Mary Kate

My first memory of Judy was Wizard of Oz, but I think that was only because I could relate to it as a child. She made me feel like I could someday sing like her! The clips showcase some of her amazing ability but since I was raised on these movies, they didn't change my mind about her. She was an amazing performer in every way. The only film that bothers me was The Pirate, where she seemed hyped up and frenetic in her performances, and not quite in touch with her fellow actors. Her film, A Star is Born, is wonderful. I get chills every time I see the scene where she spills her guts to her director about her struggle with Norman. She is an emotional wreck, but when they call action, she turns it off and performs as if nothing happened. She makes that lightning quick dousing of emotion so believable looking

1. The tongue in cheek humor of the scene was apparent in the cache of guns in the drawer, the bit where Maurice Chevalier is successful in fastening her dress (indicating he didn’t have trouble unfastening it earlier), and the way she was up on her elbow after her “suicide”. 2. The sound was noticeably absent in some spots. It made the sound of the crowd all that more apparent when Maurice Chevalier opened the window. I wonder if most of the French in the scene was a stumbling block for people going to the movie when it came out. French was a language that was taught to lots of Americans in that day and age so they may have had some idea of what was being said. Regardless, the French adds to the comedy of the scene because you can tell what’s going on even if you can’t understand what’s being said. 3. It’s clear that this movie was a form of escape for most modern moviegoing audiences of the day. Practically no one would have lived in that opulence or sexual freedom. So it was fun to watch it on the screen. I think this movie relates to later musicals in that it shows the very rich and unrealistic lifestyles of the characters.