The Member of the Wedding

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steve d It has not aged well. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review kevin w Very well done drama, heavily laced with feel good social morality and loaded with "nobody understands what it is to be me!" speeches, ably supported by Ethel Waters, unfortunately comes burdened with the delivery vehicle in the form of a screaming 12 year old (Julie Harris). A half hour in and I was pulling my hair and wishing that somebody would shut the mouthy kid up. But nobody does, not in the length of the piece, which made the message unbelievable insofar as I was concerned. The entire work then needs to be taken out to the woodshed for some "adult talking". Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member serious and obvious flaw in miscasting a mature Harris as the edge-of-puberty protagonist, which over-eggs the stereotype of how young girls can be fond of melodramatics. perhaps the producer and director (big names kramer and zinnemann) didn't care to push two child actors in the same production, though dewilde's work is remarkable for his very first film (granted, his initiation in the role had come in the stage production). his work redeems the film, with of course the remarkable ms. waters. zinnemann redeems the film with irony, and making ms.waters the focus of the ending, a subversive touch. 'john henry' starts the hymn 'his eye is on the sparrow', waters makes it magical, yet henry's prolonged, painful, and fatal illness (off camera in the manner of classic tragedy) makes him the sparrow no one watched. the ending's focus on bernice exposes how the love and care she devoted to john henry and frankie made her no less marginalized to the families she worked for. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member The actors make the most of a rather plodding story. It is surprising that this film received all the honours that it did. It was behind its time. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Some good acting by Ethel Waters in this slice of life and coming of age drama. The usually superior Julie Harris is shrill and annoying trying to be convincing as a 12 year old. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member harris' shreaking hysterics give me a headache Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Member of the Wedding

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