(Directed by Vincente Minnelli)
Starring the incomparable Judy Garland and directed by the severely underrated Vincente Minnelli, Meet Me in St. Louis drips with nostalgia. The setting is St. Louis. The time is the year leading up to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (the St. Louis World’s Fair). The Smith family lives an idyllic existence, but all of that is placed in jeopardy when Alonzo Smith, husband to Anna and father of five, informs the family that he has been transferred to New York City and the family will have to relocate there in several months. Featuring a number of musical favorites, including “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “The Trolley Song,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” the film was a box office smash in 1944. It’s Garland and Minnelli at their best, and while it may appear escapist, listen closely to the words of songs like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and think about what they might have meant to viewers whose loved ones were overseas fighting World War II. It’s the perfect film to celebrate Garland’s 100th birthday! (Written by Jonathan J. Cavallero, Bates Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Professor).
In Person: Mark Griffin, Maine-Based Author of A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli
Website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037059/
Screens: Sat Apr 2 / 10:00am / Nordica Theater 4