Summer Magic
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Movie Reviews of Summer Magic
Movie Review: loved it
Summary: 5 Stars
My teenage niece loves this movie. I bought it for her birthday.Movie Review: Summer Magic
Summary: 5 Stars
Loved this when I was a kid and it's still a great movie!Movie Review: Magical
Summary: 4 Stars
Good or bad, happy or sad, come what may this will always be the most magical of the movies I saw in a theater as a child. Already charmed by its Disney, Norman Rockwell, Hallmark look at the Ragtime Age; this 12 year old boy was simply bowled over 30 minutes into the film by his first glimpse of Deborah Walley. Walley was already a teen queen from her "Gidget" film but had escaped my too-young-to-notice teen stars 6th grade consciousness until that day at the theater.
In her period costume this vision was the original "Pretty in Pink" and the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. And might explain my lifelong preference for redheads.
At its core "Summer Magic" is a Disney fairy tale cloaked in a "too-good-to-be-true" production design. If the term expressionist nostalgia ever applied to a film it is this one. Disney simply took basic plot elements form the novel and film "Mother Carey's Chickens" (1938), threw in a bunch of "Cinderella" elements, and had Dorothy McGuire softly reprise her performance in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn".
If you can't find something here with which to connect, whether it is wistful identification or distanced examination of the film language elements, then you are probably already pretty much used up. Liking this film now is just having the willingness to exercise a little self-knowing whimsy.
Cinderella-wise you have a fairy prince, a glass slipper, a wicked step-sister, a wardrobe transformation scene, cute animals, a coach, songs, and a ball.
The songs are along the lines of those seen recently in "Enchanted" but without the elaborate special effects. A couple of these ("Pink of Perfection" and Femininity" have been popping into my head ever since 1963. Those two and "Ugly Bug Ball" have held up surprisingly well. "Flitterin" and "Beautiful Beulah" are decent if not especially memorable.
"On the Front Porch" was weak then and hasn't improved with age; it should have been trimmed from the film as that is the film's weakest (insert "boring" here) scene. The sequence should be of interest to film students as it is the only time the director has real difficulty keeping the cast focused; definitely a post-production challenge for the editor who did some damage control but could not salvage anything worth keeping.
Viewing the film today I found Wendy Turner (as Lallie Joy Popham-Virginia Weidler's role in the 1938 film) a revelation. Turner's is the most authentic performance; which is interesting as she was originally cast as the youngest of the three girls simply because she was slightly shorter than the height-challenged Walley. Her ability to take acting for the camera direction must have been a pleasant surprise for director James Neilson. She gets to do an ugly duckling wardrobe transformation sequence worthy of "Cinderella".
As often happened with Disney, a variety of elements were included to insure that it appealed to the widest demographic. So you have a shaggy sheep dog (where have I seen that before?), you have a couple of handsome young actors (Peter Brown is one of these), you have a Moochie Corcoran hammy kid, you have the comedy relief of acting veterans Una Merkel and Burl Ives to appeal to parents, and you have liberal use of Disney's stock nature footage.
Although I was too dazzled by Walley to pay much attention to Hayley Mills this was probably her best performance for Disney, it was certainly the most difficult part she was given. Her acting was more polished than in "Pollyanna" and the disconnect of her out-of-place English accent taught us young Disney viewers all about suspension of disbelief.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Movie Review: Classic Hayley Mills
Summary: 4 Stars
Definitely one of Hayley Mills best films. Her fans definitely love it. Burl Ives, Dorothy McGuire, and Michael Pollard are wonderful in their roles as well as Hayley. The sets and music are delightful in this movie about an earlier time when life was simpler and although challenging, much kinder. Hayley does a fine job playing a young lady that is always full of optimism. In some respects like the optimism of Bing Crosby in "The Bells of St. Mary's". She charms her way to get what she wants. This color movie doesn't seem to age, since if you didn't know when it was made, you would think it could have been recently. Amazingly families today still find this an enjoyable movie, but then it is an amazing movie. Full of warmth and values of the heart. I recommend it to all, but especially to anyone that enjoys the older Disney classics.Movie Review: golden age Walt Disney movie
Summary: 4 Stars
In mood and style and tone, this movie belongs with the 1940s Walt Disney movies. It has the same look and feel. The ragtime music is new, but otherwise it is the same type of film. Relaxing, non-stressful, just the thing after a long day's commute. Family-oriented.
If you like this type of movie, you'll probably also like Little House on the Prairie, or Mary Christmas or A Thanksgiving Miracle, although the last two are a bit more realistic.