Just what was needed as I avoided celebrating a nation which no longer gives women the right to autonomy or privacy over their bodily decisions. 🤬 So, yay, a film written, directed, and produced by women aimed at women. Not nearly as good as anything written or adapted of Jane Austen's work or as scintillating as Bridgerton, it has a gentle sense of humor and its heart in the right place.
Rare for me to mention, but even my husband…
Thanks to Criterion Channel, I was finally able to see another Billy Wilder film. I just love him and what's particularly wonderful about this film is that it feels like it could also work as a farce (if not for the subject matter). I just found out they originally intended the lead role for Cary Grant, and that only confirms my feeling about the undercurrents of humor throughout. Also, Anne Baxter's character shows surprising depth and autonomy which was refreshing…
This film is much like seeing an art masterpiece at a museum. I can recognize the amazing craft, the historical references, the surprising break from the known, the elegance and beauty in the work, and yet, if it doesn't engage my heart, leaves me impressed but ultimately cold.
Caveat: My mom was just 21 when she had me and 22 when she had my sister. She was a single parent for us from the time I was 3-14. She was on welfare until I was 7.
I say all this because this film wrecked me. It is so non-judgmental and allows reality to breathe all the while capturing childhood in all its gritty innocence. This is an America that I am acutely aware of and which is too…
