Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood started off as a terrific child actress who turned into a wonderful young Hollywood actress. Before she died, Wood made some incredible films including: Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, Splendor in the Grass, West Side Story, and Gypsy.

Two films that I believe show Wood's reach is in Splendor in the Grass and Gypsy. These two movies are incredible different and only one year apart from each other. Splendor in the Grass came out in 1961 and Gypsy came out in 1962. Splendor in the Grass shows Wood's character Deanie as a young woman in love and how young love can hurt. Gypsy shows the blossoming of Wood's character Louise as a young girl who becomes a  famous burlesque dancer named Gypsy Rose Lee.

Splendor in the Grass is based upon a William Wordsworth poem. The main characters are in the beginning stages of dating were they think it means everything. This movie is a depiction of first loves and how people learn from them and move on. I can see why it was an Oscar worthy performance, but it's not my cup of tea. The actors were great, but I wished they would have ended up together. I like how William Wordsworth's Imitations of Immorality was weaved throughout the whole movie. As an English major, I love how famous lines of poetry can drive the theme of the movie.

There would be no such thing as marrying your first love. We are not intended to be with our first loves. The first love is remembered fondly for what it was, but both parties move on. I believe at the end both Bud and Deanie knew moving on was the right thing to do.

 

I said earlier, I wished Bud and Deanie would have ended up together, but I contradict myself. It must be the romantic in me as to why Bud and Deanie could never be together, just like Katie and Hubbell from The Way We Were could never be together. The Way We Were is by far one of the best movies I've seen. I see why this movie and so many others like it as great for young adults to cherish their first loves.
 

Gypsy seems like a 180 compared to Splendor in the Grass. Wood plays Louise, a young girl who just wants to be noticed by her mother, Rose played by Rosalind Russell. Rose wants her children to be in Vaudeville because like she says, "I was born too soon and started too late." Rose pushes her children so hard that she looses sight of herself and her role as a mother. Growing up Louise dressed as a boy to be part of a group only to showcase her younger sister June who had all the talent.

Rose claims, she only wanted what's best for her children, but never once listened to what her children wanted. By the end of the film, Rose's youngest daughter June runs off to fulfill her own dream, while Louise becomes a famous burlesque dancer.

Take a look at Louise from the beginning to how comfortable she feels on stage as Gypsy Rose Lee:

By the end of the film, I feel proud of Louise for becoming her own person, even if it's in burlesque. However, I also feel bad for Rose, which I think is the brilliance of the director. Throughout the whole movie, Rose is only thinking of herself, but by the end all she has is herself. I actually feel sympathy for her, especially during her monologue at the very end. That monologue sums up her whole life of trying to giver her children what she couldn't have. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, that's show business.

Take a look at the genius of Rosalind Russell in Gypsy as Rose has her turn: