Monday, April 16, 2012

Spring Fever Movies


There aren't a lot of movies about springtime, but all seven of these soothe my spring fever.
  1. Mary Poppins (1964).  The spring wind blows in a magical nanny (Julie Andrews) to aid the unhappy Banks family.  Walks in the park, kite flying, merry-go-rounds, and hunting with hounds evoke the season.
  2. Camelot (1967).  The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is retold in this musical.  This one makes the list for Queen Gunivere's singing of "Lusty Month of May."
  3. The Producers (1968).  Two Broadway producers (Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder) scheme to make money by producing a sure-fire flop, "Springtime for Hitler."
  4. Carrie (1976).  An abused girl (Sissy Spacek) with a crazy mom (Piper Laurie) and telekinetic powers is invited to prom by the most popular boy in school; all hell breaks loose when high school bullies push her too far.
  5. Bull Durham (1988).  I've got to include at least one baseball movie.  Susan Sarandon is a baseball Annie in a romantic triangle with a young pitcher (Tim Robbins) and an experienced catcher (Kevin Costner).
  6. Enchanted April (1992).  Four women leave behind a rainy, gloomy London when they rent a chateau on the Italian Riviera for a month. 
  7. The Secret Garden (1993).  When a spoiled girl loses both parents in India to a cholera epidemic, she is sent to live with her uncle in England.  On his estate she discovers a beautiful, hidden garden, which helps her cope with her grief and loneliness.  My daughter was five or six when we saw the 1987 Hallmark Hall of Fame version, and it was one of our favorites.

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