After it was adapted for television in 1956, Kay Thompson resolved she'd never allow Eloise to be dramatized again. And as she grew more and more eccentric, she also pulled her three sequels out of print, and canceled another - completely written and illustrated - from being published at all. It's only after her death that the two new adaptations were allowed to go ahead (one, I discussed briefly a few posts ago). So, what does the screen have to say about the little girl who lives at the Plaza? 3. Me, Eloise! (2006) The opening credits sequence is pretty dreadful and uses an animation style different to the actual cartoon, which is more in the Mike Judge vein - and this works I suppose, but perhaps it could have stuck closer to the source material. The look of the characters is ... acceptable, but could have been better I feel. The backgrounds, though, of the Plaza interiors look very, very good. Furthermore the series features quite an all-star cast (well, this is probably a slight exaggeration - but there are some big names in there). If you're a fan of Cobra Kai you may be surprised to learn Mary Mouser voices Eloise. After the first episode (all are 2-parters) it departs quite a bit. The 'Eloise Goes to School' episodes I really hate and would advise skipping. They don't fit in with the "lore", and I just don't like them for other reasons. Honestly, just skip them. The lore of Eloise is really quite basic: A mischief-making 6-year old girl lives in the Plaza with her nanny, tutor, and the hotel staff for company. That's it. And I can understand how hard that must be for writers to come up with new story ideas if we're stuck in one building. But I'd rather they'd have cut one of the 'Eloise Goes to ... .' storylines for just an 11 episode series if it meant more in keeping with the original book. And I would suggest that it be the 'Eloise Goes to School' story because she's meant to have her tutor Philip - AND DOES NOT GO TO SCHOOL!!! In conclusion, well ... I guess it's okay. The stories are interesting enough. It's not just pretty colors and mindless action. What really lets it down for me is how much it deviates; I'm thinking specifically when we're leaving the Plaza for the whole episode. This is only a couple of the storylines, but this makes up nearly a third of the whole series. (Incidentally, in episode 9 Eloise holds a beatnik party, which is where we come full circle to one of my earliest posts.) 2. Playhouse 90 - Eloise (1956) It took a bit of an effort to hunt this one out - but I'm glad I did, because it's freakin' great! All the main characters are present, and it does justice to the original book to a reasonable extent. Some may find the subplot of Eloise's quarreling parents unnecessary and too much of a deviation from source material. Technically it probably is the main plot, but it doesn't feel like it when it doesn't get going until two thirds in. And with the parents unseen and unheard, we don't feel much empathy with Eloise about their apparent marital difficulties - especially when she has so many surrogate caregivers. Therefore the stakes don't feel as high as with the earlier plot of her playing matchmaker with tutor Philip and chambermaid Johanna. But while Eloise's parents potentially fighting a custody battle might depart quite a bit in "vibe" (pretty heavy stuff for the world of Eloise), I do feel that since their characters are only shown briefly for the (upbeat) ending, it is heavy material delivered in a light way. The subject is only touched upon in the grand scheme of things - and I feel it enriches the story, if anything. After airing, a contemporary review criticized it for being overcrowded with guest celebrities (of the day). I'm not totally against the number of celebrity appearances; I feel their contributions to be small and not much more than cameos. I also had no clue who they were. Creator Kay Thompson herself features prominently as a character, and also wrote several songs for the production. They are fine, including a couple pretty catchy ones at that. The small number of choreographed songs are integrated in the production well - it's not like it is teetering on becoming a musical. She naturally provides a strong vocal performance, in particular leading a fun, dynamic number called 'How to Raise a Child' involving much of the cast. But, unequivocally, the most praiseworthy of all is Evelyn Rudie as Eloise. At 7 years old, she had a feature-length teleplay's worth of lines to learn, including instances of long and elaborate dialogue. And with the added pressure of the whole thing being broadcast live! Indeed, a couple of her adult veteran co-stars noticably stumbled (compare that to a 7 year old with a main character's worth of material to memorize). 1. Eloise at the Plaza (2003) This is probably most people's introduction to Eloise. Visually it's obviously more expansive than the above, with more lucidity and color - and a greater sense of space is given, feeling more like a hotel. The sets are faithful, especially those of the lobby and the Palm Court. It does incredible justice to the original book, especially the first quarter of the film. But it does also owe something (small) to the Playhouse 90 iteration, with a subplot involving mischievous matchmaking. We get a greater sense of running riot in a public building. It conveys a sense of nostalgia for one's childhood... When you're let loose and go exploring in a new large space to the chagrin of your parents. Seeing where a staircase leads to. Marveling at the grandness of design compared to what you're used to. Being where you're not supposed to be. Probing your surroundings so you know what every room or floor looks like. I'm sure I sometimes still get dreams like this. But they're always cut short by my bladder waking me up to go to the toilet for the hundredth time (despite not really being that full). The original book was a bit of whimsy with no plot to speak of, and the Playhouse 90 adaptation needed to add one for the sake of television. But this has a better balance between the two - and has a more complex story. It's the book brought to life PLUS a story substantial enough to satisfy modern expectations. However it does get a bit maudlin in tone: Eloise's new friend Leon, a prince from a fictional Far Eastern country, goes to boarding school in New York which is something he isn't happy about. Add that to the fact his mother has died, and his father doesn't spend much time with him subsequently. But I'm seeing it this way through adult eyes. I believe youngsters - the target audience - would find this plot thread more, in a sense, "educational" as a necessary rite-of-passage; i.e. dealing with the death of a parent in a fictional work so they're a little more emotionally prepared should the matter cross their path in real life. In any case, there is a good balance between deep and frivolous. Eloise's dialogue is more sophisticated than would be believable for a 6 year old. But this is a movie. The phrase 'poetic license' originated from poetry - and I certainly feel that every genre of literature or format of drama deserves to take with whatever license that pertains to the quirks of that format. So here we have her fourth-wall-breaking, first-person voiceover - something a more age-appropriate actor might struggle to convey convincingly, but something more in line with the book (i.e. compared to the Playhouse 90 telecast). Sofia Vassilieva was 10 at the time of filming - but as long as she looks enough like a 6 year old and delivers her lines, that's all that matters. We can't all be child prodigies like Evelyn Rudie was (incidentally, when she would be Sofia's age she'd appear on quiz shows translating contestants' German). But if there's any complaints about casting to be had, I really don't like Julie Andrews' Nanny. She doesn't appear aged enough, and she adds a Cockney edge that is just unnecessary. I understand why she was picked (Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music were nanny roles), but in my opinion she was no way near as good as the actress who played Nanny in the Playhouse 90 version. Sorry to have ended on a negative note! If it's any consolation allow me to re-iterate, this iteration has done everything else right. Even Kay Thompson herself would have been happy with it. I'm sure her ghost is anyway. Bonus: So, going back to the conception of this whole thing. In an earlier post I noted how an entire film being set in a real-life hotel meant that it "obviously" had to be in a studio. And an even earlier post was entirely on Hallmark Christmas movies; so now let us come full circle to a Hallmark Christmas movie that is set mostly inside the Plaza and IS ACTUALLY FILMED INSIDE IT! I present to you, the apt, Christmas at the Plaza: Jessica, an archival historian, is commissioned to create an exhibit honoring the history of Christmas at the Plaza. There she meets Nick, a rugged and passionate decorator who becomes a rival to Jessica's boyfriend for her heart. Her decision to focus the exhibition onto the Plaza's legendary Christmas tree toppers - of which every year has a unique design - hits a snag when she finds a year for which the tree topper is missing, and there begins her quest to find out why.
What can I say? This hits in all the right places. Blossoming romances are dealt with with enough care and subtlety, being particularly well-acted. Elizabeth Henstridge is beautiful; and you can trust Hallmark to make sparks fly. Also the film deserves extra credit for shooting on-location for so many of the spaces inside the Plaza including the Champagne Bar, the Palm Court, the entrance lobby, the Oak Room and the Oak Bar. It looks great! There is a real magical feel about it. And additional credit is deserved for educating viewers as to what a "finial d'arbre" is (a type of Christmas tree ornament). (Yeah, it ain't that useful a piece of information.) 14/20
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Author"So er, what are you doing this weekend then, Alan?" Archives
February 2023
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