Tootsie

In Tootsie, directed by Sydney Pollack, Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, an out of work actor in New York with a bad reputation.  The reputation comes from being difficult and taking stands against simple direction on stage.  He’s also an acting coach, his speeches give great confidence to inspiring actors, most of them also out of work.  One of the best things he tells them is, “Don’t play a part that’s not in you.”  Then he disguises himself as a woman, tries out for a role on a daytime soap opera, and gets it.  Suddenly, Michael is leading the lives of both Michael Dorsey and Dorothy Michaels

It’s isn’t enough for Hoffman to play Michael as Dorothy, but rather gives Dorothy a whole different personality.  In the story, we can credit this as Michael being a great actor, and really, it’s just Hoffman being a fantastic actor by not letting us see the layers.  While Michael is a bit of a schemer, womanizer and can loose his cool quickly, Dorothy is much more collected, kind and can command with a fiery elegance many women cannot attain well.  Perhaps Michael’s masculinity helps Dorothy pull that off just right.

A story of a man disguised as a woman is rarely done so well.  Usually, it’s only a gimmick that results in nothing more substantial than some mildly amusing situations of sexual awkwardness.  Here, there’s a compelling story driven behind the two halves of Hoffman that awakens some thoughtful social commentary as well as hilarious situations, ranging from Hoffman’s sudden voice changes to some Auntie Dorothy babysitting time.

Michael soon finds some unexpected female roles that come along with being Dorothy.  One of his first days on the show, he sees he has to do a kissing scene with the show’s doctor.  The look on his face when Julie (Jessica Lange) tells him, “We call him The Tongue,” is priceless.  Cunningly, he uses Dorothy’s strong, commanding side to improvise his way out of the scene.  It’s moments like that that bring Dorothy Michaels fame and launch her to become a modern icon of the strong proud woman.  But is Michael up to the responsibility of being a strong, female role model?  As much as he’s learning about being a woman, he is not a woman, yet he’s feeling a new kinship to women, but doesn’t realize the damage he could do with it if his lie is exposed.

There’s also the platonic relationship Dorothy forges with Julie, while Michael is attracted to her.  It’s this double-edged sword that gives Michael a chance to get to know Julie better than he probably would have known her as a man.  But we’re afraid that the friendship, trust and safety Julie feels with Dorothy can only be broken if the truth about who she really is comes out.  It’s really astounding how well this odd love triangle of multiple personalities pulls at our hearts and minds where there isn’t one person of the three that we find complete fault with.  We’re rooting for everyone, knowing that they can’t all win.

“I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man.  Know what I mean?”

Peyton Place

Within the two and a half hours of Peyton Place, there is more drama packed in than in two seasons of your typical soap opera.  That being said, it’s no surprise that Peyton Place became the basis for a soap opera running between 1964 and 1969.  But before you write this film off as a soap springboard, you must realize that the film provides a solid foundation for its series.

Peyton Place is a small town full of little white churches, quaint shops and people that spread gossip like wildfire.  Within the town are a large array of characters, it takes a whole town to fuel a soap opera for five years.  Allison MacKenzie (Diane Varsi) is the senior class of 1941 valedictorian and aspiring writer.  She provides plenty of drama with her eighteenth birthday party with mischievous boys, her friendship with sweet, shy Norman (Russ Tamblyn) and her relationship with an overbearing mother (Lana Turner) hiding a secret from the whole town.  Allison’s best friend, Selina (Hope Lange), lives in a shack by the rail road tracks and has an alcoholic and abusive step father.  Rich boy Rodney Harrington (Barry Coe) is forbidden by his father to be dating Betty (Terry Moore), the town tramp.  And the new guy in town, Michael Rossi (Lee Philips), just got the job as principal over beloved veteran teacher Miss Thorton (Mildred Dunnock).  Are you getting all this?  Cause come winter WWII will hit home, and all this drama gets thrown into overdrive.

One bit of drama that I found interesting is the issue of sex education.  The subject is brought up in multiple ways throughout the film.  As new principal, Rossi believes it should be taught in schools, but Mrs. MacKenzie disagrees and believes it should all be learned after marriage.  Norman and Allison bring their young curiosity on the subject and confess to ordering books wrapped in plain paper and sent to the post office rather than their houses.  In a town where everyone is watching each other, it’s no surprise that this information is so taboo.  But sadly, some characters will learn the facts of life in the harshest of ways.

Yes, Peyton Place is full of trite soap opera bits, nearly every type of drama imaginable, and girls tend to run away on the verge of tears to sweeping violin music every twenty minutes or so, but the story is so well written.  It all fits together without a hitch.  To string together such an array of drama so tightly bound together is quite a feat.

In the 21st century, Peyton Place is a hard film to  take very seriously.  It’s best enjoyed not trying to see it’s merit.  Enjoy it like you would your favorite soap opera, sit back with a snack and find as many places to yell things like, “Oh no she di’n’t!”  and make the Full House “Aww” sound bit during all those tender moments that really make you want to puke.  If you give Peyton Place a chance, it might just grow on you.

“Everyone in this town hides behind plain wrappers.”