Back in 2008, a friend and I went to see the movie Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, based on
the 1938 novel of the same name. (Fun fact: The novel was
so instantly popular that Hollywood
was going to make a movie version of it back in the 30s but WWII beginning put
an end to that plan.) Recently, I bought a copy of the DVD as a gift and lo and
behold, Amazon.com also then told me I could have access to an instant copy
online for a limited time. So, I almost immediately capitalized on that gift
from Amazon by watching the movie again today.
Set in the late 1930s, Miss
Pettigrew Lives for a Day follows the eponymous character over two days of
her life. On the first day, Miss Pettigrew, a middle-aged governess with high
morals, is fired from her job and reduced to getting food from a soup kitchen
and spending the night on the London
streets. The next day, Miss Pettigrew tries to secure yet another governess job
from an agency but is refused due to her past record. Out of desperation, she
pilfers the business card of Delysia Lafosse, a woman seeking assistance, and
shows up at Delysia Lafosse’s door pretending to be from the hiring agency. Of
course, Miss Pettigrew has misinterpreted the situation, thinking that Delysia
Lafosse is a married woman looking for a governess instead of a social-climbing
young woman looking for a “social secretary” to help her manage her whirlwind
lifestyle, which includes juggling her three lovers – Nick, the wealthy
nightclub owner who employs Delysia as a singer and finances her flat and
wardrobe; Philip, the young producer who promises to make Delysia a star on the
West End stage; and Michael, the impoverished pianist who loves Delysia despite
seeing through her pretenses. In spite of her moral reservations, Miss
Pettigrew finds herself charmed by Delysia and in desperate need of employment,
so she comes along for the ride and finds herself transformed in more ways than
one throughout the day.
Miss Pettigrew Lives
for a Day is a delightful comedy, similar to the kind of screwball comedies
that proliferated in the 1930s-1940s but are rarely seen today. Given the
movie’s setting and the timing of the original novel, this is hardly surprising
but it’s still a refreshing change from what often passes as comedy in Hollywood these days. The
movie’s set and costumes embody the timeframe, with the swinging big band and
jazz music also providing a great touch from the era. Besides the color filming
and a few more risqué scenes than we would have seen back then, this movie
transports viewers right back into the silver age of cinema.
While the movie is overwhelmingly light-hearted and funny,
it is not just a piece of fluff. Miss Pettigrew’s morals, though wavering at
times, serve to keep everything in its proper perspective. For instance, in a
rare fit of anger, she lashes out at a cocktail party by telling a fellow
guest, “You people, with your green drinks and your parties and your
subterfuges! You're all playing at love. One minute her, the next minute someone
else, flit, flit, flit! Well, I'm not playing. Love is not a game.” She serves
as a foil to Miss Lafosse by reminding her of what is important in life – the love
of someone who knows her true self rather than the endless pursuit of empty
fame and money. Also, the desperation of Miss Pettigrew’s situation is a
recurring theme, as we are often reminded of her hunger, her lack of money or
worldly possessions, and how easily she might be spending another night on the
streets.
It’s not just Miss Pettigrew’s welfare that is at stake.
Throughout the movie, we are given often small but constant reminders of the world
at large. And that world is on the brink of another world war, even as the
older set of characters is still reeling from the consequences of the first world
war. To be clear, this is not a movie about the horrors or tragedies of war,
but it is not all just about the frippery that appears on the surface.
The movie wraps up fairly predictably but, to be fair, most
comedies do and this is something we tend to like in light-hearted films. The
happy ending was perhaps a little too easily tacked on, but it leaves the
viewer feeling satisfied.
Miss Pettigrew Lives
for a Day also succeeds by having a great cast at its heart – Frances McDormand
as Miss Pettigrew plays the transformative part with understated perfection, Amy
Adams channels Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei Lee in her bubbly
role of Delysia, Ciaran Hinds plays the one character with any insight into the absurdity
of this lifestyle with the appropriate amount of English gentlemanliness, and Lee
Pace as the lovable Michael does not fail, as
usual. These actors were particularly notable, but the rest of the casting
was spot on also.
In case you couldn’t tell yet, I wholeheartedly recommend
this movie, especially when you’ve having a down day and need something cheery!
No comments:
Post a Comment