I was honored by Rob at MovieRob to get to choose the genre for November for his Genre Grandeur series! I picked Classic Fantasy Films {through the 1970’s} and am centering my post around the two mermaid films that both came out in 1948: Miranda
I’ve always loved watching mermaid movies, so I was excited to find this love combined with my other love of classic movies. Two of my favorite mermaid movies growing up were Splash and The Little Mermaid.
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Miranda
Synopsis
A doctor is saved by a mermaid while on a fishing trip, who then plans on keeping him her prisoner. They strike up a deal: she will release him if he takes her back with him to see London. While there, she entices several men to fall in love with her and has fun causing a bunch of trouble.
Glynis Johns
Glynis Johns, aka Mrs. Banks from Mary Poppins, is just so cute and I love her so much. She really excels as the flirtatious and trouble-making Miranda. I couldn’t find a trailer, but the clip below is really fun.
David Tomlinson
You may recognize the man with her! It’s none other than Mr. Banks! I do have to admit that I like him a lot better with the mustache than without, but how fun that they worked together before Mary Poppins!
Griffith Jones and Margaret Rutherford
Jones plays the married doctor who brings Miranda home with him. He is also taken by her wiles. I’ve never seen him before, but really liked him in this.
Rutherford is also her usual cheery self and she’s definitely fun to watch as well.
Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid
Synopsis:
When a man is forced to stare down turning 50, he embarks on an adventure. While on vacation with his wife in the Caribbean, he hooks and then brings back to the hotel, a mermaid. He falls hard for her and she makes him feel not quite so old.
Ann Blyth
This is the first movie I’ve seen with Ann Blyth and I’m excited to see more of her in movies where she actually speaks! Even though she has no dialogue, she acts so much with her face that you can still understand a lot of what she’s thinking. She is fascinated with the idea of kissing, for one. She also experiences jealousy and envy.
I love this picture. The Monster is Glenn Strange, who was filming Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein at the same time.
William Powell
I need to see more of William Powell as well, though I have seen My Man Godfrey, it’s been a long time. It’ll be interesting to compare this to some of his younger roles. For some reason, his pursuit of the mermaid and all the kissing bothered me more than in Miranda. While Miranda keeps her hooks in the married doctor, she also entices two other, unmarried, men. Powell’s character is married too and you see a lot more of his wife. I felt more betrayal in Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.
My Conclusion
I enjoyed Miranda a bit more than Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid. Miranda was spunky and full of mischief. I enjoyed her flirtatious nature and she seemed more like how I think of mermaids or sirens. She was a bit more like a siren due to trying to keep the doctor prisoner and then giving tokens to the men around her. She also pops up at the end with a baby.. who’s baby is it??!? I wonder if that question is addressed in the sequel, which I’m planning on watching soon.
Lenore was too quiet for me. Although that does seem more likely if one were to encounter a mermaid, I still wanted her to communicate more. She was almost too innocent and I wanted more personality. That said, it was an interesting, unique and more realistic approach to finding a mermaid.
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