This is one of those great, classic MGM musicals about an American named Tommy(Gene Kelly) out on a hunting trip with his buddy (Van Johnson) in Scotland. They get lost looking for grouse and come upon a tiny hamlet in the mists called Brigadoon. Everyone in the village is excited and a little nervous to meet them since strangers don't come their way very often. Tommy forgets to think that's weird the moment he lays eyes on Fiona (Cyd Charisse), out gathering heather for her sister's wedding. As the day goes on, Tommy can no longer put off the fact that the whole town is harboring a secret: it only stays in existence for one day out of every hundred years. Their previous minister, fearing Brigadoon would become ruined by the ways of the world, performed a "miracle" and unmoored it from time. Every morning when the residents awake, a century has passed. The miracle will last only until a resident leaves the town, whereupon time will reassert itself and Brigadoon will disappear forever. Watching this as a kid, I was captivated by the thought of a pocket of time that just appeared and disappeared according to the pull of one's heart. Now, I can only see how the 50's just were not a good time for mysticism. Even as they're promoting the idea that here is this fairyland place that you can only get to by wishing with all your heart, they do everything they can to say that magic isn't real, there are no such things as witches, and only children believe such things. But a minister can petition God to remove your entire town from a linear timestream and that's completely feasible. It's not until the 1970's that paganism and related ideas makes a comeback, and then the 80's when fantasy films finally start garnering an audience.
This is the stuff I think about during the day. Anyway, Brigadoon. May we all discover a place where time stands still.
No comments:
Post a Comment