Period dramas dresses tournament: Red dresses Round 1- Group A: Esther Smith, Meet me in St. Louis (appears in 6th gif of this gifset) vs Rose DeWitt Bukater, Titanic (1) (pics set)
why hasn't anyone giffed the scene in meet me in st louis where judy garland beats the shit out of the boy she loves because she believes he hit her little sister? that's homophobic
Way, way back in High School I set out to watch every single one of Judy Garland’s movies. Several I’ve rewatched many times since, others I had no desire to see again. Now, in honor of the centennial of her birth, I thought I’d do something with this knowledge and make a quick write up of my thoughts on all of them...
Title: Meet Me in St. Louis
Release Year: 1944
Plot Summary: A year in the life of the Smith family in 1903 St. Louis, the year the world’s fair came to town. The story’s main focus is on the second-eldest daughter Esther (Garland), on the cusp of adulthood, starry-eyed, and filled with young love for the boy next door (Tom Drake), and the youngest child, Tootie (Margaret O’Brien), mischievous and morbidly fascinated by death in a way only an innocent child can be. Their father (Leon Ames) gets a job in New York, a move that threatens the family’s fragile innocence. Will they go?
Thoughts: The plot description doesn’t sound like much, but this is a masterfully told coming-of-age story. Rarely have the simple joys and frustrations of adolescence been filmed with such love and care as they are here.
Even the simplest of scenes becomes a technicolor marvel under Vincente Minnelli’s direction, while the cast takes characters that on the page might seem thinly drawn and elevates them into people we’ll all recognize from our own lives in some way. For example, the scene where Esther tries to get her crush to kiss her by asking him to turn off the gaslights with her is just perfectly staged and shot. It captures both the awkwardness and longing of puppy love beautifully. Just a flawless cinematic moment.
There are many other fantastic moments too, the Halloween scenes with O’Brien are particularly great, displaying a less wholesome aspect of childhood than was usually depicted on screen at the time. Garland debuts several of her most famous songs, including “The Trolley Song” and her heartbreaking rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Initially reluctant to take the role, fearing another lovesick teen part would set her career back, she shines here in a way she hadn’t since Oz. Ironically, it was only after this movie that she was able to leave her adolescent roles behind her and be embraced as a glamorous leading lady.
Can Be Enjoyed By: Diehard Fans Only | Casual Fans/Fans of Musicals in General | Essential Viewing for Everyone
Judy Garland's 100th birthday is coming up next week - and I was wondering if anyone knows of any online events that are being held or anything to celebrate the day. I know TCM is running a marathon of her movies and she's the star of the month...but was curious if anything else is going on?