"Rise and shine" is based on some anecdotes from the book "My life and hard times" written by James Thurber. It is not a faithful adaptation of the book as a whole, but then it needs to be said that the work functions as a loose series of tongue-in-cheek "memoir" recollections. ("My life and hard times" still makes for a good read, so if you're looking for something to keep you awake on the beach...)
In the movie, an amiable but dim student called Bolenciecwcz represents the great football-playing hope of his generation. The college where he studies venerates his very sneakers, but here's the rub : in order to remain eligible to play football, he needs to obtain passing grades. He also needs a strict regime of lively training alternating with healthful sleep. What follows is a screwball comedy plus satire where group A wants him to win an important game while group B wants him to lose it. Characters include a crime boss running a betting operation, a stubborn grandpa mentally stuck in the Civil War and a well-respected professor fond of magic tricks. The plot is accompanied by singing and dancing, often of a strikingly original nature. (Check out the "Making a play" courtship scene involving a pair of bicycles.)
Nearly all actors and actresses supposed to represent the carefree youth of America seem way too old for the role, which is a defect seen in a lot of movies. Aliens who only know our planet through its entertainment media could be forgiven for thinking that every human being goes to school until age forty.
Although made in the 1940's, the movie cleverly dissects a phenomenon seen to this day in American institutes of higher learning, to wit the presence of hulking young giants who play sports like demigods but who think that Cicero invented the milkshake. Normally such creatures should be shown the door with a gentle yet firm hand, but since they bring in the money...
In the movie, an amiable but dim student called Bolenciecwcz represents the great football-playing hope of his generation. The college where he studies venerates his very sneakers, but here's the rub : in order to remain eligible to play football, he needs to obtain passing grades. He also needs a strict regime of lively training alternating with healthful sleep. What follows is a screwball comedy plus satire where group A wants him to win an important game while group B wants him to lose it. Characters include a crime boss running a betting operation, a stubborn grandpa mentally stuck in the Civil War and a well-respected professor fond of magic tricks. The plot is accompanied by singing and dancing, often of a strikingly original nature. (Check out the "Making a play" courtship scene involving a pair of bicycles.)
Nearly all actors and actresses supposed to represent the carefree youth of America seem way too old for the role, which is a defect seen in a lot of movies. Aliens who only know our planet through its entertainment media could be forgiven for thinking that every human being goes to school until age forty.
Although made in the 1940's, the movie cleverly dissects a phenomenon seen to this day in American institutes of higher learning, to wit the presence of hulking young giants who play sports like demigods but who think that Cicero invented the milkshake. Normally such creatures should be shown the door with a gentle yet firm hand, but since they bring in the money...