My Benjamin Button fast - week 3 (done)

A lesson learned: you can't blog and do 5 7 6 at the same time, or rather, I can't do 5 7 6 the way I wanted to; nevertheless, I was satisfied with my choices.

This Sunday reminded me of the Sunday when I started this fast. I had to drive back to my hometown to babysit my toddler-aged niece. I needed music for the road trip and since the Benjamin Button soundtrack was out of the question, I chose soundtracks from The Wiz (movie) and Gigi. Little did I know that those selections would make my mind travel back to Benjamin Button.

The Wiz, like Benjamin Button, was subjected to unfair comparisons by so-called critics. While The Wiz is considered a cult classic now, its brilliance was overshadowed by critiques fixated on what the movie wasn't instead of what the movie was. For me, The Wiz illustrated the history of Black Americans and some of the quandries that many of us have to endure and truimph over. Being told to or being bullied into suppressing one's intelligence (Scarecrow); being consumed with the fear of outliving one's usefulness and having to face that realization through the eyes of a loved one (Tin Man); being so overwhelmed by circumstances beyond your control that you are rendered paralyzed with fear (Lion); and balancing the need to nurture and protect with the desire and subsequent fear associated with venturing outside of your comfort zone (Dorothy). There's also the need to avoid false prophets (The Wiz); going into bankruptcy due to vanity (Emerald City sequence); seeing oneself through the eyes of an opportunistic leech who can only see their bottom line (Evilene and her sweatshop workers). Of course, there are those who would just repeat "But where's Garland, Bolger, Lahr, and Haley?".

As for Gigi... the age difference between Gaston and Gigi was pretty ticklish, like Benjamin and Daisy for the majority of BB. Mind you, Gigi could be construed as decidedly seedier since young girl Gigi was being prepped by her grandmother and great aunt to be Gaston's courtesan; but MGM had a knack of painting a pretty picture over something unseemly, as demonstrated by the numerous ways they tortured Judy Garland in order to bring corn-fed Dorothy Gale to life.

At any rate, I look forward to what else will leech out in the coming weeks.