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Brigadoon (1954)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 2:38 pm    Post subject: Brigadoon (1954) Reply with quote



This beautifully filmed musical from MGM in 1954 is as colorful and tune-filled as anything the studio ever produced. And the whole movie is filmed on a giant set with painted backdrops, making it similar in that respect to Forbidden Planet — which MGM would release just two years later. Very Happy

But of course, Brigadoon not science fiction.

Or is it?

Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, and Cyd Charisse head the talented cast in this very strange story . . . about a time-traveling Scottish village that hops forward one hundred years for each day which passes in the village.

The village doesn't exist during the hundred years between its miraculous appearances in a remote area of Scotland. This amazing occurrence is caused by a "miracle" the village was granted to "protect it from the influences of the outside world."

Weird, eh? Confused

IMDB's summary of the plot explains the miracle this way.
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A local preacher prayed to God in the Eighteenth Century, asking for a miracle to protect Brigadoon from witches that lived in Scotland.
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Hmmm. That explanation leaves me scratching my head.

However, it should be noted that the story takes on the second day of the miraculous time travel. In other words, they've only experienced their "time hop" once prior to the day on which the story takes place.

So, even though the villagers seem perfectly comfortable with the situation — as if they'd been doing this for quite a while — you'd think they'd still be a bit surprised that God actually did what the priest asked Him for, and they're now living in the 20th Century!

After all, two hundred years had gone by . . . during the last two days.

Even though this is not science fiction, the strange premise inspired one to ponder the long range effects on the village. For example, is God going to make sure that the remote area where the village appears every hundred years will not become heavily populated in a few centuries?

Another interesting thought stems from the fact that Gene Kelly is allowed to —

* — * — * — * — * SPOILER ALERT! * — * — * — * — *

— become a permanent resident of the village because he falls in love with Cyd Charisse.

In effect, Gene does what Rod Taylor does in The Time Machine . . . except that the can't leave the village and explore the 21st Century (or any other time period), because both the village and all it's inhabitants will cease to exists if any resident leaves! Shocked

I've been trying to think of some way that scientists could use this cockeyed situation to join the village and travel into the future, but the "travel restrictions" are just too damn rigorous!

~ First, a person has to fall in love with a village resident.

~ Then he has to be willing to renounce all ties with the present.

~ And finally, he has to remain in the village permanently to prevent himself and the entire population from vanishing!

I wonder if any of you folks can find a loophole in all this! It seems a shame to let a perfectly good "Time Traveling Scottish Village" go to waste.


_________ Brigadoon (1954) Official Trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Aug 21, 2022 12:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 10:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brigadoon is a wonderful musical that I enjoy.

If one categorizes it as a fantasy, it certainly doesn't mean that its theme cannot be reworked into a science fiction plot.

"Meridian" was a third season episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

ST: DSN Companion Book: On an exploratory mission in the Gamma Quadrant, the Defiant picks up some peculiar gravimetric readings in the nearby Trialus system. They arrive for a closer look just in time to see a planet inexplicably appear near the Trialan sun

Meridian exists in two separate dimensions; for some unknown reason, it periodically shifts from this physical dimension to another, where the planet and its inhabitants become noncorporeal. When they return to this dimension, it is as if no time has passed for them, even though decades have gone by.

Thoughts: So ST: DSN took a shot with a Brigadoon inspired episode. The love story in this case was between Dax (Terry Farrell) and Deral, an inhabitant of the planet Meridian. Unlike Brigadoon, their literal star-crossed romance is a doomed one that they cannot succeed in due to science fictional plot devices.

He offers to stay with Dax in her dimension, but feels guilt over leaving his world where he's doing vital scientific work for his people. Dax offers to remain with Deral when Meridian returns to its own dimension. The problem arises when Dax, being on Meridian before it vanishes, is somehow unintentionally acting as an anchor to the planet and preventing it from going back to its other dimension.

Oh, and there's no nifty singing and dancing like in Brigadoon. I suppose this shows us that any fantasy-based premise can be remade into a science fiction one. And maybe the reverse is true.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Mike, I'd bet two bars of gold-pressed latinum that you're absolute right about that episode being a Brigadoon inspired story!

Bravo! Cool

As for the MGM movie, I think I'd prefer it if the village vanished every 10 years instead of every 100. That way the people would be on their twentieth day, not just on their second.

I don't suppose it's really important, though.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

IMDB:

Gene Kelly and Vincent Minnelli had both wanted to film Brigadoon on location in Scotland but in a cost-saving move, MGM insisted the production be shoot entirely within the confines of their studio soundstages.

Minnelli admitted that MGM's decision had drained any enthusiasm he had for the production which led to a cursory, paint-by-numbers transcription of the Broadway musical with his directing.

Thoughts: Sure, I love seeing beautiful, fresh, new scenery in movies like everyone else. Shooting in Scotland could have been grand with its gorgeous vistas. Just like John Ford filmed his classic movie The Quiet Man in Ireland. That greatly enhanced the look and atmosphere of that film compared to filming it in Hollywood and on a studio backlot.

Thoughts: However, Brigadoon remains wonderful due to its terrific music and a likable and talented cast. Minnelli's reaction to direct the film in a pedestrian manner makes me lose respect for him. He accepted this assignment, cashed the check. He should have been a man of his word. The cast and crew were dependent upon him and his professionalism, and he betrayed them.

Thoughts: I still greatly enjoy the film. I suppose Vincent was a fine enough director that even his lesser efforts are superior to many other directors best efforts. But still, Vincent....

IMDB: Cyd Charisse said, of the several films she made with Gene Kelly, this one was her favorite. She also reportedly, did not get along with Kelly during filming. She later stated that she preferred working with the more affable Fred Astaire.

Thoughts: Yeah, I've read more than enough articles on Kelly to realize the guy could be a real prick to work with and for. I'm a huge admirer of his sensational dancing, I enjoy his acting, enjoy his movies. But he wasn't the nicest guy on the block, unfortunately.

IMDB: MGM siphoned money for the intended film production of their musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and reallocated it to Brigadoon. This was based upon the studios assumption that Brigadoon would be a big hit, while Seven Brides would not. Brigadoon ended up not breaking even at the box office, Seven Brides was a big hit.

Thoughts: Goes to show you once again, the studio bigwigs don't always know what they're doing and can miss the mark big time. They don't have reliable crystal balls.

Reminds me of 20th Century Fox giving their science fiction film Damnation Alley a big budget and tons of advertising, thinking it'd be a popular summer movie. Their other SF that year received a smaller budget and less press because they figured it'd vanish quickly from the theaters. Star Wars.

Four of Brigadoon's musical numbers from the Broadway production were not in the film version. "Come to Me, Bend to Me", "There But For You Go I", "From This Day On", and "The Sword Dance."

Thoughts: Wow! I realize that a film may not have as long a running time as a Broadway musical does. But cutting out four musical numbers sure seems like a lot. Wonder if they're any good?

Joseph Breen, the draconian censor who ran the Production Code Administration for movies, refused to permit "The Love of My Life", and "My Mother's Wedding" to be in the film. He found the lyrics morally offensive.

Thoughts: Man, I gotta look up these lyrics to see what they said. Probably tame stuff by today's standards.

The Highland backdrops were over 600 feet long, 60 feet high, and cost $382, 200.

Thoughts: Some of the sets were quite impressive. I especially admired the stone bridge over the creek. Other times you were well aware that you were looking at a set on a soundstage in California.

The long-horned cow featured in the musical number "Almost Like Being In Love", was a source of anxiety for Gene Kelly. He ordered that it was blindfolded and chained to the floor. Plastic eyes were attached to the blindfold.

Thoughts: Easy to make fun of Kelly being nervous around this animal. However, I can't blame him in being cautious. It is an animal and they can be unpredictable. And this one had horns. I've ridden horses off and on for years. Love them, but you always, always respect 'em because you can never know what's going on all the time in their heads.

Thoughts: And wasn't Van Johnson a hoot in this film? He did quite a credible job considering he wasn't really a song-and-dance man. His snarky cynicism throughout the movie is, mostly, amusing. Although sometimes it gets on my nerves because he seems to disrespect everyone and everything.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Great post, me lad! Yer a true Scotsman at heart, ye are!

I was a bit surprised that you didn't seem to feel that the beautifully designed sets and backdrops added to the "fantasy" element of the village. But, hey, maybe you just didn't mention it. Very Happy

I agree that the on-location shooting of The Quiet Man in Ireland was the right choice and certainly added realism of the story.

With Brigadoon, however, this was a "fantasy Scotland", a magical village that appeared only once every century, populated by sublimely happy people who were over two hundred years old! Shocked

With that in mind, I actually the prefer that it was shot on the sets instead of on location.

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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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I'm strongly tempted to order the Blu-ray of Brigadoon because (a) the first 25 minutes of my DVR of it from TCM was badly flawed by a DISH satellite glitch, and (b) I enjoyed watching it anyway, and (c) Amazon can sell me a flawless version for a mere $17.99 — which is peanuts in the grand scheme of things! Laughing

And while I make up my mind about ordering it, here's a wild idea for you guys. Mr. Green
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Picture a musical version or Forbidden Planet in which a starship is sent to investigate a strange planet which seems to be slipping in and out existence every few years.

The original missions to this planet reported that they found a group of survivors from a missing scientific expedition which left Earth twenty years earlier. But these srranded survivors have created a simple community which sustained their needs — and they're so happy they refused to leave!

So, the starship is forced to return to Earth.

However, when subsequent missions return to the same spacial coordinates to investigate the situation, they can't find the planet! Shocked

Eventually a brilliant young starship captain realizes that ther's a pattern to the planet's appearances, and he convinces his superiors to send him back to verify his theory.

What happens next is . . . up to you guys. I have no clue.

But I suspect the handsome starship captain is going to fall in love with a hot gal on this forbidden planet and decide to stay with her, allowing his starship to sail away without him!

Then again . . . maybe he'll take her with him and let the wandering planet go it's own way with its happy inhabitants — thereby avoiding any unpleasant problems with his new in-laws! Shocked

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~ The Space Children (1958)
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 7:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I too have a great love for this movie. (But then I also have a love for the musical version of Lost Horizon!)

You should know that there was a made for TV version as well starring Robert Goulet, Peter Falk and Leslie Ann Downs.

The songs omitted from the Gene Kelly version (to make more time for his dancing after all!) were all included in the TV version and also differed from the movie in that the Americans were not hunting, but practising for an auto grand prix.

Not technicly as good as the film but still very enjoyable!


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 11:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The awesome looking Shangri-La set used in the musical Lost Horizon was a revamped castle used in the musical Camelot. The set would be used again on the TV series Kung Fu as the Shaolin Monastery in China.
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