Sep 6, 2010

Julia Misbehaves (1948)...does she?

Last night I saw my third film starring Greer Garson. I liked the previous two, "Mrs. Miniver" and "Random Harvest", but I wouldn't say I'm gonna re-watch this one in the near future (unless someone pays me for that...which is not very probable).

Julia Misbehaves

My problem with the movie starts right here, in the second paragraph: the story. Subplots aside, Greer Garson plays a vodevil dancer who was married once to a Rich Guy (Walter Pidgeon) and had a daughter with him. One day (we don't see this but it's remembered during the film) the Rich Guy decides that he doesn't love her anymore (really). So, what does poor Greer do? She sacrifices herself, letting her daughter with the Rich Guy and his mother, because that way she would have a good life.

Julia Misbehaves

Told that way it's like "Stella Dallas". But wait, the movie starts when Greer Garson receives an invitation to assist to her daughter's wedding. She accepts. The only problem is that Rich Guy didn't send the invitation, nor his mom. So they try to stop Greer coming down their rich house. Greer manages to see her daughter who is obviously all grown up and all Elizabeth Taylor (there are even some lines about her "violet eyes"). That scene was one of the few memorable things from this movie, very emotive:


Now, the icing of the cake. Rich Guy decides that having poor Greer away from Elizabeth Taylor for seventeen years is not a rotten thing to do, so he suddenly realizes that he really loves Greer and starts to chase her. C'MON!! So, does really Julia Misbehaves?? NO, she doesn't, she has no pride, she has not even a little tiny little desire of revenge.
With a more believable plot Greer Garson would have shined even more. She was very funny and  histrionic: watching her I remembered Barbara Stanwycks' Sugarpuss O'Shea from "Ball of Fire" (only classier). The scenes with Cesar Romero —her acrobatic ultra strong fiancé— are super fun and he is very good in his role.


See? Without that terrible main story, this movie could be hilarious. 

Julia Misbehaves

2 comments:

  1. Has despertado mi curiosidad por este film. El tema recuerda (algo lejanamente) a Stella Dallas por la obsesión de Barbara Stanwyck en lograr una buena vida para su hija, aunque en Stella Dallas había mucho de drama y especialmente la escena final es impactante. Por otra parte has hecho referencia a Ball of Fire otra excelente película (genial su Drum Boogie)

    La pareja Garson-Pidgeon me gustó en La señora Miniver y el Oscar a la mejor actriz merecidísimo. Es cierto que había mucho de oportunidad "política" y algún discurso eclesiástico con fines financieros, pero igualmente cierto es que contarle a tus hijos Alicia en el País de las Maravillas en un refugio antiaéreo y bajo el bombardeo de la Luftwage tiene... no se como lo decís en Chile, pues eso.

    Ah y la presencia de Liz Taylor siempre es un activo a considerar.

    Me pongo a la caza y captura del film

    Saludos

    ReplyDelete
  2. Véala bajo su responsabilidad. Odié la historia principal, pero tiene sus momentos. La bajé de Emule "Julia Misbehaves -1948 Jack Conway- (Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lawford, Elizabeth Taylor).english", subtítulos del mismo nombre. Muchos saludos.

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...