Disappointment
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Member of the Wedding
Harold_Robbins — 18 years ago(September 21, 2007 12:02 PM)
I'm almost ashamed to admit that I have little more than passing acquaintance with the Carson McCullers novel and play, and even less with the film, though of course I'd heard about it for years. Now that I've finally seen it, I'm almost ashamed to admit that my reaction to it is almost completely negative.
In the first place, the character of Frankie was totally unlikeable - no explanation is ever given for why she is such an angry brat, seemingly at war with everyone around her. Personally, I found it impossible to empathize or sympathize with her. And although Julie Harris is one of the best actresses ever, and one of my very favorites, it's a shrill, over-done performance that wasn't reconfigured for the screen, and the over-use of closeups make it painfully obvious that she's long past twelve years old. Nor was I convinced by the sudden change in Frankie's character in the final scene - it was far too affected and phony.
The two best things about the film were, of course the wonderful Ethel Waters and Brandon de Wilde. If I ever watch the film again (which, however, I don't think I'm likely to) it will be for Waters' performance: Berenice is wise and loving, has had her disappointments, but keeps on keeping on. de Wilde was one of the best child actors ever, almost sounding like an adult in a child's body, but a child nevertheless, and the fact that he actually was around the age of the character he was playing only pointed up that Harris was too old for her role.
"I don't use a pen: I write with a goose quill dipped in venom!"
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novastar_6 — 18 years ago(September 29, 2007 09:23 PM)
Think about it, her mother is dead, her father is barely around and pays little attention to her, she's grown so much and so fast everybody considers her a freak and she's blackballed by all the other girls in the town who have their clubhouse right next to her yard, Berenice is always picking on her, John Henry doesn't help matters in that department either, her brother she's hardly heard a thing from in the past years, why WOULDN'T she be at war with everyone around her?
The first time I saw this movie, I came into it by the day before the wedding, after Frankie got out of her dressat first I thought she was a boy but then I saw she was wearing a bra under her slipI thought she was 16 or 17, 12 I was surprised about, but after watching it a couple more times, I could see that, especially given her growth spurt she wouldn't look too much like a 12 year old, and let's not forget, that soldier cleary did NOT think she was 12 either, or he wouldn't have tried what he had.
I like the movie right up to the end, from the beginning to when John Henry dies, that's how far I like it, I HATE when they do movies with tomboys who are rough and everything, then at the end they're in girls' clothes talking their heads off about boys, that's where I think they went wrong. -
lnoft97 — 18 years ago(February 10, 2008 08:07 AM)
This Harold Robbins above must not know anything about girls or children or sadness in general. He can't understand WHY she is the way she is? He must be as dense as a block of wood. I'll bet he watched Titanic and said he couldn't understand why all those passengers falling off the ship were screaming..
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lnoft97 — 18 years ago(March 26, 2008 11:23 AM)
I did suspend my belief a little, but I thought it was excellent! And I could TOTALLY understand why Frankie was the way she was! What's so hard? She was entitled to feel, and act, that way; girls going into puberty are crazy with hormones and emotions, and she was basically left all on her own to deal with it (except for the wonderful, wonderful Ethel Waters to keep an eye on her, loved her to death!).
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MystMoonstruck — 16 years ago(June 09, 2009 11:52 PM)
Someone I know, a lady in her 80s, often talks about how her older sister grew so fast that, when she was only 10-12, people thought she was a grownup and acted as if something was wrong with her. She, too, has always had a tendency to "embroider the truth", stretching and shaping what happened to suit herself. She acted out what she saw in movies and was extremely dramatic. Actually, she still is!
Her sister would be running around with their dogs and playing with dolls, just as any child would. But, she looked so much older that they thought she was "odd". Instead, she was an extremely smart child who often was surprised by people's reactions to her.
To me, she sounds as if she might have been very much like Frankie. Now, add to that Frankie's troubled childhood, and it's no wonder she has problems with her temper, especially since she's obviously fast approaching puberty.
I've heard people refer to Julie's wrinkles. Well, check out most child actors; many of them have wrinkles prematurely if they overuse expressions. Frankie scowls nearly all of the time, and that would do it, especially with skin exposed to the sun and not cared for as other little girls might be doing. Frankie is a tomboy, despite the perfume!
MystMoonstruck -
maybe730 — 14 years ago(June 09, 2011 12:24 PM)
It's not the wrinkles necessarily that gave me had a hard time buying that Julie Harris was 12. It is true she does look like she's in her late 20's but it's more that she acts like a grown woman pretending to be a kid (like she's suffering from a mental illness of some type). I rewound the beginning of the movie when I first watched it to make sure we heard right that the character was supposed to be 12. Her performance reminds me of all those Peter Pan plays where a grown woman tries to pretend to be a boy. I understand this was originally a play so she might've been able to pull it off from afar up on the stage but in this movie it's ridiculous. Like a 36 year old Steve McQueen playing a 16 year old Nevada Smith. I just ignored the fact that she was supposed to be 12 and thought of her as a younger sister of some undetermined age. It didn't really help.
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novastar_6 — 14 years ago(September 28, 2011 10:43 PM)
I always knew Steve McQueen was 28 when he played 17 year old Steve Andrews in The Blob, but that never mattered to me, I buy it every time I see it, he may not exactly LOOK 17 but by 17 who does? It's the acting that counts.
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mptnla — 14 years ago(November 22, 2011 11:11 AM)
I didnt think it was all that bad glad I saw it, but would likely not sit through it again. Of course when a play becomes a a movie, as a viewer I feel a little trapped and claustrophobic in a way, since most of the action takes place in one room and you have to rely on good interaction between the characters. I thought the performances were interesting a little over the top, but the general storyline just wasnt my cup of tea. Again, glad I saw it though.
"I hope she didn't take my attempt to destroy her too seriously."