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Fanny: the disintegration of a narcissist.


Fanny Skeffington is the penultimate narcissist.

Completely self-absorbed and unable to love anyone but herself, even her daughter.

This movie should be required viewing for college kids.
Of course, nobody in generation X (or is it Y, or Z now?) would ever see this movie.
But I see so much of the same self-obsession in this generation.

Unable to love unconditionally, or really love at all.

IMO, this movie is alot less about discrimination against Jewish people than it is a diatribe against narcissism.

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My favorite scene is when Fanny's daughter tells her off, and, showing wisdom beyond her years, says,
"I used to worry about my looks too... when I was 13, and all arms and legs, and I hated the brace I wore on my teeth. But Father always said that a woman is only beautiful when she is loved."

Unlike the older Fanny, young Fanny heeded this philosophy, and she's a deeper, better, more mature person for it. If the older Fanny had done the same thing and nurtured the qualities that wouldn't be ravaged by age, think of all the misery she would have spared herself (of course, there'd be no movie, but there you go).

"Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself?! It's bad for your complexion!"-"Sixteen Candles"

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I'm from generation Y and i'm about to watch this movie.

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Just a member of generation X checking in to say I've watched it several times and loved it. I'm currently watching all (or as many as I can find) of Ms. Davis' movies since I've already watched all of Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant's.

So let's not make assumptions about other generations and their film preferences.

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I couldn't agree more about this being a perfect portrait of a narcissist. It shows how destructive they are in people's lives. This sort of destruction leaves no mark and is just being acknowledged as emotional abuse by therapists and the courts,thank God!

Hope no one here has to deal with this...

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This post is written 15 years ago But the oldest Gen X is early 60s now
, the oldest Millennial or Gen Y is early-mid 40s.

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