Free Love and the Swedes

I’m usually on the wrong side when it comes to choosing villains in a movie. For example, if you’ve ever seen Mommie Dearest, you may think Joan Crawford is a brutal monster. But, if you ask me, that little girl was willful and defiant. And just how did she get the wire hangers? Clearly, she intentionally brought them home as a passive aggressive act.

I feel the same way about A Summer Place. The storyline follows Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue as they find love. It’s all quite romantic, and I know Sandra Dee’s mother is supposed to be a terrible and cold person. But, she isn’t too far off. Sandra Dee insists on walking in front of open windows knowing that Troy Donahue is watching. That’s exhibitionism and is wrong. She does let him kiss her within moments of meeting. The Swedish do engage in communal bathing. There is nothing wrong with insisting your daughter have a complete physical examination after a date. You can never be too sure. And, finally, I have an artificial tree, and it will last for at least ten years. In this instance, Constance Ford is decades ahead with her concern for deforestation.

And, by the way, to prove my point, Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue sneak away one evening and let their teenage passions run rampant. Guess what? She gets pregnant. All the hard work her mother did to keep her from her wanton ways, and she still ends up an unwed teenage mother. What can one do? It seems that a harsher approach was necessary. Perhaps a Carrie closet.