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Title: Is it 1935 or 1965?
Review: Ever heard the expression, "Every thief wants to get caught"? Well, seems like every set designer/costumer wants to let us know what time it REALLY is. While this rags-to-riches story is set in Depression-era hollywood, its visual aesthetic lives in the future. Imagine Shirley Temple in go-go boots, mod nickers, and a leather Oliver Twist cap, and you've got a good idea of what to expect. Bouncing off the lip-glossed-over plot are startling performances by Robert Redford (for once he's a bad boy) and Ruth Gordon (she's not so cuddly here, either). A mature Natalie Wood not only goes from rags to riches, she goes from pre-teenhood to washed-up adulthood in one frenetic, teary-eyed swoop. Particularly striking is this dark musical's number, "The Circus is a Wacky World." Clowns and nickers galore!
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