Friday, May 22, 2009
SPINSTER!
Today's film was Paul Newman's directorial debut. It wasn't available during the Newman festival I ran earlier this year.
with Joanne Woodward.
This film tells a story that is off the radar of today's culture. The spinster's story.
When I was a kid, there were three things worse than death. One was to become a fairy/faggot. Another was to be a drunk. The third, if you were a woman, was to be a spinster.
I will not elaborate on how I achieved the first two but missed the third.
In our town there were many spinsters. Often victims of circumstance (younger daughter made to take care of aging parents), many were, in fact, lesbians or the real outcasts of today's society, the sexual neuter.
There is a complicated social structure thing involved with this as well. Women's role and so on.
Newman does a different take. His spinster is psychologically damaged as well as a caretaker for her widowed, self pitying mother.
Of course, like all of us, she has made her own bed. This film is about how it comes about that she decides not to lie in it any longer.
John said that you do not see films like this today and that is true. It is a character study. There is a story arc and there is a conclusion but the interesting part is the journey through Rachel's thoughts and actions during a critical summer in her life.
There is no melodrama here. The venue is decidedly small town. The characters are common place but not cardboard.
The wonderful Estelle Parson is Rachel's best friend.
I will give this a 3 out of Netflix5.
