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Old Maid merge


* FetishRetardant: The nude scene for Elizabeth can be a little uncomfortable to watch when you read that Deborah Kerr only did it because she felt [[ChristmasCake pressured to compete with younger actresses]] who were willing to do nudity. What's more is that she ultimately quit Hollywood over the explicit violence and sex of the new era.

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* FetishRetardant: The nude scene for Elizabeth can be a little uncomfortable to watch when you read that Deborah Kerr only did it because she felt [[ChristmasCake pressured to compete with younger actresses]] actresses who were willing to do nudity. What's more is that she ultimately quit Hollywood over the explicit violence and sex of the new era.
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* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/BonnieBedelia in her film debut as Annie.
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* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: At the time the film was made, skydiving was in its infancy, so the point of the drama - contrasting everyday folk with people who 'have to be crazy' to jump out of a plane for fun - is very reflective of the views of the general public. The equipment they use in their show is also state-of-the-art for the 1960s. Notably in one of the last scenes, Malcolm is said to have pulled his ripcord "right out of the pack", referencing the now-defunct practice of using a lead fishing weight over the last locking pin of the ripcord - so the jumper wouldn't drop it.
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* EightDeadlyWords: Creator/RogerEbert [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-gypsy-moths-1969 felt]] that the overemphasis on the skydiving scenes meant that there was little reason to care about the characters involved.

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* EightDeadlyWords: Roger Ebert [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-gypsy-moths-1969 felt]] that the overemphasis on the skydiving scenes meant that there was little reason to care about the characters involved.

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* EightDeadlyWords: Roger Ebert Creator/RogerEbert [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-gypsy-moths-1969 felt]] that the overemphasis on the skydiving scenes meant that there was little reason to care about the characters involved.



* HilariousInHindsight: Gene Hackman plays a man who wants to get out of the skydiving business. His experience on the film led to him taking up stunt flying for fun.

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* HilariousInHindsight: Gene Hackman Creator/GeneHackman plays a man who wants to get out of the skydiving business. His experience on the film led to him taking up stunt flying for fun.



* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The film seems heavily about the contrast between the older conservative ways of traditional America and the new liberal ways of the 60s. The fact that they cast two stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood (Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster) and two of the New Hollywood Era (Gene Hackman and Scott Wilson) heightens the contrast. [[spoiler: Rettig's suicide and Malcolm leaving his family at the end]] suggest that the older parts will never move with the times.

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* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The film seems heavily about the contrast between the older conservative ways of traditional America and the new liberal ways of the 60s. The fact that they cast two stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood (Deborah Kerr (Creator/DeborahKerr and Burt Lancaster) Creator/BurtLancaster) and two of the New Hollywood Era (Gene Hackman (Creator/GeneHackman and Scott Wilson) heightens the contrast. [[spoiler: Rettig's suicide and Malcolm leaving his family at the end]] suggest that the older parts will never move with the times.times.
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Not YMMV


* VindicatedByCable: The movie eventually found an audience when it was shown on TV.

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* EightDeadlyWords: Roger Ebert [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-gypsy-moths-1969 felt]] that the overemphasis on the skydiving scenes meant that there was little reason to care about the characters involved.



* HilariousInHindsight: Gene Hackman plays a man who wants to get out of the skydiving business. His experience on the film led to him taking up stunt flying for fun.
* JustHereForGodzilla: Some watch the movie just for the skydiving scenes.



* OneSceneWonder: Sheree North as Mary the snarky stripper that Browdy takes home for the evening.



* StrangledByTheRedString: Rettig and Elizabeth have known each other for two days, and he asks her to come with him. Understandably she refuses. This could also be additional {{Foreshadowing}} for [[spoiler: Rettig's implied suicide during the show]] - since he's clearly not in the right state of mind.

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* StrangledByTheRedString: StrangledByTheRedString:
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Rettig and Elizabeth have known each other for two days, and he asks her to come with him. Understandably she refuses. This could also be additional {{Foreshadowing}} for [[spoiler: Rettig's implied suicide during the show]] - since he's clearly not in the right state of mind.mind.
** Annie is also a little too attached to Malcolm after having only known him a couple of days and sharing some brief interactions with him.
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* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The skydiving sequences are stunning, done with a mixture of blue screen, mannequins and doubles with aerial photography.

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* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The skydiving sequences are stunning, done with a mixture of blue screen, mannequins and doubles with aerial photography.

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** Elizabeth married John because her sister had married Malcolm's father, and she stays in a loveless marriage simply because the idea of divorce would have been very unrespectable for the time she had married. Malcolm is early twenties, putting their marriage in the 1940s.
** Sky-diving was a very new thing at the time, hence why the movie goes to great lengths to illustrate the CultureClash between the Gypsy Moths and everyday folk.

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** Elizabeth married John because her sister had married Malcolm's father, and she stays in a loveless marriage. Before 1969 when the movie was released, a couple could only divorce if there was evidence of "spousal wrongdoing" in the marriage. The no-fault divorce bill was passed in 1969 but it wouldn't be until the end of the 70s that divorcing to get out of an unhappy marriage simply because the idea of divorce would have been very unrespectable for the time she had married. Malcolm is early twenties, putting their marriage in the 1940s.
was a popular idea.
** Sky-diving was a very new thing at the time, hence why the movie goes to great lengths to illustrate the CultureClash between the Gypsy Moths and everyday folk. It's presented more like a travelling circus and something completely alien to the average EverytownAmerica.



* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The skydiving sequences are stunning, done with a mixture of blue screen, mannequins and doubles with aerial photography.

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* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The skydiving sequences are stunning, done with a mixture of blue screen, mannequins and doubles with aerial photography.photography.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The film seems heavily about the contrast between the older conservative ways of traditional America and the new liberal ways of the 60s. The fact that they cast two stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood (Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster) and two of the New Hollywood Era (Gene Hackman and Scott Wilson) heightens the contrast. [[spoiler: Rettig's suicide and Malcolm leaving his family at the end]] suggest that the older parts will never move with the times.

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** Elizabeth even raises the point that Rettig might be more interested in playing the part of the ManicPixieDreamGuy and 'saving' her from her boring, small-town life. But how much of this is Elizabeth convincing herself of the fact, just to avoid disrupting the seemingly peaceful perfect life she's created for herself?



* FetishRetardant: The nude scene for Elizabeth can be a little uncomfortable to watch when you read that Deborah Kerr only did it because she felt [[ChristmasCake pressured to compete with younger actresses]] who were willing to do nudity. What's more is that she ultimately quit Hollywood over the explicit violence and sex of the new era.



* {{Narm}}: The rather forced sexual tension between Elizabeth and Rettig comes out of nowhere during her ladies' society meeting.

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* {{Narm}}: {{Narm}}:
**
The rather forced sexual tension between Elizabeth and Rettig comes out of nowhere during her ladies' society meeting.meeting.
** The little fist fight between Browdy and Malcolm in the kitchen is incredibly forced and contrived.



* StrangledByTheRedString: Rettig and Elizabeth have known each other for two days, and he asks her to come with him. Understandably she refuses.

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* StrangledByTheRedString: Rettig and Elizabeth have known each other for two days, and he asks her to come with him. Understandably she refuses. This could also be additional {{Foreshadowing}} for [[spoiler: Rettig's implied suicide during the show]] - since he's clearly not in the right state of mind.



* ValuesDissonance: Elizabeth married John because her sister had married Malcolm's father, and she stays in a loveless marriage simply because the idea of divorce would have been very unrespectable for the time she had married. Malcolm is early twenties, putting their marriage in the 1940s.

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* ValuesDissonance: ValuesDissonance:
**
Elizabeth married John because her sister had married Malcolm's father, and she stays in a loveless marriage simply because the idea of divorce would have been very unrespectable for the time she had married. Malcolm is early twenties, putting their marriage in the 1940s.1940s.
** Sky-diving was a very new thing at the time, hence why the movie goes to great lengths to illustrate the CultureClash between the Gypsy Moths and everyday folk.
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* TearJerker: Malcolm's emotional moment with Annie after [[spoiler: Rettig dies during the show]], ending with him crying into her shoulder.
--> "I remember standing there looking at him, wanting to say something. Like there was some magic word to say. I couldn't say that word...because I don't know what it is."
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* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
** Since we don't hear much of Rettig's backstory, only that he was a paratrooper in the army, it leaves a lot of his motivations up in the air. Does he finally want to settle down or not? And more importantly [[spoiler: did he commit suicide by refusing to pull his ripcord]]?
** [[spoiler: The film ends before Malcolm gets on the train. Perhaps he'll change his mind and reconnect with his family, and Annie]].
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The soundtrack is fantastic, composed by the great Elmer Bernstein.
* BestKnownForTheFanservice: The movie is best remembered for having the only nude scene of Creator/DeborahKerr's career - at the age of 47 no less.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The movie found some success in Australia, where local skydiving fraternities showed it at many meetings.
* {{Narm}}: The rather forced sexual tension between Elizabeth and Rettig comes out of nowhere during her ladies' society meeting.
* SpecialEffectsFailure: The only skydiving scene in the movie that doesn't look solid is when Browdy falls out of the plane and deploys a surprise parachute. It's a very obvious blue screen effect.
* StrangledByTheRedString: Rettig and Elizabeth have known each other for two days, and he asks her to come with him. Understandably she refuses.
* ValuesDissonance: Elizabeth married John because her sister had married Malcolm's father, and she stays in a loveless marriage simply because the idea of divorce would have been very unrespectable for the time she had married. Malcolm is early twenties, putting their marriage in the 1940s.
* VindicatedByCable: The movie eventually found an audience when it was shown on TV.
* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: The skydiving sequences are stunning, done with a mixture of blue screen, mannequins and doubles with aerial photography.

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