The Dollmaker (movie review)

I'm afraid this one will be rather harder to find, folks. It is currently out of print (I looked) and available only used in VHS format. Hopefully its due to hit DVD soon because its worth having on hand.

S loaned me The Dollmaker back when she loaned me Priest. I've only just now gotten around to watching it (bad me, I know). This one was definitely outside my normal movie watching fare. For those not familiar with the story the setting is 1940s Detroit and Appalachia. You could watch this movie five minutes at a time and find something to discuss with a group in each segment. Everything from poverty, to hope, feminism to faith, bigotry, pride, creativity, gift, sorrow and blessing.

I really don't want to spoil the story for anyone, its one that should be seen without prior discussion, but I do want to try to delicately address some of the things covered. If you haven't watched the movie and don't want any of it spoiled stop now. Otherwise read on.

First I need to give credit to Jane Fonda. I'm not personally fond of her as a person but I must give her credit as an actress. From the opening scene I forgot who she was, Jane disappeared entirely into Gertie. That's a skill not many actors possess. Second, I have a pet peeve that often destroys the enjoyment of "period piece" movies. When characters become obvious modern plants in another time. Yes all those independent free thinking women with backbone and education dropped into the 1400s really annoy me. Gertie Nevel could have easily been such a woman. A liberated modern product of the feminist movement dropped into 1940s Appalachia. But she wasn't.

Gertie is no weakling but she conforms to the society around her. She obeys her husband (outwardly at least), she is scandalized by women who fall outside the "norms", she remains true to her setting. And yet she is the strong driving force behind her family. She remains rooted in her principles despite violent transplant.

At its simplest its a story about "things." The way they tie us down and enslave us to a system and a life we only thought we wanted. It could have been left that way but it would have been unsatisfying and easily forgotten if it had. "Things" are bad, people and dreams are good. Being poor but rural is romantic and wonderful. It would have left the viewer hungry for something real and feeling slightly cheated.

Fortunately, it didn't get left that way. In the end it wasn't about things at all. It was about what ties us down. The things, the people, the expectations, the unspoken words, the culture. I watched the most important moment of the film with tears in my eyes, happy tears. I understood why, in a moment that I had dreaded, Gertie was not just happy but jubilant. I understood because I have come to the same freeing realization.

Liberating is the word S used I think, and it was. In a way, it was gospel in an image. Freedom, true freedom. Sacrifice that is no sacrifice and the discovery of true self. Gertie and I have discovered the ability to let go of everything but the people we love. Something that had been so important to her she paid what was surely an outrageous amount to ensure it followed her to Detroit. Something so much a part of her that even heart shattering mourning could not pry her heart away from it. In the end, the release of it became the release of everything she had lost and everything she had denied herself.

Gertie could have kept that treasure, she could have "finished" it. But she would have lost something far more precious in the process. That's about all I can say without giving away unforgivable spoilers. If you've watched the movie and want to discuss it start a thread in the comments or send me an email, I'd love to discuss it further.

Highly recommended. And yet, without car chases and explosions I fear this gem will remain unavailable.