Movie Monday: Fathers On Film

Day 18

As yesterday was Father’s Day, I was inspired to do a blog entry about fathers on film. There have been some incredible, memorable fathers portrayed on the silver screen in some of my favorite movies, so I decided to write about them, in no particular order (as I have a difficulty in picking a #1):

Father Of The Bride (1950 & 1991)

* I love both versions of this movie; in the 1950 version Spencer Tracy plays Stanley Banks, a man faced with his only daughter getting married. While this is primarily a comedy, there are some sweet, tender moments between Stanley and his daughter, played by none other than Elizabeth Taylor. Stanley forgoes financial strain for the sake of providing his daughter the perfect wedding and reception, and is at his happiest when she calls him to say goodbye and to tell him she loves him, just before leaving on her honeymoon. Very touching, and Tracy deserved his Oscar nomination for this multi-layered performance.

The 1991 version, starring Steve Martin as George Stanley Banks, follows the same plotline, but in this version there is more interaction, such as a late-night, one-on-one basketball match, between father and daughter. Martin is surprisingly tender and poignant as the father, and he does a grand job balancing the funny slapstick and the serious moments. As in the original movie, the father puts aside financial concerns for the sake of making his daughter (and ultimately himself) happy.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

* This film deservedly won the Best Picture Academy Award and features outstanding, Oscar-winning performances from Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, as a couple who divorce and later fight for sole custody of their only child. Hoffman’s character, Ted Kramer, starts out as a workaholic, absentee father, who is put off with the responsibility of raising his son alone (after his wife walks out on both of them). Ted is grouchy, impatient and neglects his son, but as time passes Ted embraces his role of a father, building a beautiful, stable and rewarding relationship with his son. Ted goes from being a real jerk to a devoted, caring father. I love this movie and I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

Life Is Beautiful (1998)

* Speaking of becoming teary-eyed, this movie always makes me cry buckets, which is funny because this movie also has me laughing to the point of crying buckets. A perfect blend of comedy and drama, this film from Italy stars Roberto Benigni as Guido Orefice, a disarming, comical man who woos and marries a beautiful schoolteacher in 1939. Five years later, he, his wife and son live a happy existence, until one tragic day when Guido and his son are taken from home and sent to a concentration camp (as Guido is Jewish). Guido’s wife heroically demands that she also be taken to the camp (even though she is not Jewish), and is separated with the other women at the camp, leaving Guido to protect their son from the dangers surrounding them. Guido concocts a plan to convince his son that they are involved in an elaborate game as a way to shield him from the harrowing truth of their circumstances. There is humor and there is heartache during this movie, but Guido remains determined to protect and preserve his son. Roberto Benigni earned the Best Actor Oscar for this performance and the film was named Best Foreign Film.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

* I love a movie where someone will go to great lengths to be with their loved one(s), and in this movie Robin Williams goes above and beyond to be with his children. Williams plays Daniel Hillard, a divorced father of 3 kids who wants to spend more time with them. But because he is unemployed and living in a dive of an apartment he has to settle for limited visitation rights. When his ex-wife reveals that she is in need of a nanny Daniel decides to apply for the position, as “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Daniel certainly crosses the line by cross-dressing and fabricating an elderly British female persona, but his intentions are sincere and worthy: he’s a dad who actually likes spending time with his kids, who appreciates the joys and adventures that come from parenting.

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

* In my opinion the father in this movie, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck, in a brilliant, Academy Award-winning performance), is the embodiment of what the ideal father is: a man who is patient, kind, moral, just, honest and sincere. Atticus Finch is a widowed Southern lawyer in 1930s Maycomb, Alabama, raising his two children Jem and Scout while defending a black man wrongfully accused of a serious crime. Atticus instills values in his children, teaching by example and remaining true to his beliefs in justice for all and that all men are created equal. He is honest with his children, never hesitating to explain some of the most difficult concepts (such as prejudice) in life. But most of all, Atticus loves his children and while he is firm and exact he is also understanding and tolerant.

One final word: all of these fathers pale in comparison to my own father! I wouldn’t trade him for any of them!