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This Film Turned 40 This Year - And It Still Holds Up

posted 19 years ago by jeurorotten
14 replies | jump to latest

'The Trouble With Angels', one of my favourite films (and, yeah, I'm a guy!) turned 40 years old in 2006. The paradox of this remarkable film is that, while it may seem antiquated in some respects, it is also like a fine, rare, vintage wine - its flavour is enriched, its body is deeper, more complex with the passage of time.

It's also bittersweet; for as 'The Trouble With Angels', a film that was a viable part of my childhood, ages, so do I. I can't 'go home' again; I cannot revisit and re-live those years. But films such as this are a wondrous portal in which I can look back and embrace for all it resonated with me and many many others.

Hey! I've got a SCATHINGLY brilliant idea! How about the studio/producers that hold the rights to this great film release a special edition DVD?

Let us all pray......

Johnnie Rotten

[–] chopper0116 18 years ago

I agree! I Love this film!

chopper

[–] thchicago 18 years ago

I totally agree that this film is, as you stated in your quite eloquent post, like "a fine, rare, vintage wine". I was in grade school when this movie came out and still love it to this day. Attending Catholic school and sometimes getting in trouble with the nuns ourselves, made us feel "simpathico" toward Hayley Mills and we would find ourselves repeating her lines with each other. As an adult, I have come to appreciate the amazing performance that Rosalind Russell gave as the Mother Superior. She was tough, yet funny and loving. She said volumes with just a look or subtle movement. Now when I watch the film, I find myself watching Roz and being in awe of such talent. And you are so, so right, it is "bittersweet".

[–] scruffy58 18 years ago

I am in absolute and total agreement my friends. I used to watch this film as a child whenever it was on. The humor is sweet and gentle and the film leaves me with a warm glow. Each time I see it (now that it has been released on DVD), it is like visiting with an old friend. I truly wish that it had been released letterboxed and with some interesting extras. I love the characters, the performances and the wonderful Jerry Goldsmith score. Coming from a fractured home life, I always wished that I had someone like the wise and understanding Mother Superior to help guide me through lifes difficulties. A truly wonderful film.

[–] thchicago 18 years ago

I think that is one of the attractions of this movie for a lot of people. Rosalind Russell embodies the character of Mother Superior so well that you can't help but wish you could have someone like her to go to and get comfort and advice. You made a great connection and I bet there are a lot of fans of this movie who would agree it would be great to have a Mother Superior around!

[–] Isaac5855 18 years ago

This movie was also a big part of my childhood as well. I absolutely loved it. I actually saw it in a theater during its original theatrical release when I was eight years old and still remember it vividly. And I totally agree that a 40th Anniversary DVD of this classic would be a SCATHINGLY brilliant idea.

[–] thefabslv 18 years ago

I was eight years old then, too... Our favorite local theater played this when it was first released and rotated it through it's "Triple Feature Saturday Matinees" over and again. I'm not sure how many total times I saw it way back when, but I'll see it again real soon - Just ordered the DVD! :-)

And I agree with the original poster... We age... We can't go back, but we can relive some of the sweetest moments of our childhoods - through movies.

(Do you all get as weepy as I do these days when reminiscing?? Silly hormones. ;-)

[–] perret_moi 18 years ago

This was one of me and my sister's favorites! "I'm a midget with a bad habit..." Gotta love it!

SPSR: I love you guys!!!

[–] BeafyBear 18 years ago

it's like comfort food. i can curl up on the couch and watch this one every year and still enjoy it.

[–] spike71 18 years ago

I saw the movie when I was 13 years old and I still enjoy it, maybe even more than I did as a teen. And I consider myself lucky because I live fairly close to the castle where alot of the exterior shots were filmed. The grounds are beautiful.

[–] lennon1124 18 years ago

I love this movie!!! (and I am only 24:)

[–] hazey 18 years ago

20 years after my first viewing and I still absolutely love this movie. I can still quote it word for word...which makes me wonder exactly how many times my sister and I watched it growing up! Any Hayley Mills movie is great but this is the best! It's great to see it in all its glory, after watching fading video for years.

[–] ginas1955 18 years ago

This was one of my first movies I bought on VHS about 15 or 20 year ago. I love this movie with a passion I don't normally give to very many movies. I loved the scene in the chapel at Christmas and the nuns were singing in Latin. I knew then that Mary was going to be a nun. I'm like many of you, I can quote alot of this movie word for word. I also love Hayley Mills, in some of Disney's better movies. My favorite is Pollyanna.

I didn't realize that this movie was based on a biography. Now that I do, I am going to have to find the book and read it...

Dylan Hunt-Let's Bring It!!

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 12 years ago

It turns 46 this year. I'm watching it now for the first time. Terrific movie, and great to see Jim Hutton in a small part.

~~
Jim Hutton: talented gorgeous hot hunk; adorable as ElleryQueen; SEXIEST ACTOR EVER

[–] HarlowMGM 8 years ago

It does hold up - but it also has a warmth and a reverence that might not pull in younger generations today who are used to more sarcasm and venom in their movies. It's lovely nostalgia though for those of us who grew up with it when airing on local tv channel's movie slots in the 70's and 80's and who can remember when even "bad girls" weren't that bad.