Life with Father (1947)

Why it's here:
We needed more William Powell. This one had the added bonus of Liz Taylor just a couple of years after National Velvet.

Specs:
2 hours; color. We could only find it on VHS tape from our library.
Set in Victorian England.

Our family's average rating:
7.75

More about the film and our reaction to it:
William Powell is the highlight of the film and is awesomely funny throughout. He had us in stiches with his out-of-touch, pompous dad, terrorizing the servants, criticizing his wife's relatives, ordering about his children, and generally blustering about. Best of all were his interactions with his wife (Irene Dunn) who somehow always came away with what she wanted. We couldn't quite tell if she was extra intelligent or extra ditzty, but either way, she managed to get the best of dad most of the time.

This film probably lasted about 20 minuteslonger than the plot required, but we didn't mind because of William Powell - I think we'd have happily watched him for another hour.

A side note is that the quality of the tape we watched was quite poor. The day after suffering through the weak color and staticky picture, we were flipping channels and saw that it was being broadcast on TMC! If you can catch it on dvd, or on television broadcast you might enjoy it more, but in any case, enjoy!

Iconic shot:

National Velvet (1944)

Why it's here:
It's fun to see major film stars in roles they did as children. I never saw this movie before, and it seemed a perfect choice to introduce the kids to Liz Taylor.

Specs:
2 hours. Technicolor
Set in late 1920s England.

Our family's average rating on a scale of 1-10:
7.13

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Elizabeth Taylor is extremely appealing as Velvet. It's hard to think of a good description that doesn't involve the word "winsome". She is adorable in every way but not grating. You want her to succeed - to get the horse, to compete, to win, to be happy. She is engaging and lovely and clearly already has the makings of a major star.

The supporting cast is wonderful as well. Mickey Rooney is excellent as the young, but already jaded, former jockey. Anne Revere, who plays Velvet's mom, is incredible. I was unfamiliar with her work but was blown away by her talent. She got most of the best lines in the film - dispensing sage and often just slightly satiric advice to all who are within her reach.

Though the acting is good and the story is sound, the production itself is the weak link.  Although it is in Technicolor, the dvd we watched was not beautiful. I don't know if its a matter of time gone by and restoration needed or what. The colors were pleasant, but not as gorgeous as Technicolor usually is. Still, anytime we get a color movie the boys are always excited about it. Also, the backgrounds are clearly often supplemented by matte painting and not as seamless as you sometimes see. I was distracted by the girls' costumes which did not look authentic to the period, nor did their hairstyles. All in all, production values were not up to the standards of the bigger budget productions. This felt second-tier. Nonetheless, overall the film is very watchable and makes great and fitting family entertainment.

Iconic shot: