The Member of the Wedding

A stagy drama from 1952 starring a 26 year old Julie Harris (reprising her stage performance) playing a 12 year old girl questioning her life on the eve of her brother's nuptials. Spending the bulk of her time w/the family maid played by Ethel Waters, she deals w/the obstacles & sore spots she'll hopefully will be smoothed over as this precarious existence hurts her as much as breathing.

Hampered at times by its staginess, The Member of the Wedding is a touching story of three unique, unforgettable characters that often taps into profound, universal feelings of otherness, loneliness, and longing to be part of someone's "we." Although Harris's performance can occasionally be a bit much, it often serves as a remarkable expression of childhood frustration, greenness, anger, and sadness, however misguided or uninformed.

I'm glad I saw Harris in East of Eden (1954) before I saw her here. That way I know what poised, sensitive work she's capable of.

This film adaptation of Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding is poignant and well-made. Director Fred Zinnemann has presented a fairly basic story about growing up in the American south that reflects the time in which it is made.

In the deep south, Frankie Addams (Julie Harris) is a 12 year old tomboy who has no friends and is abnormally tall. She feels abandoned by her older brother who is getting married.

How the world hasn't changed! Julie Harris is superb as a girl who knows she's different, knows she's unhappy, but nothing stops her from seizing life and living it.

The creative genius that inspired The Member Of The Wedding in literature and on Broadway was kept to do the screen adaption of her own work. Carson McCullers did her own adaption with assistance and not only did we get her over from Broadway, but she brought Julie Harris, Ethel Waters, and Brandon DeWilde to repeat their roles.

In this film adaptation of the stage play, original Broadway performers Julie Harris, Ethel Waters, and Brandon De Wilde revive their roles for the film. Onstage, they were the only three performers.

I cannot believe how good this film isYou will not see Ethel Waters nor Julie harris better recorded on film. Every moment is pure ecstacy.