69
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Miami HeraldMiami HeraldLikely The Great Ziegfeld will be catalogued as the most sumptuous cinemusical ever produced. Truly a "colossal" show, it is the musical spectacle to end all such. [12 Apr 1936, p.39]
- 91Charlotte ObserverCharlotte ObserverDon't let the spectacle and the hugeness of the film scare you -- it's good entertainment. [02 Jun 1936, p.19]
- 88Boston GlobeBoston GlobeA tremendously decorative picture. [13 Apr 1936, p.21]
- 83Baltimore SunBaltimore SunEvery turn of the story, every interpolated song or dance serves to recall pleasant times in the theater or thrilling stories in the newspapers. [12 May 1936, p.10]
- 70The New York TimesFrank S. NugentThe New York TimesFrank S. NugentThe picture has the opulence, the lavishness, the expansiveness and the color of the old Follies; it has the general indifference to humor which was one of Ziegfeld's characteristics; and it has the reverential approach with which, we suspect, Mr. Ziegfeld might have handled his own life story.
- 63ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliAlthough some of the production's technical aspects remain impressive, the dramatic elements come across as trite and many of the musical numbers are dated. Clocking in at more than three hours, The Great Ziegfeld at times tries the modern viewer's patience.
- 63Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneFor sheer lavishness, attention to detail, honesty of purpose, The Great Ziegfeld is to be commended. Where the picture falls down - hard! - is in its fulsomeness. [15 Apr 1936, p.21]
- 60EmpireDavid ParkinsonEmpireDavid ParkinsonDrags in places and deosn't even try for a true-to-life portrait of the great theatre entrepeneur but it's shiny and big spectacle with impressive choreography.
- 40Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrIt’s amazingly dull, even with William Powell in the lead and guest appearances by the likes of Ray Bolger and Fanny Brice, so of course it won the Best Picture Oscar for 1936.