REVIEW: Athena (1954)

Title: Athena
Release Year: 1954
Genre: Musical
Cast: Edmund Purdom, Jane Powell, Vic Damone and Debbie Reynolds
Plot: A stubborn egotistical lawyer unwillingly gets involved with an eccentric hippie family with the help of a very forward young girl
Rating: ＿ ＿ ＿ ＿ ＿

Review: Probably one of the worst musicals I've ever seen, that even Edmund Purdom's accent couldn't help. This is probably why I hadn't heard of it before. If in this day and age, I feel disturbed by all the hippie junk, I can't even imagine what people thought of it at that time.

At the beginning of the film, before we meet the whole freaky family, I thought it looked like it will be a funny film, but after the meeting, I knew nothing could save it.

Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh and Vera Ellen were all considered for the the role of Athena, but Powell was finally cast in the end.

Esther Williams was actually the one who helped create the story with the writers in hopes of starring as Athena, but MGM decided to cast her in another film. It was one of the reasons Williams decided to leave the studio, which I think is silly because they did her a favour hehe.

The story revolves around an eccentric family living a back to nature kind of life, with atheistic beliefs associated with astrology. They practice a strict and healthy lifestyle, by being vegatarian fitness fanatics.

Hosting Mr Universe is apparently part of their credence, so the head of the household, Louis Calhern, trains as many bodybuilders as possible.
Bodybuilding in the 1950s was considered unrespectable in terms of appearance, so the implication the film might have brought about, surely was disgraceful.

Anyhow, I failed to see the connection between a vegetarian atheist and Mr Universe. Maybe the family loved muscle men because they follow astrology and astrology has a connection with Ancient Greece, which had gods who were usually depicted as muscular.

The only reason I can see, for combining all this junk into one weird family, was to promote lowbrow ideology, though it was probably too early for people to accept. Even Jane Powell said that if it was done twenty years later, maybe the reception would've been different. But as Hollywood was made to challenge morality, they had to start sometime. It was still a silly idea.

Actually even the director Dick Thorpe wasn't happy with the story and didn't hesitate to show it infront of the cast, which Powell said, discouraged them while filming.

Unsurprisingly, the film resulted in a huge loss for MGM.

What could've made the story better was to change it hehe. I think if Powell's character was just a freak whose life is influenced by her horoscope and maybe her grandparents were just a little weird without being bohemian, I think it would've worked out better. Featuring actual music would've helped too.

I recommend this film to my enemies.