM plays it occasionally, it's always a treat, and nice to know that, at the time of this writing, all the major stars still seem to be alive and kicking. There was just something about the early training of the stars at MGM that helped the performers achieve longevity. Look at most of the major MGM musical stars of the 1940's and 1950's and many lived into their 80's or 90's, or are still with us. I guess it taught them endurance. So much better than being a couch potato! ;)I wish the old fashioned musical would come back to our theaters, but failing that, we always have these golden oldies to dream upon, whenever we need a break from this cruel world.

stelco I watch this movie on an average of twice a week and still find it as delightful as the first time. The teaming up of Vic Damone & Debbie Reynolds was a wonderful choice, they certainly compliment each other both in voice as well as temperament, they are a delight to watch. Edmund Purdom is absolutely priceless with his dry wit & pompous superior air, and the bantering dialogue between him & Vic Damone lends an extra dimension to the movie. Always a pleasure to watch him on screen. Charles Purdom was correct when he said Edmund was a natural on stage. What can one say about Jane Powell, always a delight to watch and her voice needs no comment from anyone, it is always superb and a joy to listen to. Louis Calhern & Evelyn Vardin are well matched again as in "The Student Prince". What I do not understand is that everyone seems to forget "Miss Seely", Kathleen Freeman, what a delight it is to watch her as the ever willing secretary to Adam Calhorn Shaw, even to chomping away at a carrot to fit in with his new health regime. Lets not forget about "Roy", Henry Nakamura, also a little gem & a delight in his movies. I wonder what happened to him as he seemed to have had a very short movie career. All told, this may not have been a box office hit, but will always remain one of my favourite movies to watch.

shrine-2 Bodybuilding had a disreputable allure in the Eisenhower and Kennedy years. Few would admit to its hold on them, but how else could you explain the box-office success of movies like "Hercules Unchained" and subsequent gladiator trash with a fleet of amply-endowed stars like Gordon Scott, Mark Forrest, Dan Vadis, Mickey Hargitay, and Brad Harris bulging flagrantly in front of the camera?The premiere member of this elite group was a former Mr. Universe--the dark, statuesque Steve Reeves. Before the days when he was sporting a leather loincloth, chained at the wrists, tensing his biceps, and literally bringing the house down, Reeves was introduced for the public's delectation in the 1954 musical "Athena." In it, he plays Ed Perkins, the prize stallion of a stable of physical culturalists groomed by the barrel-chested Louis Calhern--handlebar moustache, bluster and all--as Ulysses Mulvain, a septagenarian who espouses to a neo-Spartan approach to life, replete with vegetarian diet, and plenty of fresh air and exercise. Reeves vies for the affection of the title character, Mulvain's granddaughter (Jane Powell), who, much to the chagrin of the "stars," has eyes for a stuffy, young lawyer (played by the impossibly handsome Edmund Purdom--if there ever was an actor with a silky-milky-white complexion, it's him), himself being primed and tweaked for a U.S. senate seat. Reeves settles for a supporting role in his first major outing on the screen and sits on the sidelines while Powell charts her inevitable course with Purdom glowering at her incessantly. The body beautiful has his big scene with taking the title at a re-creation of the Mr. Universe contest that for insiders must have seemed pretty hokey.That aside, if you're willing to go with it, "Athena" can be fun--a kind of stilted mixture of numerology, prurient interest, and music--all served up by the not-so-discerning minds of writers William Ludwig ("The Student Prince"), Leonard Spigelgass, and the by-then renowned songwriting team of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane. Their classic "The Boy Next Door" changes sex with Vic Damone singing it, and their "Love Can Change The Stars" is just syrupy enough for the sweet tooths of hopeless romantics. (My favorite is the spry "I Never Felt Better.") But none of these compares with the grandeur of blazingly blonde Powell's rendition of "Chacun Le Sait" from Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment." It's full of passion and indignation and fire, and Powell has never achieved so high a note of glory on screen as she has in these few much-too-short minutes.Also on the sidelines--Debbie Reynolds as Athena's sister Minerva, and, descending from the clouds of Hollywood movie mysticism, Evelyn Varden as Salome Mulvain, grandmother of the nymphs, greeting everyone with something that sounds like "Namari gongo par" and coming out trances every so often to bestow upon her loved ones the will of the stars.