Sunday, July 6, 2008

One of my favorite scenes!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Ms. Ball was famously dreadful in this role. She lacked Rosalind Russell's wit and sophistication (which can still be relished in the movie "Auntie Mame" -- though it is stylistically badly dated and far too long). Most who had seen Angela Lansbury in the "Mame" stage production felt that Ball (whom pretty much everybody had loved for years on principle) was at best terribly miscast in the role. And of course there were those disquieting close-ups , so blurred that they were said to look like they were shot "not so much through vaseline as through linoleum." She didn't have to do much in this excerpt except be incandescently charming, and clearly that did not happen. A low point for Lucy. All copies should be burned.

dandyinthecity said...

Ha. Pierce. I saw both versions many years ago. Russell's and Lucy's. I thought that both were good. Different but good. I still enjoy the Lucy musical version better. The costumes were wonderful and Lucy looked stunning. I've seen it several times and laughed and cried many times. The music and dancing was great. I particular enjoyed the scenes with her and the boy at the prohibition drinking hole.

Her acting was great as well I thought. The last half an hour of the movie dragged on a bit but overall there were some great scenes in the movie and the version with Lucy is the one that I prefer.

I'm sure that there's stuff that you like that I won't like as much or not even like as our tastes maybe similar but different too.

Another miscast movie that I really liked that you would probably not like is Hamlet with Mel Gibson. I've seen alot of Hamlet movies (no plays yet) and the one with Mel is the one I like the best.

Im probably more of an iconoclast and a contrarian when it comes to casting. Lucy was excellent as Auntie Mame!

Unknown said...

The Mel Gibson Hamlet is an abortion. More than half the text is cut -- and usually the most interesting distinctively Shakespearean contributions. Most of the philosophy, sociology and theology are just simply chucked. When I saw it, I was often deeply physically shocked at what they chose to cut. Expecting a famous or especially glorious passage, I would find myself feeling stabbed and betrayed when it turned out to be cut. The entire aesthetic thrust of the production seemed to have been "get the f--- on with it." A ghastly act of vandalism, especially for those who know and love this glorious text with any degree of depth. Shocking. Another candidate for public incineration. Baugh!

dandyinthecity said...

Hahaha! I knew you would hate it. Your tirades are funny. Hysterical. Your snobbery is of the highest order (and usually well backed). Very orthodox. I enjoy it.

Please keep it coming. Just dont get personal (which you haven't).

I luved the comment. I certainly pushed a button. Forgot that you've been teaching Shakespeare for 35 yrs. Respect P. Some of my friends ask me, who is this Pierce guy? He's so nasty. I say to them that you are an hyper-aesthete and overly cultured and therefore sometimes a precious, ass!

And there you go with that incineration comment. As you say... Baugh! :).

Unknown said...

What does it mean to be "sometimes a precious, ass!" ? Sounds like a tee-shirt out of www.engrish.com