Wheel of Movie Wonder #4 Last Holiday(1950) Watch Along
Added 2023-12-28 17:00:10 +0000 UTCWhat a beautiful movie!!! Thanks for your nom William!! I loved this film.
xx
ames
Comments
John, this is so deep. Thank you.
william johnson
2023-12-31 13:24:23 +0000 UTCI enjoyed Last Holiday and thought Alec Guinness did a great job as George Bird. I liked the plot but I also found the film to be quite sad. There are many themes (as William mentions in the comments above), but one which stands out to me is how difficult it is for people to change. It's fascinating to see how George ends up affecting everyone around him for the better, even paying off Sheila and Derek Rockingham's debts and offering Miss Fox the money she needs to open her own shop after she is dismissed by Lady Oswington. Apparently, George isn't the only one taking a holiday from his old life. The other guests at the resort are inspired by George and they seem to take a brief holiday from their usual way of thinking. Surprisingly, during the "sympathetic strike", George gets all of the guests to pitch in and do the jobs which would normally be done by the hotel staff. But it ends up being a short holiday for all concerned. Instead of following her heart, Miss Fox reassumes her old position and when George fails to return to the hotel at the expected time, the other guests quickly convince themselves that he wasn't that special after all. In a final ironic twist, the guests end up drinking a toast to themselves instead. Now that's sad. It's hard not to imagine the amazing experiences George might have had if the story had gone in a different direction.
John Courtright
2023-12-31 08:56:00 +0000 UTCEwan McGregor mentioned watching KH&C in preparation for the prequels, I'd really like to see it. Ebert's Great Movies list is so helpful. His reviews are kinda spoiler-heavy, so I always read them afterward, but I've learned a lot from them.
JM63
2023-12-30 13:33:56 +0000 UTCMy favorite Alec Guinness is Kind Hearts & Coronets, where he portrays multiple characters in the same family, which has since been reworked into an amazing, award-winning stage musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder. I'm pleased to see that one of my fellow patrons has already added this to the Wheel in the wake of your reaction to this one. It's showcased in Roger Ebert's Great Movies series, and is available through Janus Films and the Criterion Collection.
Shawn Goforth
2023-12-30 04:47:46 +0000 UTC
