the 1958 "auntine mame" is the pinnacle of rosalind russell's career, and it does jolly rosalind great justice to glitter her comic genius in screwball comedy gendre that had been neglected or underused before. overlooked by most, rosalind russell has uncanny parallel to another classic star katehrine hepburn who was also a screwball diva in the 30s, considering her numberous collaborations with cary grant like "bringing up baby". they share the traits of being tall fair brunette and both funny with their non-stop swift-paced british accents except hepburn had more sharp edginess within her aggressive mannerism which has been constantly mocked in movies like "woman of the year" and "philadelphia story". (after all, we all like to cut a lofy dame down, aren't we?)
mame dennis is an eccentric socialite from the roaring 20s, wallowing in an extravangant life of endless gayety and diversities of styles and interior decors. mame has a stuff-shirted brother who sets up a will to keep her little son from her "bad influence" after he passes away. unfortunately it arrives soon, so auntine mame is ready to open doors for her nephew with mighty enthusiasm.
the title protagonist auntie mame is a larger than life character as you cannot demand realism upon such a cozy heart-warming fair tale. it is a comedy which relies upon its witty lines nourished by its deviant naivete of exaggerated demeanors. and this sort of comedies could merely exist among the 50s (age of innocence despite its fatal mccarthyism) since the cleverly phrased comedy without relishing profanity is no longer popular after the mid 60s, another read-between-the-lines "refined" humor celebrating "santized bohemianism".
the philosophy behind "auntine mame" is more of a hygienic hedonism without the darkness of alcoholism and prosmiscuity as mame exclaims "life is a bandquet, and most suckers are starving to death". and it does pose some anti-bourgeois sign without intruding middle-classed moralisticness. perhaps it casts a positive user-friendly democratic view that everyone should live beyond prejudice to appreciate a lovable cucko-cucko like auntine mame with enormous social acceptance. and my conclusion would be auntie mame is a fruitation of indulgent whims upon childlike innocence.
one praise goes for orry-kelly who designs most clothes for warner bro. from 30s~40s,, also lots of bette davis vehicles like jezebell and little foxes. and rosalind russel does have episodic sections of various dyed hairdos and exotic costumes, and she even dresses herself like a drogn lady with a dragon-headed doorgate which fumes everytime guest rings the bell. that anchors the great idiocyncrasy of auntine mame.
except katherine hepburn, no other actress could deliver those oddball lines so well so proficiently as rosalind russell who is mildly underrated. russell does appear as demure love interest in her 30s mgm days in flicks like "china seas" and "they met in bombay" with, again, clark gable. russel could be competent in most roles hepburn made prestige among 30s~40s. the major distinction would be russell is more feminine and less domineering and invasive than hepburn. thus rosalind russell makes an appropriate goofy adorable auntine mame as every adolescent boy's ideal auntine. an escapic retreatment for childhood dreams.
Rosalind Russell is terriffic in this 1958 musical film version of the stage and novel hit. Auntie Mame (Russell) has her only surviving family member whom is her young nephew move in after his father passes away. Mame is a very colorful woman and together they open each other's eyes with a lot of crazy charaters and moments along the way....a very good movie.
This confection was years ahead of its time. The only minuses I can come up with are two dated stereotypes, and a laughably fake special effect involving a fox. And the young version of Patrick, he's awful. But Russell is a revelation, the script is witty and inspiring. Would that everyone had an aunt like this.
I watched this recently for the second time and I have to say, this film is worth seeing for the brilliant performance from Rosalind Russell.
Her Auntie Mame is a larger than life character with presence that dominates over any one else. I enjoyed the dry sense of humor and flamboyant costumes, (that do a far better job at telling us the type of person Mame is, than any description I could give.)
Russell doesn't even have to speak to convey what the audience is thinking. One look, one prolonged pause and she gets the point across. I honestly can't imagine anyone doing a better job in this role than she. She is infectious and utterly charming.
The tone of the film is very light hearted, and almost never serious. In Mame's life it seems merely one obstacle after another.
There is a wonderful old time theatrical feel which is done by long camera shots and a fade to black technique, I hadn't seen before. An underrated gem.
I'd probably give this four stars for the overall movie, but Rosalind Russell's performance is so wonderful that the extra star is for her. There definitely could have been moments where the movie dragged in places, but her performance is just so damned infectious that you can't help but smile even in the most contrived scenes. And for 1958, this was pretty darn risque. Double entendres abound, there are jokes about an all-nude children's school, and a pretty funny sub-plot surrounding an unwed mother. And some great light-hearted but pointed criticism of anti-Semitism, as well. The other stand-out here is Peggy Cass as Agnes Gooch, who nearly steals her scenes from Russell, which is no mean feat considering how strong Russell is in her role. A funny, entertaining movie, very enjoyable!
They've made this into a movie twice - once with Rosalind Russell and again with Lucille Ball. This one is the better of the two but would have been best if they had stuck with Angela Lansbury.
This is my favorite version of this story (as opposed to the one starring Lucille Ball). Rosalind Russell steals every scene she's in, which is probably all of them. Her comedic talent in unparalled anywhere. There are some shocking, liberal subjects touched on in this film, especially considering the year this was made, which kept me from giving it a full 5 stars.
Corney, perhaps, but a classic. Mame is a genuine person and Roz is brilliant. "Life is a banquet, but most ... are starving to death." We can learn from her enthusiastic embrace of life.
My brother Dan and I both love this timeless classic! Rosalind is FABULOUS! in this film. She could charm the pants off of Ghandi...Love this one. If you haven't seen it...come on get with the program! Watch it!
Early in her career, the late Rosalind Russell cut her teeth on upper-crust society roles, the type of woman who butter wouldn't melt in her mouth and wilt at the fresh strong wiff of an inappropriate fart.
That all changed in 1939, when she played the silly harpie Sylvia Fowler in the classic George Cukor comedy The Women.
Since then, good ole Roz was off and running with comedy!
Mind you, Rosalind turned in marvelous dramatic performances in the like of Sister Kenny, Mourning Becomes Electra, and Picnic.
But Auntie Mame will be the movie she'll be best remembered for.
I know I would love to have an aunt who grabs Life by the cojones and relishes the joys
every experience and adventure this existance may offer.
Russell always plays the comedy just short of over-the-top, and the warm moments with her nephew Patrick (Jan Handzlik, who seems just a bit too old to play Patrick) plays fresh, not syrupy.
Peggy Cass steals the film as Agnes Gooch, the mousey secretary who take's Mame's "Life is a banquet" philosophy just a bit too literally, with comic tragic results.
This film is Morton DaCosta's directorial debut; 1962's The Music Man would be his last.
Rosalind Russell is the very heart of Auntie Mame. I find this a most charming and hilarous movie. I've gone through 2 VHS before getting it on DVD. I heartily recommend this movie.
This should be on every Gay man's must-see list. Roslaind Russell is the Aunt we all wish we had. She is a jewel in this epitome of glamor spectacles. Dramedy before it was a term with a great supporting cast.
A so-so film. I have tried watching it in the past and always got bored with it or fell asleep. Well... the tradition continues. I just can't get into this film.
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