Melodie on Falling for a Dancer
In this gem from the Message Board, Melodie tells us that she prefers Liam in his edgier works such as Cracker - Best Boys. However, she gave Falling for a Dancer a shot and also told us what she thought about the film and, to our delight, what she thought other writers might have made of these characters. Please note for those who haven't seen Falling for a Dancer, this contains plot spoilers:
| I did see this on video at my boyfriend's place last
spring though I was doing stuff around the house & didn't give it my
undivided attention. I taped onto VHS & sat down & watched
the whole thing this weekend . . . for some reason--maybe a pregnant
heroine--I had this idea it was a Catherine Cookson thing. It's
still not my cup of joe, and if LC weren't in it, I doubt I would have
watched it in the first place. I do think it's very good for what
it is--the performances were all top-drawer and though these things tend
to be kind of predictable (really, is there any mystery about the
outcome after Mossie Sheehan first sets eyes on Elizabeth ?) and I don't
believe for one minute that Elizabeth would have managed to overlook the
oh-so-helpful (& studly) neighbor up the hill for very long, let
alone 8 years, even if he is a bit of a fashion emergency (the Irish
I've met refer to it as a "flat cap" incidentally)--even a
cynic like me was moved by his delivery of "the Speech",
though it could have been truly cringe-worthy in the hands of most other
actors. The guaranteed happy ending allows me to appreciate the
humor in the more serious scenes, like when Mossie drives into a ditch
because he can't keep his eyes on the road, or the expression on his
face when he realizes how he's hosed his proposal by accusing Elizabeth
of having hot pants for every man in town. I do share the same
beef with Kit--after 8 years of mooning, you'd think the director would,
ahem, allow them to slip into something a bit more comfortable, and I
don't think the story would have suffered for being sped up a bit....If
I were directing:
"Falling for a Dancer" by Thomas Hardy: Elizabeth & Mossie meet; mad animalistic rutting ensues. Neeley catches them at it & Mossie kills him with a spade & hangs for it. Elizabeth is cast out of society with Mossie's love child...OK I don't like this one. "Falling for a Dancer" by Henry James: Mossie and Elizabeth are kept apart by social convention. They plot to murder Neeley by slathering his dinner with the Irish equivalent of Crisco. When he has his fatal attack, they marry, but guilt over the deed destroys their love, but they are stuck together with their children in their house, hating each other. "Falling for a Dancer" by DH Lawrence: Mossie & Elizabeth talk a whole lot about social convention between bouts of rutting. Mossie goes off to war & is killed. Elizabeth writes her memoirs... "Aimant pour une Danseuse" (pardon my French) by Francois Truffaut: Elizabeth carries on simultaneous affairs with Neeley, Mossie, and Danny McCarthy & they all stay great friends, talk lots, and smoke even more. "Falling for a Taxi Dancer" by Billy Wilder: "Why Mr. Sheehan, I've never seen you without your flat cap before--why--you're gorgeous!" |
Thank you Melodie!