Esther Williams Swims Through This Swimmer Biography
I’ve long heard about Esther Williams and her musicals involving her swimming. I’ve always been intrigued, so I decided to give Million Dollar Mermaid a chance, not knowing much about it. I mostly enjoyed it, although I did have some issues with it.
This movie is actually a story of Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman (Esther Williams). As a child in the 1900’s, she had polio, so she couldn’t dance or play with the other children. She would sneak away every afternoon and taught herself to swim in the nearby lake. When her father, Frederick (Walter Pidgeon), learned about it, he encouraged her. She quickly showed she had great talent, winning local competitions. Frederick wants it to remain a hobby for her, but when his music conservatory shuts down and the two find themselves without any funds in London, it’s Annette’s swimming that saves the day, thanks to James Sullivan (Victor Mature), a promoter they met on the boat to London. Will that success translate in the United States?
I knew nothing about Annette Kellerman before watching this movie, and I’m sure much of what I “learned” here was changed to make a better movie. From the little research I have done, I do know that some aspects of her life made it into the film, including being arrested for indecency at a beach in Massachusetts for daring to wear a one piece bathing suit. How times have changed in the last 120 years.
The musical aspect is different from what I was expecting. The characters don’t sing. Oh, there is a scene with some passengers on a ship singing a song in a group at night, but that’s it. However, there are some very elaborately choreographed numbers involving Annette swimming above and below the water. Considering she is credited with the popularity of synchronized swimming, that certainly makes sense. Most of these sequences are near the end of the film, with bits of story around them. I enjoyed them, and if you enjoy stuff like that, I’m sure you will to.
The movie came out in 1952, and it definitely shows. There are some scenes that are obviously filled with special effects. Likewise, the acting style is dated. Once I got into the film, I really didn’t mind either one.
What bothered me more was the romance. Like in many musicals, there is a huge romance here between Annette and James Sullivan, who she married in real life. No, that’s not really a spoiler since it is obvious early on that they will wind up together, even though the film tried to make us wonder about it. And, as I was watching, I was thinking how romantic the story was. But then the movie ended, and my brain turned back on. The way the two treat each other is pretty bad, actually. If this is the idea of romantic we’ve gotten in our heads because of Hollywood, is it any wonder that so many people have bad ideas about relationships? The real people were married for years in real life, so I hope they had a better basis for a happy relationship than this film portrayed. And yes, I know you need conflict even in a romantic movie, but this could have at least been resolved better.
Still, this is a charming movie, and if you are a fan of water choreography, you really need to watch Million Dollar Mermaid.
I agree this movie wasn't quite what I was expecting (I was expecting something much more cheerful with more water choreography). I did like it but the romance definitely didn't sit well with me.
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