"People have hearts; we must reach them somehow."

Blossoms in the Dust--Vivacious Greer Garson is forced to be noble and long-suffering, but she has her usual fire and sparkle. Garson portrays Edna Gladney, who fought to end rampant bigotry against illegitimate children, due to their status being kept on their records and following them throughout their lives. In this permissive age, it is difficult to recall that a mere one hundred years ago (even less, actually), children of ill-reputed parents were assumed to be predisposed to immoral behavior, and bias against them ran strong. In the 1940s, when this film was made, such attitudes were still being fought, and I found this film to be courageous and forward-thinking for its time, when illegitimacy was an issue barely mentioned among decent people, and the film itself is sometimes cagey about expressing the issue--terms like "foundling" are used, rather than a more blatant word like "bastard". There is a sensitivity that I would not have immediately expected from a movie of that era: note the scene at the end where a police officer brings in two children that have obviously been taken from a brothel; see also the black children that are occasionally included among Ms. Gladney's charges, without differential treatment.
Seek out this movie, which is available on VHS, if not DVD. It's tear-jerking and heart-warming at the same time, and may open our eyes to past and current prejudices, reminding us that all of us, great or small, are beautiful creatures made in God's image.
"There are no illegitimate babies. There are only illegitimate parents."

There's your weekly dose of movie wisdom. I myself am going to the dentist (more fillings--whoopee) and then to work, so my day is looking to be busy but hardly exhilarating. Yesterday (when I didn't post) I worked, had lunch with Josh, and then Jeff and I went over to Josh and Laurel's place to study in the evening. Oh, the mad whirl of life!