Visual Review - Visual Hollywood

LIFE CONNECTIONSART AS A LIBERATING FORCEI've never struck a woman in my life, not even my own mother.--W. C. Fields (1880 - 1946)THE SUBJECT IS MOTHERS!The movie asks: “Is there any ‘good’ time to detach yourself from yourmom, cut the apron strings.”There are problems with overprotective mothers as Betty Friedanaccurately notes: “Strange new problems are being reported in thegrowing generations of children whose mothers were always there, drivingthem around, helping them with their homework - an inability to endurepain or discipline or pursue any self-sustained goal of any sort, adevastating boredom with life.”It goes the other way too. Children bring their share of pain to a mother’sheart as Mark Twain famously noted: “My mother had a great deal oftrouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.”An excellent bottom line comes from the late writer and Nobel Prizewinner, Pearl Buck: “Some are kissing mothers and some are scoldingmothers, but it is love just the same.” Indeed, despite the quality ofrelationship, loving “mom” is basic even in all of her faults –which we allhave!