I watched the movie Fanny this past weekend. To my delight, it fell into my hands quite unexpectedly from my daughter, Sumi. There’s something extremely pleasant happening when seeing a movie of this calibre.
For one thing, it doesn’t start out with a bang, and it’s not about how many people can be killed, maimed, or attacked, or how fast can a city be destroyed from some unknown thing hovering about, and it’s not about a virus that can’t be contained running rampant throughout the world, or a story about someone in a rage whose only thought is how many people can be killed with a gun he’s been embracing for a few hours. No, Fanny has none of these things that we’ve come to expect from many movies. I’m happy enjoying this old movie and munching on lots of unsalted, raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds bought at Sahadi’s in Brooklyn. www.sahadis.com
Fanny very slowly takes us into a gentler world as we get acquainted with the characters and the story, soak up the marvelous views of beautiful Marseilles, and delight in viewing simple things thoroughly enjoyed. Step by step the story evolves – not with a bang – but, sort of with a kindness and respect for the way a good story develops. And when the story ends there’s a feeling of having spent an evening in good company. Oh, yes, good company indeed with Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Boyer, Horst Buchholz, and other excellent actors.
It’s a DVD that one doesn’t return quickly because watching it again would be very nice. Are you reading this, Sumi? haha