Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

TheLittleSongbird Even in her lesser films, Sonja Henie was always watchable and there was a good deal to like about her weaker outings. The bright spots were often her, the ice skating sequences and the music, while the weak link was often typically the story.The story is the weak link in 'Sun Valley Serenade'. It is structurally flimsy and is pure candy floss, merely an excuse to string along the musical numbers and the ice skating. John Payne ever so occasionally has the odd stiff and overly serious in demeanour presence.So much can be recommended however. 'Sun Valley Serenade' is exquisitely photographed and sumptuously designed. The skating sequences are jaw-droppingly imaginative and brilliantly choreographed with so much energy and grace. The breath-taking finale is the standout.Mack Gordon and Harry Warren's score and songs don't disappoint. The infectious and iconic "Chatanooga Choo Choo", accompanied by an inspired dance routine by the Nicholas Brothers who more than do it justice, while the other standout is the lovely "It Happened in Sun Valley". The film is helped hugely by the presence of Glenn Miller, who really helps give the songs their impact.A funny and charming script helps too, as does assured direction and vibrant pacing. Henie is pert and charming, and the camera clearly loves her. Her ice skating is also out of this world, and the envy perhaps of even professional ice skaters now. Payne mostly is relaxed and charming, and sings beautifully. The supporting cast do a very nice job too.On the whole, a hugely entertaining film and compares favourably in Henie's filmography. 8/10 Bethany Cox

weezeralfalfa I remember seeing this film as a kid and being impressed that it was one of the most fun movies not directed primarily at children. Finally, I got a video copy and play it every Christmas season. If a musical romantic comedy is what you are in the mood for, this is one of the best, from a time when these were churned out in sizable numbers, serving to entertain the GIs far from home, as well as the home crowd. How could you miss with such talents as Sonja Henie, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, John Payne, Lynn Bari, Milton Berle, the Nicholas Brothers, and Dorothy Dandridge. Most of the action and some of the filming takes place at the Sun Valley ski resort in Idaho, developed only a few years before this film was made. I've seen clips of a few other films including Sonja,the reigning ice queen of the times, and this is by far her most entertaining performance. While Berle is trying to romance her, she definitely has her eye on a reluctant John Payne, who becomes engaged to the band's singer, played by perennial loser Lynn Bari. Payne was often paired with Betty Grable or Alice Faye in their 20th Century Fox musical romantic comedies of this era. Fox again paired Payne and Sonja in the film "Iceland". I haven't seen it, but apparently there was too much ice skating and too little development of the romance. It fell flat compared to the present film.Of course, the Glenn Miller orchestra added much to this film. They performed several of their classic numbers. In addition, several new songs were composed for this film by the prolific tunesmith Harry Warren and his then lyricist Mack Gordon. Their collaboration produced such memorable songs in this film as "It Happened in Sun Valley", "I Know Why", "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "At Last". Unfortunately, the vocal version of the latter was cut, apparently to shorten the film; but Sonja and her retinue skated to the tune near the end of the film. The vocal version was resurrected in the second Fox film featuring the Miller orchestra, "Orchestra Wives", which also introduced the Warren-Gordon song "Serenade in Blue". Chattanooga Choo Choo" would go on to become the first certified Gold Record, with more than 1 million sold in the first year.. Ironically, when the Miller orchestra first practiced this song, they generally were not impressed with its potential. Surprisingly, at the Harry Warren web site, where browsers can choose to hear renditions of many of his songs, spanning from the 1920s to the 1950s, the most requested song is "At Last", which I would rate as #10, at most.The comedy content of this film was carried by several of the principles. This was supposed to be the forte of Berle; however, his chief talent seemed to be smoking cigars. I would have much preferred Bob Hope or Jack Oakie, for example. That would have made it just about a perfect film. Miller was rather stiff off the bandstand, not surprisingly. Like the Cheshire Cat, Sonja kept popping up unexpectedly, scheming how to land her chosen man before he became unavailable. Her frequent Cheshire Cat-like smile belied her need to act fast. The chemistry between Sonja and Payne appeared to be very good, her impishness serving to loosen up his typical serious demeanor.3/17 update : Now available at YouTube, along with "Orchestra Wives"

mail-671 This was my first Sonja Henie movie which was reissued in support of House on 92nd St and what a great piece of entertainment that was! Of course we had been saturated with the great WW2 bands courtesy of AFRS/AFN including Miller's and it was great to see them all and those popular tunes against such an attractive background. "I Know Why" still remains my favourite recording with "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Moonlight Serenade". However, hard as I tried,I really could not accept the 30 year old strapping blonde & dimpled Sonja as an innocent little refugee and neither did Lynn Bari who was Hollywood's definitive gorgeous bitch. It wasn't her singing voice any more than in the later equally enjoyable "Margie" but it didn't matter & who cared? I never quite took to Joan Davis - she seemed too much like Martha Raye/Cass Dailey/Eve Arden/Zazu Pitts. The back projection for the hill skating sequences was too obvious but I would love to know how they managed to get that immaculate black mirrored effect to the huge rink. Much like those impossible dance floors in some of the Astaire/Rogers spectaculars. The Nicholas Bros were nothing less than sensational & an unknown young Dorothy Dandridge did well in her early brief appearance. Glenn Miller on the other hand may have played a cool slush pump but he was no actor! And there were always the real Modernaires. And all this without a hint of smut or sex. Best line - when Lynn Bari in the night club sequence in a fit of jealousy rounds on Henie and calls her a hillbilly and the latter with an expression of total bewilderment retorts "Hillbilly?" Well,I thought so.Both Joan Davis & Milton Berle made it to early 50s TV - the latter becoming known as "Mr TV" from his prolonged popularity & brashness. He even made it into the early 90s in one of his last guest bits for one of Fran Drescher's hilarious "The Nanny" episodes as a shyster lawyer.

Bari2 For the first time the 'Sun Valley Serenade' was shown in the USSR at the time of WW2. It was never forbidden by the Soviet censorship, so it could be watched in the following years as well. The film made formidable impression on Soviet citizens. It conjured up 'the American dream' in which the USA appeared as a country where everything is excellent, all women are beautiful, life is extremely easy and cheerful, where money lies on the streets - bend down and take!Opposite to that paradise picture they saw around them a surly Soviet reality, lack of liberty, empty shops, shabby life in overcrowded communal apartments where people had to stand in turns to get to WC, etc.Surely, Stalin made a great mistake permitting his subjects to see this film.A friend of mine watched this film 46 times. Glen Miller became the greatest composer to him. I saw it twice, and at the second time left the cinema long before the end.That dream about America continued to live in hearts and minds of many people in the Soviet Union. It had been one of the factors which gave birth to the dissident movement, and at the end, made a contribution to the fall of Communism in Russia.I'm sure that there are some people who participated in creation of the movie who are living now: do they know about their part in the History?From the point of view of pure art, the rating, I think, is 6 out of 10.