We discussed the film ‘Judy’ at our last 2019 class.  This was the story of Judy Garland’s English performance tour towards the end of her life.

The film included background to Judy Garland’s rise to fame, with the treatment she received as Dorothy in “Wizard of Oz” and as a rising star.  This provided an understanding of her behaviour and problems in her later life with her addiction to prescription drugs and alcohol.  She did not lead the life of a normal teenager and started to realise what she had missed towards the end of her life.  In many ways it was a sad film, so in that sense not enjoyable, but we enjoyed the insights into her life and some excellent performances.

We are looking forward to returning in February 2020, with a new name for the class – “Film AS Literature”.  As it will be the first class for the year and we may be welcoming new members, our discussion will be for everyone to talk about a film they have watched over the summer break.  This could be at BPACC, Swanpool, on television or DVD.  This will be a great way to introduce everyone & learn about a range of different films.
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Joy Shirley

We discussed the film “Downton Abbey” at our November class.  Some of the group had watched the television series that is the basis for the film.

We found this a feel-good film that tied up several loose ends from the television series, with a happy ever after ending.  It was not a deep film, but pleasant with some great costuming and picture of the cars and the era (it was set in the late 1920s).  A favourite character was the one played by Maggie Smith – a classic quote from her was “I don’t argue, I inform”.  Others also appreciated the cook – Mrs Patmore played by Lesley Nicol – a down to earth well-rounded character.  The film included a homosexual relationship which some critics found unnecessary (stating is was influenced by the ‘liberal left’) and could not see why it was included.  In discussing this view we decided that it was relevant as it tied up the loose end around one of the characters – Barrow whose character had developed from a nasty schemer to a man who eventually found himself.

The class generally agreed on a rating between 3 and 4 out of 5.

Several class members had also seen “Ride Like a Girl” – the story of Michelle Paine’s battles to end up as the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.  We found the family story amazing – a single father bringing up 10 children.  Michelle’s persistence in the face of the many barriers she met was seen by some as inspirational.  The rating was again mixed but was generally around 4 out of 5.

Our film for discussion in December is “Judy”.  This is about Judy Garland and according to the web site Rotten Tomatoes, “Led by a deeply committed performance from Renée Zellweger, Judy captures the waning days of a beloved performer with clear-eyed compassion.”  For those of us who saw or heard Judy Garland in our younger days it could be an interesting film to view.
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Joy Shirley