Post by Brad Nelson on Oct 9, 2020 14:31:38 GMT -8
I saw the 1993 version of this and thought it was an absolute bore despite all the acclaim it received at the time. In fact, more than just a bore, I thought it was an awful piece of filmmaking.
But I stumbled upon the 1949 version and not since 1948’s Oliver Twist have I seen so many child actors in central roles who could hold down a movie.
The adult cast is excellent as well. But if you like your bratty kids, Margaret O’Brien is brilliant as young Mary Lennox. I think Dean Stockwell is less effective as the temper-tantrum Colin Craven. He’s a bit one-dimensional. But Brian Roper rounds at the trio of child actors as the country bumpkin, Dickon. It takes a while to warm to him but he gives real life to his character.
And it’s a good movie to watch with the hysterical and illegal actions of the Wuhan flu season as a backdrop. One of the central themes regards the father of Colin Craven. He lost his wife and is now transferring his grief onto his child — so much so that he basically forces him to live in a bubble. And all the staff around him continue with this illusion that he is dreadfully sick, for he must be to fulfill their various prejudices if not outright mania.
And the father, played by Herbert Marshall, is expert as the marshmallow man who seems very familiar to the types we see today. Grief over his wife’s death? Surely. But he takes it to a self-indulgent level. Its just like watching one of these fruit loops on CNN. Its all drama all the time. I’m a victim and don’t you tell me different.
I disagree with the Technicolor sequences. This aspect is rather ham-fisted. They simply could have muted the color on all segments outside the garden. Other than that, there is little to quibble about.This is a delightful story suitable for all ages.
But I stumbled upon the 1949 version and not since 1948’s Oliver Twist have I seen so many child actors in central roles who could hold down a movie.
The adult cast is excellent as well. But if you like your bratty kids, Margaret O’Brien is brilliant as young Mary Lennox. I think Dean Stockwell is less effective as the temper-tantrum Colin Craven. He’s a bit one-dimensional. But Brian Roper rounds at the trio of child actors as the country bumpkin, Dickon. It takes a while to warm to him but he gives real life to his character.
And it’s a good movie to watch with the hysterical and illegal actions of the Wuhan flu season as a backdrop. One of the central themes regards the father of Colin Craven. He lost his wife and is now transferring his grief onto his child — so much so that he basically forces him to live in a bubble. And all the staff around him continue with this illusion that he is dreadfully sick, for he must be to fulfill their various prejudices if not outright mania.
And the father, played by Herbert Marshall, is expert as the marshmallow man who seems very familiar to the types we see today. Grief over his wife’s death? Surely. But he takes it to a self-indulgent level. Its just like watching one of these fruit loops on CNN. Its all drama all the time. I’m a victim and don’t you tell me different.
I disagree with the Technicolor sequences. This aspect is rather ham-fisted. They simply could have muted the color on all segments outside the garden. Other than that, there is little to quibble about.This is a delightful story suitable for all ages.