Tuesday
8/04/04
Movie Curmudgeon Redux.
It has, on occasion, been pointed out to me that I am not without my fair share of quirks and foibles. And, on occasion, I am rudely awakened to the fact that one of these quirks is a little habit I have of thinking in absolutes.
Thinking, for instance, that frogs and model rockets were absolutely the coolest things possible… until I found out about girls. All soft and curvy. Who knew? Or thinking in a similarly boyish way that Ulysses S. Grant was absolutely the most self-serving and corrupt president the United States could ever possibly have. Boy was I wrong again.
Anyway, a few days ago a bright red Netflix envelope appeared in our post box that enclosed a surreal little treat featuring Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson... and in short order another seemingly cast iron absolute was stripped from me. Up until then I was sure that the violent and clearly felonious abductions that take place in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers were at the heart of Hollywood’s oddest musical, but now I know better. Kiss Me Kate has them, all seven, beat hands down.
Now lest anyone be tempted to cry out "Philistine" and beat me about the head and neck with a pair of opera glasses, be assured that I have a deep fondness for Hollywood musicals in general, and all things Astaire in particular. In short, there are few things I enjoy as much as a stage full of hoofers as they dance their little hearts out for my enjoyment.
That said, the photo of the DVD displayed above says it all. The comically wooden Howard Keel is truly a sight to behold. Granted, his character Fred Graham is meant to be a pompous, self-absorbed jackass, but Keel’s portrayal of him is just a heartbeat away from Jim Carey at his worst.
Ms. Grayson generally turns in a fine performance, but why her character would be drawn to Keel’s remains an immutable mystery. I know it’s just the modern man in me peeking out, but for heaven's sake, there's a difference between being attracted to bad boys and being attracted to broke, two-timing buffoons. Odder still, later in the film she engages in a little solo number called "I Hate Men," and plays it with such ferocity that it quickly turns from amusing to just a little weird.
Now this is where you say: "Hey, just a minute there, you… you… movie curmudgeon, you. Watching musicals requires a special kind of suspension of disbelief and maybe, just maybe, a childlike sense of wonder at the magical imagination that those musicals can give us."
And my response? Yeah, yeah, I know, but all the weird goings on in Kiss Me Kate are only really annoying because they’re mixed in with a lot of great moments as well. Ann Miller is not only truly fetching, but has two great numbers in which she really does shine. (Particularly fine was the chemistry between her and Tommy Rall.) Moreover, Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore are bang-up as the would-be thugs Lippy and Slug; their number "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" is wonderful indeed. And of course it’s a lot of fun watching a young Bob Fosse dancing with all the boundless energy and intensity that eventually betrayed him.
All right, so maybe I jumped the gun a little by declaring that Kiss Me Kate had dethroned Seven Brides as the world’s weirdest musical, but jeez, it just makes me so cranky when you really want to like something and you know it could have been good… but isn’t. I guess that’s just another little frailty that I’ll have to add to my list of foibles and quirks.
Anyway, never one to wallow in self pity, I’ve put Kate behind me and ordered up a boxed set of three movies I’ve never seen: Heaven’s Gate, Ishtar and Gigli. I’m sure they’ll cheer me up.
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Movie Curmudgeon Redux.
It has, on occasion, been pointed out to me that I am not without my fair share of quirks and foibles. And, on occasion, I am rudely awakened to the fact that one of these quirks is a little habit I have of thinking in absolutes.
Thinking, for instance, that frogs and model rockets were absolutely the coolest things possible… until I found out about girls. All soft and curvy. Who knew? Or thinking in a similarly boyish way that Ulysses S. Grant was absolutely the most self-serving and corrupt president the United States could ever possibly have. Boy was I wrong again.
Anyway, a few days ago a bright red Netflix envelope appeared in our post box that enclosed a surreal little treat featuring Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson... and in short order another seemingly cast iron absolute was stripped from me. Up until then I was sure that the violent and clearly felonious abductions that take place in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers were at the heart of Hollywood’s oddest musical, but now I know better. Kiss Me Kate has them, all seven, beat hands down.
Now lest anyone be tempted to cry out "Philistine" and beat me about the head and neck with a pair of opera glasses, be assured that I have a deep fondness for Hollywood musicals in general, and all things Astaire in particular. In short, there are few things I enjoy as much as a stage full of hoofers as they dance their little hearts out for my enjoyment.
That said, the photo of the DVD displayed above says it all. The comically wooden Howard Keel is truly a sight to behold. Granted, his character Fred Graham is meant to be a pompous, self-absorbed jackass, but Keel’s portrayal of him is just a heartbeat away from Jim Carey at his worst.
Ms. Grayson generally turns in a fine performance, but why her character would be drawn to Keel’s remains an immutable mystery. I know it’s just the modern man in me peeking out, but for heaven's sake, there's a difference between being attracted to bad boys and being attracted to broke, two-timing buffoons. Odder still, later in the film she engages in a little solo number called "I Hate Men," and plays it with such ferocity that it quickly turns from amusing to just a little weird.
Now this is where you say: "Hey, just a minute there, you… you… movie curmudgeon, you. Watching musicals requires a special kind of suspension of disbelief and maybe, just maybe, a childlike sense of wonder at the magical imagination that those musicals can give us."
And my response? Yeah, yeah, I know, but all the weird goings on in Kiss Me Kate are only really annoying because they’re mixed in with a lot of great moments as well. Ann Miller is not only truly fetching, but has two great numbers in which she really does shine. (Particularly fine was the chemistry between her and Tommy Rall.) Moreover, Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore are bang-up as the would-be thugs Lippy and Slug; their number "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" is wonderful indeed. And of course it’s a lot of fun watching a young Bob Fosse dancing with all the boundless energy and intensity that eventually betrayed him.
All right, so maybe I jumped the gun a little by declaring that Kiss Me Kate had dethroned Seven Brides as the world’s weirdest musical, but jeez, it just makes me so cranky when you really want to like something and you know it could have been good… but isn’t. I guess that’s just another little frailty that I’ll have to add to my list of foibles and quirks.
Anyway, never one to wallow in self pity, I’ve put Kate behind me and ordered up a boxed set of three movies I’ve never seen: Heaven’s Gate, Ishtar and Gigli. I’m sure they’ll cheer me up.
