By now, you've all probably heard that Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer yesterday, at age 57.
I remember watching Dirty Dancing when it first came out--and when I was definitely too young to see it. There are worse things for a young girl to see, however, than Frances coming into her own--even if her awakening is facilitated by an older man. There are worse things to be reminded of than the horror of illegal abortion that Penny endures. I caught the movie on TV last year, and enjoyed it all over again as an adult.
Of all his movies, though, I hold a spot in my heart for To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. Though not a stellar film, the campiness, the humor, and the sheer audacity makes it a pleasure to watch. Despite critiques--including that the film is a rip-off of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert--Swayze (and company) did a fine job. I watched it again and again in the '90s.
What are your favorite Swayze movies and moments?
I remember watching Dirty Dancing when it first came out--and when I was definitely too young to see it. There are worse things for a young girl to see, however, than Frances coming into her own--even if her awakening is facilitated by an older man. There are worse things to be reminded of than the horror of illegal abortion that Penny endures. I caught the movie on TV last year, and enjoyed it all over again as an adult.
Of all his movies, though, I hold a spot in my heart for To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. Though not a stellar film, the campiness, the humor, and the sheer audacity makes it a pleasure to watch. Despite critiques--including that the film is a rip-off of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert--Swayze (and company) did a fine job. I watched it again and again in the '90s.
1 comment:
I've written briefly about the importance of Dirty Dancing to teenage girls on my blog. I saw it in an open air theatre in Sweden but the projector broke so we didn't get to see the whole thing.
I remember that Ghost was the first 12 rated film I saw at the cinema which was thrilling at the time; the milestone more than the movie. My main interest in Swayze though was with Point Break. I watched it as part of a course on female directors and was interested in how the male bodies in the film (Patrick Swayze's and Keanu Reeves') were consumed by female viewers. I still think that Bodhi is one of his most memorable characters.
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