tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post1133593263650553963..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Begorrah!SJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-4431931080188941842016-11-12T15:25:36.223-06:002016-11-12T15:25:36.223-06:00For me, Wayne's best turn in front of the came...For me, Wayne's best turn in front of the camera is in <i>The Searchers</i>, which remains one of the truly great Westerns in history. Sure, Wayne could act, but he was frequently just playing the same character with a different name and a slightly different wardrobe. In this case, he's not playing a military hero or a cowboy, so it shows range in what he could do. You at least have to give it that.<br /><br />SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-25129693246819899012016-11-11T23:13:24.154-06:002016-11-11T23:13:24.154-06:00I finally got around to watching this. It's a ...I finally got around to watching this. It's a classic film, directed by John Ford, with a great cast, beautiful cinematography and yes Ireland is beautiful.<br /><br />It's too long, but I watched it in several segments over 36 hours. So I found it watchable and generally entertaining ... but oh so stupid at times.<br /><br />It's not about the money for Kate, it's about pride and honor. And Sean is dismissive and rude about her concerns. He just waves them away. And he has a good reason why he's reluctant to fight ... but he's the man and he doesn't have to tell her a damn thing because he's a pompous ass. Maybe she wouldn't understand it, but he doesn't even give her a chance.<br /><br />And that bit where he's dragging her from the train station, pulling her, yanking her arms, dragging her on her butt ... and he's obviously supposed to be in the right and she's supposed to deserve it ... for some reason. Maybe ... I dunno ... maybe he could freaking communicate what he's going to do and she would go willingly and she wouldn't have to be brutalized.<br /><br />So stupid.<br /><br />I've heard that this is one of Wayne's better acting jobs, but I just don't see it. He's OK. Thing is, I already knew he could act! I thought he was awesome in Stagecoach and They Were Expendable, just to name a couple I've seen recently enough that they stand out.<br /><br />I like Rio Grande a lot, but I generally find myself very disappointed with these John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara movies. She's always made to look like an unreasonable, shrill, emotional female while John Wayne patiently puts up with her craziness. I think the reason Rio Grande works a little better is that she has a pretty good reason to be mad at him: he burnt her house down during the War Between the States.Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17921029597363212734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-1747299002510059372016-03-14T20:22:07.376-05:002016-03-14T20:22:07.376-05:00I get that as a motivation for Mary Kate, but it s...I get that as a motivation for Mary Kate, but it still comes across not as "spunky" or "headstrong" but more as "batshit crazy." I don't see any sort of charm or appeal, and I think I'm supposed to.<br /><br />I like strong women characters, but there was a time when that seemed to equate to someone you wouldn't want to spend time around.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-60137832960612224262016-03-14T04:59:06.837-05:002016-03-14T04:59:06.837-05:00Yes, this is a strange one, and I am slightly surp...Yes, this is a strange one, and I am slightly surprised by the love it has. The landscape is gorgeous, worth watching the film simply to admire it. <br /><br />I felt a bit more sympathy for Mary Kate, but not much. I can understand wanting to have what you have been dreaming of as your right, and she would have been expecting it since she was a girl. But expecting her husband to fight for her, and punishing him when he didn't felt wrong. <br /><br />My sister walked in when Sean was dragging Mary Kate around, and she looked a bit shocked and said "What is he doing?' The film's sexual politics are certainly dated! Julia Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09041411551162128922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-29929166336274553542015-01-24T21:11:35.402-06:002015-01-24T21:11:35.402-06:00Right--I like strong female characters, but Mary K...Right--I like strong female characters, but Mary Kate isn't specifically strong. She's just greedy and kind of a bitch. There's nothing appealing there.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-60490801025308588772015-01-24T12:58:24.230-06:002015-01-24T12:58:24.230-06:00Exactly, it does hit on every imaginable Irish ste...Exactly, it does hit on every imaginable Irish stereotype. <br />I love your description of Mary Kate. She is not a sympathetic character and that is not because she has a will of her own, but because of her strange priorities. She has very little consideration for people around her, but gives a lot of thought to what other people might think of her. A poor cocktail.<br />TSorensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12208153011927807857noreply@blogger.com