Can we talk?

Old Movies

         I think old films are becoming my passion. I saw Peter Sellers and Britt Eckland, his wife, in The Bobo. Not one of his greatest, I'd say. The story came from a much earlier book, which I have not read. The movie script presents a very implausible plot. The movie is in English, but the setting is in Spain; everyone has an accent, but they come across as French or Italian. I can see why it was not critically acclaimed. I don't think a modern remake would work without a major overhaul on the story line.

         Britt Eckland isn't bad as the beautiful young woman who loves only rich men and knows that she is beautiful. She's not overtly trashy as in today's movies, but is very confident and knows her beauty gives her power. She revels in luxury and attention. I don't know enough about her to know if she ever did anything except beautiful, sexy femme fatale roles.

         On the other hand, Hawaii, starring Julie Andrews and Max Von Sydow, was wonderful and stands the test of time. I did see this decades ago, but remember the good parts and appreciate some others more. This was Ms Andrews first non-musical movie, and she was stellar. Von Sydow's character is despicable at the beginning, difficult to love at the end, but he has the most developed role, By the end, even though you might not have loved his personality, you admired him and realized he was a better man than all the more tolerable characters.

         This, too, came from a book. James Michener is a marvelous author who teaches in his stories and does tons of research. I'm sure the book reveals so much more than the movie. Watching the people dying of measles was heart-rending. Seeing how the people who came to liberate the islands profited from it was an eye-opener, too.

         The three main Hawaiian characters are excellent actors, but they never claimed much fame. The Ali Lui (queen) was terrific. The handsome young man died with all his dreams and hopes crushed, and the viewer feels the loss. Yet, the movie wasn't really about the Hawaiians, but about those well-meaning people who invaded their islands.