A New Kind Of Love (1963) -
This film wasn't exactly 'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006), but I could believe that it might have been some sort of inspiration for it. A reverse of that story in its way.
It was another film, of it's time, that taught women that they had to be like everyone else and covered in slap to get a man. That they should change everything that they were for them, as Sandy did for Danny in 'Grease' (1978).
And it showed up the arrogance and rough handed behaviour of men who will believe anything about women, especially the worst.
Personally I couldn't really see the attraction to the lead female character Samantha, played by Joanne Woodward anyway. She was too abrupt, self involved and determined to push people away. I didn't understand how Paul Newmans character Steve fell for either of her personas.
But I could see why she might have fallen for him. I wouldn't have been able to resist Paul, like Marlon Brando, he just oozed sex. I haven't always liked their rough and tough characters though, they got far too angry too easily. I felt the same with 'Hud' (1963) and 'The Hustler' (1961), although I'd go weak at the knees for Stanley in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951), despite Marlon's aggressive behaviour.
I do however believe that the advances we've made in relation to sexism and domestic abuse have been a very good thing, although, based on this film, not quickly enough.
It was quite full of double standards and chauvinism, which didn't help it to appeal to me. The story wasn't exactly very clever in the first place and I probably only stayed with it until the end because Pauls eyes have a habit of hypnotising me.
It definitely got silly, especially after Samantha started to pretend to be French and her transformation from Frog to Princess was awful. In general the film had been okay until then, but I did actually contemplate turning it off during the bike race imagining. In fact most of the dream sequences were quite daft.
It did feel a bit like it was dragging after not very long too. I definitely felt that it could have been edited down a tad.
I enjoyed Maurice Chevalier's cameo appearance. There was something joyous about it that perked the whole thing up for a moment.
Thelma Ritter was brilliant too, as she always has been. She played the role of Lena and actually her story with the Boss Joe (George Tobias) seemed more interesting than the one between the leading pair. I thought that there should have been more of that and perhaps it could have been a film that covered more than just the one relationship, which was a real struggle to believe. I didn't feel the chemistry, despite the fact that Paul and Joanne were married in real life.
Overall it was just a bit too fake and silly, with leading characters that weren't particularly nice. It wasn't hideous, but it was far from good.
401.28/1000.
This film wasn't exactly 'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006), but I could believe that it might have been some sort of inspiration for it. A reverse of that story in its way.
It was another film, of it's time, that taught women that they had to be like everyone else and covered in slap to get a man. That they should change everything that they were for them, as Sandy did for Danny in 'Grease' (1978).
And it showed up the arrogance and rough handed behaviour of men who will believe anything about women, especially the worst.
Personally I couldn't really see the attraction to the lead female character Samantha, played by Joanne Woodward anyway. She was too abrupt, self involved and determined to push people away. I didn't understand how Paul Newmans character Steve fell for either of her personas.
But I could see why she might have fallen for him. I wouldn't have been able to resist Paul, like Marlon Brando, he just oozed sex. I haven't always liked their rough and tough characters though, they got far too angry too easily. I felt the same with 'Hud' (1963) and 'The Hustler' (1961), although I'd go weak at the knees for Stanley in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951), despite Marlon's aggressive behaviour.
I do however believe that the advances we've made in relation to sexism and domestic abuse have been a very good thing, although, based on this film, not quickly enough.
It was quite full of double standards and chauvinism, which didn't help it to appeal to me. The story wasn't exactly very clever in the first place and I probably only stayed with it until the end because Pauls eyes have a habit of hypnotising me.
It definitely got silly, especially after Samantha started to pretend to be French and her transformation from Frog to Princess was awful. In general the film had been okay until then, but I did actually contemplate turning it off during the bike race imagining. In fact most of the dream sequences were quite daft.
It did feel a bit like it was dragging after not very long too. I definitely felt that it could have been edited down a tad.
I enjoyed Maurice Chevalier's cameo appearance. There was something joyous about it that perked the whole thing up for a moment.
Thelma Ritter was brilliant too, as she always has been. She played the role of Lena and actually her story with the Boss Joe (George Tobias) seemed more interesting than the one between the leading pair. I thought that there should have been more of that and perhaps it could have been a film that covered more than just the one relationship, which was a real struggle to believe. I didn't feel the chemistry, despite the fact that Paul and Joanne were married in real life.
Overall it was just a bit too fake and silly, with leading characters that weren't particularly nice. It wasn't hideous, but it was far from good.
401.28/1000.