1954
Directed by Stanley Donen
Oh my. Is there really that much I can say about this movie?
Men kidnap women and force them to be their wives. No, this is not a horror film but a kitsch musical.
On the one hand, you can look at this movie as something to be laughed at for being so ridiculous. Maybe if we lived in a society where there was no violence towards women and human trafficking didn't exist I would be able to just look at this film like a farce. But the idea that someone looked at these themes of violence and thought it would make a good musical is really disturbing to me.
Just ugh. Sick, sick, sick.
RATING: -----
Interesting Facts:
The original title was "The Sobbin' Women". OH MY GOD!
I sought this one out so we could have a good 'agree fest'
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth....
"Yip I'm a comin' to town. I want a plough, some flour and I guess i'll just have me a wife.."
I don't like musicals much anyway.. but this???
Ray
This is also a test posting. I think i have managed to stop becoming just 'annon' (which I always thought looked a little creepy), but I didn'y know how to do it properly. With some encouragement and coaching from Andrew, I think I have done something.
Good job on the post!
ReplyDeleteOh I know, even by 1954 standards, this is ridiculous. And there are no good songs either.
Damn, I thought it was the dream of any young damsel to be abducted by a gang of dashing young cowboys to live secluded in a farmhouse in the middle of nowwhere as one, big swinger club.
ReplyDeleteSomething I missed?
uh... stop throwing things at me...
:)
Well it is, but only if they are wearing better outfits.
DeleteIt is ridiculous (which is acceptable for a musical) and there are no good songs (which isn't). But I think the sexist slant isn't so straightforward.
ReplyDeleteOf course the brothers are all unreconstructed oafs, but that is the whole point. They are mocked for being so and the plot wouldn't allow them to get the brides unless they learnt the error of their ways. We might as well criticise Star Wars because Darth Vader wasn't a very nice man.
This defence stretches a little thin once we get to the abduction sequence. Played for laughs at the time even though there's no pretence of its innocence in the aftermath.
OK, let's say I can swallow that. And let's say that they're idiots who got carried away in comedy film land rather than Inherently Bad Men. So let's say that it's possible that they can find audience forgiveness for some kind of happy ending. The worst problem is that this only comes about, not because they realise that a great sin requires great regret and recompense, but because the gooey-eyed brides just can't resist the brothers in spite of it all.
And their costumes made them look more like Disney's Seven Dwarfs than frontier tough guys.