Change Your Image
susan-nierenberg
Reviews
Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
My favorite movie of all time
I saw this as a child and never forgot it although it took years and repeated viewings to appreciate it. The story of a man approaching middle age ("50, the old age of youth, the youth of old age") who thinks he knows what he wants to rejuvenate himself and finds out, when given a choice, that he was wrong. There are three female figures in this film: the wife, calm, understanding and feisty (when she thinks he's been unfaithful she walks out and flies home from their vacation in the middle of the night), a muscial comedy star who is aggressively on the make for Peabody, and the Mermaid, docile, adoring and silent-and totally dependent. At one point Peabody says he wants a woman who "can't do much of anything", his mermaid, but when he gets her he doesn't really know what to do with her (and she almost drowns him at the end when she tries to take him to her underwater world). What he finds at the end is that the woman he really wants is his wife, who combines elements of the other two: loving without clinging, strong without being aggressive..I find this rather hopeful and a positive ending as opposed to those who find it bittersweet. The scenery, amazing photography, haunting music and dialogue are superb (special mention to Mary Field who hilariously tries to keep her composure and serve Mr Peabody in her "Wee Shop of Intimate Things" as he tries to buy first a sweater and then just a bikini top for his mermaid).And who would not want to spend the entire winter on St Hilda's island ("more than we could afford really, but it was all so beautiful, like heaven. And if you can find a little piece of heaven, who cares what it costs") where there's nothing to do but fish, swim, shop and have a party every night. A beautiful, magical film with William Powell a master. Get it on DVD!
The Twilight Zone: Queen of the Nile (1964)
good episode, Ann never looked better
The other reviews say it all so I don't fear to disclose that Constance uses a scarab (a live one!) to drain the life force from unsuspecting men(always men??) in order to keep her eternal good looks. Having Celia Lovsky as an aged "daughter" was a nice touch- that woman can say more with her eyes than with any dialogue- but speaking of dialogue, it's never explained why Constance has no accent and her 'daughter' has a distinctly Austrian/German accent!! Guess Celia couldn't imitate an American accent well, so they just left it in, but it is the one jarring note in a good episode- and yes, it's the perfect companion to the Walter Jameson episode- this time with the "happy" ending that Constance Taylor keeps going on!