For this week's edition of Hit me with your best shot, we took a dive into the Disney vault to watch one of their 1960s classics - "The Parent Trap". Nowadays, most people are perhaps more familiar with Lindsay Lohan's delightful 1998 version. But that film certainly owes a lot to this one, with much of the original dialog being retained.
While watching this one for the first time, I must admit that I spent much of the first half wishing I were watching the more entertaining remake instead. Hayley Mills is adorable, but Lohan did a much better job delineating the differences between the twins. As for the adults, they were allowed to bring a stronger sensuality to their roles.
The film improves greatly in the second half however and unsurprisingly, there was one adult actor who did manage to bring some sexual tension - the iconic beauty Maureen O'Hara. As such, she became the focus of my Best Shot pick.
Click below for my favorite shot...
Maureen O'Hara's Maggie is indeed the most fascinating character in "The Parent Trap". Despite the film's insistence that she's a matron past her prime, she's just as playful as her children, gleefully encouraging their matchmaking scheme. When she arrives in California, she presents such a confident, self-satisfied persona. Indeed, it doesn't seem to matter to her whether her former beau falls back in love with her. For the moment, she's just enjoying the fact that she's still got "it" and she makes sure that both him and his young fiancee know it.But as we get to know more about her and her dynamic with Mitch, we learn that she still does seek his approval. It is revealed that her current look was the result of plastic surgery, which was likely a response to his less than flattering opinion of her appearance. Sure, it's unfortunate that her sense of self-worth still relies so much on a man. But at the same time, she also exerts some newfound power. As you can see from her face in this shot above, she is both flattered and triumphant. And like all of her most vulnerable moments, her expression is covertly projected towards the camera. In this instance, the message is clear. She's got him wrapped around her little finger.
