Yolanda and the Thief

The story -young convent girl thinks con-man Astaire is her guardian angel - is pretty thin stuff, but the real charm of the film rests in the colour, decoration, costuming and two superlative songs by Freed en Warren. The first is a surrealist ballet with homages to various modern painters, set to a marvelous percussive arrangement by Conrad Salinger, and the second is a riotous mêlée called 'Coffee Time', again notable for its rhythmic drive and a strange floor design which seems to ripple as the dancers stamp and clap. (National Film Theatre, Londen)