{"id":4883,"date":"2008-01-08T16:07:33","date_gmt":"2008-01-08T23:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4883"},"modified":"2021-01-20T12:32:41","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T19:32:41","slug":"father-of-the-bride-1950","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4883","title":{"rendered":"Father of the Bride (1950)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I would like to say a few things about weddings&#8230;&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Father-of-the-Bride-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Father-of-the-Bride-Poster-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-28612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Father-of-the-Bride-Poster-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Father-of-the-Bride-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Father-of-the-Bride-Poster.jpg 490w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen his 20-year-old daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) announces that she&#8217;s going to be marrying her boyfriend (Don Taylor), Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Ellie (Joan Bennett) begin the heady &#8212; and expensive &#8212; process of planning her wedding.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Elizabeth Taylor Films<\/li>\n<li>Father and Child<\/li>\n<li>Grown Children<\/li>\n<li>Joan Bennett Films<\/li>\n<li>Russ Tamblyn Films<\/li>\n<li>Spencer Tracy Films<\/li>\n<li>Vincente Minnelli Films<\/li>\n<li>Weddings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nVincente Minnelli&#8217;s <em>Father of the Bride<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0101862\/\">remade with Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and Kimberly Williams in 1991<\/a>) remains a slightly dated yet undeniably charming piece of mid-century Americana, providing an amusing snapshot of what middle- and upper-middle-class citizens were, at heart, most concerned with: &#8220;doing things right&#8221; without breaking the bank. Despite its socio-economic and ethnic specificity, however, <em>Father of the Bride<\/em> manages to transcend both class and race in its astute depiction of the trials and tribulations inherent in planning an enormous family event; indeed, what middle-aged man <em>can&#8217;t<\/em> relate to the struggle to fit into his former best suit, or trying to balance an increasingly out-of-control budget? Equally effective is the way in which Tracy manages to convey &#8212; without undue pathos &#8212;  the deep sense of emptiness and panic he feels at &#8220;losing&#8221; his only daughter to another man; his close relationship with Taylor is quite special. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Father-Daughter.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In addition to offering many amusing vignettes (see Redeeming Qualities and Moments below), <em>FOTB<\/em> features spot-on performances throughout; indeed, Peary is so impressed by Spencer Tracy&#8217;s turn as Stanley Banks that he awards him a Best Actor Oscar in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book (a questionable, albeit noble, choice). Joan Bennett is equally fine as Tracy&#8217;s harried wife, a middle-aged woman who&#8217;s living out her own unrequited wedding fantasies through her daughter; and Elizabeth Taylor is simply luminous as Tracy&#8217;s young daughter (she helped enormously with publicity by graciously getting married &#8212; for the first time &#8212; just before the film&#8217;s release). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-64686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/FOTB-Liz-Taylor.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Spencer Tracy as Stanley Banks<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-tracy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-tracy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4884\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>17-year-old Elizabeth Taylor as Tracy&#8217;s grown daughter<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-mirror-dresses.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-mirror-dresses.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4886\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Joan Bennett as Ellie Banks: &#8220;Stanley, from now on, don&#8217;t answer the phone.&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-bennett.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-bennett.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4887\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tracy trying to fit into his far-too-small &#8220;cut-away&#8221; suit<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-snug.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-snug.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4892\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Stanley&#8217;s surreal nightmare-before-the-wedding<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-nightmare.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-nightmare.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4891\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Mr. Tringle&#8221; (Melville Cooper) demonstrating to the wedding party how to &#8220;step, stop&#8221; down the aisle<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-step-stop.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-step-stop.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4888\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Mr. and Mrs. Banks checking out a particularly hideous wedding present from &#8220;Aunt Hattie&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-clock.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-clock.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4889\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A spot-on look at the chaos surrounding wedding preparations<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-chaos.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/11\/fotb-chaos.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4890\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its erstwhile popularity and Oscar-nominated status. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0042451\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1950\/05\/19\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-spencer-tracy-plays-father-of-the-bride-in-new.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/2894\/father-of-the-bride#articles-reviews?articleId=1190\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/father-of-the-bride\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I would like to say a few things about weddings&#8230;&#8221; Synopsis: When his 20-year-old daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) announces that she&#8217;s going to be marrying her boyfriend (Don Taylor), Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy) and his wife Ellie (Joan Bennett) begin the heady &#8212; and expensive &#8212; process of planning her wedding. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Comedy Elizabeth Taylor Films Father and Child Grown Children Joan Bennett Films Russ Tamblyn Films Spencer Tracy Films Vincente Minnelli Films Weddings Review: Vincente Minnelli&#8217;s&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4883\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4883"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64689,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4883\/revisions\/64689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}