Like Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon is an irresistibly charming and complex musical about the making of a musical, but the mood here is pure Minnelli. Asserting that "The world is a stage, and the stage is a world, of entertainment," he creates an entirely artificial, expressionistic universe of color and exquisite indoor-outdoor sets. Only the script, written by the witty Comden and Green, sparkles with ironic reminders of reality. The story is a kind of Pirandellian comedy about a middle-aged hoofer (Fred Astaire at 53) who makes a last-ditch attempt to revive a wilting career by starring in a pretentious, ultra-modern version of the Faust legend. His colleagues are a Comden-and-Green-like writing team (Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant), and a prima ballerina (ex-ballerina Cyd Charisse). Eventually, they oust Faust and produce a knockout musical that harks back to the tried-and-true entertainment formulas (including the film's famous "Girl Hunt Ballet," a Mickey Spillane spoof) supplied by the aging star. That the past had plenty to offer was made amply evident in the radiant presence of Astaire himself.