While I'm posting about movies, particularly Wives and Daughters, which I had to put in to transcribe the quote in the prior post, I thought I'd throw out this comment about heroines in movies.
My favorite (romantic) movies are ones in which the heroines prove that love is worth the wait. Even if the movie is not one of my favorites for other reasons, if that is part of the plot, I'm encouraged. In Wives and Daughters Molly loves Roger very selflessly, for a long time, without ever pursuing him. She waits for him to come after her, and in the end, as you can imagine, their love is very sweet.
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton is another movie in which the theme of waiting, while blurred, stands out to me. In the end there is no need to rush to expressions of romance. A love worth waiting for is content to express itself every day, to rest in the security of knowing the other's love.
As a little girl I loved Brigadoon, and one of the main songs: Waitin' for Me Dearie. "Waitin' for m' dearie, and happy am I to hold my heart 'til he comes strollin' by." There is no need to trifle with the hearts of others along the way. "For you see, I believe that there's a laddy weary and wanderin' free, who's waitin' for his dearie, me."
Pride and Prejudice nearly opens with Elizabeth's confession: "nothing but the very deepest love will induce me to matrimony... so I will end an old maid." She is willing to hold out for real love even if it never comes. Compare her opinion with her sister's and her best friend's. Lydia sacrifices real love for rushed lust. Charlotte despairs of love and settles for comfort.
A new movie with this theme is The Lake House, in which the characters wait for years without meeting in person. And there is nothing like Jane Austen's Persuasion (best in book form so far; look forward to the BBC production) for encouraging one to hang on.
To God be all glory.
Hmm...I like Molly Gibson. ;-D
ReplyDeleteShe likes beetles. Yes, I do like Molly....:-P
Elizabeth Gaskell, the author of Wives and Daughters, was an early evolution propagandist. Aside from that, her story is perfect. And Molly is wonderful, even though she likes beetles. "Who'd want to read a book about BEETLES?" - Cynthia
ReplyDeleteTo God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
"Me!" -Spencer :-P
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for that info. I will forward it to my sister, indeed. It's not that I doubt you, but can you provide any resources for this, if you would be so kind?
I just got the information off the "making of" dvd that came with the movie. Occasionally you hear hints of Darwinism in the movie. In the background dialogue of the scientifically minded there is an ongoing debate about "comparative osteology" and "ducks grow webbed feet because they swim?" So maybe she was just using it for color of the culture, but I don't hear her much defending creationism.
ReplyDeleteTo God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
Hmm, thanks for that bit of info. Master and Commander is even more blatant in that regard.
ReplyDeleteBut what is wrong with comparative osteology?
To quote the movie, comparative osteology "shows that we're more closely related to some of the great apes than we would like to think."
ReplyDeleteTo God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
Oh, I see now. They use it in the Evolutionist way...I see. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't believe that there is anything wrong with that particular field, and sometimes I have VERY CAREFULLY wondered if there might even be a Creationist use for cladograms, I see what you mean. They were using it in the "bad" sense.
Thanks for the info!