Auntie Mame (A or 4/4 stars)
"Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!". This is a great line, and very descriptive of our titular 'Auntie Mame' (well directed by Martin DaCosta). Playing the role she originated on Broadway, the brilliant Rosalind Russell strikes all the chords that a comedic actress can hit: funny, girlish, exuberant, eccentric, intelligent, regal, madcap, tragic and, of course ... luminous. The movie begins in the Roaring '20s & introduces us to young Patrick Dennis (sweet Jan Handzlik). Orphaned by the untimely death of his millionaire father, Patrick is sent to live with his only living relative in her posh Manhattan apartment.
The scene where he 1st arrives amidst one of Mame's legendary 'affairs' is wonderfully conceived & executed. The flamboyant, devil-may-care Mame proudly introduces her young nephew to a dizzying array of friends, acquaintances, strangers, & other guests in rapid-fire succession; all the while making fabulously witty repartee as she goes (the scene is done in one long, impressive take). At one point she hands Patrick a pencil, a paper, & instructs him to write down every word he hears during the party, but does not understand. These words include libido, id, Marxism, free love, & heterosexual.
For the rest of the film (thru the 1920s, the crippling stock market crash, the 1930s), Mame does her best to raise Patrick to be smart, but as free-thinking as she is; as she exposes him to all manner of extravagant & bizarre situations. Drama enters the picture (though, it's all ultimately remedied with humor) when adult Patrick (now played by Roger Smith), still a loving nephew to his aunt, grows up to have a mind of his own & decides to marry a stuffy socialite (Joanne Barnes) who is quite different from the free-spirited Mame. Arguments ensue. But so, too, do the laughs.
This movie is chock full of memorable characters, smart writing, & hilarious dialogue. Coral Browne is a hoot as Mame's dry, aristocratic, perpetually drunk best friend, Vera Charles. Forrest Tucker is enjoyable as the happy-go-lucky wealthy southerner who falls for Mame during the Depression. Peggy Cass is quite funny as Mame's ditzy, whiny, yet loveable secretary, Agnes Gooch. Her beauty make-over scene by Mame is a classic. And after she gets pregnant, the laughs really come. Gooch aside, the focus rarely shifts from the beloved Mame. But then, why should it? She's a charisma magnet (both the character & the actress).
In fact, Rosalind Russell is one of the all-time great screen comediennes; she delivers tongue-twisting lines with impeccable speed, rhythm, & timing; she is comfortable doing pratfalls; and yet, she's also vulnerable -- you believe her in the dramatic moments. From a technical standpoint, 'Auntie Mame' is also stellar. Though the film is long, the narrative structure is perfectly edited to suit Mame's live-each-day-to-its-fullest philosophy. And the vibrant color cinematography, unique art direction (every few years, Mame completely changes the decor of her apartment), eye-popping costumes, aging-makeup, sound design ... all impressive.
It's hard to pick a favorite set piece. The melancholy Christmas sequence (after Mame loses $$ in the crash) is lovely. Watching Mame ham it up on stage with Vera (can you say 'cow bells'?) is riotous. I enjoyed the segment at Peckerwood, the southern plantation owned by Mame's fiance, Beauregard Jackson Picket Burnside, where she rides a crazed horse in a fox hunt. There's a tragicomic scene involving Mame climbing the Alps. There's the section where Mame drives to Connecticut to meet Patrick's fiancee's cheerfully ignorant & snooty parents, the Upsons. Russell's facial & verbal reactions here are outrageous.
The best sequence involves Mame throwing a grand party for the Upsons in her apartment; where she plans to sabotage the union btwn. Patrick & his bride to be with her ingenious antics. And I love watching a late scene where Mame ascends her famous stairway leading a certain character while telling him about her monk friend in India where, from his bell tower you can see the Taj Mahal. For all the laughs in the movie, it also tells a poignant, heartwarming story. And while this may come as a slight surprise, 'Auntie Mame' is one of my favorite comedies of all-time. I love it that much.
The scene where he 1st arrives amidst one of Mame's legendary 'affairs' is wonderfully conceived & executed. The flamboyant, devil-may-care Mame proudly introduces her young nephew to a dizzying array of friends, acquaintances, strangers, & other guests in rapid-fire succession; all the while making fabulously witty repartee as she goes (the scene is done in one long, impressive take). At one point she hands Patrick a pencil, a paper, & instructs him to write down every word he hears during the party, but does not understand. These words include libido, id, Marxism, free love, & heterosexual.
For the rest of the film (thru the 1920s, the crippling stock market crash, the 1930s), Mame does her best to raise Patrick to be smart, but as free-thinking as she is; as she exposes him to all manner of extravagant & bizarre situations. Drama enters the picture (though, it's all ultimately remedied with humor) when adult Patrick (now played by Roger Smith), still a loving nephew to his aunt, grows up to have a mind of his own & decides to marry a stuffy socialite (Joanne Barnes) who is quite different from the free-spirited Mame. Arguments ensue. But so, too, do the laughs.
This movie is chock full of memorable characters, smart writing, & hilarious dialogue. Coral Browne is a hoot as Mame's dry, aristocratic, perpetually drunk best friend, Vera Charles. Forrest Tucker is enjoyable as the happy-go-lucky wealthy southerner who falls for Mame during the Depression. Peggy Cass is quite funny as Mame's ditzy, whiny, yet loveable secretary, Agnes Gooch. Her beauty make-over scene by Mame is a classic. And after she gets pregnant, the laughs really come. Gooch aside, the focus rarely shifts from the beloved Mame. But then, why should it? She's a charisma magnet (both the character & the actress).
In fact, Rosalind Russell is one of the all-time great screen comediennes; she delivers tongue-twisting lines with impeccable speed, rhythm, & timing; she is comfortable doing pratfalls; and yet, she's also vulnerable -- you believe her in the dramatic moments. From a technical standpoint, 'Auntie Mame' is also stellar. Though the film is long, the narrative structure is perfectly edited to suit Mame's live-each-day-to-its-fullest philosophy. And the vibrant color cinematography, unique art direction (every few years, Mame completely changes the decor of her apartment), eye-popping costumes, aging-makeup, sound design ... all impressive.
It's hard to pick a favorite set piece. The melancholy Christmas sequence (after Mame loses $$ in the crash) is lovely. Watching Mame ham it up on stage with Vera (can you say 'cow bells'?) is riotous. I enjoyed the segment at Peckerwood, the southern plantation owned by Mame's fiance, Beauregard Jackson Picket Burnside, where she rides a crazed horse in a fox hunt. There's a tragicomic scene involving Mame climbing the Alps. There's the section where Mame drives to Connecticut to meet Patrick's fiancee's cheerfully ignorant & snooty parents, the Upsons. Russell's facial & verbal reactions here are outrageous.
The best sequence involves Mame throwing a grand party for the Upsons in her apartment; where she plans to sabotage the union btwn. Patrick & his bride to be with her ingenious antics. And I love watching a late scene where Mame ascends her famous stairway leading a certain character while telling him about her monk friend in India where, from his bell tower you can see the Taj Mahal. For all the laughs in the movie, it also tells a poignant, heartwarming story. And while this may come as a slight surprise, 'Auntie Mame' is one of my favorite comedies of all-time. I love it that much.