10:02 a.m. Review of "The Miracle Maker" (2015)
I love this film. The message definitely makes up for it's a bit unprofessional deficiencies.
The semi-professionalism/ amateurism /low budget aspects don't bother me - if anything they give it more heart. The one thing that does horrendously bother me however is the casting and the direction with the father and daughter. I've seen this movie three or four times and even with the repeat viewing I keep thinking that they husband and wife and not father and daughter. They look too close in age and something about the way that they dress and the way they carry themselves - even without the obvious affection that a married couple would have - they look like a married couple - a married couple going through a rough spot. In particular the scene with her at her dressing table seemed more like something that a married woman would do. The fact that she stays home all of the time and doesn't seem to have any friends other than Sarah. There is a maturity and a lack of silliness that makes her appear older. According to IMDB the male at the time of filming was 46 and the female 27. Women in their late twenties in pioneer times were considered middle age and were most likely married. It would be extremely unlikely that a very pretty girl of 27 would not be married. There is a dissonance in the film with this very mature looking girl being treated like a young child by her father and on her part refusing to go behind his back. Any couple in love would not have been so obedient. The whole thing was just weird to me.
A few other things to me that stuck out was the hair and the costumes. Adult women - meaning anyone over 15 or 16 would be wearing their hair up. Down looks much prettier on film but would not have happened. One nice thing that the costumes (most likely borrowed from This is the Place) had no zippers which were not common until the 1930's. The problem with them though is that they were too clean and too new. "Sarah" is said to be semi-impoverished but yet has multiple new looking outfits. "Lily" even comments on how long it has been since she has had a new dress. "Oliver' when going out to play looks so crisp and clean that he looks like that he is on his way to church. Actor Jasen Wade was the only one who looked realistic. He is the only one as well that I completely liked his acting. Also, prior to Queen Victoria's wedding - and I'm sure later than that - wasn't a common color for wedding dresses even for the upper classes, but to do differently would have looked weird to us and have been very confusing. Another thing - very odd that they did the wedding in the middle of the street and not in the church.
Was Sarah Kent with her super pregnant body supposed to be comedy? Not sure.
So love Shauuna Thompson, but for someone who has been in bed for months - truly disabled or not - she was just a bit too springy when she did finally decide to get out of bed. I was bad and wondered how if she wouldn't get out of bed how she took a bath or went to the bathroom.
To two gossipy women reminded me of the Pratt sisters in "Larkrise to Candleford.' Is that a common thing in plays and film to have two comical gossipy interferring sometimes narrative characters?
The things that were amzing - the acting of the kids was out of this world. The little girl was just amazing. Why the heck have we not seen her in very many other things since???!!!!
The message was sweet. In a season of ego selfish characters having romances it is nice to have a film that concentrated more on being kind to one another and helping one another. For that you have to totally love the film even with all of the things that aren't completely realistic.
I love this film. The message definitely makes up for it's a bit unprofessional deficiencies.
The semi-professionalism/ amateurism /low budget aspects don't bother me - if anything they give it more heart. The one thing that does horrendously bother me however is the casting and the direction with the father and daughter. I've seen this movie three or four times and even with the repeat viewing I keep thinking that they husband and wife and not father and daughter. They look too close in age and something about the way that they dress and the way they carry themselves - even without the obvious affection that a married couple would have - they look like a married couple - a married couple going through a rough spot. In particular the scene with her at her dressing table seemed more like something that a married woman would do. The fact that she stays home all of the time and doesn't seem to have any friends other than Sarah. There is a maturity and a lack of silliness that makes her appear older. According to IMDB the male at the time of filming was 46 and the female 27. Women in their late twenties in pioneer times were considered middle age and were most likely married. It would be extremely unlikely that a very pretty girl of 27 would not be married. There is a dissonance in the film with this very mature looking girl being treated like a young child by her father and on her part refusing to go behind his back. Any couple in love would not have been so obedient. The whole thing was just weird to me.
A few other things to me that stuck out was the hair and the costumes. Adult women - meaning anyone over 15 or 16 would be wearing their hair up. Down looks much prettier on film but would not have happened. One nice thing that the costumes (most likely borrowed from This is the Place) had no zippers which were not common until the 1930's. The problem with them though is that they were too clean and too new. "Sarah" is said to be semi-impoverished but yet has multiple new looking outfits. "Lily" even comments on how long it has been since she has had a new dress. "Oliver' when going out to play looks so crisp and clean that he looks like that he is on his way to church. Actor Jasen Wade was the only one who looked realistic. He is the only one as well that I completely liked his acting. Also, prior to Queen Victoria's wedding - and I'm sure later than that - wasn't a common color for wedding dresses even for the upper classes, but to do differently would have looked weird to us and have been very confusing. Another thing - very odd that they did the wedding in the middle of the street and not in the church.
Was Sarah Kent with her super pregnant body supposed to be comedy? Not sure.
So love Shauuna Thompson, but for someone who has been in bed for months - truly disabled or not - she was just a bit too springy when she did finally decide to get out of bed. I was bad and wondered how if she wouldn't get out of bed how she took a bath or went to the bathroom.
To two gossipy women reminded me of the Pratt sisters in "Larkrise to Candleford.' Is that a common thing in plays and film to have two comical gossipy interferring sometimes narrative characters?
The things that were amzing - the acting of the kids was out of this world. The little girl was just amazing. Why the heck have we not seen her in very many other things since???!!!!
The message was sweet. In a season of ego selfish characters having romances it is nice to have a film that concentrated more on being kind to one another and helping one another. For that you have to totally love the film even with all of the things that aren't completely realistic.