Happy-Go-Lucky resembalence...
Did anyone else think Mike Leigh must have seen this before making his masterpiece?
Come on, everybody, see Séraphine!share
No.
share
"No."
_ _ _
Okay. I'm convinced.
Hey there-
I'll elaborate if you elaborate! I adore all the movies you've mentioned (including in your tag, "Seraphine") but having just watched "Breezy" twice in a day, and "Happy-Go-Lucky" when it came out, I had no associations. What connections did/do you see?
-J
I couldn't think of another movie that has a lead character of such boundless optimism in a realistic setting. Not since the days of Mary Pickford, maybe.
I didn't mean there were any plot similarities.
It's likely that I'd be wrong to assume Like Leigh saw the move or was directly influenced in any meaningful way. Just thought it was a better point of comparison than the tired, narrow 'Amelie'.
Our tastes are even more in line: I'm also not a fan of Amelie, and at one point was very taken with Pickford films (though not so much these days).
But now I see where you're going -- not plot lines, just the character's unflappable cheerfulness and optimism in the face of dour souls they encounter, and even horrific experiences that expose them to (for lack of a better word) evil.
In THAT case -- I have a perfect one: Fellini's Nights of Cabiria (Le notti di Cabiria). (Spoiler alert for those who might not have seen this masterpiece....) Massina's character is optimistic throughout, even after the "love of her life" steals her money and pushes her in a lake, leaving her for dead. The final shot of her as she walks on a path, her beaming face filled with a tinge of bitterness but mostly joy, is heartbreaking.
Cabiria always comes to mind when I see the end of Woody Allen's "Purple Rose of Cairo" (and we know Allen adored and frequently paid homage to Fellini). I'm pretty sure he was directly referencing Massina in Cabiria when Farrow's character (also just put through the ringer) loses herself in the movie house, and lets a smile wash across her face.
A few others are percolating in my head, but I can't pin them down yet. A good topic to dwell on!
Yeah, I like 'Cabiria'. Of course, the Fellini movie which influenced Allen's wonderful 'Purple Rose of Cairo' even more: 'The White Sheik'.
>"...the character's unflappable cheerfulness and optimism in the face of dour souls they encounter, and even horrific experiences that expose them to (for lack of a better word) evil....A few others are percolating in my head, but I can't pin them down yet. A good topic to dwell on!"<
From both sides of the gender spectrum, Buñuel's 'Nazarin' and 'Viridiana' are worth mentioning. Two bona fide holy fools trying to live the righteous path in a world overflowing with sin and corruption.
Yes, I'll see if I can think up some others when I have time.
There are a couple Judy Holiday movies I'll have to consider, and - I haven't seen it yet - Malle's 'Zazie dans le métro' sounds promising.