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The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: April 24th, 2011, 5:56 am
by stuart.uk
I watched The Americanization Of Emily, starring Julie Andrews and James Garner, for the first time in a long time. The main reason I watched it was because I was reminded the lovely blonde Carry-On actress Liz Fraser was in it. The one disappointment for me was Liz, though very much in it in the first half, disappeared in the second half of the film. I wouldn'd have minded if Liz could have become a romantic interest for the James Coburn character, just so she could have been in the rest of the film.

That said I think it's not only a great British anti war comedy/drama, set around the time of the D-Day landings. but IMO I also think it was Julie Andrews best film and I would think James Garner would be proud of his association with the film. I think the film suffered because Julie made it slap in the middle of Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music, where in both films she played women of virtue, while in TAOE her Emily was a flawed heroine.

It was also nice to see Joyce Grenfel give a great turn as Julie's mother, not to mention Melvyn Douglas as Garner's Naval Commanding Officer

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: April 24th, 2011, 8:51 am
by Rita Hayworth
I totally agreed with you, Stuart.

Why, what you've said ... about the whole picture itself. I have watched that movie a couple of times in the past and way they handle Liz Fraser was totally unjustified and all ... and most of all its one of Julie Andrews better work as an actress. She and James Garner did a great job ... but irony of all this ... the timing of the film threw a lot of people out of whack. Because during that time frame ... Andrews did Mary Poppins and the immortal Sound of Music with Christopher Plummer.

I love this film - because as being a history bluff and its centers around D-Day ... I love the nice chemistry of Andrews and Gardner ... Liz Fraser could had been used as a romantic interest to James Corburn character in the 2nd half of the film and that would had made the film more well rounded and have more romance and better realism to the picture itself.

It has great all around cast ... an excellent, but slightly flawed film.

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: April 24th, 2011, 9:55 am
by stuart.uk
Kingme

Thanks for agreeing with me

'Emily' was a chance for American audiences to see Liz Fraser, who was a talented beautiful actress, who was mainly known for the Carry-Ons, but also played both Peter Sellers girlfriend and daughter in Two Way Stretch and I'm Alright Jack.

I bet you would like Churchill's Bodyguard, a doc about the great man's relationship with bodyguard Walter Thompson with Robert Powell Narrating and Dennis Waterman reading from Walter's biography. There was a great bit of alleged information regarding the death of Leslie Howard. Sadly all I can find is introductions to each episode


Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: April 24th, 2011, 12:34 pm
by Rita Hayworth
stuart.uk wrote:Kingme

Thanks for agreeing with me

'Emily' was a chance for American audiences to see Liz Fraser, who was a talented beautiful actress, who was mainly known for the Carry-Ons, but also played both Peter Sellers girlfriend and daughter in Two Way Stretch and I'm Alright Jack.

I bet you would like Churchill's Bodyguard, a doc about the great man's relationship with bodyguard Walter Thompson with Robert Powell Narrating and Dennis Waterman reading from Walter's biography. There was a great bit of alleged information regarding the death of Leslie Howard. Sadly all I can find is introductions to each episode

I seen Churchill's Bodyguard ... once - I would love to see it again.

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: April 24th, 2011, 5:41 pm
by MissGoddess
TAOE is one of the best written films. The script is just mouth wateringly delicious. So many marvelous, incisive lines. That Paddy was really intelligent.

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: May 22nd, 2011, 5:44 pm
by mrsl
.
Don't bet the paycheck, but I'm pretty sure that TAOE is both Julie and James favorite movies. They also did Victor/Victoria, and that Christmas one together, but this is the one they talk about in interviews. Garner especially calls attention to the scene out on the veranda between him, Julie and her mother, discussing the importance of war.
.

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: May 23rd, 2011, 1:09 pm
by charliechaplinfan
I enjoyed getting the chance to see Julie Andrews in a well written drama. She's absolutely stunning, something that doesn't completely come across in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. James Garner is great here too.

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 7:35 am
by pvitari
She's absolutely stunning, something that doesn't completely come across in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music.

!!!!!!! On my TV Julie Andrews comes across as absolutely stunning in *anything*, and ESPECIALLY Mary Poppins! She could be reading the back of my Special K box and my girl-crush would be intact.

The Americanization of Emily is definitely a high point in the careers of everyone involved.

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 8:22 am
by knitwit45
I thought she was very good in Mary Poppins, but a bit on the cranky side :lol: :lol: which was part of the character. Maybe cranky is the wrong word. Cold? Aloof? Reserved? Her 'stunning' didn't show up on my TV...
:D

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 8:27 am
by klondike
pvitari wrote: She could be reading the back of my Special K box and my girl-crush would be intact.
:shock: S P I T * T A K E :shock: {Not to worry, I had a sponge handy!}

Paula, I was eating a bowl of Special K when I read that!!
And by the way, I checked the back of the box, and Julie definitely deserves better material -- I'd recommend holding out for the Hellman's jar. :wink:

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 9:53 am
by pvitari
Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way. She is never cranky.

Image

Image

She doesn't enforce rules so much as teach her little charges -- and the big folks too -- what's important about life. Even at her sternest, her lessons come with a tiny smile playing on her lips, a twinkle in her eye, a bit o' magic, and a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. Cream of the crop, tip of the top -- it's Mary Poppins, and there we stop!

Hey Klondike, it's good to know we like the same breakfast cereal. :)

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 12:49 pm
by Gary J.
When I was selecting a cross section of favorite movie scenes for this video, most of the films I picked
had a set scene in mind that I had to use. However, when it came to TAOE there was such an abundant
array of smartly written scenes that I kept switching. Garner was given 3 or 4 great speeches in this film
(including the veranda scene with Andrews' mother) but I finally went with his first outburst in the movie.

And yet it was Andrews who was given the great tag line...."Dear me. What an outburst."

[youtube][/youtube]

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 3:22 pm
by knitwit45
Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way. She is never cranky.
and that m'dear, is what makes horse races!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 5:03 pm
by pvitari
CRANKY–adjective, crank·i·er, crank·i·est.

1.ill-tempered; grouchy; cross: I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.

When is Mary Poppins ill-tempered, grouchy or cross?

2.eccentric; queer.

If you want to use definition number 2, then I might go with that one.

3.shaky; unsteady; out of order.

Definitely does not apply. :)

Re: The Americanization Of Emily

Posted: June 9th, 2011, 6:22 pm
by knitwit45
Shall we agree to disagree??? :D :shock: :D OK!