Debbie's hammy performance
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Unsinkable Molly Brown
lastmidnite2 — 15 years ago(December 24, 2010 09:41 AM)
simply does not hold up any more. Hopelessly out of date. Smart call to give the Oscar that year to Julie Andrews; Mary Poppins holds up beautifully.
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jac91604 — 14 years ago(August 19, 2011 07:37 PM)
What is so wrong with being "outdated", does everything have to be current????
I love silent films, they're outdated.
No wonder if you talk to anyone under 30 today, most can't tell you anything that happened 20 yrs ago in regards to history, film, art, etc.
Really pathetic. -
lastmidnite2 — 14 years ago(August 19, 2011 08:40 PM)
Actually I'm a HUGE old movie fans, with movies from the 20's, 30's and 40's my favorites. I'm currently reading Mary Astor's autobiography. I'm 52 years old, and I stand by my assertion that Debbie's performance in this film is pretty hard to watch today. I also find judging peoples' knowledge of film, art, etc., without actually knowing them is indeed pathetic.
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judith-mcgee1025 — 13 years ago(September 02, 2012 12:29 PM)
I saw "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" in a classic old movie theatre (on a screen!)when it initially released in 1964. Most films were shot to be shown in a theatre rather than on the small screen. This may be one of those films that do better shown in a theatre as it was originally intended.
On screen Ms. Reynolds' acting was excellent in this film (I believe she was nominated for an Academy Award) and she worked very very hard on it, certainly on the dancing. She was working with some noted Broadway dancers, notably Grover Dale and Maria Karlinova, and did just fine.
If anyone has the chance to see Ms. Reynolds live, you are urged to do so. She's just great. -
scottsteaux63-735-780576 — 10 years ago(December 29, 2015 11:44 AM)
As someone else on this thread observed, "It's Debbie Reynolds; what did you expect?" Reynolds was always an energetic performer, and especially in musicals. Someone else also referenced Betty Hutton, who made up for unexceptional acting and singing ability with pure unadulterated gusto and as often as not got away with it. Reynolds herself was a very fine singer and dancer and both of these talents are on display here.
To me Reynolds's performance is one of the film's assets, not one of it's liabilities. And she presents a grand contrast to Harve Presnell, who I think deliberately played his part just a little bit stiff to give the impression of opposites attracting (and I had NO idea until I saw this movie what a GORGEOUS singing voice Presnell had!).
My only wish is that they hadn't butchered the score. Nearly half of the songs from the Broadway show were thrown out, and in my opinion that may well be why some people find this movie a bit draggy. What they are seeing are the gaps where musical numbers should have been.
Still a fun little movie and Reynolds and Presnell are sweet together.
Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold! -
plannine-2 — 10 years ago(January 26, 2016 08:17 PM)
Opinions are what this board is about.
Singing in the Rain and Citizen Kane (best ever to many) hold up. Of course.
But this movie is example of MGM inability to see the cultural changes during a time when they kept putting out musicals that were better suited to the 40's.
Debbie screams and shouts and that is tough to watch. Good acting is about nuance, see Albert Finney in Two For The Road. Ok acting is about yelling and screaming and getting angry, see Richard Gear and Natalie Wood. -
ObsessedMovieLover — 14 years ago(August 20, 2011 04:51 PM)
I agree with you. It seems like a lot of people don't know what the word "outdated" actually means.
Who said all silent films are out of date? What, just because there's no dialogue?
Fritz Lang's Metropolis is still a magnificent film to watch that can be absolutely breathtaking in moments.
Charlie Chaplin is still funny. Debbie Reynolds is not.
Her performance here is terrible. I realize it was a different time but she plays the whole things on one note.
Not to mention the terrible job that the editors did at her lip syncing and the "incomprehensible yelling dialogue" dubbing.
Today it does play as a little hammy.
Singin in the Rain and Citizen Kane are both still wonderful pictures.
Molly Brown is weak in many aspects but one of the main ones is Debbie's performance.
And it's sad that this is her only oscar nom. She was so great in so many other films.
A better signature. -
parillamilt — 13 years ago(November 16, 2012 11:12 AM)
Another "basher" here Debbie's performance in this particular movie (not all her movies, just this one) was played with such unabashed gusto that it became unbearably irritating. I was thinking that stage plays usually call for this type of over the top-ism to project out into an audience, but in a movie where one can get within feet of the action, then it's a bit too much in your face.
The songs were forgettable and we were snickering at the hammy song performed by Harve Presnell when he was singing into an echoing valley and hugging the dead tree for all its worth. -
don-lockwood — 13 years ago(November 22, 2012 09:44 AM)
I saw this when it aired last week and enjoyed it very much. I could only give it a 7; it's uneven, the only memorable song is "I'll Never Say No," and, yes, it's often over-the-top. But Debbie Reynolds is the main reason to see this. It was the role of a lifetime for her, to show she could do it all - comedy, drama, singing, and dancing. She definitely played it too broad for some scenes; on the other hand, her presence and multidimensional talent often carried the film since it's more comedy than musical, and yet thin in plot.
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launlori — 11 years ago(January 25, 2015 12:29 PM)
I can appreciate it for what it was in its day. It is very over the top .. Sappy. I watch Gone with the Wind at least once a year. It's dated but great. Ben Hur, GiGi, North by Northwest All dated. If you watch a lot of films from this period they are all very similar. Either you're into old movies or your not. Once you get a feel for a certain era you have the ability to see past the quirks of that time in Hollywood.
I'm not really into Musicals but I still watch them. -