Thanks to Mark Steyn for writing a column about the life and death of Hollywood legend Stanley Donen.
I had not heard about Donen’s death on Feb. 23 at the age of 94, but about that same time, maybe even the same day I happened to be watching one of my favorite movies of all time, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”
It is probably no accident that there was no mention of the passing of Donen on the Oscars show the next day because Donen represented the height of Old Hollywood, having directed such brilliant films as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “On the Town,” “Charade,” and “Bedazzled.” Old Hollywood represented everything that New Hollywood hates — capitalism, Americanism, romanticism — and fought against the fascism and communism that appeal to the politically correct film industry today.
It was political correctness that made me ponder while watching “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” what will happen when the thought police discover this jovial, gentle, romantic musical celebration of the war of the sexes. The plot, after all, revolves around men kidnapping women because they need wives. To the imagination-challenged barbarians who run our country’s culture these days, that is a sexist manifestation of toxic masculinity. It never occurs to them that our grandparents didn’t really support kidnapping as a means of acquiring brides, but simply had a larger sense of the possible and of humanity. Romance sees all things in the realm of the possible whereas political correctness sees all things constrained by the permissible.
Thank God for Stanley Donen and for the Hollywood that gave us those decades of true American genius from the 1930s to the 1970s. If the politically correct America of the 21st century starts burning books and films to comport with their warped view of reality, then we will all be poorer. Unfortunately, if these new left puritans have their way, you would never be allowed to watch “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” or much of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Read Steyn’s brilliant piece for a thorough appreciation of the genius of Donen.
Frank Miele writes from Kalispell, Montana, at www.HeartlandDiaryUSA.com and is a columnist at Real Clear Politics. To see more of my columns about the Dishonest Media, the Deep Swamp, the failed presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and Trump’s war to restore American greatness, read my “Why We Needed Trump” trilogy. Part 1 is subtitled “Bush’s Global Failure: Half Right.” Part 2 is “Obama’s Fundamental Transformation: Far Left.” Part 3 is “Trump’s American Vision: Just Right.” They are available at Amazon in paperback or Kindle editions. Also please considering leaving a review in support of my conservative commentary on one or all of my book pages at Amazon! Thanks!
I love that movie!