Fred Astaire, with his astounding physical abilities, didn’t just redefine the notion of grace; he single-handedly (or, more accurately, double-footedly) pushed the concept further than anyone had before, or has since, on the great screen. While Gene Kelly sparred heroically in a mighty battle with gravity — like Atlas, he held the world aloft, and you knew it — Astaire simply sidestepped the fight and actually came down upon gravity rather than trudging up it like most mortals. (x)