This movie is an absolute classic and was SUCH a huge part of my childhood & my mother's childhood. (age 31 & 57)
When I was younger I would tell my mom that I wanted to be Carol Channing's character and that someday I would be so rich that I could entertain ALL of my hobbies and more. She boxes, she sings, she dances, she flies planes, plays instruments, does acrobatics while singing and flying through the air.... and she flirts with every man on her staff. Millie was the main character, but Muzzy was the baddest b*tch of them all.
Julie Andrews, as usual... amazing. Mary Tyler Moore? Same. The whole movie? Gold.
Now time for the disclaimer:
This movie has some very extreme stereotypes of Chinese people, and literally scared my sheltered white + blonde mom in 1972 into thinking she was going to be sold into slavery... (she was 9). BUT... I can say this. It has also been the catalyst for some INTENSE conversations about race and stereotypes in my family with my mom & her parents. It is a reflection of how people being "complacent" to racism, especially through humor, WERE ALSO PERPETUATING RACISM.
Truly, there is no excuse for how bad some parts are...
You can say, oh it was the 60's! And, Oh they're just pretending it's the 20's! But the racism is there... and those parts, and the use of Chinese people as the butt of jokes, is not funny.
The only thing I can say (still not making an excuse!) and SPOILER WARNING:
Young people are changing. When I was about 8 or 9 and singing and dancing to this music everyday, I apparently told my mother that I was really unhappy with 2 things:
1. Why did they have to lump Chinese people in with evil Mrs.Meers? It makes them look bad. She was a super bad lady & she wasn't even Chinese! (Turns out Beatrice Lillie IS a British woman that the movie tries to play off as Chinese!! Having her yell at her assistants in horribly racist fake Chinese. I was NOT having it)
2. What might come off as a racist excuse (& was probably seen by the creators of this movie as a justification for the racism...) was the key factor into my little mind finding some enlightenment: NOT ALL CHINESE PEOPLE ARE BAD. There are good people and bad people. The movie ends with everyone being SAVED by a Chinese person. So yes, what may have started as a justification of "SEE we made one of them nice!" gave me this complex.....
There are really horrible white people.
And really kind white people.
There are really horrible people of every color, race, and background... (Like a British New Yorker pretending to be Chinese?)
And there are amazing people, of every color, race, and background.
Again, does that make this movie not racist? NO!
Will I stop watching it? No.
I will continue to keep it around to
1. REMIND US how freaking racist we were, NOT THAT LONG AGO. and
2. To remember that people can change.
(Oh and also 3. Because the music and silliness is unbeatable)
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