MovieChat Forums > Kiss Me Kate (1953) Discussion > Surprising Unprofessional Sequence

Surprising Unprofessional Sequence

posted 11 years ago by jononfire
9 replies | jump to latest

Late in this otherwise superb film, there's a solo delivered by Keel from a catwalk, surrounded by the audience for the play-within-the-play (I think it's "Where Is the Life That Late I Led?"). The trouble is that he plays most of the scene with his back turned to a large part of the audience, and that is something no competent actor and director would ever do. It is NOT a minor, negligible oversight.

"Believe not what you only wish to believe, but that which truth demands"

[–] moosefeathers 9 years ago

It was a movie about a play.

Swing away, Merrill....Merrill, swing away...

[–] jononfire 9 years ago

Yes, but my point is that the movie contains the perspective of the play and it's theatre and audience.

[–] moosefeathers 9 years ago

and we were supposed to be watching a play...hence him facing us and the audience, as part of the cast was behind him. he was our focal point.

Swing away, Merrill....Merrill, swing away...

[–] jononfire 9 years ago

And you miss MY point completely; we have to believe what we see, and what we see of his actions doesn't make sense. There's an audience in the scene, and most of it's looking at his back.

[–] movieghoul 9 years ago

HAve you ever seen a theater production in the round? You spend a lot of time seeing actors' backs. Nothing unprofessional about it.

[–] bradjanet 8 years ago

It's called the willing suspension of disbelief and it goes all the way bay to Aeschylus.

But you ARE Blanche ... and I AM.

[–] jononfire 8 years ago

What I'm referring to is not the kind of "willful suspension of disbelief" that Aeschylus would have contemplated; this was sloppy, and wholly avoidable in the film's context. I happen, incidentally, to be a great believer in A.'s principle, and this flew in its, and my, face.

[–] laurence01 8 years ago

I think you will find that the reason for the way the scene was filmed is because the film was originally in 3D.

Let Zygons Be Zygons.

[–] ironjade 7 years ago

He also plays the scene on a catwalk which isn't there, then it is and then it's gone again. It's a movie, not a play.

"Say it with flowers . . . give her a Triffid."