reve-2

My summary line says it all. My wife has been reading and enjoying Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books. She decided to buy this video to see if it was similar to the books she has read. She liked this film. As for me, it was exactly what I expected it to be. A long, boring teleplay with non-stop talk and absolutely no action until a very brief flurry appeared near the end.

with all of the comments from those who think this is a great film. I found it extremely nerve wracking. With the exception of a couple of blessedly calm and quiet scenes, this film is one long mass confusion scene with an almost non-stop procession of marching bands, the entire population of a small town, pompous town officials and, Eddie Bracken, playing his usual stereotypical role as a put upon, confused, wimpy personna. The bit with the bands starting to play before they are supposed to is overdone to the point of nausea. And, throughout this film, I found myself giving thanks that Franklin Pangborn is no longer with us so that he can never again subject viewers to his annoying, over-the-top emoting. I could go on and on but, what's the point. By now, you get my drift.

As a rule I absolutely despise musicals. The idea that people are talking and then, suddenly, burst into song would be enough, in the real world, to send for the looney wagon. But I must admit that, whenever MFL is shown on TV, I usually click on to it several times during the showing to try and catch some of the great songs. I could not care less about the storyline or what becomes of any of the characters. Marni Nixon has always been a favorite of mine and she has a voice that is stronger and much more pleasant than that of Julie Andrews, who was rejected by the film's producers for the role of Liza. I also enjoy Stanley Holloway and I was certainly perplexed when I read that he was not the first choice to play Liza's dad in the film. With their typical thirst for "name recognition" type actors, the part was actually offered to James Cagney who, wisely, turned it down.