The Member of the Wedding (1952)

"Frankie" (Julie Harris) leads a rather unorthodox life for a twelve year old. As epitomised by their refusal to let her join their club, she is shunned by her more traditional neighbours' children aside from the younger "John-Henry" (Brandon De Wilde). She is largely left to her own devices by her loving but busy dad and it usually falls to their maid "Bernice" (Ethel Waters) to run the house. The fragile peace of the household is a bit shattered when her soldier brother "Jarvie" (Arthur Franz) announces his impending marriage. Somehow, "Frankie" gets it into her head that this could be her opportunity to join the couple and escape the drudgery of her life. Of course that's not going to happen - well not if "Jarvie" has anything to do with it. This rejection followed by a tragedy closer to home leaves her with demons to face that will cause her to question her own identity and future. Harris is good as the rogue daughter but it's really Waters who stands out here. She offers many of the traditional characteristics of the surrogate mother figure, but her own role has some nuances to it as it becomes clear that she, too, has issues that she must reconcile - especially as the denouement soon makes it clear that change is looming for her, too. This is quite a poignant film about growing up - regardless of your age, isolation and aspiration and Fred Zinnemann packs quite a bit to think about into this ninety minutes of better than usual family drama. Yes, there is a strong racial element to the story, but this also takes a much broader look at a wider conformity, at womanhood and with strong performances and a strong story makes for a good watch, here.

Nov 24, 2023