Review of Auntie Mame (1958) by Travis H — 02 Apr 2004

(DVD) (First Viewing, 1st DaCosta film).

This film's reputation baffles me- it's simply dreadful, and is saved only by Rosalind Russell's robust and exuberant performance in the title role. She gives the film her all, and there's a gusto and relish and all-out loopiness to her performance that one can't help but admire it.

But everything else is just awful. Jan Handzlick scowls through the entire film as Mame's serious young nephew that she raises. Unfortunately he turns into the bland Roger Smith who decides to marry a pompous rich debutante, played with some aggrivating mannerisms by Joanna Barnes (she does have her moments though). And Peggy Cass for some reason gets a lot of attention (including an Academy Award nomination) for her small and undistinguished bit as Mame's secretary who gets herself knocked up. Coral Brown is a bright light during many of the dreary scenes, but unfortunately she's not one of the main characters and dissapears too frequently and for too long.

The film also looks and sounds horribly dated. Mame likes to have her spacious New York penthouse completely redecorated on a regular basis, and most of the time it looks like variations on that artificial 50's chic that is mocked today. Bronislau Kaper's pop score continues to be an extremely popular one, but to my ear it was too slight and undistinguished to warrant any mentions of greatness.

For Russell's sake, I wish this would have been a much better movie. Take her character and discard everything else and they may have had something. As it is, [b]Auntie Mame[/b] is hardly watchable and it took my utmost patience to get through the bloated running time, annoying characterizations and wandering storyline.