We begin with a little conversation:
Cara: http://3.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kq8u6snRar1qzyql8o1_500.jpg
Kayla: hold on, i'm watching jeanette go batshit again.
Cara: i will always hold so jeanette can go batshit.
Kayla: I have to keep my priorities straight.
We could go back even further than... 10 minutes ago, to about 10 years ago, when my friend, Heather, and I stayed up until dawn, on the phone, transposing letters in peoples' names, and eventually me watching the following scene, while saying, "HOLD ON SHE'S GONNA FALL. OK SHE DID, WASN'T IT GREAT?!"
Of course, Heather couldn't see what I was seeing. But with this great thing called technology (in this age), YOU CAN SEE WHAT I SEE. (And hear what I hear, Bing Crosby.)
Thoughts! sponsored, in part, by Theraflu, after the jump.
Point of Braining 1.) Some crazed folks out there in the film-o-sphere spent years talking about how Jeanette was this crazy overacting diva. I'm not really sure how our girl got punted to the curb by "mainstream" classic film lovers, but she did, and that's a travesty. I dare anyone to watch that scene and tell me where she went over the top. And if you say, "Er, she was going batshit, I'm missing the point here," then shoo. Shoo fly, you don't get it. I know that there are people out there that will never "get" Jeanette, but at least give her a chance. Clearly, as shown by the Tosca scene alone, girlfriend could act, very very well. She knew what she was doing. Her eyes, in this scene, are just so... amazingly expressive. Just look at that very last part, before she collapses. She didn't need to move, didn't need to utter a word. Her eyes said it all. Yes, Virginia, Jeanette MacDonald was an amazing actress.
Point of Braining 2.) THE SCREAM. Really, need I say more? INTENSE. That mess rocked her entire wee body. And don't go spoiling my dream and give some scholarly explanation as to why that may not have actually been her screaming. La la la, tuning it out. even if it wasn't, she sure as hell made it look like it was.
Therefore, kudos, if you've predicted this line- Jeanette MacDonald was an amazing actress.
...I guess that's all. TALK AMONGST YOURSELVES.
Though I've only seen this movie once (because my cable company is an asshole and wouldn't let me take my DVR box with me when I moved, but I digress), I feel that Jeanette's acting is showcased throughout the whole movie. And not just because of THESE ARE BEANS which obviously I am entirely too obsessed with. But point is, she acts superbly throughout the whole thing and then it culminates with the Tosca scene and it's just PERFECTION WITH A BATSHIT CRAZY CHERRY ON TOP.
ReplyDeleteDammit, now I want to watch Rose Marie and have no way to do so. BOO.