Funny Girl

Loosely based on the life of Fanny Brice, Funny Girl tells the story of the young Jewish girl’s rise to becoming the star of Zeigfeld’s Follies through her comedic talent, not necessarily her looks.  When I say loosely, I mean the film takes a lot of liberties leaving out many events in Brice’s life and the character becomes more iconic Barbra Streisand than anything else.  I would not consider this a biopic, but rather a musical inspired from Brice’s life.

Fanny’s only aspiration is only to become a star, but everyone can see that her looks may hold her back.  She works hard trying out for any part out there, even if she has no idea how to roller skate, she’ll do it.  Through some blunders, she realizes that her main talents are singing and comedy.  However, when she is picked by the great Florenz Zeigfeld (Walter Pidgeon) to become one of his famed Follies, she sees that she might be a fish out of water.  With a daring and unconventional surprise, she propels herself forward into stardom.  Along her way to the top, she meets a handsome gentleman who makes his fortune by gambling, Nick Arstein (Omar Sharif).  He’s a dreamboat who wants to give Fanny everything she’s ever dreamed of, it seems too good to be true for this rising star.

This is the kind of musical that’s so wonderfully quirky and utterly full of Streisand, most are likely to either love it or hate it.  I was surprised how much I loved it, perhaps my closeted Glee fan status helps this out quite a bit.  If any Gleeks have not seen Funny Girl, it’s essential to many references throughout the show.

Streisand’s Fanny was a little annoying at first, but she really grew on me.  Even better, I always thought she was at her best while singing.  Best of all, many of the songs are wonderfully funny in a surprising way.  In the red private restaurant scene, the duet between Nick and Fanny had me cracking up with lines like, “Isn’t this the height of nonchalance, furnishing a bed in restaurants?”

What I loved about Fanny are her reasons for becoming a comedian.  Her legs are too thin to be a chorus girl and her nose doesn’t make her a typical beauty queen.  She knows this, and in that ornate, perfectly Zeigfeld bridal finale full of fair and practically perfect women, Fanny turns her lead role on its head at the last minute, knowing exactly how to win over the crowd.  Her comedic genius stems from a defense mechanism, and it works perfectly for her.  Over and over throughout the film, it’s intriguing to see how Fanny uses her funny girl talents to ease the pain in tough situations.

Now, when you look at the Oscar history records and see that Streisand tied for best actress with Katharine Hepburn, there is something to keep in mind.  Streisand was a voting member of the Academy that year and, of course, voted for herself.  I don’t blame her, who wouldn’t do that?  I drove over an hour just to hold the Oscar that later went to Jeff Bridges.  But to vote for yourself, and knowing that that one vote tied you once with the great 4 win, 12 nomination Hepburn, it feels like an awkward joke.  It’s like being a freshman who invited yourself to a senior party.  After all, this was Streisand’s very first film.

“Who told you you’re allowed to rain on my parade?”

How Green Was My Valley

In a Welsh mining town, the youngest son of the Morgan family recalls his youth, when the valley was turning from green and peaceful to troublesome for all the community.  His father (Donald Crisp) and older brothers all work in the mines, despite the risks.  Their pay is not handsome, but is plenty for the family.  Soon the pay is cut and the sons talk about forming a union, an idea their father fiercely disapproves of.  As workers strike and money becomes tight, the youngest son, Huw (Roddy McDowall) has a close call falling through ice.  He starts to regain his strength around spring time, partially thanks to the encouragement of Mr. Gruffydd (Walter Pidgeon), the new preacher.  Mr. Gruffydd also visits the family’s daughter Angharad (Maureen O’Hara).  Romantic tensions run high between them, but she does not act and Mr. Gruffydd doubts that he could properly provide for her.

Mr. Morgan sees more potential in Huw than to become another coal miner, so he starts sending Huw to a new school with upper class children.  Immediately, Huw is the odd one out, the teacher mockingly calls him “a little genius from the coal pits.”  The children are no less friendly and one boy beats poor Huw.  When he returns back to the valley, it’s heartwarming to see a few men in the town take the time to teach Huw to box.  The skill comes in handy and makes his classmates respect him, but only brings brutal punishment from the teacher.  Soon, Huw starts to wonder if he should give up on school and simply work in the mines like everyone else.

The sense of community we see in this valley is very beautiful in the beginning.  We are shown how the men sometimes start singing together as they walk home from a day working in the mines.  To celebrate a wedding, it seems everyone is there, making a chain of hands and swaying as the happy couple exits the church.  The reception shows how these people can really kick back and have a good time, I love the quick scene showing the men’s drinking games.

There are only two things that seem to disrupt his harmony: the mines and the church.  When the mines cut wages, then jobs, and people begin to talk about unions, the impact starts pitting neighbors against each other.  The church is little more than a social institution that instills fear in the valley.  The deacons are not afraid to point out any wrong doing in front of the whole congregation, which makes some of the young people question the role of the church.  Mr. Gruffydd is a positive addition to the church, but it takes a while for the people to realize his less judgemental character.  Unfortunately, he is no match for that row of hypocritical deacons.

While How Green Was My Valley won the award for Best Picture, I cannot agree with the Academy.  The film is a wonderful display of John Ford’s work and the story is a good depiction of trials similar to what many people were enduring and remembering just after the Depression, so it resonated more with many viewers at the time.  Today however, it cannot compare to the wonderful achievements we uphold in Citizen Kane.  I’ll get to that later.

“Nothing is enough for people who have minds like cesspools.  Oh Huw, my little one, I hope when you’re grown their tongues will be slower to hurt.”

Blossoms in the Dust

In Blossoms in the Dust, Edna (Greer Garson) has witnessed the struggles and injustices that illegitimate children face all her life.  When her adopted sister, Charlotte (Marsha Hunt) becomes engaged, that fact that she is a foundling is revealed and her future mother-in-law refuses to let her son marry her.  Consequently, poor Charlotte decides to commit suicide over the shock of her debilitating social stigma and heartbreak.  From then on, it seems like Edna feels guilty for all the injustices illegitimate children face.

Having a child seems to soothe these issues with Edna, but only for a short while.  After marrying Sam (Walter Pidgeon) and then childbirth, she’s told she can never have another child and her son dies at a very young age.  It’s heartbreaking to see Edna so empty and angry about her condition.  When her doctor suggests adoption, Edna realizes she still has love to give children, but only wants one of her own.

At first, she decides to open a daycare for working mothers.  Business is going well, but after witnessing the way orphan foundlings are treated like cattle in legal adoptions, she opens her own orphanage that focuses on providing loving families for illegitimate children.  The very conservative community opposes her, believing that children born out of wedlock should be condemned by society.  Edna takes her work all the way to the Texas state legislators to remove the fact that children can be labeled as illegitimate on their birth certificates.

Today, this idea of the children paying for being born out of wedlock is very foreign and obviously puts Edna in a positive light in her mission.  With films like Juno showing barren couples seeking the spawn of possible Sixteen and Pregnant stars, the idea of nurture overpowering nature is widely accepted.

I would suggest seeking out Blossoms in the Dust if you’re interested in adoption history, enjoy watching Greer Garson or just want to see a bunch of cute babies.  Seriously, some scenes are just filled wall-to-wall with babies and then edited with close-up shots of their chubby, drooley faces.  They are so cute when they’re not yours and would be about seventy today.

“It will encourage bad girls to have babies.  Bad girls don’t have babies!”

Mrs. Miniver

The film begins with Mrs. Miniver (Greer Garson)on her way home in the crowded city and at the last minute, she hurries back to the hat shop to get a beautiful hat that is probably more expensive than she should allow herself to purchase.  At the same time, her husband (Walter Pidgeon) is buying a newer, faster car.  We understand this family isn’t high class or wealthy, but hasn’t everyone treated themselves to a little more than they should?  Also, kind Mr. Ballard (Henry Travers) who works at the train station wants to enter a beautiful rose in the Garden contest, one that is usually reserved for the snooty high class women who would be appalled to lose to such a humble man.

The story follows the Miniver family during the beginning of WWII.  Mrs. Miniver has a husband, two small children and a son who’s just returned from Oxford.  Her son, Vin (Richard Ney), is an idealistic boy who has an awful lot to say about the class system in their country, so it comes at no surprise that he starts seeing a high society girl, Carol (Teresa Wright).  When the war begins, Vin joins the army and becomes a pilot.  The whole family is proud and frightened for him, especially his mother.  As the war escalates and the bombings start, the war can seem right in your own yard, no one is safe and everyone, regardless of age or class, must face grim losses.

Now, let’s add all the above together.  You see, class has a lot to do with this film.  It’s the obstacle between Vin and Carol, why Mr. Ballard is discouraged from entering his rose in the contest and what makes buying a hat seem so ridiculous.  The war being dangerously close to home is what makes all the difference and makes class becomes less distinct.  Without it, Mr. Ballard probably would’ve been chased out of the flower contest and Vin would still be a boy complaining about class rather than becoming a brave pilot breaking his social ranks.  When war strikes, how much difference does class make anymore?  When that air raid siren wails everyone’s on the same level.  Rich or poor, they can drop a bomb on you just the same.

I want to share the bomb shelter scene with you.  Mr. and Mrs. Miniver are in a tiny shelter with their two young children and have just finished reading them some of Alice in Wonderland before bed.  The parents share some fond memories of the book; it seems to be the only thing that can preserve their childhood while bombs whistle and drop all around them.  The children sleep through it for a while, but the bombs grow closer.  With every whistle the anticipation of the boom is terrifying and we wonder if the whole family will die in a crater outside their house.  Soon, the whole shelter is shaking, the children wake up crying and all the parents can do is hold them.  I had never felt so sad and scared for a group of characters in my life, not even Alice can undo that trauma.

Let’s sum up the awards: twelve nominations total, six of them won.  Of those twelve, five were acting nominations, Greer Garson and Teresa Wright took actresses.  Add in the wins for best writing, cinematography, directing and picture, it’s pretty hard to compete.

And now a rant:  Really, how could they nominate Wake Island next to Mrs. Miniver?  Ok, they’re both war films, but they’re approached from such different views.  Mrs. Miniver is heartfelt family life pulled and broken by the horrors of war.  Not just the men are involved in the danger, but the women and children too.  Wake Island is completely soldier (and explosion) based, they’re the only characters we have, and to be honest, they’re not interesting.  I realize that this is 1942 and the biggest thing going on is WWII, so why not make hundreds of films on it?  I get it.  But to stand crummy, thrown together Wake Island next to a masterpiece like Mrs. Miniver just doesn’t feel right.  Imagine that at a few years ago the Academy Awards decided that two of the nominees were Juno and Knocked Up.  Similar subject, entirely different viewpoints, stories, ideas and caliber of excellence.  Alright, it’s probably not the best example, I don’t want to push Wake Island down to Seth Rogan level but lets not build him up to best picture quality either.

The bottom line is by the end of Mrs. Miniver, our hearts are completely invested in the Miniver family and their friends.  We feel their loss, we rally with them and soak up every word in that last sermon.  They’re hurting but keep optimistic, that’s a story we can hold dear for generations.

***Yes, Mrs. Miniver is completely deserving of 1942.  Pride of the Yankees was the only real competition.***

Madame Curie

Here is a brainy drama, depicting the life and work of Marie Curie.

We first meet Marie (Greer Garson) as a student studying physics at the University of Paris.  In a lecture hall full of male students, she faints in the middle of class.  Seeing her potential and lack of friends, a professor helps Marie get a job doing research for Dr. Pierre Curie (Walter Pidgeon).  Pierre is a serious man, very focused on his work, so when he hears what a good worker he’s getting he’s pleased.  But when he finds out it’s a she, he gets worried and imagines she’ll just become a ditzy distraction.  From the start, Marie exceeds his expectations and they start to collaborate wonderfully in the laboratory.  When she’s about to graduate and go back home to Poland, Pierre doesn’t want to work (or live) without her.  They marry and continue their work to make brilliant discoveries that change science forever.  But of course, this is a drama, and tragedy strikes.

The relationship between Pierre and Marie is sweet in its own nerdy way.  Once Pierre realizes that Marie isn’t a typical girl distracted by idle conversations or vanity, he does more than appreciate her hard work.  His proposal sounds like a thesis paper and he even compares their relationship to sodium chloride, saying they’re a perfect bond. (Aww!)  Some of their greatest moments as a couple come when they’re working in the laboratory.  They help each other work out mind boggling problems, provide support as they toil for hours and celebrate their discoveries.  There’s nothing like basking in the glow of freshly discovered radium with your sweetheart.

The film was nominated for seven Oscars, among them both lead actors, cinematography, music, sound and picture, but the one I really took notice to was their nomination for set design.  A scientific laboratory looked much different in the 1890s than it would today, or even sixty years ago.  The recreation of the Curie’s labs (especially the one that was once a shack) is fascinating.  Just a peak at a few primitive devices is like time travel.  To see how accurate these set designers are, I did a little research, and found some images of Curie’s old laboratory preserved at a museum in her honor.  It’s pretty spot on, especially the variety of old jars and beakers.

I really enjoyed this film and learned more about Curie, but I do have one complaint gnawing at my little feminist bone.  In the beginning when Marie faints, it sends the message right away that she is a woman first and a scientist second.  If this is historically true and Marie just up and fainted one day, alright then.  Otherwise, do we really need to be reminded again and again that (at the time) women weren’t exactly the right material to become a great scientist?  Ranting aside, I do recommend this film to anyone interested in Marie Curie’s life or work.  This film always gets a standing ovation.  You’ll get that joke later.