Check out my review on Letterboxd (3.5/5 stars): https://boxd.it/1ll5rZ
I'm still not quite sure how I stumbled upon this film, but I'm glad I did. The film isn't perfect, but I enjoyed the time I spent with it all the same.
Cheers for Miss Bishop is about a woman looking back at her life as an educator and all the tender moments, and sometimes sad ones, she had throughout her career.
There's a recurring theme of patriotism and discourses on freedom in the United States fill several scenes. At first, I didn't quite understand why such talk of patriotism was relevant to the story at hand. Such was obviously rooted in my ignorance of the time period in which the film was produced-1941, right in the middle of World War II when America was literally at war over values and freedom-and it was only obvious after realizing this fact that I was able to understand one of the core themes of the film: wisdom, gained through only the best education one may receive, is the most important principle we have in preserving true freedom. Miss Bishop of course acknowledges that America isn't and hasn't been perfect in all of its ideals, but it has done its best and ultimately is a true bastion of freedom. Perhaps she, in reflecting on her life, saw these ideals in herself. We saw her mistakes and her lowest moments. Just like America had imperfections but still shined bright with liberty, so too did Miss Bishop live a life riddled with mistakes but one that was worth living and one that shone bright to all of her students.
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One of the things that frustrated me most was perhaps what worked best in the romance between the titular Miss Bishop and Sam. It was so obvious how much Sam loved her, and seeing her not accept his love saddened my heart. He was the best man she could have had, and she did not fully accept that until near the end of her life at the close of the film. As frustrating as it is, this is a film about a human, and humans are complicated. Emotions are complex. We're messy. We don't always want what others think we should, and that makes life beautiful.
I enjoy films that reflect on lives lived, on possibilities and realities, and this film did not disappoint me when it came to that.
If you're like me, you'll find something to love here, too.
I'm still not quite sure how I stumbled upon this film, but I'm glad I did. The film isn't perfect, but I enjoyed the time I spent with it all the same.
Cheers for Miss Bishop is about a woman looking back at her life as an educator and all the tender moments, and sometimes sad ones, she had throughout her career.
There's a recurring theme of patriotism and discourses on freedom in the United States fill several scenes. At first, I didn't quite understand why such talk of patriotism was relevant to the story at hand. Such was obviously rooted in my ignorance of the time period in which the film was produced-1941, right in the middle of World War II when America was literally at war over values and freedom-and it was only obvious after realizing this fact that I was able to understand one of the core themes of the film: wisdom, gained through only the best education one may receive, is the most important principle we have in preserving true freedom. Miss Bishop of course acknowledges that America isn't and hasn't been perfect in all of its ideals, but it has done its best and ultimately is a true bastion of freedom. Perhaps she, in reflecting on her life, saw these ideals in herself. We saw her mistakes and her lowest moments. Just like America had imperfections but still shined bright with liberty, so too did Miss Bishop live a life riddled with mistakes but one that was worth living and one that shone bright to all of her students.
----------------------
One of the things that frustrated me most was perhaps what worked best in the romance between the titular Miss Bishop and Sam. It was so obvious how much Sam loved her, and seeing her not accept his love saddened my heart. He was the best man she could have had, and she did not fully accept that until near the end of her life at the close of the film. As frustrating as it is, this is a film about a human, and humans are complicated. Emotions are complex. We're messy. We don't always want what others think we should, and that makes life beautiful.
I enjoy films that reflect on lives lived, on possibilities and realities, and this film did not disappoint me when it came to that.
If you're like me, you'll find something to love here, too.