I saw the movie “Hairspray” this past Sunday and was tremendously uplifted in spirit by the music, the acting and most of all the “moral of the story.”
In the end,it was not so much about the protagonist’s pleasingly plump(what some may dub “heavy”) figure as it was about the beauty of the caring,courageous and compassionate heart which emanated from within.
When Tracey’s African American, then called “Negro”friends’ segment was canceled from the Corny Collins Show,she organized a protest against the actions of the studio, station manager and show producers. This action eventually won out over the prejudices,greed and bigotry of those in power who had worked so feverishly,using every conceivable trick in the book to “block” her and her friends from dancing on the show. In a revealing and touching rallying cry against racial segregation, she stated “If I can’t dance with(referring to her “Negro” dance partners and friends)…,I don’t want to dance at all on the show. Tracey Turnblad knew she could pay a heavy price for her subsequent public protests,but with a courageous and determined heart she nonetheless forged ahead.
That she was too fat and pro-integration, were two strong strikes against her. But those who tried to keep her from actualizing her dream to become a star dancer on the teen dance show because of her weight and racial ideologies received a rude awakening.In the words of the soundtrack song “You Can’t Stop the Beat”, you can’t stop the beat,the sun in the sky,the motion of the ocean… or an idea whose time has come. How often have so many throughout the course of history “learned that lesson?” Can you imagine there were people at one time who did not want to see the age of television come into existence? Today,we’d call them television haters.
This is the one movie where “heavy” was in and the fat girl ends up with the “hunk”,the man of every woman’s dream at the end. Eat your heart out skinny girls!But,the movie with all the “boy meets girl”sub-themes and sweet syrupy acting lines,at times almost cotton candy-ish, was a top notch movie for so much more than the favorable treatment of the rotund among us.
The acting by John Travolta, who played a female role as Tracey’s mom, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney, and newcomer Nikki Blonsky was notable, and in some instances superb.
But most of all, and the reason “Hairspray” was so inspiring to me is that it carried a strong and powerful social message,one that came through loud and clear through all the cute “Barbie/Ken-esque” dialogue.
Yes. This “heavy duty” spray was subtle,yet packed with power to hold more than hair styles for a long while to come. A class act,it may just take hold,shake you up and stir up a healthy motivation for “doing the right thing” even at the potential risk of paying a high price.
Splendid,yet subtle and well written treatment of the subject matter. And,even though the 60′s era is long gone, there is still a tremendous need in our world today for that Tracey Turnblad spirit.
I would never have expected to find such a powerful message about the senselessness of discriminating against others because of their darker skin or heftier physiques.It was like finding something in the most unlikely place, making the discovery even more potent as the hidden treasure of the movie steadfastly came to light,making it…
…a Creativessel Inspiration for sure.
If you have not already,go see it.I highly recommend this movie to all.
Listening to:
“You Can’t Stop the Beat”
August 23,2007
