We managed to squeeze
in time to see two documentary films over the past week or so: “Love, Gilda,”
and “Moynihan.”
“Love, Gilda” is a touching
portrait of the late comedian and actress Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian
cancer at the age of only forty-three. The documentary includes particularly
memorable scenes of characters she created during her five years as one of the
original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” troupe on NBC’s “Saturday Night
Live (SNL)” from 1975 – 1980: Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella, and Baba Wawa come first
to mind.
Her Stage IV cancer
was diagnosed in 1986, almost a year after her first symptoms had appeared. After
aggressive treatment with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and a
relatively brief period of remission, her cancer returned in December of 1988,
and she died in May of 1989.
Watching clips of
some of the work she did after her years on SNL, it is clear that SNL had been the
best vehicle for her talents, but we will unfortunately never know the full
range of her capabilities. All in all, it is a sad tale of someone who brought
so many laughs to so many people for too short a time.
We saw “Moynihan” at the recently refurbished Film Forum, which reopened on August 1st following a $5 million renovation, including new chairs and more leg room throughout and an additional (fourth) theater. The location is definitely not convenient but we have always enjoyed FF and had been anxious to get back there after the three-month renovation period.
I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I probably could not have told you a lot about Daniel Patrick Moynihan before seeing this movie. He was certainly an interesting and impressive human being, whose career included cabinet or sub-cabinet positions under Presidents John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford, Ambassador to India; United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations; and four-term Democratic United States Senator from New York. A friend who read this post pointed out that missing from this list is that he was "a fantastically, unforgettably inspiring Harvard professor." He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on August 9, 2000. His ability to work "across the aisle" is especially heartwarming during these polarized times in which we now live.
Have a good week!
Love,
Rebecca
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