THE PARENT TRAP
US, 1961, 129 minutes, Colour.
Hayley Mills, Maureen O' Hara, Brian Keith, Charles Ruggles, Leo G. Carroll, Una Merkel, Joanna Barnes, Cathleen Nesbitt, Ruth Mc Devitt, Nancy Kulp.
Directed by David Swift.
The Parent Trap is an entertaining, Disney comedy of the early '60s - entertaining for children, but a bit sophisticated and probably appealing strongly to parents.
It was written for the screen and directed by David Swift, who did the same for the highly successful Pollyanna. Hayley Mills, star of Pollyanna and an Oscar winner for her child performances, gets the opportunity to be two different characters as twins in The Parent Trap. Daughter of John Mills, she had made her debut in the highly successful Tiger Bay, was to appear in a number of films in the '60s including The Chalk Garden as well as a number of films for the Disney Studios. While she made a number of films as an adult, they were not as successful as her starring vehicles as a child. Maureen O'Hara is most attractive, as usual, as her mother and Brian Keith strong as her father. There is excellent support from Charlie Ruggles, Cathleen Nesbitt, Una Merkel - and Leo G. Carroll as an unconventional minister of religion. There are songs by the Sherman Brothers who were to emerge most successfully with their score for many Disney films, especially Mary Poppins.
There is very good process work for Hayley Mills acting with herself - one almost forgets that it is trick photography and process work. An enjoyable sophisticated family comedy.
1. An enjoyable Disney comedy of the '60s? Hayley Mills and her presence double presence)? The plot, the mix-ups, the trick photography? The stars? The comedy and sentiment?
2. Disney production values: locations, the summer camp, Boston, California? The quality of f the photography, the trick photography and double exposure for the twins? Colour? Musical score, songs? The witty cartoons and animation during the credits?
3. The title and its reference to the two girls? The broken marriage, reconciliation?
4. The introduction to the girls: at summer camp, the similarities, the differences, manners and style, the practical jokes, the rules of the camp, the mix-ups, the mix-up and the throwing of food etc. and the camp director? The camp staff and humour, rules and regulations etc.?
5. Susan and Sharon, antagonism, tricks on each other? Clashes, the dawning that they were sisters? Comparing stories? The resolution? Changing places - how convincingly? Sharon and her going to California ' the encounter with her father, his girlfriend, Verbena? Life on the ranch, her enjoying it, bond with her father? The worry about the fiancee and her gold-digging, her mother? The phone calls to Susan? The plan? Her mother coming out? Putting her in compromising positions? Plotting? The refusal to identify each other? The camping trip with the fiancee, tormenting her? The happy ending? Susan and her time in Boston, getting used to the east coast style, her mother and grandmother, her grandfather and his support? Life in Boston? The girls arguing with each parent and trying to get to know the other parent, getting them to talk? Susan and her participation in the plan? Back in California? The fiancee?
6. Maggie and her Boston style, her break from her husband, never mentioning him, Sharon and her upbringing, her mother? Boston style? Her response to Susan? Love for her daughters, the plan, going to the West? Entering into the spirit of things, the amusement and compromise - especially with the minister and his enjoyment of everything? The fiancee and her mother? The reconciliation?
7. Mitch and his California style, the ranch, relationship with Verbena and the assistants? Life on the ranch? The attraction towards his fiancee, marrying again, the preparations, her mother? The twins thwarting plans? His reaction to Maggie? The camping trip, the reconciliation?
8. Verbena and her homespun style, the people at work on the ranch? Intervening? The comparisons with Boston, the grandfather, the grandmother?
9. The humour with the fiancee, her ambitions, her pushy mother? Comedy sequences, humour, sentiment? The portrait of families in the '60s? Later?
