Movies in the Park

So, the Chicago Outdoor Film festival officially kicked off it's 2007 season last night at Butler Field in Grant Park. Each summer, the Chicago Park District sets up a huge movie screen & shows old movies every Tuesday night at sun down.

This year's kick-off movie was "Young Frankenstein" directed by Mel Brooks & starring Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle. Now, maybe it was the build-up that ruined it for me, or the fact that I had caught glimpses of it on television a couple of times & didn't like it, but I didn't really care for the movie, nor did I appreciate it's humor. This makes me a little mad, as if I'm missing out on something great or something. "One of the funniest movies ever made," Richard Roeper said as he was introducing the movie. "It's still funny because the humor is timeless. Funny is funny, that doesn't change over time." Oh great, even more build up, thanks Dick.

In any case, here are the few issues I had with the film:

--Peter Boyle plays the monster that Dr. Frankenstein creates, using an abnormal brain (thanks to Igor). For whatever reason, I couldn't get past thinking that the monster was similar to someone with a disability. Unable to speak, he was yelled at for not responding to people. Once he was captured by the townspeople after the variety act put on by he and Dr. Frankenstein, he was chained up like an animal. I can understand the people being afraid of this 7 1/2 foot monster, but chaining him up (in what appeared to be pretty weak chains, as he immediately broke out of them after choking the guard).

--Although it seemed inevitable, it still angered me a bit to see that Dr. Frankenstein got it on with his female assistant Inga (played by Teri Garr). Dr. Frankenstein left behind, his financier, errr, his fiancée when he came to Transylvania.

--Finally, when Dr. Frankenstein's fiancée came to visit him, a very awkward scene quickly emerged. The mosnter had gotten loose & was drawn to the sound of music, either being played or sung. Well, wouldn't you know it, the fiancée lady was singing & the monster heard it, so he followed the sound. Eventually, he made his way into wherever she was, and while I know it wasn't meant to appear this way, it seemed as if the monster had forcefully taken advantage of her. You can even hear her struggling a bit, but then all of a sudden she breaks into song. Hooray! She's not being raped, she likes it! (A similar scene ends the movie, only between Dr. Frankenstein & Inga. Not quite as bad, but still made me a little uncomfortable).

All of that aside, I really appreciate that this is something different to do in Chicago. I love being able to sit in a park in downtown Chicago and watch a movie. With the skyline on one side, the lake on another & stars up above - it's a pretty neat sight. The movies are free, people are allowed to bring lawn chairs, blankets, food, tables, and adult beverages (so long as they're served once the sun goes down & the police don't spot you). If you don't have chairs, they're available for rent for $5. If you don't have food, they usually have a couple of booths set up in the park.