I watched Pollyanna OVER AND OVER as a kid, and I loved it. Though I have always been troubled by the ending. "It's okay, I'll be able to walk again!" A similar ending to An Affair to Remember, which is one of my favorite love stories of all time. Coincidentally (or not) I have not watched either in a very long time, and am a bit afraid to, as I expect that my adult eyes will see some things I missed as a kid and young adult.
But Pollyanna's staunch hope for happiness in a bleak moment is inspirational in a very real way. I also watched The Parent Trap hundreds of times, and still love it. (The mom, whose name escapes me, is a delightful actress in pretty much everything she's in.) The interesting thing about the film is that it doesn't vilify (too much) the grumpy people. They have faced tragedy and pain and are cranky because of it. (Especially her Aunt) Their response to pain is to (sometimes inadvertently) pass that on to other people and to protect themselves. They're hurting themselves as much as they're hurting each other. It's a sympathetic view, and none of the bad guys or gals have to be "put in their place" (as so many female villains often are).
Also, yes, Hundreds of Beavers was one of the best movies I watched this year. It was a delight. My husband and I saw someone talking about it, though we should remember to see it, and then watched it when it popped up in some streaming feed. It was amazing. Hysterical, bizarre, and perfect.
In 1910, Walt Disney was nine years old, and he was living with his family in the town of Marceline, Missouri, which was not unlike the town in this film then. Along with Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland, and some of his other movies set in olden times, it has been suggested by his biographers that it represented something he loved from his past but could never entirely get back.
Many things can be true. I idealize the 1980s, but my childhood memory and the reality of history differ.
Disney wasn't alone in idealizing Turn of the Century America, and the Frontier and there was a political dimension to that storytelling. Those eras were full of struggle and horror, as well as hope and expansion. Post-war, America wanted normalcy and they wanted fantasies about America, back when it was great.
Disney was in the fantasy business and Main Street was a fantasy. A lovely fantasy to many, and if I squint, I get it. Main Street is innocence and candy and family. The 80s are a fantasy too, and I long for the summers I dream about, riding my bike until sunset and watching Gremlins on VHS tape.
I think about what was alot, especially now that I'm getting older. I do not think America's best days are behind but ahead of us, just beyond the horizon.
I watched Pollyanna OVER AND OVER as a kid, and I loved it. Though I have always been troubled by the ending. "It's okay, I'll be able to walk again!" A similar ending to An Affair to Remember, which is one of my favorite love stories of all time. Coincidentally (or not) I have not watched either in a very long time, and am a bit afraid to, as I expect that my adult eyes will see some things I missed as a kid and young adult.
But Pollyanna's staunch hope for happiness in a bleak moment is inspirational in a very real way. I also watched The Parent Trap hundreds of times, and still love it. (The mom, whose name escapes me, is a delightful actress in pretty much everything she's in.) The interesting thing about the film is that it doesn't vilify (too much) the grumpy people. They have faced tragedy and pain and are cranky because of it. (Especially her Aunt) Their response to pain is to (sometimes inadvertently) pass that on to other people and to protect themselves. They're hurting themselves as much as they're hurting each other. It's a sympathetic view, and none of the bad guys or gals have to be "put in their place" (as so many female villains often are).
Also, yes, Hundreds of Beavers was one of the best movies I watched this year. It was a delight. My husband and I saw someone talking about it, though we should remember to see it, and then watched it when it popped up in some streaming feed. It was amazing. Hysterical, bizarre, and perfect.
In 1910, Walt Disney was nine years old, and he was living with his family in the town of Marceline, Missouri, which was not unlike the town in this film then. Along with Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland, and some of his other movies set in olden times, it has been suggested by his biographers that it represented something he loved from his past but could never entirely get back.
Many things can be true. I idealize the 1980s, but my childhood memory and the reality of history differ.
Disney wasn't alone in idealizing Turn of the Century America, and the Frontier and there was a political dimension to that storytelling. Those eras were full of struggle and horror, as well as hope and expansion. Post-war, America wanted normalcy and they wanted fantasies about America, back when it was great.
Disney was in the fantasy business and Main Street was a fantasy. A lovely fantasy to many, and if I squint, I get it. Main Street is innocence and candy and family. The 80s are a fantasy too, and I long for the summers I dream about, riding my bike until sunset and watching Gremlins on VHS tape.
I think about what was alot, especially now that I'm getting older. I do not think America's best days are behind but ahead of us, just beyond the horizon.