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Post by augiesannie on Dec 30, 2018 21:27:38 GMT
I came across this interview with a professor of film who wrote the BFI book on TSOM that came out a couple of years ago. It's pretty interseting but she has some facts wrong and I can't agree with her re: film vs. show. What do you think? TSOM: Global Longevity and Appeal |
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Post by indigoblue on Jan 4, 2019 0:09:59 GMT
I have finally managed to find time to watch this! Fancy spending your worktime thinking about TSOM...
My thoughts, for what they are worth are these:
-I thought the film which flopped for Julie 2yrs after TSOM was 'Star!', not Thoroughly Modern Millie, but it may have been a slip of the tongue.
-I hadn't realised how the interface between church (represented by Maria and the nuns) and the state (represented by the Nazis) had been softened in the film to make it more 'palatable'.
-Interesting also how Georg loses his paternalism/male dominance, but at the expense of Maria's independence - after their marriage, she is much less of a character, deferring to him in many ways, so that it is almost a different movie.
-I knew TSOM is a LGBGT favourite, but had not twigged how 'camp' Elsa's interpretation of her role is...I shall have to think about this!
Thanks Annie for posting this great food for thought!
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Post by augiesannie on Jan 5, 2019 21:26:14 GMT
of course by now I've forgotten everything she said in this interview, but I agree - don't think TMM was a flop. I hadn't thought of the Elsa camp factor either (and I went to my first singalong with a pack of gay men). I do think Maria is a little too deferential for my tastes when they return from the honeymoon BUT OTOH she's the one who rescues him when he freezes on stage, and there is that nice "fingers crossed" moment when they confront Zeller after their foiled escape, so her spark hasn't completely been extinguished. What I really would like is to revisit what she said about church vs. state interface - it would help with the new story idea I'm coking up - unless you can remind me indigoblue. |
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Post by indigoblue on Jan 5, 2019 23:51:19 GMT
Yes, this was interesting; she said (from 18:19 in the clip) that both the Austrian state and the church played a part in the second world war (many churches did not oppose Hitler).
Also, Georg's first wife Agathe was the daughter of the inventer of the torpedo, and Georg gained the 'von' in his name and greater status after he torpedoed a large ship in WWI, so they could be seen as 'agents of the state'. Maria and the nuns, in contrast, represent the Church.
I would have liked her to explain better why she then said that by making the wedding very grand, and elevating the role of the church and state in the wedding (by making the wedding a big spectacle and a 'halfway point' in the story), it enabled the filmmakers to avoid the issues of the church and state in WWII.
Does she mean they managed to take our thoughts off the politics of the time by making it such a spectacle? Any ideas?
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Post by augiesannie on Jan 6, 2019 11:45:33 GMT
I'm not sure what she meant, but related to your theory, when she said that, I remember thinking about how there is the long, elaborate, dreamy wedding sequence, then the bells, then maybe 5-10 seconds of the Nazis marching across the square before the rehearsal scene. Chilling, but understated, enough to convey what has happened, and the menace, but not the centerpiece the way William Wyler wanted to do it.
In my last story I wrote that half the Church was collaborating, and I did check to make sure this was a fair statement. The story I'm starting to think about now also involves the question of collaboration.
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Post by indigoblue on Jan 6, 2019 14:54:33 GMT
I agree that the sequence at the end of the wedding was very well done, because it enables people to take in however much they want of it. Undoubtedly it conveys a sense of threat and occupation, but as a child when I saw it I glossed over it as I didn't understand the implications much. As a teenager, the thought of lucky Maria marrying such a delicious man distracted me from it, but now I am older I have often thought about the real implications of this, both in terms of war in Europe and the difficulties for the individuals involved. This must have been a reason why it continues to be popular, as you can take out of it what you want, at whatever age you are.
Your story sounds fascinating...I have often thought about how their loyalties in such circumstances could have brought G&M together...or even been a problem for them. Also, were they involved in undercover work together? Is that why they came together, rather than Elsa and Georg?
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