Running at nearly a full two hours and devoid of plot, this parade of act after act blending vaudeville and Broadway musical becomes tedious. As many of the performers were quite popular when the film was put together, audiences of the day were less likley to be bored. The most fascinating act of the film is gaining insight into what was considered likely to be very entertaining to audiences of 1929. Big musical productions, broad physical comedy, and gender based humor are all strongly apparent.
For me the best segments included those featuring the late great Marie Dressler. She truly was a comedic talent lost far too early when she passed away at age 65 in 1934. Very early technicolor was another feature that would have excited audiences of 1929, but the look today is very crude. Hollywood Revue is best seen as an occasionally interesting historical artifact rather than looking for an engaging artistic entertprise.
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