There’s a moment when their two children are performing in the school pageant – and they do a horrifying sword fight – with spurting blood packets – so that the audience is sprayed with blood from wounds in their necks, arms, legs, etc.
You keep getting shots of the horrified audience, sitting in stunned silence, as the two children on stage stab the crap out of one another, staggering around to their deaths.
Then they cut to Morticia and Gomez, the delicious Anjelica Huston and the even more delicious Raul Julia, and they are clutching one another’s arms in beaming parental pride. Anjelica’s eyes are all soft and loving, Raul’s eyes are proud and fatherly.
Five minutes earlier, when the rest of the school is performing “Getting to Know You” and they’re all wearing little flower hats, and doing a cute little school-play dance … they cut to Morticia and Gomez, and the two of them are barely containing their contempt. They sit there, with completely dead bored eyes, watching the happy little-kid choreography, Raul Julia squirms around in his seat at one point, like he just can’t stand another minute of it. He’s wearing a pinstripe suit – he looks fantastic … and then they keep cutting back to what’s going up on the stage – which, to anyone who is NOT an Addams family member – would look happy and joyful and innocent. But Morticia and Gomez find it disgusting.
Anjelica Huston came and talked at my school. She was just as you would imagine: warm, funny, confident, and deep. She’s a thoughtful woman. She really thought about her answers, she really spoke with us … she was lovely.
She was asked about creating Morticia – how she did it, what she “used”, etc.
I loved her answer. She said, “Actually, I based that entire character on one of my best friends Jerry Hall.” Someone asked her to elaborate on this – and Anjelica started laughing, and she said, “Jerry is the happiest most self-satisfied woman I have ever met. It’s not a pose, or an act, or bullshit. She’s wonderful to be with, because she’s always so positive. You call her, and you’re like, ‘How are you?’ and Jerry says -‘” Anjelica made her voice soft, mellifluous, floaty: ” ‘I’m so happy, I’m doing so well, the kids are beautiful, I love them, I just love being alive so much.'”
How inventive. I love that. Morticia does radiate self-satisfaction.
It’s hysterical. Very very specific.
And I just can’t say enough good stuff about Raul Julia. I still miss that guy.
Morticia and Gomez sit by the grave, re-living the first time they met. Passion BUBBLES between them. They are SMOULDERING WITH PASSION.
She says, nostalgically: “A boy …”
He grasps her hand smoulderingly, and says, “A girl …”
She says, awash with gentle memories, “An open grave ….”
I love that chemistry between Morticia and Gomez.
“Don’t torture yourself, Gomez. That’s my job.”
hahahahahaha
It is so great! They are perpetually in love. It is always hot between them. It’s genius. How they start making out ferociously at the auction … hahahahaha
I love this movie. Raul Julia was a genius in both of the Addams family films. I actually thought Addams Family Values was better than the first. Those two at camp…how ridiculous. And what about the play about the first Thanksgiving in THAT movie? Hahaha. When the kids are singing that song “Eat us, hey, it’s Thanksgiving day” and Pugsley, starring as the turkey, steps up and shouts “EAT ME!” Brilliant. And Joan Cusack was marvelous. “Sorry, Debbie, no Mercedes this year. We have to set an example. OH YEAH?!?!? SET THIS!”
I loved Addams Family Values too. Just so enjoyable! I love how Morticia and Gomez are just so … bored and contemptuous of other people’s happiness and their happy little songs and rituals … they love their own sick little private world too much.
I love the way Morticia goes into labor. Like she’s just spitting out a piece of chewed gum. Barely a wince.
“Mrs. Addams, would you like anesthesia?”
“No, but do ask the children.”
And then when that one little girl tells the story of how her mother got pregnant “…and then the stork put a diamond in the cabbage patch…” And Wednesday and Pugsly say “our parents are having a baby too. THEY had sex.”
The scene in the restaurant, where Fester is on his first date with Debbie and Gomez is trying to coach him on how to be suave. Gomez says “we are unworthy of such beauty” and all that other smoothe crap, then looks to Fester to finish and Fester says “right. We should have UGLY girls.”
Hahahaha. I love those movies.
And she holds up the baby garment at the end of the first movie – to tell him she’s pregnant – and it’s little footie pajamas – and it has three little legs. And Raul’s face just gets all moved and emotional … “Really??”
hahahahahaha
by the way, emily – oh shit, you don’t have cable, do you?? Grizzly Man is on the Discovery Channel tonight.
Oh, MAN!!!! I’m dying to see this documentary. My local video store doesn’t have it, so I’m going to have to order it from Amazon next payday. Just from what you and Alex described, I’m sure it will be worth buying and I’ll definitely get my money’s worth.
“Mr. Chocolate.”
(I love it. Seamless segue from the Addams family to Grizzly Man. Grizzly Addams?)
Oh, and Raul’s face – one of the marvelous things about him as Gomez were his expressions. The guy just NAILED Gomez.
“You sent us to camp. They made us sing.”
And the look on his face at that moment. It was genius. Like, oh my god, I think my own children are going to kill me.
“Mr. Chocolate did a number two!!”
And Alex describing the moment – the way he was fondling BEAR CRAP like it was the Arc of the Covenant or something. If I don’t see this documentary soon, it will kill me. I’ve visited the official site, even slummed in the internet dumping ground that is the user message boards at IMDb just to read about it. My goodness. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so fascinated. Maybe it’s because where my parents live, under the constant threat of these beautiful yet dangerous animals showing up in their backyard. You learn a few things under those conditions. First and foremost is to respect the fact that they will brutally maul you to death if they feel the slightest bit threatened. And they’re unthinking creatures, so a threat could be something as little as having the nerve to exist within 100 feet of their offspring.
His footage is absolutely unbelievable. Yeah, he was nuts – but you get to see these bears from 2 feet away. sniffing around him. It’s ominous because of his end … but the bears are so spectacular.
Yeah, and the bear poop moment is truly insane.
I just saw this on cable again after many years….i had forgotten how funny it could be….my favorite line…Gomez consoling Uncle Fester: “You’ll meet someone. Someone very special. Someone who won’t press charges.”
The first time I saw this, I was with a group of friends in our early-to-middle…..well forget that….all gay men who were, as always, still searching for “mr. wrong” in addamsese, and when this line was spoken, in unison, we all broke up and couldn’t stop…it touched all of us in SO MANY ways! Thanks for reminding me of that…..m
Isnt that film a SCREAM!? Was thinking when I read your entry that Goth (humor) is treated as a new thing, but its actually been going on for YEARS. I had forgotten all about that movie. Will have to go get it now….
Oh, man! I’d forgotten “Addams Family.” Cara Mia! So well done. I have to go rent something, excuse me…
PS – I have a couple of old Chaz. Addams compilations, and his non-Family work is fabulous as well. Much of it is the same sensibility. For example, the proud new mother gushing, “Honey! Come quick! He’s walking!” She does not mention that Junior is walking ON THE CEILING. Or the matronly woman striding up to the department store info counter to demand, “Blunt instruments?” Bwahahahahah!