Thoughts on Amy?
What did everyone think of Amy? I wanted to like her, but I thought she was woefully underwritten and blah (though Bette Davis did have a tendency to make her female co-stars pale in comparison, didn't she?). Thoughts?
shareThe actress who played Amy could not help but play the part without any real substance or depth because the role was written to be a lesser star opposite Julie Marsden's character. Julie is passionate, rebellious and more interesting than the submissive, quiet Amy. Bette Davis was the star at any rate.
In Gone With The Wind, Melanie Hamilton (Olivia De Havilland) was supposed to pale in comparison to the tempestuous and willful Scarlett O'Hara, but Olivia played the part with more substance and different dimensions. She is somehow able to portray her in a way where we feel interested in her. This was not the case with Amy. I didn't care for Amy and felt her character was flat and boring. What a bad portrayal of Yankee women. I'm sure Yankee women were the real fiery, liberated belles while Southern women were in fact reared to be genteel, sedate ladies and hospitable Christian hostesses.
You're absolutely right, FloatingOpera7. Heck, one of the most beloved, liberated women in literature, Jo March, was a Yankee! I guess Southern women in literature and film became more popular.
shareIn reply to the Southern lady comment, I respectfully suggest making a trip down and re-evaluating your thoughts. Having been raised in the south and having lived all over, Southern ladies are generally not to be trifled with. The funny part is that unless you are familiar with the culture you may have no idea what has happened until later.
That being said, "Yankee' women were not well represented by Amy... they hold their own as well. My personal opinion is that Amy was played as she was intended and we were made to feel about her exactly as we did on purpose. Bette is famous for playing those women you shouldn't like, but do. Being her antagonist is not an enviable job.
IMHO, ~K
I didn't care for Amy and felt her character was flat and boring. What a bad portrayal of Yankee women. I'm sure Yankee women were the real fiery, liberated belles while Southern women were in fact reared to be genteel, sedate ladies and hospitable Christian hostesses.
eh, her being a Yankee wouldn't have much to do with her personality. i'm sure there were such a thing as "fiery, liberated Yankee women", but only those who are already naturally passionate. same thing goes for Southern women. where you are from doesn't really define who you are, personality-wise. the character of Amy just happened to be "blah" and the character of Julie was, well... a Jezebel. this was despite their heritage.
but i digress. i think it was intentional that Bette Davis played a "wicked" character and at the same time, you routed for her. Amy wasn't meant to be likable. she barely had any dialogue. she was good-hearted, but she was uninteresting and annoying, usually. by the time she came into play, you already had lent a sympathetic thought to Julie. i don't think the movie would have worked as well if they had made Amy likable, anyway.
but it's like what someone else said, anyway - Bette Davis always outshines the rest of her female co-stars. share
i think it was intentional that Bette Davis played a "wicked" character and at the same time, you routed for her. Amy wasn't meant to be likable.
Except Julie wasn't wicked. Am I the only one who feels this way? She initiated the Buck/Ted situation but when she realized what it had led to she immediately tried to make it right. It wasn't at all her fault Buck and Ted couldn't set aside their vanity and just had to duel.
I quite liked Amy. She was strong and opinionated, (just pretty enough for Ted's grave!) and certainly not weak. But since Julie is the protagonist and we're supposed to relate to her the most, obviously we're supposed to sympathise with her over Amy.
Thou met'st with things dying, I with things new born. share
Except Julie wasn't wicked. Am I the only one who feels this way? She initiated the Buck/Ted situation but when she realized what it had led to she immediately tried to make it right. It wasn't at all her fault Buck and Ted couldn't set aside their vanity and just had to duel.
that's kinda why i put the word in quotes. if anything, the ending proves that. she's spoiled and at times narrow-minded, but obviously she was in love, and even "bad" people can at times do noble-minded things for those they love.
share
Everytime I watch this movie I can't help but think that when Amy steps out of the carriage, that class and a worldly vibe have entered the picture.
Lois Lane=Leia Lane