SUMMER MAGIC (1963) *1/2 Pairs Burl Ives, the Hollywood representation of what every man should want to be but no one really does, and Hayley Mills, the representation of budding young womanhood with a poise most of them don't have or definitely care about anymore. The musical bits haven't dated well but I'm among those complaining about Disney Studios more recent directions so I won't undercut myself by complaining too much, they can't all be gems, can they? The moment catches something of the transition from '50s movies where rich people have merely been rewarded for outstanding character and '60s movies where the spoils go to the creative scramblers. Complaints about plot realism aside the point is probably to create a "feel good" sensation, by which measure it doesn't fail entirely. Ives, Anacortes, Washington's greatest son, sets a standard that at least makes us feel good that humans can think of it, and you always want things to work out well for a suddenly impoverished widow and her young children. I also like bootleg liquor rural farmhouse party conclusions that take place on Halloween when the most frightening, but presented as a lightning rod for humour, visage is that of a deceased temperance leader.
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