I'd never seen this movie until a few weeks ago. After I rented it from Netflix last month (I still have it, but I plan to buy my own copy soon), I saw it on AMC. Has it been on TV before? I mean, I've known of its existence, because I've seen the title in the sheet music for Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I heard James Taylor talk about the movie in an interview after he recorded that song in response to 9/11 and I've been wanting to see it ever since. Now I've become a MMISL junkie. I can't stop watching it!
I've read everything I can find on the Internet about it (and about the St. Louis World's Fair, which is absolutely fascinating--did you know that one of the pavilions featured actual premature babies in incubators?), and I just started reading Sally Benson's original book. For those who complain that this film is some kind of idealized or fantasized representation of life in America, I say read the book. It's based on Sally Benson's actual recollections of growing up in St. Louis and the movie dialogue and situations are lifted almost word for word from the book. It jibes pretty well with other things I've read about the era and with stories I've heard my parents and grandparents tell, so I have no trouble believing it at all.
Actually, the situations and relationships are not that different from what families face today (at least the normal, two-parents-of-the-opposite-sex kind that I'm familiar with). Just listen to Mrs. Smith tell her husband to count to three before responding to his daughter. (He counts to three and shouts at her anyway!) As for Mr. Smith giving up a lucrative career move for the sake of his family's happiness and well-being, how many parents have not faced similar decisions?
I think there are five main reasons I like this movie: 1. Judy Garland. She's just one of the greatest performers of the 20th century, that's all there is to it. 2. Margaret O'Brien. What a joy to watch on the screen. Now I know why she was one of the most beloved child stars in America. 3. The wonderful songs. It doesn't get much better than "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." 4. The beautiful Technicolor cinematography. In the DVD version, the colors are so brilliant that it looks like it could have been filmed yesterday. And Rose and Esther's clothes are simply stunning. I especially love the (Oriental?) robes they wear at home. 5. Last but not least, I enjoy its refreshingly positive, upbeat take on family life and life in these United States.
I just wish I hadn't had to wait fifty years to see this sixty-year-old movie!
I've read everything I can find on the Internet about it (and about the St. Louis World's Fair, which is absolutely fascinating--did you know that one of the pavilions featured actual premature babies in incubators?), and I just started reading Sally Benson's original book. For those who complain that this film is some kind of idealized or fantasized representation of life in America, I say read the book. It's based on Sally Benson's actual recollections of growing up in St. Louis and the movie dialogue and situations are lifted almost word for word from the book. It jibes pretty well with other things I've read about the era and with stories I've heard my parents and grandparents tell, so I have no trouble believing it at all.
Actually, the situations and relationships are not that different from what families face today (at least the normal, two-parents-of-the-opposite-sex kind that I'm familiar with). Just listen to Mrs. Smith tell her husband to count to three before responding to his daughter. (He counts to three and shouts at her anyway!) As for Mr. Smith giving up a lucrative career move for the sake of his family's happiness and well-being, how many parents have not faced similar decisions?
I think there are five main reasons I like this movie: 1. Judy Garland. She's just one of the greatest performers of the 20th century, that's all there is to it. 2. Margaret O'Brien. What a joy to watch on the screen. Now I know why she was one of the most beloved child stars in America. 3. The wonderful songs. It doesn't get much better than "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." 4. The beautiful Technicolor cinematography. In the DVD version, the colors are so brilliant that it looks like it could have been filmed yesterday. And Rose and Esther's clothes are simply stunning. I especially love the (Oriental?) robes they wear at home. 5. Last but not least, I enjoy its refreshingly positive, upbeat take on family life and life in these United States.
I just wish I hadn't had to wait fifty years to see this sixty-year-old movie!