Watched Mona Lisa smile just a day before I saw this posting and I would like to share my review with you guys.
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Many people compare Mona Lisa Smile with the classical movie on "teacher- student relationship", Dead Poets Society. Yes, Mona Lisa Smile is about teacher-student relationship, and No, Mona Lisa Smile is not a female version of Dead Poets Society.
I read a review on IMDB, the reviewer suggesting she graduated from Wellesley in 1952, and the school is not that conservative as she recalled. I have no idea what the school was like and I certainly don't know what 50s was like, but just for the movie, it is worth watching.
The story is about a teacher, graduated from UCLA, went to Wellesley to be a instructor in Art. She was shocked that her students all prepared for class so well and she have nothing more to tell them about what's on the outline. As a result, she started to introduce modern art for the girls, this is not liked by some of them, but they do get to know each other better than before.
Several girls stood out in the film. Betty, who was associated with the school newspaper;Joan, a girl interested in law school with straight As; Connie, comparatively "grosse" but still adorable; and Giselle, who was open with all kinds of relationships and not liked by Betty.
Joan and The Teacher, Katherine met after class one time because Joan got a C for her paper, which is unusual for her. They talked a little bit and Katherine got to know that Joan was interested in Law School. Katherine then, gave the application form to Joan and helped her get the offer. It is not described in the film but I assume Katherine and the girls had chances to be friends before Joan brought her to there party. During the party, she shared her view of marriage and work, which is probably unusual at that time.
So much for the plot.
I have to say that this film touched my heart and even made me cry. It is so true to the girls. I believe in China, girls, still value marriage very high, and think that marriage is an important part of their lives. I could be wrong, but it seems that girls are all eager to have a successful husband, wealthy, well educated, maybe gentle. And getting a husband outweigh things like one's own career, or life. Things might not be as severe in the film, but girls do have a tendency to get married early, settle down early, not out of their own wish, sometimes, but under the pressure of the parents. I remember Betty, the girl who married half way in the film, I suppose she loved her husband and he had feelings for her as well. But when Betty's mother asked Betty to let her husband read a poem during the wedding dinner, she comprised. Her mother asked her to make her husband feel the idea comes from himself, but Betty failed to do that and I think that's when she lost control of her marriage, and she knew that before there are more clearly sign showed up. Betty lived up to the expectations from her parents, professors in school, but she had a really disappointing marriage.
I don't think this film is concentrating on Katherine bringing new ideas into the traditional school, for Katherine herself, seems confused sometimes. She believed women should not only be housewives and encouraged her students to pursue their own dreams, but at the same time, she didn't think about there could be some girls like Joan who wanted to have a nice family than pursuing her own career. I think the film is suggesting that both way are fine. Women are not housewives by law or tradition, but it should be their own choice.


TBC

Thanks for ur sharing.

I like the second

I want to see the fifth.

Thank you for sharing

Thanks for your sharing.

I have only watched "Last Holiday".

Bridget Jones's Diary。 this is the only film I have watched .
BTW, that is the new version of JANE EYRE ?

I've only watched two of them...Cold Mountain and Jane Eyre, both of them are very wonderful and worth watching. Like Nicole Kidman a lot. Although the Cold Mountain ended in tragedy,I was touched deeply.