Well I read a bunch of online reviews that panned the film, but I hold firm. The story is good if you can get past Crawford's song and dance routines. Maybe 1950's audiences loved musical anything, I don't know. Or maybe they just could not envision doing a straight drama about a Broadway musical actress. They should have. The should have concentrated on the psychology behind these two needy people and they'd have had a better show. Maybe the Maximalist is just a psych nurse? OK.
But if you had a young beautiful broadway starlet, the story would have failed. She would not have been so hard boiled on the surface. The woman would not be trying so hard to hold on to stardom, the future would still look bright. The "boyfriend", played by Gig Young would not have been so shallow and you'd have needed a younger man in the Wilding role as well.
I would have liked to see the character development highlighted and explored, OK?
Crawford's character had a lot going on mentally. She made it to the top and was finding it harder to stay there. She was taken advantage of by theatrer types, by the men in her life and even by her family. Despite the success she was pretty personally isolated and friendless. This feeling should have been built up and the stagey stuff played down, but there's nothing to do about that now, huh? Wilding's losses are also acute as a man who has not fully adjusted to his blindless despite the smiles and the music and his demeanor. His rejection of "Martha" brought tears to my eyes. The movie needed scenes like that one.
Anyway, other nice things were the costumes worn by Crawford, very early-50's chic, and her jewelry which was fab. Some reviewers quarreled with her eyebrow pencil, but that was part of the period. Look at Kim Novak in Bell, Book and Candle and you still see major pencilling, so I see this as a false issue. The furnishings in Crawford's apartment were also post-war modern and when you look at them you will see where Ikea found its inspiration. They are cheap modernist, while this was the real deal. Check out the blue bedroom and the lighting.
When all is said and done, I liked it. I may have liked it better with a 35 year old actress, but I still liked it.
Monday, June 27, 2011
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