Dame Maggie Smith

When I write someone in Europe I do not send a self-addressed-stamped-envelope. Rather, I send a self-addressed-envelope and I include enough international postage (in the form of IRCs) that person to whom I've written can apply it towards postage in their own country. The postage someone uses can tell you a lot about the person to whom you have written. Such was the case with Dame Maggie Smith. Her envelope (which I still have) had postage stamps which showed an old woman, bent over a cauldron with the caption, "The Witches." Having famously played the head witch of Hogwarts in one of the greatest movie franchises of all time has apparently not dulled the great Dame's humor in any shape or form. So taken was I by the postage that I kept the envelope along with the thank you note that came with it. To boot, the note said, "With compliments!"

Now, what can you say about Dame Maggie that has not already been spoken, uttered, whispered or written of with fawning awe? Because of this simple fact I had a very hard time in writing Dame Maggie since I did not wish to put to paper the exact same things she must hear and read on an almost constant basis. So, I thought long and hard as I wished for my letter to be original.

After much consideration it dawned on me that Dame Maggie may have starred in a great many movies that I loved but only one of those movies could be considered in my top ten favorite movies of all time. Thus, I fashioned my letter around the one movie that so influenced an impressionable young man as he was about to leave his small town of Grover's Corners for the big city.

The year was 1987 and the movie was The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne.

It is all but impossible to do such a movie justice with a relatively short post. Filled throughout with self imposed quiet dignity, Judith Hearne is anything but when she is behind the closed doors of her room late at night. Filled with bitter memories, the knowledge of lost opportunities and the pain of loneliness Miss Hearne drinks. A lot.

Whenever Miss Hearne arrives in her new room at a new boarding house, there are only two things the spinster piano teacher treasures enough to display with outward pride, yet secret contempt. Both are framed pictures. One is of The Sacred Heart. The other is of her mother.

The movie never shies from expressing the fact that Miss Hearne has done as much (if not more) to destroy her life as circumstances and fate ever did. The movie is gut-wrenching, painful and so filled with despair that one wishes for any little bit of joy to come Miss Hearne's way. When it seems it finally does it takes all of about five minutes to start screaming at the screen, "He's a bum! Run!"

Now, you might think it odd that such a film would take root within the heart of a happy, go-lucky, young man of 20 as he was heading off to finally meet his destiny in the big city. Well, it is not really odd. After all, they teach all children two things back in Grover's Corners. The first, strangers with candy is probably not a good thing. The second, don't end up a spinster, piano teacher living in a boarding house who drinks way too much at night until you start singing, "When you're happy, Oh, when you're happy, the whole world smiles with you!"

Hmm, I guess that advice makes more sense when you are from Grover's Corners.

Still!, the point the movie makes is that you cannot blame everything on the past. At some point you have to pull yourself up, dust yourself off and as they say in Hollywood, "Git-er done." After all, if you spend your life complaining about what's happened you sort of lose track of the good things that might be coming your way. And, for an impressionable and naive young man heading off to the big city that was very good advice indeed: Always keep your eyes open for something better coming over the horizon.

Dame Smith must have liked the letter. I sent several pictures for her to pick from. The one she picked is from one of my Top 20 films, and a movie that never fails to take my breath away: A Room With a View. 

With compliments, Dame Maggie! Cheers!