Mothers and Daughters

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.