True, on the trolly, Esther Smith (played by Judy Garland) is the only woman without a hat. The character probably would not have made such a choice, if that was the cultural norm of the time, but I think the movie makers probably omitted the hat in order to help maintain our visual focus on Esther. Otherwise, the scene is so chaotic and full of motion we would probably be distracted from her too much. They also put Esther in somber colors, relative to those around her, and used white and black (or near black) to help put a easily tracked frame under her face.
As an aside, I think her look probably appeared wholesome, honest, and simple to the people of 1944, which was a nightmare of a year. Wikipedia has a listing of the events for that year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944
The song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," from the same movie, is particularly poignant against the backdrop of the events of that year. They were terrible times. Thinking about them make me feel better about the current times, which are not great, but things could be so much worse.
Morning commutes have changed.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of woman leaves the house without a hat?
ReplyDeleteTrue, on the trolly, Esther Smith (played by Judy Garland) is the only woman without a hat. The character probably would not have made such a choice, if that was the cultural norm of the time, but I think the movie makers probably omitted the hat in order to help maintain our visual focus on Esther. Otherwise, the scene is so chaotic and full of motion we would probably be distracted from her too much. They also put Esther in somber colors, relative to those around her, and used white and black (or near black) to help put a easily tracked frame under her face.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, I think her look probably appeared wholesome, honest, and simple to the people of 1944, which was a nightmare of a year. Wikipedia has a listing of the events for that year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944
The song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," from the same movie, is particularly poignant against the backdrop of the events of that year. They were terrible times. Thinking about them make me feel better about the current times, which are not great, but things could be so much worse.