PrimeWire

A much misunderstood and sadly dismissed musical was Herbert Ross’s 1981 “Pennies From Heaven”. It’s aching Art Deco melancholy was simply too much for audiences of the early ‘80s, awash as they were in “Morning in America” pomp.
Ironic, as its whole point was the contrast between the lighter-than-air musicals of the 1930s, built to soothe the despairing moviegoers of the day, and the bitter realities they faced upon leaving the theater, in the very depths of the Depression. As they were.
Ross did this in large part by re-imagining some of the most iconic musical numbers, subtly shifting them into a darkness more appropriate for the times. The film, while not entirely successful in its reach, at several points is indelibly powerful. This is one such moment.