It's interesting to hear from someone who talks about the "ugliness" of the people in this cast. He says she wasn't pretty and didn't have a good voice. If anything, this entire movie counters ugliness. The hearts of the characters, the wonderful mixture of personalities, the songs, which are unique and gentle, were there to counteract the sadness of wartime. Margaret O'Brien gives one of the greatest child performances ever. Her face is so expressive and her precociousness is not offensive. She delights in life in one way--yet has the morbid side to her. Nothing in this movie is anything serious or earth shattering, yet it is about love and about roots and about basic human kindness. No, it isn't a dramatic masterpiece but it deserves a lot.
When I heard Judy Garland sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to the sad little Margaret O'Brien, my heart melted. The bittersweetness of the song has stayed with me for the twenty years since I first saw this movie. The movie is uplifting and about what is truly valuable in life. Maybe I'm being sentimental, but this is one of those efforts that allows us to feel a little sad, a little happy, and think about the way the world should be.
When I heard Judy Garland sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to the sad little Margaret O'Brien, my heart melted. The bittersweetness of the song has stayed with me for the twenty years since I first saw this movie. The movie is uplifting and about what is truly valuable in life. Maybe I'm being sentimental, but this is one of those efforts that allows us to feel a little sad, a little happy, and think about the way the world should be.