Day: February 26, 2018

So, yes, it’s progressive for its time, which does not keep it from being fairly offensive today.* But still, you get performances from Ethel Waters and Lena Horne, and a really awesome nightclub scene that recycles some tornado footage from the Wizard of Oz. I think it’s worth watching, despite its flaws, because how often do you get a movie with an all-black cast?

Cost: $2.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home. This is the first film in the Vincente Minnelli Marathon on Filmspotting.

*From the Wikipedia article about the movie: “The script was submitted before production to the NAACP. In a letter to the Editor, a writer of the film said he received a letter “congratulating [them] on the treatment of this black fable, which avoided cliches and racial stereotypes.”  While the NAACP might have been on board with it then, I can say now that watching this movie today I found it rife with cliches and racial stereotypes.

Oh my goodness, when will I learn to bring tissues to Pixar movies? I loved this film, Miguel’s family and the portrayal of the Land of the Dead. The music was also fantastic, with “Remember Me” nestling itself perfectly into the narrative.

Cost: $4.00
Where watched: Kennedy School–which was good, because I could sink down into the couches while crying.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2017/coco.html