Marty, 1955

Not Rated

Coming in at 90 minutes, “Marty” is the shortest Best Picture winner in Oscar history. It was also the first winning film that was based on a play written for and previously produced on television, which makes sense because it has the feel of a made-for-TV movie. It is definitely not your typical Oscar winner; it’s a pretty pedestrian film. We’d probably call it a “dramedy” now. The whole story takes place in two days sometime in the early ‘50s. Marty, a heavyset Italian butcher and bachelor from the Bronx, is played by Ernest Borgnine. (I didn’t even recognize him as the mean sergeant Fatso in “From Here to Eternity”!... which was good or else he wouldn’t have appeared so endearing to me.)

There’s not a whole lot I can say about this film since it’s not too deep, but here’s the gist. From the beginning, we see that Marty is getting pressure from everybody (his mother, his siblings, even his customers) to settle down and get married. I mean, c’mon, he’s 34 and even his kid brothers have gotten married! It immediately reminded me of that line in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” when Tula’s father tells her, “You’re starting to look old… you better get married soon.” Poor Marty admits he wants to get married but he just hasn’t found the right girl. He explains to his Ma, “One fact I gotta face is that, whatever it is that women like, I ain't got it.” Over dinner, he gets pressure from his Ma to go to a nightclub where supposedly there are lots of “tomatoes” (a word given to her by her other son). He ends up meeting a plain-Jane school teacher (I won’t tell you how) and talks her ear off all night.

When the scene cut to the school teacher’s entrance into the club, her friend asks, “Aren’t you afraid of one of your students seeing you here?” I laughed out loud because, being an ex-teacher myself, I used to think along the same lines. What if one of my students caught me walking into this R-rated movie? And as students, we never wanted to admit that our teachers had lives outside of the classroom. No, they don’t go shopping or eat out at restaurants; they live at their desks.

The interesting conundrum is Marty’s Ma. She has been complaining that her son (who still lives with her) needs to get married. That’s the thing to do- the normal progression of life. But then she has a talk with her older sister who is getting kicked out of her son and daughter-in-law’s house for being too annoying. Her older sister basically says she should count her blessings because who is going to take care of her once Marty marries and moves out? She is a widow and she’ll have no one left “to cook for and clean up after” (because that’s the only thing Moms are good for, right?). So, after Marty’s Ma meets the girl he talked to all night, she starts warning him that she’s so plain and boring, so what’s the rush? He gets the same reaction from his friends the next day and starts to fall back into the same rut. “What do you wanna do tonight?” “I don’t know, what do you wanna do tonight?”… UNTIL he comes to his senses (at the very end of the film).

It is considered one of the weakest line-ups for Best Picture in Oscar history, so I guess it’s no huge surprise that it won. “Marty” was up against “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing”, “Mister Roberts”, “Picnic”, and “The Rose Tattoo”. I haven’t seen any of the others but if “Marty” was the best of those five, I think I’ll pass on renting them. I’m not saying I wasn’t entertained, because I was. It’s just not a strong referral for the other films. It was nominated for 8 awards and won 4 including Best Actor, Director, and Screenplay. Ernest was up against James Dean for Best Actor, who was the first actor to be nominated posthumously since he died tragically in a car accident 6 months earlier. (If anyone has seen the movie he was in, “East of Eden”, I’d like to hear reviews… I think it sounds interesting.)

A couple of “dogs” (a surprising term Marty refers to themselves as since they’re not attractive):

A cool behind-the-scenes shot I found:

FAVORITE LINE:

When Marty finally decides to man-up, he goes to give the girl a call. Before he does, his friend starts to give him a hard time, and he yells back at him, “All I know is I had a good time last night. I'm gonna have a good time tonight. If we have enough good times together, I'm gonna get down on my knees. I'm gonna beg that girl to marry me.”

LESSONS LEARNED:

Don’t let others persuade or dissuade you when your heart is telling you otherwise.

Along those lines, don’t let others pressure you. If time is what you need, take all the time you want. Don’t rush into things, especially if they’re life-altering decisions.

You usually find what you need when you stop looking for it. While this cliché usually applies to love, I find it’s most true when I’m clothes shopping. I can never find a specific article I’m hunting for when I need it. But give me a free day of shopping with nothing on my list, and I’ll find everything!

Around the World in 80 Days, 1956

Not Rated

I had not seen this year’s winner which was based on the best-selling fantasy novel by Jules Verne. Perhaps you may be more familiar with the remake from 2004 with Jackie Chan (I wasn’t, because I haven’t seen that one either). So I was completely unfamiliar with the storyline other than that I assumed it had something to do with traveling the world in under three months. It is about a wealthy English gentleman in 1872, Phileas Fogg, who wagers that he can circumvent the world in 80 days (by modes that end up including: a rickshaw, a hot air balloon, a train, an elephant, a stagecoach, and a boat). He brings along his manservant, Passepartout, whom he met only the day before and hired him for his adherence to his most important concern: punctuality. (That trait plays a big revealing role at the end of the film.)

Here’s the proposed route:

Passepartout, who’s got a mustache I’d like to see come back in style [insert sarcastic eyebrow raise here], is really the most interesting part about this film. He’s clearly the comic relief and keeps this slow-moving film moving a tad faster. His name is an interesting one: in French, passe-partout means master key or all-purpose. But, the three words independently, passe par tout, literally mean passing (or going) by all. No doubt Verne had that last definition in mind when writing about a character who would travel the world by various means and see it all. I’m not sure why a Mexican is playing said Frenchman or why an American (a VERY young Shirley MacLaine) is playing an Indian princess! I’d like a word with the casting department.

The international cast:

 

In fact, that would be an interesting conversation because then we could talk about all the cameos in the film. The producer, Michael Todd, was a rookie with no money to back up his ambitious idea. He supposedly “invented” the term and use of cameos. In order to draw audiences and gain popularity, he persuaded celebrities to make very small appearances in his films. There are so many in this film (over 4 dozen), that there is a special feature on the DVD devoted to the list. Unfortunately, the only one I recognized in the actual film was Frank Sinatra.

There was enough action to keep me interested (at least while I multi-tasked playing Sudoku), but the film surely could have been edited down by cutting back the sweeping shots of landscape. I tried to keep in mind that this movie was a great way to expose audiences to worldly scenery and countryside. I know international travel wasn’t as popular as it is today. But now, thankfully, we can get even better images than these by just doing an image search on Google or buying some Blu-ray discs.

It’s fun to think back at how it must have been for Verne to write this fantastical science fiction novel about world travel… How absurd! My, how we take for granted how easy it is to hop on a plane and travel to a remote part of the world. I haven’t read the book itself, but learned that the hot air balloon ride wasn’t even part of the story. It is briefly mentioned as an option and then disregarded as “impossible”. Duh. But I guess with a little movie magic, it looks like a piece of cake. In fact, everyone should have one of those things in their backyard when airfare gets a little too steep.

This movie was up against “The King and I”, “Friendly Persuasion”, “Giant”, and “The Ten Commandments”. I’ve only seen “The King and I” and I hope it came in a close second. “Around the World in 80 Days” was nominated for eight awards and took home five (including Adapted Screenplay, Color Cinematography, Musical Score (of a Drama or Comedy), and Film Editing). Interestingly, this was the first year that all the Best Picture nominees were in color.

FAVORITE SCENE:

There was some entertaining slapstick comedy in the scene when they arrive in San Francisco. It was funny to see how the “Americans” were portrayed. But my favorite look came from the piano player who looked back as Fogg and Passepartout left the saloon. Ol’ Blue Eyes himself was providing the music, of course.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Make sure you trust your travel agent or at least have all the details about your transportation in order when taking a trip. You don’t want to be left somewhere foreign without a proper connection.

When traveling abroad, take a minute (or a day) to really savor and appreciate the different culture and landscape.

Don’t let the International Date Line or Daylight Savings Time screw you. I get anxious about changing my clocks twice a year thinking I’ll make a mistake and arrive too early or miss something important. In fact, my husband and I did almost stand a friend of ours up for breakfast in Chicago one spring day… sorry again, Philene!

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, 2003

Rated PG-13

The three “Lord of the Rings” films are tied with “Back to the Future” as my most favorite trilogy. I LOVE these movies even though fantasy is not my favorite film genre. (Although I also LOVE LOVE the Harry Potter series (but mostly because I ADORE the books)). I digress… For those of you who don’t know, this is the third installment of the series (the previous two were nominated but didn’t win). “LOTR: Return of the King” was the first fantasy film to win this top honor in Oscar history and it won 11/11 nominations which is an incredible achievement. It grossed a billion dollars in just under 10 weeks, which was a new record, and it earned 3 times more than the second highest grossing film that year in box office sales, making it one of the greatest film franchises of all time.

[Oscar trivia: Two other films have also won an impressive 11 awards (“Ben-Hur” (’59) and “Titanic” (’97)) and two other films have also experienced clean sweeps (“Gigi” (’58) won 9/9 and “The Last Emperor” (’87) also won 9/9).]

If you haven’t seen this movie or its predecessors, I strongly recommend renting/borrowing them. I shouldn’t have to say that it’s necessary to see the first two films before “LOTR: Return of the King” in order to understand the complicated plot and character webs. If I must wrote a synopsis here, I will say that this movie is the continuation of the journey of Frodo and Sam (hobbits from the Shire) who are trying to destroy the one ring (“that will rule them all”) in the fires of Mount Doom. It is a dangerously powerful ring that must be destroyed and Frodo has become the chosen bearer. The rest of the Fellowship (the incredibly handsome Aragorn, the bad-ass elf Legolas, Gimli the dwarf, and two other hobbits) are left to defend other communities of Middle Earth in what seems like battle after battle against evil Sauron’s armies.

It is fairly well-known that the late J.R.R. Tolkien (author of this series of books) was a Catholic and there are many parallels to Christ and the Christian life in these books about good versus evil and overcoming temptation. Specifically, Frodo, like Jesus, carries a heavy burden that no one else can carry. He has a small and devoted following to help him in his mission. Near the end, as Frodo climbs Mount Doom to complete his task, he crumbles from exhaustion under the pressure of his burden. Frodo’s closest friend, Sam (like Simon of Cyrene), helps him finish his journey by shouldering the weight. Aragorn can also be perceived as a Christ-figure. In this third film specifically, he returns to his throne as King after years of cover disguised as a ranger. Gandalf the wizard is another one; he must perish in order to save his friends. He rises three days later as a greater, more powerful wizard. The lembas bread, a gift from the elves, is the sole food the hobbits depend on as they continue their arduous undertaking. Tolkien once commented that the bread was a “derivation of the Eucharist” and it “gave strength to endure”. I could go on and on, but my point is that these books/films are rich in symbolism worth discovering. They are full of lessons in mercy, redemption, salvation, self-sacrifice, and loyalty, and the struggles of pride, temptation, and suffering.

Even though they filmed the three movies consecutively, they had an extra two years to edit this final one and put to use the special effects improvements. To blog about this Oscar winner, I knew I couldn’t just see the final movie; I had to re-watch the first two (and introduce my sister to the trilogy). I immediately noticed how Gollum looked more realistic, not to mention Shelob (the spider), the oliphaunts, the dead men of the mountains, etc.

I think I am the only person who wasn’t creeped out by or hated Gollum/Smeagol. I don’t know… I just felt bad for him. Maybe part of my heart bled for a misunderstood and self-tortured little guy with split-personality disorder. I kept defending his behavior like Frodo did. I was holding out for a scene in which he redeemed himself in the final film, but alas, he fell short (well, actually he fell a long way).

My main critique of this movie is the ending(s). People actually lifted themselves off their seats in the theatre when it looked like it was over. And then it happened again. And again. I understand there were a lot of storylines to wrap up; I just wish they each weren’t done in such sweeping panoramic way accompanied by soft music and a blackout.

This was the first time that a film was nominated for this many awards with none of them in the acting categories. (I think Sean Astin was snubbed for a Best Supporting Actor award though… c’mon- how many times did that guy make me cry in this film!?) Aside from Best Director, the awards were mostly in technical categories. Since the movies are obviously using the same make-up, costuming, music, etc., it’s thought that this Best Picture award is in recognition of the entire trilogy. I’m now wondering if the second part of the seventh Harry Potter film will win Best Picture at next year’s award ceremony…

This was the predictable favorite. “LOTR: Return of the King” was up against “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”, “Lost in Translation”, “Mystic River”, and “Seabiscuit”. I’ve seen those last two films and heard iffy reviews about the first. I personally think the movie “Cold Mountain” got a nomination snub for Best Picture though. Renee Zellwegger won for Best Supporting Actress and Jude Law was nominated. Although there were difficult scenes to watch when I saw it in the theatre, I’ve since bought the DVD and watched it a few more times. (I LOVE the music in it too.)

A GREAT SCENE:

I liked too many scenes to pick a favorite but one that I thought was well performed/filmed/edited was the one in which Pippen sings a song to Denethor while Faramir and his horsemen are bravely riding to their deaths. And props to the actor, Billy Boyd, for singing it himself! I’ve attached a link to YouTube of this scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmj25u5mVvg

LESSON LEARNED:

As long as there’s something to hope for, all is not lost. Although it seemed like an impossible task, Frodo (and his fellowship) soldiered on. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles”. Interestingly, Frodo and Sam fly away from Mount Doom on eagles’ wings... ;)

Grand Hotel, 1932

Not Rated

This film was the 5^th to win Best Picture in Oscar history. The Grand Hotel, which according to the movie, is the nicest and most expensive hotel in Germany, is a supporting character itself in this film. In its own art-deco style, the hotel houses its unique guests and keeps their secrets, giving us a glimpse into the lives of five characters whose lives intertwine over the course of two days. The hotel’s on-call doctor states at the end of the film to a guest, “The Grand Hotel. Always the same. People come. People go...nothing ever happens.” How little did he know…

Greta Garbo plays Grusinskaya, a washed up ballerina who desperately misses the days of larger audiences and being desired. She utters her famous line “I want to be alone” in this movie. I had never seen her in a film before, but seeing her act in this reminded me that I want to see her in “Camille” (which is the movie Daddy Warbucks takes Annie to see in one of my favorite children’s movies). She is so dramatic- a defining attribute of actresses on the big screen during that time period.

Joan Crawford plays Flaemmchen, who is a stenographer (which is only one way she makes a living, ahem) floating from one job to the next to earn enough money to settle somewhere in what she dreams as the good life.

John Barrymore (Drew Barrymore’s grandfather) plays the dashing but broke Baron von Gaigern who is the “bad” guy you love. He falls for Miss Drama and she for him in a somewhat cliché scene of them holding each other professing something about beauty, desire, dependability, etc.

Lionel Barrymore (Drew’s great uncle and John’s brother) plays the terminally-ill Mr. Kringelein and perhaps my favorite character. I totally didn’t recognize that he was the same man who played Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. He also starred in “Lady Be Good”, a musical I had the pleasure of dancing in 16 years ago, so now I’m intrigued to see that movie too (next year). He knows he’s nearing the end of his life, so he decides to live out the remainder of his short time in style and opulence. He is a sweetheart so I was pleased with the resolution of his storyline.

I’m surprised this movie hasn’t been re-done. It strikes me as the type of movie that can be easily remade in any decade and be just as entertaining. Storylines with characters whose lives intertwine and/or change because of their meetings intrigue me.

This film is unique because it is the ONLY one in Oscar history that won the honor of Best Picture and failed to be nominated in any other category. “Grand Hotel” was up against “Arrowsmith”, “The Champ”, “Bad Girl”, “Five Star Final”, “One Hour with You”, “Shanghai Express”, and “The Smiling Lieutenant”. I haven’t heard of or seen any of those films so I can’t rightly compare, but I thought this movie was pretty entertaining for an old black & whitey. Also, just an unrelated tidbit from this year’s award ceremony: this was the first and only time two actors won/tied for the Best Actor award. Interesting, huh?

The hotel doctor had another line in the film that got me thinking. He said to another guest, “What do you do in the Grand Hotel? Eat. Sleep. Loaf around. Flirt a little. Dance a little. A hundred doors leading to one hall, and no one knows anything about the person next to them. And when you leave, someone occupies your room, lies in your bed, and that's the end.” I think it is such an interesting way to look at hotels. When it’s said like that, it sounds impersonal and almost like an invasion of privacy. But that’s actually what we’re doing as hotel guests… honing in on the hotel’s personal space. So many different types of people with different jobs, agendas, preferences, and secrets with one thing in common: our choice of where to lay our head at night.

BEHIND THE SCENES:

I found this shot online and thought it was fascinating for a couple of reasons. One, it all makes sense for me after seeing their lighting set-up. Many times throughout the movie, I thought ‘Wow, it looks like they just have a spotlight on them’ (versus some more natural-looking room lighting). Second, I would venture a guess that producers, directors, and assistants don’t dress like that anymore on the movie sets…

Here are two other shots of the stars, Lionel & Joan and John & Greta.

      

LESSONS LEARNED:

We’re a lot closer to each other than you think. Yes, proximity in a hotel is one thing, but also in regards to the human desires, drives, and emotions.

Don’t get so absorbed in how you make a living that you forget how to live. Each character in this film learned this lesson (some the hard way).

From Here to Eternity, 1953

Not Rated

“From Here to Eternity” is based on an 859-page best-selling and controversial novel about Army life on a Hawaii military base just prior to the surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor. Apparently, the book is quite explicit on different levels, so the movie script had to be changed and edited.

The book and film’s title comes from a line from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Gentleman Rankers”: “damned from here to eternity.” A gentleman ranker is a soldier who is qualified by either experience or education to be promoted to officer but chooses to remain a soldier. That description can apply to almost every main character in the film, if not directly, than symbolically, and because of that they have damned themselves or their relationships.

Deborah Kerr plays the part of a neglected captain’s wife who has been cheated on, so in return is also adulterous. She starts a secret relationship with Burt Lancaster’s character who is a sergeant who even after her pleading refuses to accept a promotion that would relocate him. I remember Kerr from “An Affair to Remember” and “The King and I”. I never really warmed up to her character in this film; I think she has an affinity for playing somewhat cold characters.

Montgomery Clift plays ex-boxer Robert Prewitt who is the best bugle player in the corps (but has possibly the worst posture I've ever seen). He refuses to box again for the army since the last time he did, he rendered a man blind. He is a stubborn man and won’t succumb to the conniving schemes attempted to get him to change his mind. With his stubbornness though is a strong bond and loyalty for friends. He falls for Donna Reed’s character who works in what is basically a whorehouse off base. Of course, I recognized her from one of my favorite Christmas classics “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I wasn’t as big a fan of her character in this film however… She’s quite selfish and deluded. Even the end left my sister and I wondering… Was she lying about the death of her “fiancé” because she was misled or because she was fantasizing since she apparently had no pride?

Frank Sinatra, whom I’ve always been a fan of, plays the part of Italian-American Angelo Maggio who has a brotherly bond with Prewitt. I thought he was excellent in this role and deserving of his Academy Award. His character is also quite stubborn which unfortunately leads to his demise near the end.

I couldn’t help but think of the more recent movie “Pearl Harbor” from 2001. That also is the story of romance on an Army base. While I am a fan of that movie, I will admit, I don’t think they got the vernacular and overall way of life correct of the ‘40s. I will applaud them on their authentic re-creation of the attacks though.

“From Here to Eternity” was up against “Julius Caesar”, “The Robe”, “Roman Holiday”, and “Shane”. It won 8 of its 13 nominations with Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed taking home character awards (their firsts and only). Only because I am fixated on anything Disney, I will include this bit of trivia for you from this year’s award ceremony: Walt Disney achieved a milestone as the individual with the most Oscar wins (4) in a single year. He won in four categories: Best Cartoon Short Subject: Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, Best Documentary Short Subject: The Alaskan Eskimo, Best Documentary Feature: The Living Desert, and Best Two-Reel Short Subject: Bear Country.

I post the original movie posters at the beginning of my posts, so I thought I would include this famous scene shot here. This is the more recognizable cover now on DVDs and posters. I’m not much of a water baby, but to me this is anything but sexy and romantic…

And here’s what Deborah Kerr said about shooting it:

“It had to have rocks in the distance, so the water could strike the boulders and shoot upward — all very symbolic. The scene turned out to be deeply affecting on film, but, God, it was no fun to shoot. We had to time it for the waves, so that at just the right moment a big one would come up and wash over us. Most of the waves came up only to our feet, but we needed one that would come up all the way. We were like surfers, waiting for the perfect waves. Between each take, we had to do a total cleanup. When it was all over, we had four tons of grit in our mouths—and other places.” — Deborah Kerr

Sorry Deborah, it may be a generational thing, but I wasn’t “deeply affected” by the scene.

Probably the most touching scene for me was the one when Prewitt played the bugle in memory of his friend and fellow soldier Maggio. (Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this scene shot online.) I never gave the bugle much attention and didn’t realize that the note-playing all comes from the placement of the tongue.

Another scene that mesmerized me was when the Japanese planes first started flying over the base. The soldiers are caught in such a state of panic that they are in the large grass courtyard literally running in every direction. The scene was shot from the angle of a plane overhead and they looked like ants scattering after their hill is kicked in. (Sorry, I was unable to get a picture of that scene either.)

But I have included comments about the fashion seen in this movie by my sister and guest blogger, Alli:

High waists are probably the iconic image that comes to mind when thinking about 1940s swimwear, as demonstrated in the famous beach scene from this movie. The belly button did not see sunlight until the 1960s when it became the navel of fashion, literally, with cropped tops. It is my guess that since belly buttons are mostly hidden in today’s haute couture, there is a rising attraction to retro swimsuits with flattering high-waists, halter straps, sweetheart necklines, and skirt bottoms.
For history: http://www.vintagedancer.com/vintage-retro-1940s-and-1950s-swimsuits-history-and-shoping-guide/
For shopping: http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Swimwear and http://www.popinaswimwear.com/.

Gigi, 1958

Not Rated

I had the pleasure of watching this film with my sister who is visiting for part of the summer. Being two French girls who enjoy musicals, we thought it would be appropriate to see it together. Neither of us was very invested in the first half and we were probably too critical. But, we did enjoy the second half more the next day.

Leslie Caron plays the courtesan-in-training Gigi. (I’ll be watching the film that made her famous later: Best Picture winner “An American in Paris”.) She takes lessons from her great Aunt Alicia, whose bedroom looked like the inside of a Victoria’s Secret store circa 1999.

Louis Jourdan plays the rich playboy Gaston Lachaille. (I wondered if Disney chose that name for the archetypal good-looking and sought-after playboy/villain of “Beauty and the Beast” because of this movie.) He proclaims that everything “is a bore.” He’s especially bored with women, hence the playboy reputation. Side note: I was going to knock the romantic leads’ French accents until I read online that they were indeed born in France. Oops. =/

Honoré Lachaille, Gaston’s uncle and influential guide to the ladies, is a consummate playboy and reminded me a bit of Hugh Hefner. He’s most known for his opening song “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” (which I had no idea came from this movie!). But perhaps the song my sister and I got the biggest kick out of was “I Remember it Well” which is a duet he "sings" when he is reminiscing with his old flame about their last date. The lyrics go on to reveal he does everything BUT remember it well. He used to date Gigi’s grandmother, hence the families' continued friendship… It took me a while to figure out why Gaston was frequenting Gigi’s grandmother’s house for friendly conversation and snacks.

I could already tell where the movie was going romantically and I was thinking I’d be a little creeped out if Gaston and Gigi got together at the end. The age and maturity difference made their relationship seem too much like a sibling’s. But, being the hopeless romantic I am, I eventually found myself rooting for them as a couple.

It’s impossible not to see hints of “My Fair Lady” in this movie since both the costumer and composers were the ones working on the stage version of that show. They were recruited to work on Gigi’s musical film adaptation from the Broadway non-musical version. The storyline also shares a slight likeness: grooming the unlikely girl to be deserving of the man of wealth. But other than those similarities, this musical doesn’t hold a candle to the musical numbers and acting talents of the film “My Fair Lady.”

This is another movie where the songs aren’t actually sung. They are more spoken to the beat of the music. I found it a little frustrating to hear the melody behind their voices and know the actors were not hitting the notes. Perhaps the actors were hired on their acting ability or famous faces alone, and not their singing talents.

Eva Gabor played Gaston’s last girlfriend who unsuccessfully commits suicide (supposedly for the fourth time) upon their break-up. One could say she’s a bit dramatic. It’s hard for me not to associate her voice with the characters she gives life to in Disney’s “The Aristocats” and “The Rescuers”. And speaking of voices (and “Beauty and the Beast”), the consummate playboy Honoré  sounded like Lumiére. I half expected him to wave his gold walking stick around and bust out “Be Our Guest”. 

“Gigi” was up against “Auntie Mame”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “The Defiant Ones”, and “Separate Tables”. It won nine of its nine nominations, which was the most won by any film to date. Sadly for them, they only held that honor for a year. They also won Best Director, Screenplay, Color Cinematography, Art/Set Direction, Song, Musical Score, Costume Design, and Editing. I’m a bit surprised it won all these accolades… I didn’t think it was THAT wonderful, but I haven’t seen any of its competitors.

FAVORITE SCENE:

There are very few screenshots online, so I can’t find the image that made me laugh the hardest. When Gaston takes Gigi and her grandmother to Trouville for a vacation, there is a montage of scenes of them playing tennis, riding horses on the beach, swimming, etc. There is one shot where an extra is “playing” tennis. Imagine this if you can: She is simply standing still in the middle of the court wearing her 1900’s elaborate garb extending her racket-weilding arm and hitting the tennis balls that repeatedly head her way in the exact location for her to make perfect contact (almost) every time. You could imagine the poor sap on the other side of the court running all over the place to ensure that precision. I envision this is how I would like to play tennis. It had me laughing out loud.

The other scene my sister and I liked was right before that, when Gaston announces he will take them on vacation. They collectively sing “The Night They Invented Champagne” and dance around the grandmother’s house. It made me want to join them in drinking and dancing.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Find somebody who’s not a bore. Surround yourself with people who enjoy your company and vice versa.

Don’t be surprised to find love in the unexpected. This can be true of a future spouse or even a friend.

Chariots of Fire, 1981

Rated PG

I’ll admit that the first time my husband made me see this movie, I was quite bored. It just goes to show that perceptions can change. Perhaps I’ve just done some “growing up”, but I was much more intrigued by this movie this time around. And as a Christian, I am very proud that this movie was chosen as the Best Picture of the year; I feel like movies about religion and devotion to God often get ignored by Hollywood.

This inspirational movie that came out in the year of my birth, is the true story of two of Great Britain’s athletes in the 8^th Olympiad in 1924: one is Harold Abrahams, a Jewish Cambridge student who feels he needs to win to prove his worth, and the other is Eric Liddell, a missionary from Scotland who “feels God’s pleasure” when he runs.

The movie opens (practically) with the iconic scene of the athletes in white running through the water. I bet you almost anyone could hum that infamous music (and I’ll further bet that there are some who don’t even know what movie it’s from).

The juxtaposition of the two male leads’ drives is evident in the way the film crosscuts between each man’s life as he trains for the competition. Abrahams admits, “I’m forever in pursuit, and I don’t even know what I’m chasing.” He is obsessed with winning. Liddell, on the other hand, runs for God. He explains to his sister, “God made me for a purpose… But He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” You can literally see that Liddell physically feels pleasure at the end of a race. He also believes the Sabbath is the Lord’s day. It pains him to opt out of a qualifying race on a Sunday, but he won’t compromise his beliefs. Thankfully, someone steps up for him… watch the movie to see the moving scene I’m referring to.

One obvious and appropriate Biblical quote that I found missing in this movie is from 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This would have been a poignant line for Liddell near the end.

“Chariots of Fire” is a sports film that showcases good sportsmanship and the support of fellow team members which I think is less common now in our society with its “win at all costs” mentality. This film was the second sports film to win this award in Oscar history; the first was “Rocky” in 1976. However, one does not have to be a sports fan to enjoy this movie, (Lord knows I’m not), one just needs to appreciate the human spirit. “Chariots of Fire” was up against “Atlantic City”, “On Golden Pond”, “Reds”, and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. This win was a major surprise and upset and I’m sure you can figure out which other nominated film people had their money on. In fact, “Chariots” only made a quarter of what “Raiders” did that year.

The actor who played Abrahams’ friend, Aubrey Montague, reminded me a little of John Krasinski from “The Office”, or at least his facial features did. Also recognizable in one scene was Richard Griffiths who plays Uncle Vernon in the “Harry Potter” films, and plays the head porter of Caius College in this film.

UNFORGETTABLE LINES…. TURNED INTO MY LESSONS LEARNED:

* Liddell encourages a gathering to “take part in [the race]” (not literally a running race, but the race of life). He compares faith to running a race and explains that “the Kingdom of God is within you” (from Luke 17:21). Your power comes from within. And guess what?... The Kingdom of God is within you… Therefore, the power comes from God.

* Abrahams is so discouraged after coming in second in a race and his girlfriend tries to console him knowing he can try again. He explains to her, “If I can’t win, I won’t run.” She fires back eloquently, “If you don’t run, you can’t win.” You’ve got to try in order to succeed. Accept failure as a learning experience and grow from it, don’t give up because of it.

 * Abrahams’ coach tells him, “You can’t put in what God’s left out,” implying you’re either born with a natural gift or you’re not. While this doesn’t sound like very motivating advice for anyone, keep in mind he’s talking to an Olympic medal hopeful, not the everyday mere mortal. He was assuring Abraham that he does have the talent necessary to compliment his hard work and dedication. We should try to “put in” everything we can to compliment our God-given gifts.

* And lastly, follow Liddell’s example and don’t let anyone make you compromise your beliefs.

FAVORITE SCENE:

The movie starts and ends with the same memorable scene. I love how the camera pans across the main characters. You can get a glimpse of their personalities just in their expressions when they run. This scene also makes me smile because twelve years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) carved our initials in a mossy rock on the West Sands Beach of St. Andrews.