Like many movies from the fifties, but especially all of Walt Disney's "Masterpieces", Lady and the Tramp has an impressive focus on its score. Far more so than what one sees now-a-days, which is one of my repeating, repeating and constant laments. It is nice to see an old movie where not only the atmosphere, but individual character movements are choreographed with music. Where the sounds that they make are integrated with the score. The music is built around what is said, what is done, integral sound effects, and everything, really, so that it acts as the major supporting framework of the movie.
It is not a bad way to make a movie. Some people are visual, some are auditory. Disney was probably both. But even visual people (most visual people) like music. It has this weird quality to it: utterly abstracted from normal reality. It 'mimics' less that you'd find in the outside world than a Pollock paining, and yet it is not only instantly accessible to most everyone, it is also powerfully moving. Directly connected to the emotions; so predictable, it can create a mood more quickly and easily than anything else. It is somewhat bizarre that it works, if ya think about it, but in the end, it does. Which is neat.
But it can overshadow a script. If you get over the brainwashing done on you by the score, you might notice that Lady and the Tramp's script is a little... strange. If you go back over it, there are many instances where something doesn't quite make sense. As if they changed it a little, but not all the way. Well, that's exactly what they did to much of this movie.
It isn't all that noticeable. What is more noticeable is the layers of depth that were part of it for such a simply story in essence. As the title implies, Lady and the Tramp is a 'Beauty-and-the-Beast Story' (as opposed to a Cinderella Story). It comes off remarkably well. But it was one of my favorite movies when I was young, so perhaps I'm a little biased. Still, it's a pretty "Good" movie if you ignore some of the implications of a Beauty-and-the-Beast Tale...
Analysis (spoilers will probably follow):
All our childerens cartoons come up against some pretty unfair scrutiny sometimes. But then, you always end up wondering what someone'll get out of a story. The Little Mermaid has a girl gettin' the guy because she shows up naked and mute. "Kiss the Girl 'cuz she shore can't say no right now". Hm. The Lion King vilifies the only Lion willing to bridge inter-species gaps with the Hyenas. Doesn't help that he's the only "black" lion. What's this say about tolerance. Cinderella stories reinforce the very untrue myth that you can become a ruler from meek servitude and poverty, even though that is despicably unlikely. "Beauty-and-the-Beast" stories tell girls that they can tame that tramp. Change the man into who they want them to be.
But as our conventional wisdom tell's us, you can't expect to change anyone. Guy or girl, it's better to find someone you like for who they are.
Which sounds so simple, yet it obviously isn't.
How good of a house pet would Tramp really make? He did knock over that baby-carriage, no matter how mean that little rat looked. And he plays it up, too, making his paw look broken. This guy fought off three vicious dogs without breakin' a sweat and one little rat's gonna break his foot?
It takes a horse carriage to do that to Trusty.
But I really don't want to bash the movie all that much. My rant is though.
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