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Ida Lupino
Art by Justin Graham (@theClownMonkey)
Letter by Dorothy Fortenberry (@Dorothy410berry)
*Since I decided to write you this letter, I have learned from Wikipedia that your first movie Not Wanted is
A) about an unplanned pregnancy, which was a pretty racy subject to tackle in 1949 (!)
B) you directed it because the original director suffered a heart attack (!) and you stepped in all chill and just picked up directing
C) because of its social themes, Eleanor Roosevelt (!) invited you to talk on her radio show about how women and children need less judgment and more love. Thanks for that, too.
The Trouble with Angels (1966): Follow Mary (Hayley Mills) and Rachel (June Harding) thru their sophomore, junior and senior years at St. Francis Academy as they prank and torment Mother Superior (Rosalind Russell)... but don't be surprised when someone has an interesting change of heart.
What is the Bechdel Test?
FiND OUT HERE >>
Ida Lupino
This is not a completist letter because I have not seen all your work*, but you directed my favorite movie ever and the last time I saw it, I started weeping during the title sequence and, also, it’s a comedy. So here we are, Ida.
My favorite movie is The Trouble With Angels, in which Hayley Mills plays a mischievous Catholic schoolgirl and Rosalind Russell plays an imperious nun. Yeah, that’s my favorite movie. A fifty-year-old nun-based comedy. And it’s absolutely gutting.
In addition to having a sexy Gypsy Rose Lee interlude and one of the most honest, brutal discussions of aging ever, this move is also a two-hour passing of the Bechdel test. There are virtually no men, no conversations with men, no conversations even about men, unless you include Jesus. And He’s not really spoken of that much. The nuns are strong, sweet, inventive, brave, brilliant, petty, and complicated. You get hilarious performances out of the cast, the comedy is brisk and lively, but you also tell the story of love and devotion to something bigger than yourself. It doesn’t have to be God. But it could be.
The last time I saw this (at Cinefamily, through the aforementioned tears), I noticed for the first time, that the convent where the story takes place is named St. Francis. And, rhythmically, as a director, you put the audience in a St. Francis state of mind. There are all of these shots of trees and birds and no actors. Shots of snow falling and leaves changing and flowers starting to grow. Shots of women leaving out birdseed in the winter. The first time I saw the movie, I thought it was simply a way to show the passing of the seasons. But it’s more. It’s: Hey. Look. It’s nature. Nature exists. Slow down. Pay attention to it. It doesn’t have to be God. But it could be.
Xoxo,
Dorothy
*since I decided to write you this letter, I have learned from Wikipedia that your first movie Not Wanted is
A) about an unplanned pregnancy, which was a pretty racy subject to tackle in 1949 (!)
B) you directed it because the original director suffered a heart attack (!) and you stepped in all chill and just picked up directing
C) because of its social themes, Eleanor Roosevelt (!) invited you to talk on her radio show about how women and children need less judgment and more love. Thanks for that, too.