A young woman tries to be patient and understanding with her fiancé's delay in marrying until he feels financially secure. He has his own problems in what to do with his sweet, but increasingly senile mother. He works as a photographer, taking pictures of weddings and babies when what he really wants is to be a director. Viveca Lindfors is wonderful in her expression of frustration as time passes and her longing for babies of her own increases, all the while watching other people's natural progression through life while her's is at a standstill. Once again, Morris Engel has created a movie in which you feel you are watching real life as it's happening. Modern moviegoers might have a problem with the pacing because it is done in such a naturalistic manner, with small dramatic moments unfolding, but this pace is what makes you stop and consider what the characters are going through.
2 Reviews
Another "reality cinema": from the creators of "The Little Fugitive" and "Lovers and Lollipops"
mark.waltz10 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
After taking a young boy on a trip to Coney Island in "The Little Fugitive" and exploring the loneliness of a fatherless little girl in "Lovers and Lollipops", the creators of those two films take us into the world of the aging in "Weddings and Babies". The film isn't actually about the elderly, but an unmarried Swede (Viveca Lindfors) and her photographer boyfriend (John Myhers) whose elderly mother (Chiarina Barile) faces issues after leaving her boarding house. They place her in a Catholic nursing home, but she isn't happy there and is upset to find she cannot collect social security. Mama disappears and her son searches all over, finally finding her and unsure of what to do. The film is entitled "Weddings and Babies" because of the type of photography Myhers does.
Once you see the pathetic and lonely Barile, you can't forget her. She's no spunky Mother Dexter (TV's "Phyllis") or Sophia (TV's "Golden Girls"). She's a quiet dignified Italian widow at her wit's end and unable to deal with life on her own. She can get around New York OK, but in seeing this pathetic old lady be so down in the dumps is sad beyond description. She probably came to the United States thinking she'd never want for anything, and now she finds herself unwanted and seemingly unloved. Myhers does love his mama, but just doesn't want the responsibility of taking care of her when all he wants is to marry Lindfors and become a successful photographer. Lindfors finally has enough of his aloofness towards his mother and breaks off with him so he can deal with his mother without being a distraction. Myhers must reach into his heart and decide what he wants. As a result, he begins to look at Lindfors a bit differently, rather than take her for granted.
While the film utilizes the realistic on-the-street photography so excellently used in both "The Little Fugitive" and "Lovers and Lollipops", it doesn't show much New York City footage other than a Queens (or Brooklyn) cemetery with Manhattan in the background. It's also not as interesting dramatically as the other films, even though the characters are likable and their plite touching. The actors are fine, yet something is missing. It's a good try, yet not quite as fulfilling in the end. Still, as part of film study, it's worth checking out for an example of how the European style of film-making was slowly making changes in American cinema.
Once you see the pathetic and lonely Barile, you can't forget her. She's no spunky Mother Dexter (TV's "Phyllis") or Sophia (TV's "Golden Girls"). She's a quiet dignified Italian widow at her wit's end and unable to deal with life on her own. She can get around New York OK, but in seeing this pathetic old lady be so down in the dumps is sad beyond description. She probably came to the United States thinking she'd never want for anything, and now she finds herself unwanted and seemingly unloved. Myhers does love his mama, but just doesn't want the responsibility of taking care of her when all he wants is to marry Lindfors and become a successful photographer. Lindfors finally has enough of his aloofness towards his mother and breaks off with him so he can deal with his mother without being a distraction. Myhers must reach into his heart and decide what he wants. As a result, he begins to look at Lindfors a bit differently, rather than take her for granted.
While the film utilizes the realistic on-the-street photography so excellently used in both "The Little Fugitive" and "Lovers and Lollipops", it doesn't show much New York City footage other than a Queens (or Brooklyn) cemetery with Manhattan in the background. It's also not as interesting dramatically as the other films, even though the characters are likable and their plite touching. The actors are fine, yet something is missing. It's a good try, yet not quite as fulfilling in the end. Still, as part of film study, it's worth checking out for an example of how the European style of film-making was slowly making changes in American cinema.
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