Annie 4K 1982

Annie is a little red-haired girl who lives in a horrible orphanage run by the overbearing grumpy Hannigan. The little girl believes that one day her parents will return. After a while, Annie finds herself in the castle of the wealthy tycoon Warbucks...

What we have before us is a 1982 family musical. It was based on the Broadway production of the same name and Harold Gray's newspaper comic strip "Little Orphan Annie." In the director's chair is John Huston (Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon, etc.). That is, a true mastodon, winner of two Oscars.

For the first time ever, Houston was nominated for the infamous Golden Raspberry Award, ah-ha-ha. Fair or not? No, guys. Houston was over 70 at the time of filming. He's a pretty serious director in general, filming until he died (Angelica Houston's dad, by the way).

It seems to me, my uncle stupidly decided to rest for a while. He made a bright musical with songs and dances. He's got a point, he proved it a long time ago. Veteran. Well, clearly overdoing it with "Crimson". The only (adequate) complaint about Houston is the timing (in two hours and a bit)! Yes, yes, too much. The midsection sags noticeably.

At any rate - I liked (personally) this adaptation better than "Annie" with Cameron Diaz. It was a total disaster there, hand on heart. If you like classic musicals (and you're sick of "Singin' in the Rain", heh-heh-heh), try Huston's "Annie". Not a sure thing, of course, but it might work.

In a word, it's cute. The songs are fun. And the girls danced a good deal. Tomorrow, tomorrow...