Imagination

This little girl proves that children really do have the best imaginations. Listen to this little Amelie lookalike and see if you don't agree.

Thanks to Lenore Nevermore for posting on her blog.

The Artist

This past weekend I saw The Artist. As a silent film fan I was hesitant at first to see a new “silent” but any trepidation I felt melted away once the film began. Funny, moving, and highly entertaining, it’s probably the best film I’ve seen this year.

The Artist opens with a man being electrocuted who announces via an intertitle “I won’t talk. I won’t say a word.” We soon realize that we’re watching a silent movie within a silent movie. The film is met with “silent” applause and George Valentin, the film’s star, comes out to take a bow and mug for the audience along with his screen companion, a Jack Russell terrier. Outside he literally bumps into Peppy Miller, a struggling young actress, and the sparks fly. The two meet again on the set of George’s new film in a comical scene in which they try to out dance each other. George is intrigued and Peppy is smitten. 

The coming of sound changes both of their careers. When the studios and audiences abandon silents for talkies Peppy’s star rises while George’s goes into decline. With his life spiraling out of control, it is left to Peppy to save George and find them both a perfect Hollywood ending.

Although touted as a silent film, director Michel Hazanavicius has not attempted to replicate every aspect of a silent, which is a good thing. Instead he includes some aspects—black and white, intertitles, 1:33 aspect ratio—while taking liberties elsewhere like breaking the no sound rule twice (in very effective ways). There is also a score by Ludovic Bource that accompanies the film, which is a modern concession; silent films were accompanied by a live pianist or, in larger theatres, by a full orchestra.

Hazanavicius also pays tribute to old Hollywood with numerous nods to classic films from a breakfast scene reminiscent of Citizen Kane (not to mention some of the scenes that are shot like Kane) to the relationship between George and Peppy that at times reminds one of Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden in Singing in the Rain and at other times Norman Maine and Esther Blodgett in A Star Is Born.

Jean Dujardin is perfect as George Valentin. Not only does he have the looks (a cross between Douglas Fairbanks and John Gibert) and the comic chops but he is also able to convey myriad of emotions without dialogue. Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller may not look exactly like a 1920s movie star (her look is a bit modern) but her enthusiasm and bubbly countenance more than makes up for it. The supporting cast is equally good: John Goodman as the studio head, James Cromwell as the loyal chauffer, and Missi Pyle as the actress who can’t speak (a direct nod to Jean Hagen’s character in Singing in the Rain). But for me the dog (Uggie), like Asta in The Thin Man, steals every scene he’s in. There’s currently a campaign to get him nominated for awards (“Consider Uggie”) and I say get this pooch some awards, stat.

I saw the film at the Paris Theatre here in New York and at the end the audience clapped loudly. So go see it when it opens in your town. You won't be disappointed.

Photos from The Weinstein Co.

Remembering

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This date has always had a special meaning for me. My father is from Hawaii and my grandparents were living in Honolulu when the attack occurred. When I was a little girl, my grandmother would tell us the story of how she was coming home from mass and saw the planes flying overhead and how scared they were in the days following, not knowing if another attack would occur. Later when I was an adult I learned that my grandfather, who worked at Pearl Harbor, helped to recover bodies. That was a story he did not like to discuss. So December 7, 1941 is a date that reminds me not only of all those who perished on that day but of my grandparents as well.

The photo above, dated May 27, 1942, shows sailors placing leis on the graves of men killed at the Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay during the attack. Photo from the Library of Congress.

Le Beret

Marie Prevost

The days are getting colder, which means the donning of hats and gloves. I love any excuse to wear a hat and although I own a good number, I always turn to my trusty berets in winter. Berets stay put (no danger in a sudden gust of wind sending them flying), can easily be shoved into a bag when indoors, keep your head incredibly warm, and look rather jaunty when worn at a slight tilt. They also have a timeless quality, and I just adore them. Don’t believe me? Look at how cool these stars look in their berets.

Jean Harlow

Olive Thomas. (I can't tell if she's really wearing
 a beret but I'm including it anyways).

Clara Bow

Greta Garbo

Carole Lombard

Ingrid Bergman

Marlene Dietrich

Lauren Bacall

I hope I've convinced you. So if you don't have one, go out and buy yourself a beret. I'm partial to black berets but any colour will do. I promise you'll love it. 

The Ideal Screen Type

As this image from 1928 proves, analysing a movie star's body is nothing new. Here starlet Anita Page is compared to a sketch of the ideal screen type. Comprised of body parts from 13 various actresses (a bit Frankenstein don't you think?) the "ideal type" looks to me like Mary Pickford—not just because they used her eyes but the whole face. The sketch does make you think. Do you know the circumference of your ankles, your wrist?  And how tiny were Ann Pennington's feet?

I'm assuming the 5'2 Anita Page fared well with the comparison. The adorable actress who made an easy transition from silents to talkies was extremely popular, at one point receiving more fan mail than any other actress save Greta Garbo. She should have starred in more films but retired in 1933 at the ripe old age of 23. The good news is you can catch some of her performances on DVD including her turn as a jazz baby in The Broadway Melody (1929), the first talkie to win the Oscar for best picture.

An American in Paris

This is one of my favourite movie apartments—Gene Kelly's tiny garret in An American in Paris. Isn't it delightful? Have a wonderful weekend.

Hello December

December is here and with it comes the usual shock that another year is about to come to an end. That and the panic that immediately sets in about all the things one has to do for the holidays. I am planning on getting my tree and decorating the flat this weekend. I love having a real tree for the holidays. Nothing beats watching the twinkling lights and breathing in the wonderful smell of pine. Happy decorating.