THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

US, 1967, 138 minutes, Colour.
Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, John Gavin, Jack Soo, Pat Morita, Philip Ahn, Anthony Dexter, Beatrice Lillie.
Directed by George Roy Hill.

Thoroughly Modern Millie was very popular in its day, in the middle of the 1960s. It looked back with some kind of affection to the Roaring 20s and the flapper era (getting all kinds of award nominations for its set design, costumes as well as musical score). It tells a rather plain but frivolous story of a Kansas girl who comes to New York to see the wild ways of the Roaring 20s in the big city, plans to become a secretary and marry her boss. She meets an aspiring actress, Miss Dorothy, but also sees the seamier side of the era with an abduction and an expose of the white slave trade (especially in the formidable and sinister form of Beatrice Lillie).

James Fox and John Gavin are the leading men and Mary Tyler Moore is Miss Dorothy.

The film is a star vehicle for Julie Andrews. Having made an extraordinary impact on Broadway with her creating the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, she lost out for the film version to Audrey Hepburn. But, by chance and fate, she won the Oscar for best actress the year that My Fair Lady won for best film with her performance as Mary Poppins. She capped that, of course, in the following year with Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews had a big film career at this period including Torn Curtain directed by Hitchcock with Paul Newman, Hawaii with Max von Sydow and Richard Harris, Darling Lili with Rock Hudson and the film version of Gertrude Lawrence’s life, Star. This is a reminder of the bright screen presence and vivacity of Julie Andrews on screen.

The film was directed by George Roy Hill who had directed Julie Andrews in Hawaii. Hill was soon to direct Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and was to win an Oscar for best director for the Newman-Redford? comedy, The Sting, in 1973. Carol Channing is an odd screen presence (was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in this role and won a Golden Globe for it). She was more of a stage personality – perhaps her screen presence was too strong and eccentric.

1. The success of the film as a musical? The appeal of a musical? conventions of music, song and dance, choreography? The realism of a musical plot? The nature of the characters and their portrayal?

2. The main impact of this musical? The stars, music, parody of the twenties?

3. The film's use of colour, widescreen? The detail of New York in the twenties? The music styles of the times? The contribution of the dances and their humour? The detail of the New York world, shops and offices, cars and planes, fashions, houses, work? The atmosphere of the White Slavers?

4. How important was this build-up of atmosphere for the plot? In terms of realism, humour?

5. The significance and emphasis of the title? The mocking in Thoroughly Modern Millie as trying to be modern, hard and callous? Ambitious and finding a husband? The title song and its lyrics? The fashions and thoroughly modernness? The humour of the silent captions? Millie and love and romance and her modernism?

6. How attractive was Millie as a person? The presentation during the credits and the background of the song? Her style, ambitions? Julie Andrews as heroine? Her appeal? Her determination to fall in love, the emotional mix-ups? Her relationship with Miss Dorothy? Her love for Jim, admiration for Trevor? What did she learn from Muzz? The conflict with Mrs Meers? The true heroine in the climax at the party,
the chase?

7. The contrast with Miss Dorothy? Her used to being waited on? Yet living in poverty? The satire on the rich girl trying to be poor? Her attractiveness? Dependence on Millie? Falling in love with Trevor? Her being captured by the White Slavers? The final rescue and the revelation?

8. Jim as a character? How attractive? The truth behind his identity? His meeting Millie and the Tapioca Dance? His naivety? The sequence where they all fell out the window of the skyscraper? The final revelation of the truth?

9. The presentation of Trevor? The heroic young man? The object of Millie's adoration? The picturing of him in pose? His being paralysed by the darts and posing? The perfect match for Miss Dorothy? The satire in the characterization?

10. How enjoyable was the discovery of the true identities? The truth? The nature of the build-up and the deceit? Audiences identifying with Millie's suspicions? Her relief and the happy ending?

11. The importance of Muzz? Carol Channing's contribution to the musical? Her relationship to Millie and Dorothy? Her philosophy of love and marriage and its influence on Millie?

12. The suspense and the humour of the White Slavers? Mrs Meers as sinister? Her Chinese assistants? Their reappearance? Mrs Meers' attempts to kidnap the girls and their backfiring?

13. The comedy sequences? The contribution of the music? The White Slavers, car chase, the theatre incident?

14. The importance of detail in the film and its quality?

15. The themes of men and women, thoroughly modernness, love and romance, wealth and poverty, ambitions? How well explored with a light touch?