Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Reviews of "Some Like it Hot"

I will be discussing how the film Some Like it Hot was received by the public.  The film opened on March 29, 1959, but even before the opening of the film, people were skeptical of the movie.  It was said that David Selznick did not think the combination of gangsters and drag queens would play to audiences (Gehring).  In fact, during the showing of the first preview, most of the audience got up and left (IMDB).  Afterwards, many of Billy Wilder’s friends and peers gave him suggestions of what to keep and what to cut (IMDB).  When asked what he would add or cut, Mr. Wilder said: "Why, nothing. This is a very funny movie and I believe in it just as it is. Maybe this is the wrong neighborhood in which to have shown it. At any rate, I don't panic over one preview. It's a hell of a movie" (IMDB).  In fact, the second preview was shown at Loew’s Theatre and the audience gave a standing ovation (IMDB).  The film opened to rave reviews, but many complained that the film was too long (Variety, NY Times) and it was nothing but one joke being “milked like a dairy” (Variety).  In fact, the movie was banned in Kansas because the cross-dressing was “too disturbing for Kansas” (IMDB).  This movie is also one of the few to be censored by the Roman Catholic Church (IMDB).  In today’s society, however, the film is considered a classic, and the American Film Institute has listed it as its number one comedy of all time (Gehring).  It has also been said to be Monroe’s greatest film (IMDB).

11 comments:

  1. Back before video/dvd, there didn't seem to be many cult classics. They went to screen and if they failed, that was it. Some i am sure have been revived today, but when a director takes a chance and fails, there is always a possibility that DVD takes off. Back then, it seemed a harsher environment for film without the home movie to fall back on. thoughts?

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    1. Agreed. Especially because we are such fans of "Arrested Development." However, now with the internet, who knows how many older films may become cult classics in the future. Can Hollywood release old bombers or unfinished business on the net today? Fun to see pilots of what old tv shows never took to the screen...boob tube screen that is...not youtube.

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  2. I think this movie was ahead of its time. The fact that it was banned by a whole state for cross dressing goes to show. If you're offended by drag queens just don't go see the film in my opinion. But, as we know, this movie was a definite hit and is still relevant today.

    Good point on the DVD thing.

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    1. I also agree that it was way ahead of it's time. That could have both hurt and helped the movie. The cross-dressing and violence might have been shocking or offensive to some, but it also sparked the interest of others because it was something new and different than all of the other films out at that time. Today, is not very shocking or offensive and is considered one of the greatest comedies of all time.

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  3. I agree with Mark, this film was certainly ahead of it's time. And, like anything ahead of its time, it is generally disregarded or ridiculed during its initial presentation.(much like The Velvet Underground!) Something like this is always revived by later generations once the social context has become somewhat normalized, i.e. today's Americans are not as hostile towards questioning gender roles as was were 1950's-era Americans.

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  4. I was alittle uneasy about the drag dressing but when I saw the humor that was used in the film, I thought it would be difficult to play such parts and by doing so, expressed true acting. Not every one could do this and get away with it. ALthough I am not agreeing with it, I wondered if this was the first public showing of such actions?

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    1. I am confused, Mark. Why were you a little uneasy about the drag dressing? And what is it that you do not agree with? But really, no it was not the first public showing of such actions. Let's remember how Shakespearian plays were first performed...seeing as men didn't believe women should be on stage at such times...

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  5. Thanks for the info, Mark. I didn't realize that the film was banned in an entire state. Do you know, by chance, which one it was? I was reading some notes from a Warner Brothers exec. in my research of Doris Day. They threatened not to release Calamity Jane because of the cross-dressing scene, which I thought was interesting. I find it hard to believe that the public would be so outraged by a man wearing clothes intended for a woman that they would riot in the streets. And that sentiment has been around for a while. Kirsten brings up a good point with Shakespeare's actors. However, the Renaissance was still no more accepting of cross dressing outside of the context of acting. Read Middleton's Microcynicon to get a glimpse of the way Elizabethan society detested cross dressing.

    Side note: though I don't cross into the ladies' department at Kohl's, I do admire the way Prince can get funky in a pair of 6 in heels.

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    1. The state it was banned in was Kansas, I believe.

      I appreciate a good lip-synced rendition of If I Could Turn Back Time every now and then.

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  7. I thought this movie was full of easy laughs. None of it felt particularly creative. I supposed it could be that the formula is so tired by now and maybe when this came out, it was groundbreaking and very funny.

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