The Help...A Polished Account of the 1960's Hoity-Toity Household

The Help...

The story of a newbie journalist secretly writing about the unjust, typical life of black maids in Mississippi during the 1960's.

Starring: Emma Stone,Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Howard, Chris Lowell, and Octavia Spencer

Directed  and Written by: Tate Taylor   Released: August, 2011
Genre: Drama

Synopsis:

Serious civil rights issues as well as other themes displayed in The Help are cleverly entwined with humour, presenting a gentle atmosphere, successfully lightening the mood of an unlikely sisterhood. A young journalist who marches to her own drum, is compelled to follow her principles by ignoring the social and legal implications of writing about the lives of maids, for the sake of highlighting their injustices experienced for many years.

Skeeter's (Emma Stone),  love interest Stuart, (Chris Lowell) and their awkward relationship   add comedy to the film,  however overall this duo have a minor role in this story based on the real-life accomplishments of a budding journalist. The passion, and raw emotion delivered by Skeeter and  the maids, particularly Minny (Octavia Spencer),  and Aibileen, (Viola Davis) are verisimilitude, facilitating a true to life account of the difficulties and triumphs endured by the household help.

The story is a riveting awakening to the misfortune and heart-wrenching prejudices experienced by black maids in the United States during the 1960's. Skeeter tackled numerous challenges in collecting the information she required to compile her account. She tirelessly tried to recruit maids to uncover and share their own personal experiences working within  the upper crust bigots of society. Socially, Skeeter also struggles to fit in with the petty lifestyles of her white hoity-toity gal pals, who are the maid's bosses. She is not the only one who has trouble fitting in.

The blonde bombshell in the film, Celia Foote, (Jessica Chastain from Tree of Life) is alienated from the high society clique, lead by the bully-girl Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard). Unfairly Celia endured a promiscuous label and tried everything to fit in with the prominent ladies in town. In addition she is newly married, and managed a large household terribly, with her meagre housewife skills stressing her out daily. Minny, who was recently fired, applies for a maid position with Celia unbeknownst to her husband, and the two formed a respectful friendship keeping Minny's help a secret.  Chastain is convincing in her role, pointing out that ugly prejudice also occurred in white vrs. white scenarios, and grappled with the incessant male expectation to maintain a perfect home.

Maids Aibileen (Viola Davis) and her best friend, Minny (Octavia Spencer), cleaned white-people's homes, polished their silver and watched white children. They hesitantly agreed to speak with Skeeter sharing their life work experiences, however disturbing. They developed a warm, disclosing friendship with this young woman who had a quirkiness about her, a gift for writing, and a poor record in dating and relationships. As a result, numerous other maids agree to share their stories also.

Skeeter is driven to write her book in secrecy, in order to win and maintain the maids' trust. It is her goal to realize her ultimate achievement; a job with the local newspaper.  Contrary to the typical workforce during that time,  jobs were largely available to men only. To that end, the male characters are minimized and director Tate highlighted the "go-girl" theme. The petty, cushioned lifestyles of the household bosses are blotted against the raw cruelty bestowed upon their staff.The film is enlightening, truly tender, disturbing, yet fulfilling.  The Help is a must-see for 2011, and certainly a favoured Oscar contender for numerous awards, particularly; best film, best actress, and best supporting actress.

Tree of Life was...Reaching out in the wrong direction...

A disappointment for me, was the experimental film, Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain. The acting was well-done, but limited to a minimal script.  The visuals were fantastic, dominating the presentation, however, the images connectivity to the storyline was strained.

The Tree of Life..A Barren Bunch of Branches...

 The Tree of Life  

Synopsis : The impressionistic tale of a Texas family in the 1950's which details the journey of the eldest son,  Jack’s childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life, family bonds, and self-realization.

Genre:  Drama/Scifi/Fantasy/Experimental

Starring: Brad Pitt,  Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain and Hunter McCracken 

Directed and Written by: Terence Malick

Released: July 2011

We trace the evolution of Jack, (Hunter McCracken) an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, who is one of three brothers. At first, the world seems marvelous to the child. He sees everything as his mother (Jessica Chastain) does, with the eyes of his soul. She represents the way of love and mercy, while the father (Brad Pitt)  tries to teach his son the world's way, of putting oneself first. Each parent tries to influence Jack, who must reconcile their claims with each other. The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death. The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a mysterious labyrinth, seemingly no chance of finding connection.

This “wonders of life” film by Terrance Malick, is no doubt a visual masterpiece. Entwined in spectacular imagery of water, fire, the sea, presented with celestial, and choir music, the images in this experimental piece are no doubt spellbinding. However… where did the plot go? Why are the imagery sequences so long and drawn out? Do the imagesconsistently match the story?  And…how does one feel when exiting the theatre?  Tired of the images, bored with the music,  and disappointed in the barely-there storyline.  The characters were left out to dry. (Actually, conversely, the actors are rarely dry, as they were frequently swimming mystically in water!).  The circle of life, mysteries of life and creation are thrown at you,  displayed via lengthy visual sequences, (some  spanning more than twenty minutes), with no dialogue at all. Many images albeit beautiful, and wondrous, lose their majestic appeal unfortunately,  because they are unnecessarily repetitive.

Questions surrounding creation, life, death are ambitious concepts to explore. Each of these elements are touched on within this family.  Brad Pitt is convincing in his role as the strict, cold, father. He is frustrated with his disappointing career advancement, and expresses his angst upon his sons-especially the eldest; Jack. Jessica Chastain is superb in her portrayal as the innocent, ever gleeful, naive wife, even when life is deathly depressing, and her husband is a non-relenting tyrant.  The diamond in the rough of this film is the portrayal of the eldest son, Hunter McCracken, (a young Sean Penn), who grasps his role via garnering persona from each of his parents with a tenderness and innocence that is memorable.

The buzz this film has generated has been impressive. Awards it has achieved very early on, have elevated this film to stand out in its uniqueness from the run of the mill Summer 2011 releases.  It is definitely NOT your average film and as such is categorized as "experimental" in genre. That it is. The messages are complex, interrogative, and ambitiously life-questioning. 

 The story sadly struggles to emerge due to painfully sparse dialog, and one-dimensional characters.  How can we feel for the characters  when their interaction is severely limited, and dialogue sparse? Sean Penn's talent is MIA, as he is surprisingly bestowed a extremley minimal role. Waiting for the plot to thicken, was like coaxing an alfredo sauce that stubbornly stays runny.  The themes were dark; death, grieving, abuse,  and hopelessness which in today grim economic times, bestows a dismal mood.

There are interesting parallels to the Bible, particularly, as the film opens with a quote from the Book of Job. Ironically,  the main character, is "J"ack "O" "B"rian. His life is a string of dark struggles, as Job similarly experienced.
Perhaps as an art exhibit, the visual sequences in the movie would be greater appreciated, and understood. Observing a spectacular eclipse was fascinating, but not the fifteenth time shown. Tedious.  A dinosaur scene was most tender, and a highlight. It will be interesting to observe general audience appreciation, and reaction to this film.

WICKED, An Enchanted Evening in New York City

 

Wicked;  The Musical   

The Gershwin Theatre, New York City

Synopsis:

WICKED tells the story of two girls who first meet at Shiz University. The blonde and very popular Glinda  (Katie Rose Clarke) and a misunderstood green-skinned girl, Elphaba (Teal Wicks) are assigned as room-mates, yet are as different as good and evil. Following an encounter with the Wizard of Oz, their friendship takes them on very different paths  boasting adventure, uprising, and heartache.  Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, animals and to those around her, result in surprising consequences.

Starring Teal Wicks, Katie Rose Clarke, and Richard H. Blake

Directed by father and son team; James M. Nederlander and James I.  Nederlander

Presented by Universal, Marc Platt, The Araca Group, and Jon B. Platt , Book by Winne Holtzman, Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
Genre: Musical Drama  Debut: 2003

On an eerie New York City summer night last week, an all too appropriate thunderstorm, boasting wind, torrential rain, and lightening created the magical scene outdoors.  The mood was set, naturally, for the multi-award winning Broadway show, once again. WICKED. 

The Gershwin Theatre in New York City has been home to WICKED since 2003. The stage is adorned in dark musty draperies, and a huge dragon with beady bright eyes and a moving head, who stares menacingly towards the crowd. The drab framework contrasts perfectly with the bright green scenes in Oz later in the show, and blends nicely with the darker, more sombre acts. In addition to the phenomenal voices, the special effects are exciting, unpredictable, and yes, magical. 

The story highlighted many themes,  explaining much of the preamble to the Wizard of Oz story but it "expelled" so much more. Secrets entwined unravel carefully revealing the answers to some long-standing questions about the Wizard of Oz. Mysteries, such as how did the Scarecrow come to be, how do the castle-monkeys fly, and why is G(a)linda so perpetually upbeat?  Struggles such as sibling rivalry, disabilities, infidelity, coming of age, the quest for true love, deception, and the perpetual  life battles between good and evil fuel the plot at an intriguing pace. 

The show does have some frightening acts, therefore the content is not suitable for children under eight years old. Also, the line-up for washrooms at intermission was insurmountable, so, easy on the beverages prior to attending, or you could be floating back to your seat!

There is a surprising emotional punch to the story, highlighting the difficulties coping as an outsider in society. WICKED displays it's talent, touching voices, and creativity,  confirming this musical as a consistent triumphant work of humour, drama, music, and imagination. 

 

This exceptional production also had successful runs at the Canon Theatre in Toronto, in 2005, 2006 and 2010.  WICKED has accomplished over forty awards thus far, including 3 Tony awards, 1 Grammy, 5 Theatregoer's Choice awards, and 8 WhatsonStage.com Awards. When venturing to Manhattan, and considering a Broadway show, book your WICKED tickets in advance. This show, still, is always sold out!