February 14, 2013
Carrie – US, 1951
William Wyler’s excellent 1951 film Carrie reminded me that there are times when ordinary people have
just moments to make the right decision, for if that moment passes and the
correct decision has not yet been made, the temptation to do the wrong thing
may prove too strong to resist. Wyler’s film is full of moments like this, and
the characters, imperfect as the rest of us, do not always choose the moral
path, albeit often for the best of reasons. The first such decision involves a
loan of $10, a pittance these days, but a great deal of money in 1951 – two week’s
wages, we learn. The loan would be insignificant coming from a family member or
life-long friend. Here, however, it comes from a stranger, and the situation is
made more complicated by the fact that the stranger is a man named Charles
Drouet (Eddie Albert), a character who just one scene earlier had been throwing
out creepy, unwanted flirtations to the young and naïve heroine of the film,
Carrie Meeber (Jennifer Jones).
In fact, from the looks of things, the world in which young
Carrie lives seems downright inhospitable to downtrodden women. They are made
to work in unsafe environments, get lecherous glances at every turn, and are
deemed outcasts at the slightest rumor of impropriety. However, in fairness it
must be said that men hardly fare better. The most successful of them live in communities
more focused on reputation than happiness, and if preserving a reputation means
crushing someone’s dreams, well, that’s just one of the many sacrifices that
success and wealth require.
Carrie accepts the loan, of course. In fact, eventually she accepts
much more from Mr. Drouet, including a place to stay (his place) and a somewhat
comfortable existence. What she does not get, though, is a proposal of
marriage, and in 1951, that mattered a great deal. In one particularly chilling
scene, we learn that the children in their building have been told not to
associate with Carrie. The message: Decent women get married first.
Through her association with Mr. Drouet, Carrie happens to
meet George Hurstwood (Laurence Olivier), a man who presents quite a contrast to
Mr. Drouet. Unlike Drouet, who is somewhat crass and relies on a rather warped
sense of humor a bit too often, Hurstwood speaks eloquently and politely, and
his behavior toward Carrie is both respectful and gentlemanly. How could she
not fall for him?
Carrie could easily
have been a rather simple film about a woman torn between two men. It is much
more than that, however. Based on Theodore Dreiser’s novel Sister Carrie, a book that some publishers apparently thought was “too
immoral” to publish, Carrie is an
indictment of a society obsessed with class and wealth. In the film, the poor
are seen by the upper class as both exploitable and exploitative, and the
wealthy are obsessed with maintaining appearances often at the expense of
happiness and fulfillment. In one telling scene, Carrie is asked if she loves
Drouet. She replies that when you’re poor, you often like whoever is kind to
you. Later, the same character, now in a different situation, is asked whether
she’s happy. Her response: “Look at me. Look at where we are.” The message
seems to be that it is much easier to be happy when you are not worried about
where the next paycheck will come from.
If there is a fault with the film, it is the way it resolves
the financial woes that inflict Carrie and Hurstwood. There’s little in the
film to suggest that Carrie could find employment in the way she does and even
less that explains why she would rise in prominence so quickly. It would have
been much more realistic had she taken a normal job. Perhaps she could have
become a teacher, for in several scenes, the film seems intent on demonstrating
just how good she is with children. However, when was the last time a teacher
achieved the level of notoriety required for what takes place towards the end
of the film to be able to occur?
William Wyler made a career of making films that were both
timely and important. His films are often about ordinary people dealing with
extraordinary situations: from veterans of World War II trying to put their
lives back together in 1946’s The Best
Years of our Lives and the power of whispers and innuendo in 1961’s The Children’s Hour, to the strength and
courage of the Miniver family during the first few months of the Second World
War in 1942’s Mrs. Miniver. He had a
knack for presenting realistic characters and for getting top performances from
his cast. Carrie is no exception.
Jones, Olivier, and Albert each give powerful performances, and the film’s
supporting cast, which includes Miriam Hopkins as Julie Hurstwood and Basil
Ruysdael as George’s boss, Mr. Fitzgerald, match them superbly. How the lead
performances were not awarded with Oscar nominations is anybody’s guess. (on
DVD)
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