A Inconquistável Molly

Debbie Reynolds stars in this boisterous adaption of the Broadway musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, based on the life of legendary Denver society woman and heroine of the Titanic disaster. It's a film role perfectly suited to Debbie Reynolds both musically and dramatically.

The Meredith Willson musical ran for 532 performances on Broadway and starred Tammy Grimes there. In the Hollywood tradition though, a movie name was thought to be needed. 1964 was a bad year for Broadway actresses who originated roles and did not get the film role. Julie Andrews also knew exactly how Tammy Grimes felt.

The one big difference is that no one had to dub Debbie Reynolds. Her singing and dancing is all a part of one remarkable role where the character ages and matures and there's a big difference in those two life functions. I'm of the firm belief that MGM cast her in this part because of her musical numbers in How the West Was Won which they also produced. Debbie may also still have been under contract to them from the old days.

Harve Presnell came over from Broadway to play her husband John J. Brown of Leadville, Colorado and who makes them both rich beyond their wildest dreams. But Molly's dreams are larger than John's and it causes their parting. Presnell has a terrific baritone voice and he unfortunately came along at the tail end of movie musicals. His next film was Paint Your Wagon and he got to sing They Call the Wind Maria which requires a real singer to do, not something Lee Marvin or Clint Eastwood could fake. Presnell's developed into a fine character actor though.

Years ago I happened to meet Ed Begley's widow at an event. She mentioned to me that her husband for all the great dramatic parts he played including winning an Oscar for Sweet Bird of Youth was at heart a song and dance man. He loved to get up and perform at parties and such. I said to her that the role of Debbie Reynolds's father in The Unsinkable Molly Brown must have been one he loved and she said it was his favorite. Begley certainly looks like he's having a great old time in the part.

Meredith Willson's score, while not as good as The Music Man still has some fine numbers. Debbie's infectious singing of I Ain't Down Yet is the high point. For Presnell his anthem to Colorado My Home if it isn't, it should be that state's official song.

The only criticism I have of the film is that as good as Molly Brown is here there was so much more to the woman that The Unsinkable Molly Brown doesn't even get into. She was a suffragette, a leader in reform of juvenile offender laws, a noted philanthropist, she wasn't just a party girl who got a chance for heroism on the Titanic. I wish that had been dealt with in the film and the Broadway musical.

For a rollicking good musical experience though, you cannot beat The Unsinkable Molly Brown. No putting this woman or this film down, ever.

Not without imperfections, but seeing 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown' in tribute to the now late Debbie Reynolds still filled me with a lot of happiness.

Reynolds attacks her part with delicious gusto and energy, she sings like an angel and she dances with poise and brio. Subtle it isn't, but infectious? Yes, yes and a million times yes. Harve Presnell is a similarly splendid leading man, and the supporting cast sparkle, with the likes of Jack Kruschen, Ed Begley, Hermione Baddeley and Martita Hunt, Kruschen and Hunt especially revel in their characters with aplomb.

Production values are similarly top-notch, especially the exquisite Colorado scenery and the handsome cinematography and lavish colour do it no disservices. The script sparkles with wit, the musical numbers are staged with brio and pathos, the story has fun, charm and poignancy and Charles Walters makes the most of the material.

'The Unsinkable Molly Brown' is a little overlong however, with some of the second half dragging when the story gets thinner. Apart from Reynolds' exuberant rendition of "I Ain't Down Yet" the songs are not particularly memorable despite everyone's noble efforts in making them come alive.

In conclusion, doesn't completely float but in way does it sink without a trace. 7/10 (mainly for the cast and the production values) Bethany Cox

What a fun movie! Debbie Reynolds does a wonderful job portraying Molly Brown, a poor, uncultured country girl who "makes good," but then finds herself having to fight (none too successfully) for acceptance among the rich crowd she finds herself suddenly thrown into. Always rising when she's down (unsinkable in other words) there's also a sense of discovery involved for Molly, as she finally comes to understand in a wonderfully dramatic moment in an otherwise hilarious film that even among her wealthy and regal European friends she is accepted because they find her amusing, and not because she's really accepted as one of them. The title of the movie, of course, comes specifically from the real-life Molly Brown's experience in surviving the Titanic disaster, as she returns home after making this discovery.

Yes, the movie is undoubtedly full of tall tales. But it's full of wonderful songs (Harve Presnell as Johnny Brown has a marvellous singing voice), pretty good acting and just a general sense of fun. Well worth the watching.

I used to watch this movie when I was little, and I just recently rediscovered it. It's amazing how much better movies can get once you grow up. Debbie Reynolds portrays Molly Brown wonderfully. Her singing and dancing alone make this movie worth watching. My favorite scene is the "He's my friend, and he'll stay my friend...." scene. If you haven't seen this movie, you should definitely watch it. It's so great!

I was a young teenager when I first saw THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN. I

never put Debbie Reynolds in the same class as her bigger contemporaries-- Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Doris Day, etc. Reynolds always managed

to charm me, even in tough roles like THE RAT RACE. She's wonderful in

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, but that's more supporting. In the 50s, she appeared in lots of fluffy movies such as TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR and as the decade

ended, she was a popular leading lady entering a decade that wouldn't be kind to the well-established studio stars. Molly Brown was a role to show that she could do it all--act, sing, dance, and demonstrate her remarkable energy. I fell in love the movie from the first frame and it's been one of my very favorites ever since. I own the DVD (after replacing my VHS edition). The choreography by

Peter Gennaro won't set any new standards, but it's athletic and exciting,

nowhere better than in the big party scene where Molly is showing off the

European royalty to Denver society. You can't help but get caught up in the

sheer joyousness of what's happening on screen.

Harve Presnell is a handsome presence as Molly's husband, Johnny Brown.

His handsome baritone is a pleasure to hear. The rest of the cast is excellent, and would be one of the last and one of the most lavish of MGM's big studio

musicals.

I've seen the film innumerable times. If you don't like musicals, MOLLY BROWN won't change your mind. But if you do, this lively story of a dirt-poor country girl who marries a miner and gets filthy rich and becomes famous for her heroics

helping survivors of the TITANIC, is pure delight. Gene Kelly and Donald

O'Connor were the center of attention in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Debbie

deserved one film to be remembered for herself and this is it.