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45 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FIVE HANKY TEARJERKER...., March 30, 2003
Based upon the best selling, Fannie Hurst novel of the same name, this 1959 remake of the 1934 film starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Deavers is a terrific, well acted, sentimental melodrama that should be viewed with a caveat. While not so politically incorrect as to be nearly astounding, as was the 1934 version, it still presents a stereotypic view of blacks reflective of the time in which this movie was filmed. It is certainly is a view that is jarring in these more enlightened times, as it reflects the nature of the racism that was inherent in our society at that time. Remember, this film was made before the civil rights movement took root. Notwithstanding this, it is still a remarkable film that will hold the viewer in its thrall.Lana Turner plays the role of Lora Meredith, a struggling widow and aspiring actress with a young daughter named Susie. Juanita Moore plays the part of Annie Johnson, also a struggling widow. Together they join forces, enabling Lora to pursue her dreams and Annie to provide a home for her own young daughter, Sarah Jane. Lora follows her dreams of fame and fortune, with Annie, as Lora's housekeeper, providing the stability of a regular home life for Susie and Sarah Jane. Before you know it, Lora becomes a star on Broadway. Along the way, she is romanced by Steve (John Gavin), who met Lora when she was still living in a cold water flat and he was a promising artist with dreams of his own. While climbing the rungs of the ladder of success, Lora is propositioned by her agent, Allen Loomis (Robert Alda), who, charmed by her basic decency and refusal to go the casting couch route, takes her on as a client, anyway. She also is romanced by a playwright, David Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy), with whom she forges a successful professional collaboration. Meanwhile, Annie still keeps the hearth fire burning at home, always the perennial "mammy", as Susie (Sandra Dee) and Sarah Jane (Susan Koehner) grow up to be two very attractive young ladies. Moreover, while Lora treats Annie with affection, love, and care, there is not a level playing field between them. Lora and Susie always address Annie by her first name. Yet, Annie always addresses them as Miz Lora and Miz Susie. Moreover, while Annie knows everything about Lora's personal life, Lora knows nothing about Annie's, as she has never even asked about it, something Annie points out to Lora. The racial divide is there for all to see. Meanwhile, the years have passed and Annie's light skinned daughter, clearly knows the score. Sarah Jane certainly has no intention of being anyone's "mammy" and wants to pass for white, as she does not wish to be relegated to second class citizenry. She does not try to do this because she wants to be white, but rather, she wants the advantages associated with being white in that time. Hers is not a decision based upon race self-hate, but upon a realistic assessment of how she could be all she could be. Still, she breaks Annie's heart by doing this, and when Annie dies, a part of Sarah Jane dies with her. Annie's funeral is also a focal cinematic moment due to the spiritual sung by the magnificent Mahalia Jackson. The film updates the original in a number of ways in order to give the film a more contemporary look. The part of Annie (Delilah in the 1934 version) now calls for less of a stereotypic "mammy" look. Annie is more of an black Betty Crocker, finer featured, trim, and a bit stylish. Yet, the very nature of the role is still stereotypic in that Annie is still portrayed as the long suffering, self-sacrificing, religious, black servant who wants nothing more than to make life easier for her white mistress. Annie may have shed the "mammy" look, but she is still portrayed as a "mammy" at heart. Moreover, Lora's relationship with Annie in this 1959 remake is stuck in time, as it is still the same as Bea's relationship with Delilah in the 1934 version. Interestingly enough, in this remake Susan Koehner, a white actress, was cast in the role of the light skinned Sarah Jane (Peola in the 1934 version), while bi-racial Fredi Washington played the role of the light skinned Peola in the 1934 version. Although the casting of a white woman for the role of a light skinned black woman may be puzzling to those of us in the twenty first century, I presume that this was done in order to be on the safe side. In the 1934 original, Peola did not have a white boyfriend, while in this remake Sarah Jane has an on screen white boyfriend (Troy Donahue). Although she does not have any love scenes with him, there is still the underlying concept of a black woman having a white boyfriend, and they do have a scene together, though it can hardly be called a love scene. I surmise that the studio chose to play it safe for this reason, casting a white actress in the part rather than a light skinned black one, so as to avoid actual controversy in certain parts of the country. This is, however, pure conjecture on my part. All in all, this is a mesmerizing film, both cinematically and historically, as it is a reflection of another time in which racial conflict was viewed in such a paternalistic way. Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, and Susan Koehner all give moving, compelling performances, notwithstanding the political incorrectness of the script. Sandra Dee sweetly handles the role of Susie with wide-eyed innocence. John Gavin, Robert Alda, and Dan O'Herlihy all give deft supporting performances as the men in Lora's life. Juanita Moore and Susan Koehner each deservedly won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. This anachronistic, well directed, sentimental tearjerker is a definite must see by those who enjoy first rate melodramas.
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