Post by naterdawg on Mar 23, 2017 18:38:50 GMT
I just watched my dvd of THE BAD SEED and was struck by the really innovative (for the time) theme. Up till then, had there ever been a play and/or film about a murderous sociopathic child?
First done on Broadway, the film was made with much of the theatrical cast intact. Patty McCormack, though a tad old, is an effectively nasty Rhoda Penmark. Dressed in flouncy "little girl" skirts and tap shoes, her hair in perfect 1950's braids, with platinum hair, yet, she makes a formidable villainess. I thought Nancy Kelly came across less effectively, especially in the last half. That's when the film couldn't escape its theatrical origins. Most of the action takes place in a living room set, and as Christine (Kelly) sinks into despair about her murderous daughter, the theatrics are on display in full view. The scene where Leroy (the handyman, hilariously played by Henry Jones) burns to death is a good example. As he screams off camera, Christine and Monica (Evelyn Varden) react--and Kelly pulls out the dramatic stops! Meanwhile, Rhoda is frantically playing the piano in another room, which underscores the frenzy of Christine. Really, I'm unable to describe this scene adequately except to say it's stagy to the extreme!
Overall, though, I like this film, especially the music. Eileen Heckart is guite good as "Mrs. Daigle," mother of the child Rhoda murders. And there's something just so deliciously twisted about a picture perfect little girl who's really a cold-blooded killer! I thought McCormack created a completely unforgettable character.
Anybody else like The Bad Seed?
First done on Broadway, the film was made with much of the theatrical cast intact. Patty McCormack, though a tad old, is an effectively nasty Rhoda Penmark. Dressed in flouncy "little girl" skirts and tap shoes, her hair in perfect 1950's braids, with platinum hair, yet, she makes a formidable villainess. I thought Nancy Kelly came across less effectively, especially in the last half. That's when the film couldn't escape its theatrical origins. Most of the action takes place in a living room set, and as Christine (Kelly) sinks into despair about her murderous daughter, the theatrics are on display in full view. The scene where Leroy (the handyman, hilariously played by Henry Jones) burns to death is a good example. As he screams off camera, Christine and Monica (Evelyn Varden) react--and Kelly pulls out the dramatic stops! Meanwhile, Rhoda is frantically playing the piano in another room, which underscores the frenzy of Christine. Really, I'm unable to describe this scene adequately except to say it's stagy to the extreme!
Overall, though, I like this film, especially the music. Eileen Heckart is guite good as "Mrs. Daigle," mother of the child Rhoda murders. And there's something just so deliciously twisted about a picture perfect little girl who's really a cold-blooded killer! I thought McCormack created a completely unforgettable character.
Anybody else like The Bad Seed?
