Dramatically the issue is presented in a narrative wherein a woman who does not know she herself is the daughter of a murderer, has a child who could be a psychopathic killer. The fact this assumption might NOT be accurate, that bad children only result from bad parenting, that the scientists might be wrong, is portrayed in The Bad Seed, as a terrifying prospect.
John Lee Mahin (August 23, 1902 to April 18, 1984) made the trek from heartland America (Illinois) to west coast paradise (Santa Monica) , so common a scenario in the United States, in his own life story. He wrote the screenplay version of The Bad Seed. Mahin, a loud supporter of the HUAC's work, made certain that the kid does not escape a just death. In the original the child triumphs over attempted murder, to emerge at the side of her unsuspecting father. In the original version the child exemplifying the triumph of heredity, murders first an old lady by first tempting her out onto an icy stairwell by saying there was a kitten crying outside. Mahin keeps this scenario but places it in Wichita. That might seem an odd choice for locale, but perhaps the choice shows some ambivalence on the writer's part, about his own heartland homeland. assuming of course, environment is a potent force in character.
The motif of a woman who is so helpless without her husband (away on government during most of the movie) that she must murder their daughter and kill herself is probably an accidental glimpse of the 1950s.
Some of Mahin earlier writing credits are obscure, such as:
Small Town Girl (1936)
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
The Beast of the City (1932)
The Bad Seed, was not certainly not Mahin's only hit. He is credited as a writer for
No Time for Sergeants and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, and other memorable films. The Bad Seed was nominated for four academy awards.
Mahin was one of the founders of the Screenwriter's Guild in 1933. This organisation later honored him with a Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1957.
John Lee Mahin (August 23, 1902 to April 18, 1984) made the trek from heartland America (Illinois) to west coast paradise (Santa Monica) , so common a scenario in the United States, in his own life story. He wrote the screenplay version of The Bad Seed. Mahin, a loud supporter of the HUAC's work, made certain that the kid does not escape a just death. In the original the child triumphs over attempted murder, to emerge at the side of her unsuspecting father. In the original version the child exemplifying the triumph of heredity, murders first an old lady by first tempting her out onto an icy stairwell by saying there was a kitten crying outside. Mahin keeps this scenario but places it in Wichita. That might seem an odd choice for locale, but perhaps the choice shows some ambivalence on the writer's part, about his own heartland homeland. assuming of course, environment is a potent force in character.
The motif of a woman who is so helpless without her husband (away on government during most of the movie) that she must murder their daughter and kill herself is probably an accidental glimpse of the 1950s.
Some of Mahin earlier writing credits are obscure, such as:
Small Town Girl (1936)
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
The Beast of the City (1932)
The Bad Seed, was not certainly not Mahin's only hit. He is credited as a writer for
Mahin was one of the founders of the Screenwriter's Guild in 1933. This organisation later honored him with a Laurel Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1957.
No comments:
Post a Comment