roverrocks Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I am absolutely smitten with LILY (1953) tonight and with Leslie Caron. I had never seen this gem before. An absolute gem to me. A film of wonder and love. THIS shows the magic of Hollywood far more than any modern CGI monstrosity could. Thanks TCM. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikisoo Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 You are not the only one....there's another regular poster who sang it's praises last year. I recorded it this time around and am looking forward to seeing it-especially since it made an impression on you too! For someone who 'came late' to the Hollywood studio system, Caron certainly made her share of well loved classic films. Hopefully someday talent & charm will triumph over explosions and "effects". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I am absolutely smitten with LILY (1953) tonight and with Leslie Caron. I had never seen this gem before. An absolute gem to me. A film of wonder and love. THIS shows the magic of Hollywood far more than any modern CGI monstrosity could. Thanks TCM. If you're so smitten, it's spelled LILI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted December 13, 2014 Author Share Posted December 13, 2014 If you're so smitten, it's spelled LILI. Thanks so much for being so nice. The wonderful people one meets online here. Being smitten does not mean I can spell any more than you can be a mench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Thanks so much for being so nice. The wonderful people one meets online here. Being smitten does not mean I can spell any more than you can be a mench. How can I correct your spelling in a mensch-like manner? You'd rather continue spelling it wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted December 13, 2014 Author Share Posted December 13, 2014 How can I correct your spelling in a mensch-like manner? You'd rather continue spelling it wrong? Ah, more Christmas spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I am absolutely smitten with LILY (1953) tonight and with Leslie Caron. I had never seen this gem before. An absolute gem to me. A film of wonder and love. THIS shows the magic of Hollywood far more than any modern CGI monstrosity could. Thanks TCM. Yes, Lili is a very nice and moving film and as you noted a film of wonder and love. Leslie Caron is starring in a play about 5 miles from where I live. I should check it out to see if there is any magic there as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougieB Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I am absolutely smitten with LILY (1953) tonight and with Leslie Caron. I had never seen this gem before. An absolute gem to me. A film of wonder and love. THIS shows the magic of Hollywood far more than any modern CGI monstrosity could. Thanks TCM. You're so right about the movie. I saw it as a kid in a theater and never forgot it, though it wasn't until the 1970's I was able to see it again in a revival house. Seeing it then I was struck by how adult it is, as well as being a story of childlike innocence. Robert's cohost mentioned that it has some dark themes below the surface; these people are carnival folk after all. It's a beautiful movie which can be enjoyed by young people and adults, each in their own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonesomePolecat Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 I've never made a secret of my unabashed love of LILI. This is one of the movies that instantly makes me happy no matter what. I don't know what it is-- the story, the puppets, the songs, or the utter believability of Leslie Caron herself--but I adore this film! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StBartsActor Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Five minutes into Lili I realized I had never seen it before. It was absolutely wonderful and enchanting with Leslie Caron giving a beautiful, believable performance. I also enjoyed the discussion with Robert and his guest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misswonderly3 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 A genuinely sweet movie. Mel Ferrer is note perfect in it. (and much sexier than that other guy Lili has a crush on.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 My mother hated this movie so whenever someone would mention it as being a favorite of theirs she would make some sort of dismissive remark. I never discussed with her why she had such a strong negative reaction to it. I've never seen the movie in his entirety. I think perhaps I might have enjoyed it if I had seen it as a young child. . . if my mother would have allowed us to view it. I caught the bit recenty on TCM with Leslie Caron talking to the puppets. It seemed strange that she seemed to think they were real. Maybe her "character" was supposed to be younger than she looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StBartsActor Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Your Mom was in good company Holden as Robert Osborne's discussion said that Dore Schary was ready to put Lily on the shelf when he saw it before it was ever seen by the public. The discussion went on to say that the studio wanted Charles Walters to make the dance sequences big production numbers like An American In Paris, but he stood his ground and just wanted them to reflect the emotions of the characters. Walters went on to get his one and only Oscar nomination. I see why you would feel the way you do from watching Lily and the puppets, but I think you may feel differently seeing it in its entirety as some of those "loopholes" close, or at least I think they do. And again, I have never seen it before, and just thoroughly enjoyed it. And yes, MissWonderly, Mel Ferrar really had an intensity I don't think I ever saw in him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 You're so right about the movie. I saw it as a kid in a theater and never forgot it, though it wasn't until the 1970's I was able to see it again in a revival house. Seeing it then I was struck by how adult it is, as well as being a story of childlike innocence. Robert's cohost mentioned that it has some dark themes below the surface; these people are carnival folk after all. It's a beautiful movie which can be enjoyed by young people and adults, each in their own way. Ahh, glove. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeCliffe Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 MGM had very little faith in this gem. The film was first offered to director Vincente Minnelli, who turned it down. LILI opened in a little movie theatre in NYC in 1953 and I believe it played continuously for 2 years in that same theatre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac_the_Nice Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 My mother hated this movie so whenever someone would mention it as being a favorite of theirs she would make some sort of dismissive remark. I never discussed with her why she had such a strong negative reaction to it. I've never seen the movie in his entirety. I think perhaps I might have enjoyed it if I had seen it as a young child. . . if my mother would have allowed us to view it. I caught the bit recenty on TCM with Leslie Caron talking to the puppets. It seemed strange that she seemed to think they were real. Maybe her "character" was supposed to be younger than she looked. How interesting--but kind of sad. My mother made me go see it with her. To me, it looked like a movie "for girls" and I was prepared to be all bored and miserable through the whole thing, like it was the time she took me to see Grace Kelly in The Country Girl --how far above a 9 year old boy's head could any movie get? But! I loved Lily, fell precociously in love with Leslie Caron, and went around singing and humming and whistling that theme song for at least a week afterward. And I asked her if I could get a puppet for Christmas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredfromNJ Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I concur with the opinions expressed here as to what a wonderful and remarkable achievement LILI is. However, I wonder how many people here are familiar with an earlier movie dealing with a young woman and a puppeteer which I saw at the Film Forum in New York many years ago. While it has some similarities with LILI it is a different and somewhat darker story yet also fine in its own way. The title of the movie was I AM SUZANNE! (1933) from Fox and it starred Lillian Harvey and Gene Raymond as the puppeteer. Leslie Banks also had a prominent role. Unfortunately, it is rarely ever shown. The director was Rowland V. Lee noted for among other films, ZOO IN BUDAPEST and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 I AM SUZANNE (1933) sounds very interesting after reading about it online. Has this run on TCM before? I can't remember viewing it but my memory is poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredfromNJ Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I can't recall I AM SUZANNE! ever being shown on TCM and if I'm not mistaken it's only in the last few years that TCM has had a contract to show a good number of Fox films. Sorry it took me so long to respond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I can't recall I AM SUZANNE! ever being shown on TCM and if I'm not mistaken it's only in the last few years that TCM has had a contract to show a good number of Fox films. Sorry it took me so long to respond. TCM is showing more Fox films in the last few years (e.g. Laura), but not enough. This is why I watch MOVIES from time to time. The majority of the films they show are Fox films, but they have commercials and they censor for content. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Im4movies2 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 In her interview with Robert Osborne I remember Leslie saying LiLi was actually her least favorite film. She found the character she played rather silly and insipid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 In her interview with Robert Osborne I remember Leslie saying LiLi was actually her least favorite film. She found the character she played rather silly and insipid. I've never seen the entire movie, but in the parts I have seen the character seems to be behaving much younger than she physically appears to be. I wondered if the character was supposed to be child but was played by an adult actor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikisoo Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I finally got to watch it last night....loved it! I saw Lili as a young innocent girl who has led a sheltered life. She was completely at a loss of what to do when her "means of support" had disappeared from her. The movie was about her discovery of life, "learning" as she says. It also seems like the story of the puppeteer's "discovery" of life too. In that sense, it's very sweet. The puppet aspect strikes me as a symbol of psychotherapy, but it might as that's what I studied in college. What I found objectionable was the slap. It was hard, mean and a reaction to the puppeteer's self loathing or inadequacies. Definitely wrong to inflict upon Lili. I would NEVER put up with a violent mistake like that from a man and would instruct my daughter not to either. I understand the gesture and understand how someone (Lili) could forgive him and run back to him. But I certainly wouldn't. And I worry about her future with someone not in control of their anger....I know, it's only a movie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 I finally got to watch it last night....loved it! I saw Lili as a young innocent girl who has led a sheltered life. She was completely at a loss of what to do when her "means of support" had disappeared from her. The movie was about her discovery of life, "learning" as she says. It also seems like the story of the puppeteer's "discovery" of life too. In that sense, it's very sweet. The puppet aspect strikes me as a symbol of psychotherapy, but it might as that's what I studied in college. What I found objectionable was the slap. It was hard, mean and a reaction to the puppeteer's self loathing or inadequacies. Definitely wrong to inflict upon Lili. I would NEVER put up with a violent mistake like that from a man and would instruct my daughter not to either. I understand the gesture and understand how someone (Lili) could forgive him and run back to him. But I certainly wouldn't. And I worry about her future with someone not in control of their anger....I know, it's only a movie. Watched LILI again this morning. Certainly a feelgood fantasy I love except for that vicious slap which should not have been in the movie. Made no sense to have that violent slap in this movie. None. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primosprimos Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 I finally got to watch it last night....loved it! I saw Lili as a young innocent girl who has led a sheltered life. She was completely at a loss of what to do when her "means of support" had disappeared from her. The movie was about her discovery of life, "learning" as she says. It also seems like the story of the puppeteer's "discovery" of life too. In that sense, it's very sweet. The puppet aspect strikes me as a symbol of psychotherapy, but it might as that's what I studied in college. What I found objectionable was the slap. It was hard, mean and a reaction to the puppeteer's self loathing or inadequacies. Definitely wrong to inflict upon Lili. I would NEVER put up with a violent mistake like that from a man and would instruct my daughter not to either. I understand the gesture and understand how someone (Lili) could forgive him and run back to him. But I certainly wouldn't. And I worry about her future with someone not in control of their anger....I know, it's only a movie. Actually, it's not. It's a symbol of the place of women in a certain place in time. Would Lili forgive him today, were she an enlightened and empowered woman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts