Unrealistic Boss
One thing that I couldn't get over was the unrealistic boss who steals sister George's girl. That woman is the epitome of a creepy catty straight woman. No way she's gay.
shareThe Coral Browne character was always ambiguous.
She contradicts her character if you look closely at her performance in the film.
Firstly, when she first meets the Childie character played by Susannah York, she checks her out. Note eye movement.
Yet when they are in the Gateways Club, she acts all shocked at seeing women dancing together and kissing.
But it is always taken that she's a lesbian and Coral Browne played her as so.
I really enjoyed the ambiguity of the Browne character. In the club, her initial reaction could be interpreted as disdain for the swinging gay crowd, as one who is above that kind of scene. But watch carefully when she is alone at the bar: - in a beautiful moment of close-up acting, while her lips remain downturned, there is a hint of a cat-with-the cream smile (I wish I knew how she did it). While I haven't worked in TV, judging by the theatre people I've known, the Browne part is not just believable -- she's even nicely underplayed.
It's an interesting role. In a way, she's lying to herself even more than George or Childie. She wants to see what she wants to see and she doesn't want to think that she may be going through a similar messy breakup scene down the road--only with her in George's place.
Not that George was perfect, but Childie was a piece of work. It sure looked like she was using Mercy just to get away from George. And Mercy was so desperate for love, she was willing to go along with it, thinking that it would become true love or lust or some such thing. I almost felt sorry for her...but not quite.
Yet when they are in the Gateways Club, she acts all shocked at seeing women dancing together and kissing.
I didn't get that. She seemed rather enthralled.
"YOU REMIND ME TODAY OF A SMALL MEXICAN CHIHUAHUA"
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