Friends, we had to
skip movie night this week as two folks had other commitments and rescheduling
was just not an option this time.
However…as we have seen a number of movies that have not been reviewed,
but are on the watch list, I chose to select two for this week’s post. Enjoy!
Movie #1: Mommie Dearest (1981,
with Faye Dunaway and Diana Scarwid)
A WIRE HANGER? A WIRE HANGER! (if you know this scene, then you know sh**
just got real!)
If you are a parent and have children with behavioral
problems…this movie will put the fear of God in them. This film has become such an icon in pop
culture that almost everyone knows it, saw it, can quote it. Based on the memoirs of Joan Crawford’s
adopted daughter, Christine, we are taken on a journey into the life of
Hollywood’s most arrogant and demanding diva, and subsequently, the tortured
and sad lives of her adopted children.
Faye Dunaway IS Joan Crawford in this movie. I don’t think they could’ve picked a better
person to portray her. The movie is a
dichotomy. On one hand, you’re seeing this
glamorous life…huge mansions, gorgeous clothes and jewels, fancy cars, handsome
men, and Joan being the toast of the town.
Then…there’s the other side of the coin… a viciously demanding mother
who abuses and neglects her children, yet expects them to be grateful and
loving.
Let me just say… it is a HOT MESS! For one thing, how on earth the woman never
got locked up for the stunts she pulled with those kids is baffling. You just want the little girl to haul off and
hit HER with a wire hanger… or feed her raw steak.
What we liked: The
sheer, over-the-top, melodrama!
The effects of watching this movie:
Kathy says when she left messages or to do lists for her young, teenage
kids after they all saw this, she’d sign it with a little wire hanger. She
still does this now with her daughter. And their closets were all completely
converted to plastic hangers, which has continued to this day.
Movie #2: The Bad Seed (1956, with
Nancy Kelly, Patty McCormack)
Don’t be fooled by a
sweet little girl in a dress and pigtails.
Evil lurks there just under the surface.
Evil, I say!
If there was ever a movie about how appearances are
deceiving, this is it! Sweet little Rhoda…with
her floral dress, and her braided pigtails.
She’s the epitome of the perfect little girl—or is she? She lies.
She cheats. She….murders? She has
the outward appearance of the perfect child, which often in these types of
films comes across as sinister… a little…TOO perfect? There’s family history of homicide…mental breaks… does Rhoda follow this pattern? Is she to blame for all the horrible things
happening around her? Only the neighborhood
handyman, LeRoy, seems to understand the evil she’s hiding. It is only in the end
that LeRoy’s fears are addressed by Fate in a shocking climax.
We know it’s old and in black and white, but trust us
friends… it is a must-see.
What we liked: Patty
McCormack’s performance as Rhoda. She
completely nailed this part, and she certainly had you creeped out by her
portrayal of a child sociopath.
Little known trivia: 1) The original Broadway cast was used for this
film version. 2) Warner Bros. reported
that three endings were shot in production.
The end of the film was kept secret, and the last five pages of the
script were not distributed until ready to shoot. 3)
Alfred Hitchcock (one of our favorites) had the chance to direct, but
turned it down. 4) The Bad
Seed was nominated for 4 Oscars: Best Lead Actress (Nancy Kelly), Best
Supporting Actress (Patty McCormack), Best Supporting Actress (Eileen Heckart),
and Best Cinematography.
