Disney's A Christmas Carol and Dragnet
Nov. 26th, 2011 10:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveI had occasion to see about thirty minutes of Disney's A Christmas Carol from two years ago. I've always been curious about it, but haven't got around to watching it. That remains the case for most Disney movies from 1997 on. I can probably count the Disney films I've seen that were made after that on one hand.
Anyway, I've heard that it's quite dark in places and sticks very close to the original Dickens text, bringing out some things that he wrote that are generally not portrayed in the film adaptions.
That holds true to the thirty minutes I saw. I was quite intrigued and in love with it. The animation is simply amazing.
However, I did take issue with one thing. During Marley's visit, when he screeches "Business! Mankind was my business!" there was a stupid bit of dead people humor: he screamed so ferociously that his jaw became quite unhinged and fell on his chest. He had to work to get it back in place and could not, so he had to manually move it for a while. Then he got things terribly out of order again and couldn't speak at all. It was all played for humor and was very irritating. It completely broke the seriousness of the moment, and of that important speech!
I went looking in the original Dickens text to see what happened there. To my surprise, there was a similar issue earlier on in the visit. However, it was quite different in that the literal jaw-dropping happened when Marley removed that bandage around his head. The implication was that he knew it would happen and it was a deliberate action, perhaps as he tried to further demonstrate his current state to Scrooge. It was played for horror in the book, adding to the seriousness of the scene, and it was not extensively dwelt on at all.
Anyway, I'll admit it rather turned me off in the movie. I'd still like to see the rest of it, but I don't know that I'd want to buy it. I hate that kind of dead people humor. I hated it in the movie Anastasia; I felt it completely ruined a beautiful film. And it ruined the scene in the Christmas Carol movie. Marley's visit is one of my most favorite parts because of the friendship squee of Marley wanting to help Scrooge avoid his own fate. There's a book out this year about Marley and I am dying to read it. I'm sure it will treat things in the serious manner that it should.
So, moving on, and in complete contrast, I want to absolutely squee about something. I've meant to post about this for the last couple of days. I've been watching both Dragnets lately, the 1950s version and the 1960s version. I love them both dearly. I used to think that the 60s one just wouldn't be the same without Frank Smith as Joe's partner, but then I saw the 60s version and loved Bill Gannon too. (It doesn't hurt that he's played by Harry Morgan, an actor I've been a fan of for years and years.)
This week has been only the second time I've seen the 1950s Dragnet after watching a lot of the 1960s version. And I remember how awesome Frank Smith is too. I'd forgotten a bit, with the awesomeness of Bill Gannon.
And the 1950s Dragnet has probably the most intense, heart-wrenching, and friendship squeeable episode of both versions. It's called The Big Frank, from season 2. (All episodes in the 1950s version were "The Big ..." something.) Frank ends up shot during a case and Joe has to finish out the case on his own, while not knowing if Frank is even going to live.
I wasn't expecting the shooting at all; I think I literally jumped when the criminal started shooting and Frank went down. And something else I expected every bit as little was Joe's reaction. I did expect him to be utterly furious at the creep, which he was. But he also shows an absolutely adorable, heartbreaking soft side that I didn't imagine I would ever see from the stoic, serious Joe Friday.
At the hospital he keeps wanting to look in on Frank and asks the doctor more than once if he couldn't just look in one moment. The doctor refuses. And the most heart-shattering line is when Joe says, either to the doctor or his lady friend, or both, that if anything happens to Frank he doesn't know what he'll do. He's so vulnerable in that scene! It comes through so well how close they are and how much Joe cares about Frank. It adds a whole new dimension to Joe's personality.
I am just in love with the episode. I say everyone who loves friendships in shows should watch The Big Frank, even if they've never seen Dragnet and/or have no interest in it!
Anyway, I've heard that it's quite dark in places and sticks very close to the original Dickens text, bringing out some things that he wrote that are generally not portrayed in the film adaptions.
That holds true to the thirty minutes I saw. I was quite intrigued and in love with it. The animation is simply amazing.
However, I did take issue with one thing. During Marley's visit, when he screeches "Business! Mankind was my business!" there was a stupid bit of dead people humor: he screamed so ferociously that his jaw became quite unhinged and fell on his chest. He had to work to get it back in place and could not, so he had to manually move it for a while. Then he got things terribly out of order again and couldn't speak at all. It was all played for humor and was very irritating. It completely broke the seriousness of the moment, and of that important speech!
I went looking in the original Dickens text to see what happened there. To my surprise, there was a similar issue earlier on in the visit. However, it was quite different in that the literal jaw-dropping happened when Marley removed that bandage around his head. The implication was that he knew it would happen and it was a deliberate action, perhaps as he tried to further demonstrate his current state to Scrooge. It was played for horror in the book, adding to the seriousness of the scene, and it was not extensively dwelt on at all.
Anyway, I'll admit it rather turned me off in the movie. I'd still like to see the rest of it, but I don't know that I'd want to buy it. I hate that kind of dead people humor. I hated it in the movie Anastasia; I felt it completely ruined a beautiful film. And it ruined the scene in the Christmas Carol movie. Marley's visit is one of my most favorite parts because of the friendship squee of Marley wanting to help Scrooge avoid his own fate. There's a book out this year about Marley and I am dying to read it. I'm sure it will treat things in the serious manner that it should.
So, moving on, and in complete contrast, I want to absolutely squee about something. I've meant to post about this for the last couple of days. I've been watching both Dragnets lately, the 1950s version and the 1960s version. I love them both dearly. I used to think that the 60s one just wouldn't be the same without Frank Smith as Joe's partner, but then I saw the 60s version and loved Bill Gannon too. (It doesn't hurt that he's played by Harry Morgan, an actor I've been a fan of for years and years.)
This week has been only the second time I've seen the 1950s Dragnet after watching a lot of the 1960s version. And I remember how awesome Frank Smith is too. I'd forgotten a bit, with the awesomeness of Bill Gannon.
And the 1950s Dragnet has probably the most intense, heart-wrenching, and friendship squeeable episode of both versions. It's called The Big Frank, from season 2. (All episodes in the 1950s version were "The Big ..." something.) Frank ends up shot during a case and Joe has to finish out the case on his own, while not knowing if Frank is even going to live.
I wasn't expecting the shooting at all; I think I literally jumped when the criminal started shooting and Frank went down. And something else I expected every bit as little was Joe's reaction. I did expect him to be utterly furious at the creep, which he was. But he also shows an absolutely adorable, heartbreaking soft side that I didn't imagine I would ever see from the stoic, serious Joe Friday.
At the hospital he keeps wanting to look in on Frank and asks the doctor more than once if he couldn't just look in one moment. The doctor refuses. And the most heart-shattering line is when Joe says, either to the doctor or his lady friend, or both, that if anything happens to Frank he doesn't know what he'll do. He's so vulnerable in that scene! It comes through so well how close they are and how much Joe cares about Frank. It adds a whole new dimension to Joe's personality.
I am just in love with the episode. I say everyone who loves friendships in shows should watch The Big Frank, even if they've never seen Dragnet and/or have no interest in it!
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no subject
Date: 2011-11-27 02:38 am (UTC)And I so need to start watching Dragnet... Yes... (And yay, Harry Morgan! Encore had showed an ep of the Virginian about a week or so ago with him in it...)
(Also, "Frank and Joe" totally reminds me of the Hardy Boys... That is amusing that the names were the same.)
no subject
Date: 2011-11-27 04:41 am (UTC)My favorite Christmas Carol is the 1951 version with Alastair Sim. The Marley in that version is just incredible. Well, everyone is. And there's more of a focus on Scrooge and Marley's friendship than even the book had.
Yes, you need to see both Dragnets! The Big Frank is definitely the most poignant and powerful, but a lot of episodes have fun interaction between Joe and Frank (or Joe and Bill) and show their close friendships in peaceful times.
Who did Harry play on The Virginian?
... LOL. You know, I didn't even stop to think about the Frank and Joe equals the Hardy Boys thing. Maybe because I usually think of Joe as Sgt. Friday.