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Thanks to the banner, that is now stuck, stuck, stuck in my head, depsite the fact that I'm listening to filk.
Luckily, it's my favorite movie. I don't mind too much.
(Oh, and my two year old does the most adorable version of "Go Home with Bonnie Jean". He is most definately going to theatre camp when he's older)
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Funny, romanylass, I have had the creeped out feeling I get from Brigadoon watching. I love the show, but it is really depressing.
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The big problem with Brigadoon for me is: I think it's a tragedy. Hard and dangerous as life in the real world might be, I think the people of Brigadoon have been "miraculously" cut off from most things that give life meaning - including the freedom to hang out with witches ...
And yes, I DO know that it's only a show.
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OSC, I completely agree. Brigadoon depressed me when I saw it, even though I appreciated it that it's a beautiful show, and very well done.
Lyrhawn, it's Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse (I probably completely screwed up the spelling of her name). It was made in 1954.
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<<SPOILERS>> . . . . . . . My son played Harry Beaton in a middle-school production, so I got to see the story from his eyes.
It's all about opression and failed Utopias!
Plus, Harry's the only "real person" in the whole godforsaken show!
Think about it: Harry is the only person in the whole town (certainly before the influences from the outside) who desires to change or advance. All the other townspeople are wholly content with their lot in life. Harry's been denied the opportunity to get himself educated (Edinburgh being permanently denied to the denizens of Brigadoon), and the one woman in town that he desires is taken from him by an outside interloper, a "free agent."
So Harry rebels. He attempts to leave, so that he can improve himself, and his lot in life, and so that his town would be forced to deal with the "real world" instead of their fantasy Utopia.
So what do the people of Brigadoon do? They hunt him down and kill him! And then they lie about it, so they can go and have a party without upsetting anyone.
But he's not killed by just anyone. He's killed by the disgustingly drunk best friend of the man that's taken Harry's love interest! Drunk my foot! It's a conspiracy! A conspiracy, I tell you! Sorry. [catches breath]
They're a shameful bunch of selfish, horrible people. How an audience can have compassion for a group like that is beyond me.
The townspeople didn't want to kill him -- Jeff killed him. They wanted to bring him back safely.
Except, of course, if you're in the production of Brigadoon I was in, where the director couldn't BEAR the thought of funny Jeff being made the heavy, so he had Random Townsperson #5 shoot Harry in the back right before he crosses the bridge.
My biggest problem with the show is how it's only been THREE DAYS in the townspeople's lives, yet they're already USED to being cut-off from the world -- something that doesn't really wash. They're sure that the miracle has worked, even though it's only been three days and there's no way they could, plus they're really weirded out by newcomers (Tommy and Jeff) Is the whole town really that faithful that they believed the miracle wholly after only three days?
I don't know.
Brigadoon, to me, is a lot like "The Lottery." Look what people are willing to do for a little peace and quiet.
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Maybe they just want to catch him, but the music is awfully threatening, and the lyrics run:
quote:Harry Beaton! Harry Beaton! Run an' get 'im! Get 'im! Run an' get 'im! Get 'im! Run, ye men, or ye will never see another morning'. Go an' stop 'im! Stop 'im! Go an' stop 'im! Stop 'im! Run, ye Highland men, or ye won't ken another day.
And they include references to "I'll go down to the creek, an' by God, if I see 'im I'll throw 'im in it."
They have motive, and opportunity. I'd say it was pre-meditated! Certainly, in the heat of the moment, it would have been easy for any of the townspeople to get carried away and kill Harry Beaton themselves. It would certtainly have solved their problem.
But once he's dead, the murderers (and they're all murderers to me) conspire to lie about the cause of his death: "He hit his head on a rock." Yeah, right! It didn't work for Bill Clinton, and it damned well shouldn't work for them!
These are the sort of people that God worked a miracle for? Maybe it wasn't really God. Maybe it was that other guy...
I always wondered what would happen if Brigadoon were to appear one century, right in the middle of the nuclear power plant that was built among the heather...
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Yeah, the whole "If anyone leave the town is doomed thing always bugged me." In the first place, people should have the choice to leave. In the second place, if, for instance, Harry had gotten away, wouldn't the smart people have egottne the hell outta Brigadoon?
But you have to admit, the music and dancing are great.
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posted
I have also been haunted by The Lottery since childhood.
Brigadoon does not have quite the same effect on me, but it is truly depressing, and leaves me with a vibrating, echolike feeling in my head when I think about it.
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