Blossoms in the Dust (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Blossoms in the Dust' (a melodramatic biopic directed by Mervyn LeRoy) is the fairly fictionalized account of Edna Gladney, the heroine who began the Texas Children's Home & Aid Society of Fort Worth. We 1st first meet Edna (beautiful Greer Garson) as she receives her first stunner: her beloved adopted sister (Marsha Hunt) is rejected by her potential in-laws for having been born out of wedlock; the marriage is quickly called off and ... the sister kills promptly herself {horrific}. Years later {as is annoyingly shown to us in picture form of a calendar flying through the months/years}, Edna, now moved from Wisconsin & married to the prosperous Sam Gladney (pleasant Walter Pidgeon), enjoys the high life of a socialite, until her young son is killed in a tragic accident; this recent hardship is compounded by a childbirth injury that left her unable to have more children. So what does Edna do?
She buries her sorrows in the social scene {of course}. Sam then machinates to have Edna care for a sweet orphaned girl, which she initially rejects -- she's angered that she is expected to just be a mother again in the wake of her tragic loss(es). But Edna quickly changes her mind {as is usually the case in this film}. Looking for a life of purpose, she eventually opens a lovely day care center, and then an actual adoption agency, taking in the most disadvantageous of children. And when Edna discovers the cruel prejudices held by the state of Texas against illegitimate children/orphans ... she rallies to change the law so that the word "illegitimate" is stricken from birth certificates; in this way, she helps the orphans of the future, as well as honoring the memory of her departed sister. Melodrama continues to ensue.
Though it's not a 'bad' film, I was pretty disappointed with 'Blossoms in the Dust'. Tragic deaths, cutesy children, fancy sets/costumes, soap opera-ish revelations ... everything is surfacey with little-to-no depth. It's an affecting story, but the script tears through Edna Gladney's life at breakneck speed, leaping & bounding over important incidents & years of character developments. In one early scene, Edna's sister dies; 3 seconds (and years later, by way of calendar), she's cheerfully celebrating a party with society's elite! Later, Another family member dies; 3 seconds later (and years later), she has merrily moved on. Ditto that for every death scene. In one late scene, she's reluctant to care for any children; then, literally 3 seconds (annnnd years later), she's running a day care -- like, what?!?
Director Mervyn LeRoy makes his proceedings very schmaltzy, as well; with his camera lingering on tiny tots who just say the darnedest things. The movie paints everything in very. broad. strokes. i.e., awww, isn't that child adorable? Wow, isn't the Texas government full of meanies? etc.. As for the performances, they're all fine; having to rise above the phony, saccharine sweetness. Greer Garson is lovely & gives a sensitive performance. She has one sensational scene in which she makes an impassioned plea to the Texas Senate that'll make you wanna clap in your seat. But really, the script does her character no favors. Yes, she's revered as a Texas legend and she achieved greatness, but as IS in the film, she comes across as both annoying & shallow. Eek, that's not a good thing, here {haha}.
Walter Pidgeon is quite good in a lesser lead role. Marsha Hunt impressed me in her short time onscreen as Edna's sister. Nothing's 'wrong' with any of the performances. There's also nothing wrong with the look of the film. The Technicolor cinematography is rich & lush. The production designs/costumes are absolutely gorgeous. As for the musical score, well, it's a good one. All this is swell. But despite the inspirational/honorable subject, & Edna Gladney's admirable real-life efforts ... the screenplay contains way too much stilted melodrama. Furthermore, Mervyn LeRoy's typically stellar direction was too syrupy & over-the-top for my liking. The film felt longer than its 100 minutes (packing SO many events in, but with practically no notion of spontaneity or narrative/character depth).
She buries her sorrows in the social scene {of course}. Sam then machinates to have Edna care for a sweet orphaned girl, which she initially rejects -- she's angered that she is expected to just be a mother again in the wake of her tragic loss(es). But Edna quickly changes her mind {as is usually the case in this film}. Looking for a life of purpose, she eventually opens a lovely day care center, and then an actual adoption agency, taking in the most disadvantageous of children. And when Edna discovers the cruel prejudices held by the state of Texas against illegitimate children/orphans ... she rallies to change the law so that the word "illegitimate" is stricken from birth certificates; in this way, she helps the orphans of the future, as well as honoring the memory of her departed sister. Melodrama continues to ensue.
Though it's not a 'bad' film, I was pretty disappointed with 'Blossoms in the Dust'. Tragic deaths, cutesy children, fancy sets/costumes, soap opera-ish revelations ... everything is surfacey with little-to-no depth. It's an affecting story, but the script tears through Edna Gladney's life at breakneck speed, leaping & bounding over important incidents & years of character developments. In one early scene, Edna's sister dies; 3 seconds (and years later, by way of calendar), she's cheerfully celebrating a party with society's elite! Later, Another family member dies; 3 seconds later (and years later), she has merrily moved on. Ditto that for every death scene. In one late scene, she's reluctant to care for any children; then, literally 3 seconds (annnnd years later), she's running a day care -- like, what?!?
Director Mervyn LeRoy makes his proceedings very schmaltzy, as well; with his camera lingering on tiny tots who just say the darnedest things. The movie paints everything in very. broad. strokes. i.e., awww, isn't that child adorable? Wow, isn't the Texas government full of meanies? etc.. As for the performances, they're all fine; having to rise above the phony, saccharine sweetness. Greer Garson is lovely & gives a sensitive performance. She has one sensational scene in which she makes an impassioned plea to the Texas Senate that'll make you wanna clap in your seat. But really, the script does her character no favors. Yes, she's revered as a Texas legend and she achieved greatness, but as IS in the film, she comes across as both annoying & shallow. Eek, that's not a good thing, here {haha}.
Walter Pidgeon is quite good in a lesser lead role. Marsha Hunt impressed me in her short time onscreen as Edna's sister. Nothing's 'wrong' with any of the performances. There's also nothing wrong with the look of the film. The Technicolor cinematography is rich & lush. The production designs/costumes are absolutely gorgeous. As for the musical score, well, it's a good one. All this is swell. But despite the inspirational/honorable subject, & Edna Gladney's admirable real-life efforts ... the screenplay contains way too much stilted melodrama. Furthermore, Mervyn LeRoy's typically stellar direction was too syrupy & over-the-top for my liking. The film felt longer than its 100 minutes (packing SO many events in, but with practically no notion of spontaneity or narrative/character depth).