I saw the Marston movie this weekend and loved it. Very warm, funny and well worth the wait, since I first read about the history. I'm not sure that the movie has all its historical facts correct, due to artistic license and the need to create dramatic conflict for plot, but it is a great portrayal of a polyamorous love story with an emphasis on consent and family. Elizabeth Holloway is frank and fabulous, railing against the sexism that keeps her from getting getting a degree from Harvard, and conscious of how society will judge and ostracize them for their relationships. Bill Marston meanwhile is very sincere and adamant about his psychological theories, idealistically believing that feminism will create a utopia without war. Olive is drawn to both Marstons, but seems to love the brilliant Elizabeth more.
The creation of Wonder Woman is slowly pieced together out of their lives, though the film portrays Marston's comic strip idea coming rather suddenly, omitting the part where he had a job as a psychological consultant on Hollywood films, then on comics, before he proposed creating and writing a comic himself. According to Jill Lepore, he had various odd jobs once his academic career went downhill. So the film makes it seem that Elizabeth is able to somehow support the entire family only on her secretarial job, and is also vague about Olive Byrne's career as a journalist.
Still, I enjoyed it immensely and wish it would do better at the box office. But then I like lots of critically acclaimed small movies like this. Before it, I also saw a trailer for The Current War about Thomas Edison vs George Westinghouse, with a little Nikola Tesla thrown in. It was rather weird/creepy seeing the Weinstein Company logo on it, and now I read that the movie's been delayed. I don't think I would have watched it anyway even before the scandal.
No comments:
Post a Comment