That there's a dearth of (living) mothers in almost every Disney movie is somewhat clear (when last I looked, which was, admittedly, long, long ago). Which got me to thinking, after another delightful & quick talk with a brilliant friend (with whom I've recently had some fascinating conversations)...where (in my humble opinion) are there movie mothers that are worth watching, again and again and again? Not just sainted, non-wire-hanger-bashing mothers, but rich, thoughtful, mothers - the good, the not-so-great, and the perfectly heartwrenching?
So, for what it's worth, here are a few good mothers to watch...and I'd love for someone else to put their two cents in, someday...please feel free: this is just a start (a decent start, I hope)...
- Francis McDormand in "Almost Famous" (actually, Francis McDormand in almost anything)
- Holly "These are our salad days" Hunter in "Raising Arizona"
- Every single mother (and non-single mother) in "Gosford Park"
- Gene Tierney in "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" (just the thought of it makes me woozy with happiness and longing and that strange melancholy that the cinematography embodies)
- Julie Andrews, pre-motherhood in "The Sound of Music," skip-waltzing away from the convent in her heavenly, wooly trachtenware jacket, equally fab skirt, and sturdy shoes
- Ethel Merman in "There's No Business Like Show Business." (...am I remembering this right? I had such a crush, at ten, on Donald O'Connor...can you imagine?)
- Holly Golightly, a.k.a. Lulamae Barnes (teenage mother to the children of Doc Golightly), in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (whew...am so happy about this, as Audrey wasn't a mom in "Funny Face," all-time best Audrey--and with Fred, at that!--moment in my universe)
- AH! Mrs. Incredible....Holly Hunter, again!
- God, I wish Judy Garland had been a mother in "Meet Me in St. Louis"...does it count that she sang "Under the Bamboo Tree" with her little sister? That was sort of motherly, wasn't it?
- Auntie Mame. Best mother a Patrick could ever have. Just ask Agnes Gooch...
photo, above, taken whilst blasting through
Nuremberg in the
summer of ott seven. baby and mother
were guests at a glorious wedding...i was simply
a passerby with a camera, in awe of color and moment...
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