Friday, July 09, 2021
The Bad Seed
- Commentary: Yes, yes, yes. Patty MacCormack and Nancy Kelly's acting was waaay overdone. I think this might have been because both forgot to wash the stage off before they stepped in front of a camera. It also may have happened because the stage play received so much attention that the film director thought keeping stage performance acting would increase interest in the film. And, yes, in places, the story seems so preposterous that even I, alone, at home, watching the movie last night (not my first watching by any means) grinned a lot, and sometimes chuckled aloud. Still and all, this is one movie I love to watch! There is something about watching the story of a perfectly devlish child, regardless of how the story ends. My preference, by the way, is that the child survives, so that I, as a member of the audience, am allowed to speculate on further horrors that child may perpetuate. I am always aware, when I watch the film, that the stage play, in fact, doesn't end with "sweet" Rhoda's death, but, rather, her mother's death, and the assumption that Rhoda continues her murderous life. Considering that it has survived as a novel, a stage play and a couple of movies, including one that is said to have been inspired by it, The Good Son, I suspect I am not the only person with this preference, since the change of ending for the film was not dictated by a clear thinking director but by the Production Code Administration.
I'm not sure I understand what the appeal of devlish children is. Perhaps it has something to do with all the anger toward life one acquires in childhood that is never resolved and, after childhood, never really thought about, again, and, yet, does not simply disappear. Which is, I think, precisely why there is so much psycho-babble in the script, often through the character of "Aunt Monica" (excellently played by the way, in the movie).
I was surprised that the edition I purchased was widescreen. I have memories of watching this on TV in full screen rather than widescreen. Those memories, though, may be erroneous.
You might also find TCM's notes on the film interesting, rather than my usual Wikipedia article, although, if you're curious, you can find Wikipedia's write-up here.
Quick Administrative Note: This movie is the first in my collection to which I've applied the label "melodrama". I was surprised to discover that I've never used that label and had to add it to my label list. I guess that means I don't have, nor am I attracted to, melodramatic movies. Except this one. The fact that it's a melodrama is what makes it so much fun!
There is something alluring about this film. It's one I've checked out of our public library occasionally in the past several years. It's one I watched on TV with my mom when she was alive, who, by the way, enjoyed it, too, despite her pure soul, love of children and having been an enthusiastic, top-flight teacher of older elementary school children. In the Wikipedia article about this film there is an "Analysis" comparing the this movie with The Good Son. It's short, but interesting, and may, in part, explain the durability of this film and the idea behind it. And, yes. I found a free copy of the novel, downloaded it, and intend to read it one of these sooner days, just because, well, I want to know if the novel speaks about childhood wickedness in the same way the play and the movie do.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Patty McCormack Rhoda Penmark Nancy Kelly Christine Penmark William Hopper Col. Kenneth Penmark Henry Jones Leroy Eileen Heckart Mrs. Hortense Daigle Frank Cady Henry Daigle Jesse White Emory Shelley Fabares Margie
Release Date: 1956
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
Labels: film-noir3, henry-jones, horror1, melodramaA, psychological1
