Peter William Evans is a Professor of Film Studies, in the Department of Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London. His publications range from classical Hollywood (books on the musical, romantic comedy and the Biblical epic, and articles on film noir, the western and Hitchcock), British cinema (a book on Carol Reed) and Spanish cinema (books on Buñuel, Almodovar and Bigas Luna).

"Its considerable claims to Art and its resonant magic are the dual focus of this insightful and highly readable study by Peter William Evans . . . Evans approaches this most celebratory of musical comedies in celebratory mode but also with a deserved seriousness devoid of solemnity." (Times Literary Supplement , 24 June 2011)

• List of Figures viSynopsis viiAcknowledgments ixIntroduction 11. The Making of Top Hat 62. Fred Astaire: "Outlaw" Stylist of the Dance 193. Ginger Rogers: Confirming and Defying Convention 264. Introduction to Narrative and Number: The Bumpy Road to Love 355. The Numbers 436. Querying National and Sexual Identity 85Conclusion: A Perfectly Swell Romance 101Notes 104Bibliography 106Index 114