Review of Up the Sandbox (1972) by Tim C — 04 Jun 2009
The only reason why this film flopped in the early 70s was that people got confused with then unconventional approaches used to show a woman under social and personal pressure of motherhood and the obligations of her sex in changing times.
Instead of dealing with the reality of her third pregnancy, Barbra's Streisand's Margaret Reynolds has fantasies that range from blowing up the Statue of Liberty to being seduced by a cross-dressing South American dictator to standing up to her smothering mother.
These flashbacks do not come with the conventional entrance, and that is what confused audiences at the time. Irvin Kershner, the same director who directed The Empire Strikes Back, did an excellent job directing this unconventional social commentary comedy and Barbra Streisand just fit into her role like a shoe fits into a foot.
The film does a great job in showing what pressures women face in every day life, and is one of the first images on film that motherhood isn't all picket fences, chocolate chip cookies, and Leave It To Beaver excess dribble.
It was realistic, and if it weren't for this film, realistic portrayals of motherhood wouldn't soon follow.
This review of Up the Sandbox (1972) was written by Tim C on 04 Jun 2009.
Up the Sandbox has generally received mixed reviews.
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