Sweet Sunday Mornings

Do Not Disturb (1965)

2011-12-07T17:52:00.001-05:00

America's sweetheart and '60s silver screen darling Doris Day, now 87, just came out with a new album entitled My Heart, her first in 17 years. The album is dedicated to her late son in his memory.[1] "These are the tunes that reflect my love of animals, my love for my son. They're the dearest things to my heart," she explains.[2]

I adore Doris Day and her films never fail to lift my spirits and make me laugh. My favorite quote about her was by Oscar Levant who famously quipped, "I'm so old, I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin!" This was a reference to the tendency of her characters to have been chaste, naive, clumsy and school-girlish, even in situations where they were married.

My favorite films of hers include The Glass Bottom Boat (1966), Pillow Talk (1959), It Happened to Jane (1959), and Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960) but I figured I'd pull out a lesser known film of hers to showcase here. Do Not Disturb (1965) takes it all across the pond to England, where married couple Janet (Day) and Mike Harper (Rod Taylor) must relocate after Mike's company transferred him to London.

So here's the brief synopsis: After moving to England, Janet and Mike Harper rent a house in the English countryside, which Janet promptly sets to redecorating. Meanwhile Mike spends most of his time working at his London office, surrounded by beautiful women and attending lavish parties thrown by his boss. Feeling alone and neglected, Janet flirts with the handsome antique dealer Paul (Sergio Fantoni) whom she hires to help her redecorate the house. They fly to Paris to check out an antique table and while dining at a bistro, Janet gets a little too drunk and passes out. Paul then takes her back to his office, where they accidentally get locked in for the night. Mike hears of the trip, immediately takes the next flight to Paris, and predictably, discovers the two together. Arguments and threats of divorce ensue! Hilarity abounds.

Now - the fashion!

Is that a classic quilted Chanel handbag? Methinks it could be! Also, I think gloves need to make a come-back.

Love this brown leather tote with the center buckle.

White peacoat with orange sequin dress underneath.

Adorable ivory cape-coat lined in brown fabric with white polka dots. The bowler hat is cute too.

More white. Love how she wore the scarf "backwards".

That aubergine outfit (center) is delicious.

Awkwardly tall hats seemed to have been quite fashionable back in the day...

Brown and green tweed with plaid. How English.

Sometimes I'd like to fantasize ending up like Iris Apfel in my old age, adorned with big colourful necklaces and bracelets and draped in luxurious silks, and becoming the embodiment of an eccentric grand dame. But chances are, I will probably end up like this, clad in boring brown tweed, clumsily balancing no less than three cameras and five newspapers while attempting to make a point that matters to no one except meself:

Also, having just returned from Beijing, it would be wrong of me not to notice this pretty chinoiserie print screen.

So if you're in the mood for a light-hearted romantic comedy, look no further than Doris Day's arsenal of films. When I suggested this to a friend of mine recently, she wrinkled her nose in protest. "I don't get why other people think she was so great. She wasn't even that pretty and her characters' were always so clumsy and annoying." Her comment made me remember that I felt similarly "confused" many years ago, when I first chanced upon her movies during a TCM marathon. The first movie I saw her in was That Touch of Mink (1962), where Day's character spent the whole time desperately perserving her virginity from the seductive claws of Cary Grant, a premise which I considered dispiriting nonsense since she just looked way too old to play a virgin. I remember thinking to myself "Who is this average looking, rough-around-the edges woman who keeps starring alongside dashing leading men? Why would Cary Grant's character be interested in her and not in a starlet like Ann-Margret instead?" Furthermore, my narrow-minded 12-year old self at the time lumped all "classic" actresses together under the requirement that they had to be breathtakingly beautiful, alluring, graceful and charismatic in the manner of Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, etc. Reared on the dramas of the '30s-40s, I actually got uncomfortable watching an actress blunder uncoordinatedly through a movie, repeatedly making all sorts of humiliating and awkward social gaffes, like the way Doris Days' characters frequently did. My adolescent self, who spent her spare hours pouring over Vogue and idolizing elegance, was so embarrassed for her. These were not the kinds of characters that I wanted to model myself after and thus, promptly dismissed her films as ridiculous and unworthy.

But then I grew up! matured, expanded my film watching repertoire, learned more about Doris Day, and a decade later, revisited her films with fresh eyes and quickly developed a newfound appreciation for their entertainment value. Now I absolutely adore her and her movies. My adoration further deepened after I discovered that her real life stood in stark contrast to her squeaky clean, all-American, girl-next-door image. Unlike her characters who always ended up in happily-ever-after relationships, the men in Day's personal life were not quite so pleasant. Among them included one who physically abused her and another ran off with her money and left her bankrupt. [3] Day's real life was messy, complicated and traumatic so the cheerful innocence of her characters took on even greater significance for me: that despite everything, she still managed to maintain that determinedly sunshine-y and upbeat of a public image was nothing less than a monumental feat. I watch her movies now with a certain sympathy--even the occasional empathy--but also a kind of gratitude for their slapstick and silliness, which never fail to make me smile. And sometimes, a girl just needs a good laugh, or a roaring guffaw.

The World of Suzie Wong (1960)

2011-11-30T13:48:00.001-05:00

Happy [belated] Thanksgiving! I'm sorry for the infrequent updates - I was away for a good portion of last month and now am juggling the birth of many new projects so things have been a little hectic around here. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is gearing up for the holiday madness of December!

As I may have mentioned in the previous entry, I spent the latter half of this year begrudingly sequestered in Beijing, inhaling pollutants, dodging lawless bicyclists, and consuming foods of questionable safety. But what I neglected to admit was that even though I complained endlessly while there, two weeks back on this side of civility, I started to miss China. Like, a lot. Washbasins, barrels, man-made-lake sized volumes of miss. So much so that it looks like I’ll be moving back there in a few months and staying for a good portion of 2012.

In the meantime, I've been indulging in the newfound appreciation for my cultural heritage by hunting down films that feature China at its most stylish and among these include the undeniable 1960 Paramount classic The World of Suzie Wong.

The World of Suzie Wong is actually based on a 1957 book of the same name written by Richard Mason and has since been adapted into not only this hit film, but also a play and a ballet, and spawned various unofficial sequels. The storyline is as old as “the oldest profession” from which it draws its inspiration. Set in the 1950s, William Holden stars as the young Englishmen Robert Lomax who, after leaving the National Service, decides to temporarily squat in Hong Kong and try his hand at becoming an artist. He unwittingly takes up residence at a hotel/brothel and eventually falls in love with one of its most popular prostitutes, Suzie Wong (Nancy Kwan).

Now even though I've always loved this movie, it bears mentioning that my love for it comes with certain reservations, as the theme of "whore with the heart of gold" meeting a man of respectable status who thenceforth redeems her has never sat well with me, the same way that similar pictures such as Pretty Woman (1990), Moulin Rouge (2001), Mighty Aphrodite (1995), or even Pygmalion/My Fair Lady tend to leave a slight distaste in my mouth. But in lieu of hitting you with a longwinded feminist diatribe, I think it's better to just adhere to the purposes of this blog and focus on the costumes and art direction instead. And what glorious beauty lies in store for us on those fronts!

These are actual shots of the Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor! Many people may not realize that the city we know as Hong Kong actually consists of several islands, with "Hong Kong" officially referring to just one of them. Kowloon is the other well-known one, lying just north of Hong Kong Island and connected via ferries that shuttle people back and forth periodically throughout the day.

The first time Robert meets Suzie Wong is on one of these ferries.

Struck by her beauty, he starts to sketch her. (brain-fart: it just occurred to me that the semi-slang term "sketchy" could very well have been derived from guys who creep women out on public transport when they pull out a pen and notebook and start to sketch them. Yeah? Etymologically incorrect but it still kind of makes sense, no?)

pale lavender trench paired with bright yellow qi-pao.

Robert ends up renting a room at the Nam Kok Hotel, which was inspired by the real-life Luk Kwok Hotel located in Wanchai district. The Luk Kwok Hotel of the 1950s was torn down in the 1980s and reopened in 1990 as part of Hong Kong's first "office-hotel complex." The gleaming modern edifice that stands today is a far cry from the ramshackle structure that was once akin to this:

The atmosphere of the hotel's interior, particularly the bar area, is intoxicating! Dimly lit, enveloped in cigarette smoke, and festooned with all the expected ethnic ostentation of such establishments, it is precisely the kind of venue dispirited veteans and restless sailors like to retreat to for a night of unbridled revelry where a little money gets you a helluva lot.

Robert quarantines himself in a corner booth, more keen on studying and sketching the environment than partaking in the merriment.

And then Suzie Wong re-enters Robert's visual field, and subsequently, changes his life.

Perhaps the most drool-worthy aspect of this film is Suzie's collection of form-fitting qi-paos (aka cheongsams in Cantonese). This traditional Chinese dress was originally baggy and boxy. The more tailored design emerged in Shanghai in the 1920s as wealthy, society ladies sought a more form-fitting aesthetic to show off their figures (Shanghai was considered "the Paris of the East" during that era and while seeds of revolution were taking root in the north, Shanghai was still intent on partying it up). The high-necked, short-sleeved version with the revealing side slits became popularized as "the standard" shortly thereafter and the dress eventually became available in a variety of fabrics, affording lower classes the ability to adopt the fashion as well. The qipao suffered a period of decline as the Communist Revolution ultimately took hold of the Mainland with its egalitarian ideals and utilitarian fashions but the dress, brought over by Shanghainese emigrants, retained its popularity in Hong Kong.

While the Art Direction was under the management of John Box (Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India, The Great Gatsby), the costumes were designed by Phyllis Dalton (Henry V, The Princess Bride). It's interesting to note that all of Suzie's qi-paos were of one, solid color, a distinction that sets hers apart from the multi-colored, multi-patterned qi-paos of her peers. Even today, most off-the-rack qi-paos are multi-colored and it's actually more difficult to find one that isn't!

Iconic red:

Robert hires Suzie out pose as an art model (instead of as a "companion," much to her dismay).

Lavender qi-pao, with matching lavender headband.

Complemented with beautiful green jade earrings.

Whoa, work it, woman!

Orange-coral colored qi-pao:

Gold sleeveless qi-pao:

Dark brown qi-pao:

Light tan qi-pao:

White qi-pao:

And my personal favorite: dark greenish-black with a slight sheen worn with sheer black gloves and a long double looped gold necklace. Breathtaking.

There are a few occasions when Suzie dons on something other than a qi-pao. Here she is unwittingly channeling Audrey Hepburn. Also, that white blouse is so Carolina Herrera.

Suzie in a more relaxed shirt, black tapered pants, carrying a straw tote/basket. Robert is getting a haircut from a street-side barber. And he's not too thrilled about it either.

Suzie in "peasant" clothes, with the stereotypical conical Asian straw hat.

In stark contrast, Suzie in an Empress costume!

The one time Suzie appears in "Western clothes." I'm not so fond of the blue monstrosity sitting on top of her head but the dress is okay.

Robert hates it. Demands she revert back to her old style.

Before moving onto the other characters and their outfits in the film, it may be of interest to note that Nancy Kwan was only half-Chinese. Her father was from Hong Kong but her mother was Caucasian, of English and Scottish descent. I find it hypocritical that while in scene above where Robert reprimands Suzie for belying her ethnic identity with "ridiculous" Western ensnarements, Hollywood itself couldn't handle the idea of casting an ethnically homogenous actress as the female lead (in much the same way as Natalie Wood was passed off as Puerto Rican in West Side Story and David Carradine as the Chinese monk/martial arts master in the television series Kung Fu). While featuring half-Asians on the big screen is definitely a step forward, using them to represent a "full-blooded" Asian character can be debated as disingenuous. Just my 2 cents...

Anyways, moving on... Suzie's friends (most of whom were also "working girls") can be found in more embellished qi-paos, trimmed with sparkly sequins and colorful embroidery. I wonder if Phyllis Dalton dressed Kwan in definitively subdued qi-paos to lend the character an air of respectability and hence, the potential for redemption?

Suzie brings her friends into Robert's hotel room and proudly does a show-and-tell of his Western paraphernalia. Here she tells them about the merits of "a letter of introduction"!

Look! Socks from England! I'm enamored with the teal qi--pao with the black overlay (what a gorgeous color!)

Below is the Japanese-Canadian actress Yvonne Shima in a black and red patterned qi-pao. I also really like her up-do.

The mildly tempered character of Gwennie (Jacqui Chan), who insists on wearing cardigans to hide her skinny arms provides, provides a foil to the fiery passions of the other girls. She is also almost never without her knitting.

I should have been paying more attention when rewatching this film because I'm actually a little confused about Gwennie. Was she actually a prostitute? Because why else would she hang out at the bar every night? In this scene below, she was waiting outside the hotel and when Robert happened to pass by, she promptly asked him to escort her inside (because apparently it was a social faux-pas for a woman to enter a bar unaccompanied). Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure she was also "one of the girls" but her meek, pious, almost granny-like disposition tends to let you think otherwise.

Gwennie and Robert actually end up as good friends, as she becomes the person to whom he would often confide, particularly when it comes to his feelings for Suzie.

On the flip side of the coin is Kay (Sylvia Syms), the daughter of a wealthy banker whom Robert went to see about setting up a bank account when he first arrived in Hong Kong. Kay falls in love with Robert and tries to help him sell his art.

I was put off by the plethora of white lace at first but then decided that this dress is actually quite exquisite, particularly from the waist down. Note the pink stripes:

Kay works as her father's secretary and when on the job, can be found dressed in typical secretarial attire. The sheen on this taupe blouse is lovely.

This lavender dress should have been more tailored to her body. The sleeves are slightly puffy and trimmed with little ball-like details (is there a proper term for this kind of adornment?)

So Robert is presented with two very different women from two very different worlds, both of whom love him deeply. What a lucky guy.

And finally some design elements to note. The interior of the hotel:

Really beautiful rattan/bamboo details. I don't know what the pieces that sit on top of the banisters and reach up to the ceiling would be classified as. Dividers? Moldings? Trim?

Door decoration.

The interior of Robert's rented hotel room:

In contrast, this is the interior of Kay and her father's house, which aside from a few Asian inspired pieces, mostly adheres to the mid-century aesthetic of that period.

The Long Hot Summer (1958)

2011-09-16T13:46:00.005-04:00

Wow, so it's been a while, eh? I'm sorry for the lack of posts - I started this year off in Barcelona, trekked up to Norway, and then ended up in Krakow, Poland feeding off vodka and imbibing in art. Trading in one post-Communist regime for another, I then went to China for a few months, and Blogger is blocked by "the Great Firewall" there so I've been blissfully sequestered in its polluted and overcrowded bubble all summer. Now that I'm back on this side of the Pacific, it's been thrilling to be able to access all-the-glorious-offerings of the internets with reckless abandon and finally get the chance to update this long neglected blog. So without further adieu, let's just jump right back in and pick up where we left off!

Yesterday the temperatures dipped into the sixties and it seems like autumn has officially arrived. I, however, am still trying to cling on to the last semblances of summer, and what more more appropriate of a film to take us back to those hot humid months of days past than THE LONG HOT SUMMER (1958)?

The Long Hot Summer was inspired by the short stories of William Faulkner, namely The Hamlet. Paul Newman stars as down-and-out wanderer Ben Quick with a contentious reputation as a fire-starter who chances upon two lovely young women, Clara Varner (Joanne Woodward) and her sister-in-law Eula (Lee Remick), and hitches a ride with them into the next town where he was hoping to find some work. It turns out that Clara's father Will Varner (Orson Welles) just happens to be the wealthiest man in that town and owns practically all the businesses in it. Ben manages to get in his good graces and ends up working on his plantation, much to the distrust of the shrewd Clara who is wary of strangers and suspects that Ben possesses ulterior motives. Inevitably, a tense romance blossoms between the devastatingly attractive stranger with a questionable past and the straight-laced Miss Goody-two-shoes. Oh, and Angela Lansbury is in this! As Will Varner's mistress! Marvelous.

Why, hello, handsome stranger! Need a ride?

Seriously, how can a girl be expected to resist THIS:

Oh yeah...AND THIS! ::fans self::

Orson Welles as Will Warner, the richest man in town. My girlfriends think I'm crazy but I have always maintained a crush on Orson Welles, even fat old Orson. I don't know, there's just something about him - that sort of larger-than-life personality and that creative genius - that really endears him to me.

Will Varner takes a chance on Ben Quick and hires him to work on his plantation.

"I could get used to this!"

Just sitting around, drinking lemonade and talkin' about men.

Nice wide collar on Joanne Woodward's blue-and-green floral dress.

Lovely soft pink dress with a boat-neck collar and large pink fabric buttons.

I like the pink ribbon wrapped around her hair bun. Very girly and innocent.

Beige checked dress with a wide sailor collar.

It doesn't take long before the charismatic Ben Quick beings to rattle the nerves of straight-laced schoolteacher Clara.

Loving the cat-eye glasses and the schoolmarm attire.

She visits him at night, just as the store is about to close...

Such a beautiful green colour! And so perfectly matched with the gold buttons and her blond hair.

Oh, who to choose? Take a chance on the devastatingly handsome but dubious stranger or play it safe?

Very classy and elegant black velvet cocktail dress.

Not sure why they put her in a tweed skirt and gloves....this is looking a bit African safari for the Deep South.

This is my favorite dress in the whole film.

Love the powder blue sheer chiffon over the white bustier underneath. And such exquisite detail on the white lace trim!

And the back! Everything about this dress is perfect.

Lee Remick's character had on some lovely outfits too.

It's not very visible in this screencap but there is a second layer to the top of this sunflower dress that's in the same fabric but sheer. Gorgeous.

Pink halter dress.

Interesting back construction.

Oh and we mustn't leave out Angela Lansbury's sassy character (and her fabulous outfits).

This first white sundress with the small floral pattern and the silk green trim reminds me a bit of Scarlett O'Hara's green and white picnic dress in the opening scenes of Gone with the Wind.

I think Lansbury's character's dress is a great example of how you can modify the frilliness of Scarlet's dress into something actually wearable.

The collar on this pink dress is lovely. I think there's a term for this type of collar design but I forget...

Since all we did was focus on the clothes in the movie, it would only be proper for us to note that the Costume Design was under the direction of Adele Palmer and Art Direction under Maurice Ransford and Lyle R. Wheeler. Adele Palmer was part of the in-house staff at Republic Pictures, a smaller production company that operated from 1934 through 1959 and was best known for its Westerns, movie serials, and B-films. The studio was also responsible for financing one Shakespeare film, Orson Welles' Macbeth (1948), and several of the films of John Ford during the 1940s and early 1950s, and for developing the careers and star-status of John Wayne, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.While The Long Hot Summer was distributed by 20th Century Fox, I did not know that it was produced in part with Republic Pictures and it was only researching Adele Palmer did I chance upon the history of the latter studio. Learning things every day!

Royal Wedding (1951)

2011-01-13T15:40:00.001-05:00

Greetings, my lovely snow bunnies! My my, what a winter we've had up here in the northeast so far! I went back to visit my folks in Massachusetts over the holidays and we lost power twice due to the blizzards. They were blessings in disguise though because I had forgotten just how wonderful and magical living by candle-light could be (and thankfully our heating system wasn't affected). I hope that y'all had a wonderful New Year's and are staying warm wherever you are!

In about 10 days, I will be embarking on a greatly anticipated adventure across the Atlantic and will be gone for close to a month. Destinations include: Barcelona, Norway (Oslo, Tromsø, Bodø, Bergen) and Poland (Kraków and possibly Wrocław). I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this trip and if you have any travel trips or suggestions on what to do/where to eat, I would love to hear them!

Now that's all said, let's get on with today's movie! This is a bit late in coming but in honor of the recent engagement of Prince William and his long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton, I thought I'd post about the film that immediately popped in my mind when I saw that #royalwedding became one of the top 10 trending tags on Twitter. The film is Royal Wedding, a sweet lil' picture made in 1951 starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell as a brother-sister dancing duo who take their act to London in time for the royal wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Art direction was helmed by Cedric Gibbons and Jack Martin Smith and set decoration by MGM loyalist Edwin B. Willis. The clothes in this film are absolutely lovely. Let's start with Jane Powell's:

Loved the schoolboy-like leather handbag but moreso, check out the vivid blue tie matched with a gray tweed suit jacket on Fred Astaire.

Need an idea for your 4th of July party? How about this outfit?

Hurrah for red suits and dramatic wide-brimmed hats!

I have seen versions of this striped shirt at Banana Republic or Gap countless times.

What I love most about the clothes in the movie is the bright colours on Astaire. That canary yellow cardigan is wonderful on him. Men shouldn't be afraid to wear colour! Take note, GQ!

Just drivin' along, lookin' perfect.

That tan wool coat (although it looks like a cape) with the checked lining and oversized pockets looks so cozy and perfect for the weather right now. I want one!

I love the dress on Powell. Lovely sleeve and button detail. And the tie at the collar.

I believe my mother owns this same outfit. I like the golden clasps on the gray dress.

Here's another view of the gray dress.

Here's a shot of that same outfit with a hunter green wool cape.

Checked blouse.

A view of the back of the blouse.

I wasn't too fond of this pink dress (looked too much like something one would wear to junior prom). And the neck bouquet is a bit awkward.

However, this black dress with the bright yellow waist and the sheer green wrap is to die-for. I also adore the little black hat.

Another bright red dress on Powell. Love the cut of the collar and décolletage.

Moving on to the other female lead: Sarah Churchill plays Anne, Astaire's love interest in this film. If you're thinking, Churchill...could there be any relation to...the answer is, YES. Sarah was Winston Churchill's daughter!

Here she is, among other dancers during an audition.

This is the first time I have encountered Sarah Churchill in a film and I was pleasantly surprised by her understated performance in it. Since I didn't know who she was at first, I thought, she must be a famous dancer....because it seemed rather unusual for an actress of say, her peculiar looks, to be cast in such a coveted role alongside Mr. Astaire. I also wondered if her influential connections were partially responsible for her screen and stage career...but nevertheless, I did greatly appreciate the contrast she brought to the film. One would expect a pretty young starlet to be Astaire's love interest but instead we were given a more "matured" woman (Churchill was 37 at the time) and this made the romance far more realistic and shall we say, endearing.

It's interesting how plain the clothes were that Churchill was given to wear. Was this to highlight Britain's pragmatism in contrast to Hollywood's flair for glamour? We see her character mostly decked out in drab, matronly boxy suit-dresses.

Here are a few images of some of the outfits worn by the other male characters in this film (I'm saving Fred for last).

Great pop of colour in that striped scarf the cabbie is sportin'.

Quintessential English gentleman's three-piece tweed suit, with hat and cane!

Same character as from above, slightly different outfit and here we see his shoes! What is that particular style called again? They look like oxfords but it seems like the top part is made out of fabric?

That tie on the guy in the middle screams Versace....It's not though.

Tan suit + burgundy tie combos.

And last but not least, the legendary Mr. Astaire himself! We've already seen him (and his outfits) in several of the screencaps above but there are a few of just him by himself.

Key word: Colour!

Matching neck scarf and belt (the belt being not a traditional belt at all).

Again, notice his belt is actually a cord looped around twice and tied to the side.

So dapper!

Alright, so there was a bit of camera magic involved....

But still so cool!

Overall, this is a fun little movie that I hope all of you get the chance to check out one of these days. Okay, that's all for now, folks. Have a great weekend!

Bungalow Restorations

2010-12-16T14:03:00.005-05:00

Updates:

I. I have just upgraded to a pro account on flickr, which means 1) you now have access to all the screencap archives and 2) you are able to view and download those images in their largest size (just click on "view all sizes").

II. I also realize that my labels are pretty disorganized and I really do apologize for that. One of these days I'm going to have to go through each blog post and re-tag everything. The obvious classifications include time period, location, and starring actors but I would like to add appropriate design-related tags for frequently reoccurring motifs -- such as a specific costume item (i.e. fedoras, gowns, trench coats, etc) or a particular set piece or prop (i.e. vintage cars, victorian houses, cigarettes, etc.). I've already started doing the latter but the problem is that I haven't been consistent in tagging so a big re-do is definitely in order.

Anyways....
- - - - - -
New followers may not remember this but this little site started out as a production design blog focusing on sets and props in films before it evolved to include costumes and styling. It's been a while since I've posted anything related to interior design and I thought it would be nice to indulge a bit in that for today while I try to finish up an entry on a soon-to-be-revealed film starring Fred Astaire.

It was a great pleasure for me to open up my browser this morning and stumble across this link on Old House Journal (a magazine I subscribe to and love) featuring some adorable bungalow restorations, which I thought you might enjoy as well. Bungalows - especially those of the Craftsman variety - rank among my top five favorite architectural styles. It is also probably the most attainable out of all my outlandish home-owning dreams. What I love about well restored bungalows is that many of them contain toned-down versions of the same elements that you would find in grander homes, such as stained glass windows, wood paneling and wainscoting, hand-crafted staircases, historic fireplace mantels, and exquisite colonnades.

gorgeous columned trim molding separating the dining room from the living room

very nice wainscotting and a lovely custard-salmon color combination

love the detailing on the glass windowpanes

notice the stained glass panels in the wainscoting

you can never have enough wainscoting!

simply breathtaking ballisters

vintage stove

charming pale olive green cabinetry with bright, colorful dishes inside

dark honey cabinetry set against pale olive green panels adds to the coziness of this kitchen

[source]

Gilda (1946)

2010-11-16T12:33:00.006-05:00

Now those of you who have been following this little blog know that I rarely post any screencaps from black & white films and I made that decision a long time ago because I thought the monochromaticism would render the details [in both the costumes and set pieces] difficult to see and thus, would not be very useful to you all. Well, I'm not sure why I stuck to the notion that b+w wouldn't interest my readers because there is TONS of great inspiration in these pictures so from now on, I will definitely start posting more from these kinds of films! And at the very least, perhaps just by looking at the images, those of you who have not seen the films might be encouraged to seek them out and if I can get only just a few more people interested in old classic b+w movies, then I can rest better at night knowing that I'm doing my part in bringing back these wonderful forgotten gems into the consciousness of the viewing public. :)

So let's start with Gilda (1946), a thrilling love story directed by Charles Vidor and starring the radiant Rita Hayworth and the legendary Glenn Ford. The story opens in Argentina and follows Johnny (Ford) as a down-and-out gambler who is saved from a gunman by feared casino boss Ballin (George Macready). Johnny owes Ballin for getting him back on his feet and shows his gratitude by eventually becoming Ballin's loyal right-hand man. All is well and good until Ballin comes back from a trip one day with a new wife - Gilda (Hayworth), who turns out was Johnny's ex-girlfriend. Hello, tension!

"Let me introduce you to my new wife, Gilda."

Oh crap.

Check out that night-gown.

Johnny and Gilda have what can be described as the classic "love-hate" relationship. We don't know much about their past together but we can tell that it was intense and passionate and most of all, troubled. Ballin entrusts Gilda into Johnny's care, which causes Johnny quite a bit of grief since he becomes torn between his respect and loyalty to Ballin and his undeniable residual attraction to Gilda. Meanwhile, Gilda tries to make Johnny's job miserable out of spite by gallivanting across town with a series of bachelors and singing/dancing at nightclubs. And the rest of the story involves a nice string of arguments, face-slapping, corrupt business dealings, and murder (but I won't tell you whose!)

Hmm, stockings. Always sexy.

The costume designer for this film was the Jean Louis whose creation of this famed black gown (below) propelled his career to skyrocketing new heights in the industry. He eventually also married Loretta Young.

This gown is one of the most well-known pieces in film history.

Lovely white coat. Women should "drape" coats on their shoulders more often, methinks. It just looks so chic.

Wearing your fur coat over just one shoulder was also popular.

Interesting how this style of strapless dress with the gathered bust remains a timeless classic even to this day.

Fantastic glittering metallic sequined coat.

It would be too loud to wear a full-length version of this glittering coat nowadays but I see lots of women wear short or cropped sequined jackets.

This is an amazing grecian-inspired gown. It just so perfectly tailored to her body.

More sequins! I love the cut of this dress. In my mind, I imagined the body to be an ivory color and the trims, gold.

It was rumored that Rita Hayworth sang all the songs heard in the film but unfortunately that was later noted to be false. She was just great at lip-synching.

I love the matching belt and wristband. Sort of gladiator-esque.

I think the webbing detail is very interesting but I'm not a fan of the "two-tone busts."

Here again we see a similar gown with a two-toned bust. I think the two-tone bust idea is fine if the colors are carried out down the rest of the dress but otherwise it looks a bit awkward to me...

Veil!

Pin-striped suit dress.

sheer white blouse

same sheer white blouse with a gigantic rhinestone belt

Anyway, Gilda is a great film that I think everyone should see. I hope you enjoyed these screencaps and let me know if you think including b+w films in this blog is a good idea!

Oh Rita, you are just perfection!

Cracks (2009)

2010-11-11T13:22:00.005-05:00

I'm going to make a confession: I have a major girl crush on Eva Green. What is it about French women that makes you just stop in your tracks, turn your head and just stare? and Marion Cotillard! Mélanie Laurent! I am loving the current crop of French actresses gracing our screens these days! And to be honest, I would've never even heard of the movie Cracks had I not have been watching an interview with Eva Green describing her attempts to master an English accent for a new role set at a secluded all-girls boarding school in the 1930s. My interest immediately piqued: 1930s? boarding-school? What is this movie?! I MUST SEE IT.

The film Cracks was actually inspired by a book of the same name by Sheila Kohler. The original story was set in South Africa instead of England and correct me if I'm wrong ('cos I haven't read the book), not during the 1930s. I'm not sure why the filmmakers decided to totally change the setting and time period of the story - perhaps to make it more visually interesting? - but I'm really glad they did because the styling of this film was absolutely gorgeous!

And then even though it was supposed to be set in England, much of the film was actually shot in Ireland. According to sources, two real-life fully functioning schools were used for many of the exterior and interior scenes: St. Columba's College in Dublin and the Headfort School in Kells. Having visited Ireland myself, I cannot begin to tell you how much these images make me miss the lush, green countryside of the UK.

I love everything that these girls are wearing. And I love especially the pairing of a yellow scarf against a brown tweed coat (notice the interior lining of the coat is a muted orange - awesome!).

Eva Green plays the spirited Miss G - a beautiful young teacher who comes off as the embodiment of courage, passion, and adventure. She regales her pupils with thrilling tales of her romances with heroic explorers and escapades to exotic far away lands - and they soak it all up with open ears and eager hearts. The girls love Miss G. They adore her to bits. She is the woman they all want to grow up to be and she takes great pride in encouraging them to take hold of their lives and reach for the stars. (heck, I'd want to be Miss G too, if only just to look like Eva Green!)

I love the metallic shell-patterned top and the long chain necklace worn with high-waisted trousers.

The production was helmed by designer Ben Scott, art direction by Bill Crutcher (Bleak House, Nanny McPhee Returns), and costumes by Alison Byrne. The key hair stylist was Orla Carro l, who was also part of the hairdressing team on Evita (1996) - yes, that one with Madonna.

Starring aside Eva Green were her high-waisted wide-leg trousers - much to my delight! As someone who wears pants 99% of the time, I have to proclaim that the late 1930s is by far my absolute favorite decade in terms of wearable fashion inspiration (think Marlene Dietrich, Amelia Earhart). There is just something very assertive, very "modern" about trousers that I simply love. Pair with it a pretty blouse or a shiny accessory, such as a colorful scarf or headband or jewelry, and you have all the trappings of a flirty feminine outfit underscored by a feisty masculine edge.

I'll take one of the gorgeous teal tops with the scalloped sleeves, please!

Eva Green makes headscarves look so chic. I'm afraid I'd just end up looking like a misplaced hippie.

Not sure if I can pull off the bright floral blouse but I love the black and white top-trouser combination. White trousers should be worn more often, me thinks...

I like her make-up here...especially that shade of lipstick with the orange undertones.

You can't really see the detail in this shot but those are some fierce white ankle boots she's sportin'.

Great striped jacket.

Things are all well and good until the sudden arrival of a new student from Spain. The daughter of high ranking aristocrats, Fiamma was sent off to this isolated English boarding school when her parents discovered that she was having a "scandalous" affair with a boy from an inferior class.

Is it just me or does she look like a young Isabella Rossellini here?

It didn't take long for the well-traveled, cultured Fiamma to challenge the sophistication of Miss G and incite tension with the rest of the girls. I don't want to give any more away so I'm going to stop here with the plot summary.

Oh, by the way, this is Miss G's room. Isn't it just marvelous?

The story was a simple, straight-forward one but I really enjoyed it and thought Eva Green (as well as the rest of the cast) gave a great performance. Go dig it up - I highly recommend it!

Here Miss G is clearly unraveled by the something Fiamma did (won't tell you what!) but let's focus on her gorgeous silk robe instead, shall we?

Even though Miss G wore trousers most of the time, she was also frequently seen in dresses. Here are some of them:

See, it is possible for an outfit to cover up practically every inch of your body and still be sexy. This gray tweed dress is amazing.

cute hat.

She looks a tad bit like Catherine Zeta-Jones here in this red dress.

This black dress is by far my favorite of hers.

I was racking my brain for more films set in girls' boarding schools and the only one that really stood out to me that could compare with this one is maybe The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), starring Maggie Smith. The Children's Hour (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine also comes to mind. I find it interesting how there are so many movies about boys' boarding schools (I can name half a dozen off the top of my head immediately) but for some reason, there aren't nearly as many for girls. As someone who went to a public secondary school, I'm totally fascinated by the boarding school experience that I never had and would watch any movie set in one. Even horror films like Suspiria (1977). That said, if any you have recommendations for other girls' boarding school flicks, I'd love to hear them! :D

Not lookin' too good here, Miss G, but your trench is rockin'.

Easy Virtue (2008)

2010-09-12T01:02:00.003-04:00

Time got away from me again and I'm truly sorry for the lack of updates. It seems like I begin every post now with an apology! A very big and sincere thank you to those who left comments or emailed me about my expired flickr account - I feel so blessed to have such wonderful and encouraging readers. I've also set up a "donate" button in the sidebar for anyone who wishes to contribute however many pennies they'd like to this blog (took me a while to figure out how to do this! I hope it works!). I'm also open to sponsorship advertisements if anyone is interested in buying some banner space - but have no fear, readers, I promise not to insert ads between posts. Everything will be kept as clean and streamlined as before. Thank you all again for reading and I hope to make the updates much more informative and frequent in the future!

Alright, now that that is out of the way, let's get onto the movie!

The recent film Easy Virtue is an screen adaptation of Noel Coward's play by the same name. He wrote it in 1924 when he was only 25 years old! Alfred Hitchcock also made it into a silent film in 1928. This 2008 version, 80 years later, stars Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kirstin Scott Thomas and fresh face Ben Barnes.

Production design was helmed by John Beard and costume design by Charlotte Walter. The film was shot partially at Ealing Studios (London) and partially at three grand English estates: Flintham Hall (Nottinghamshire), Englefield House (Berkshire) and Wimpole Hall (Cambridgeshire). Of all of these, Wimpole seems to be the only one open to the public but Englefield allows you to at least tour the estate's expansive grounds.

The story centers around recently widowed Larita (Biel), a feisty American race car driver who marries young English aristocrat John (Barnes) after a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo. John then brings her home to meet his stereotypically "stuffy" English parents at their grand country estate. While his father (Firth) is rather taken by Larita's "modernness," his old-fashioned mother (Scott Thomas) develops an intense loathing for her son's new wife. Hilarity then ensues.

Cloches abound! And I love her wide-collar fur stole/coat (even though I'm against wearing fur).

Meet my mother and sisters! "Oh dear god, she's an American."

While her acting is a whole other issue, Jessica Biel looked absolutely stunning in this film. Since she was supposed to be a professional race car driver, her wardrobe had a masculine edge to it - think Marlene Dietrich and Amelia Earhart. Fedoras, leather bombers, cropped jackets, pant-suits, wide-legged trousers - in fact, her character only wore a dress when the occasion demanded it (that is, at formal dinners and parties). As someone who also wears trousers 99% of the time, I was in pure heaven.

This shot is so iconic.

Love the gray fur neck wrap (I wouldn't mind wearing fake fur).

She looks like a female Indiana Jones here. Love.

A zoom out of the shot from above so you can see more of her leather jacket.

Love the high-waisted wide-legged trousers.

a zoom out of the shot from above so you can better see her trousers.

Beautiful navy scarf with golden elephants.

A zoom out of the above shot so you can see the way she wore the scarf.

I really liked this slouchy ivory blouse that she wore in several scenes.

It's sort of like a jacket but seems thin enough to be worn also as a blouse.

I think it works best if you have a flatter chest though.

Here she is in a dark geometric sweater.

Again - high waisted wide-legged trousers, this time in gray herringbone tweed.

If you haven't noticed already, she wears a lot of black and white. The wide sequined collar and black drop earrings, however, add the dramatic effect needed to offset the monochromatic colors.

Here she is in a full riding getup -blazer, vest, ascot, hat and all - before a traditional foxhunt.

Some of the other girls' outfits for the hunt. I love everyone's vests!

Back to the leather bombers and oversized scarves.

Beige driving gloves to match her beige leather jacket.

More wide-legged trousers with matching white gloves and cloche.

Blouse and vest. Always with a cigarette in hand.

If my memory serves me correctly, Larita only wore two dresses in this film (she did wear a "costume" for a can-can routine but that wasn't really notable). I love this sleeky metallic art deco-inspired strappy number but unfortunately there wasn't a good shot of it in its entirety.

This ivory gown was also quite a standout, especially against her platinum blond hair and ruby red lips.

What a lovely rhinestone hair brooch.

The wardrobe for Larita's British counterparts were all rather drab in comparison, and rightly so because ostentatious glamour was looked down upon by the country residing blue-bloods. This was also set shortly after WWI and the economic devastation the war had on its survivors was felt across all class levels. John's parents and sisters were predominantly dressed in somber gray wools and tweeds.

Here is John sitting with his childhood friend (and neighbor) in matching russet knits.

Only for very special occasions, such as this party and the dinner scene in the screencap after this one, did John's mother and sisters dress up. Not to say that Larita's everyday outfits were "dressy" but they were definitely trendier and more put-together.

Overall, I thought the look of the film was spot-on. The costumes were absolutely gorgeous and every frame was a feast for the eyes. As for the performances, Colin Firth and Kirstin Scott Thomas were perfection but Jessica Biel fell flat...I hate to be overly critical but I honestly think she was miscast. Her character was supposed to be a bold, sassy American broad who drives race cars for a living. She was also freshly widowed, after losing her first husband to cancer. Burdened by grief but still strong in spirit, she hastily rebounds with a man many years her junior as an attempt to revitalize herself and move on with her life. Even though this is supposed to be a comedy, there are still layers to her character that shouldn't be passed over. In my mind, I picture someone like Barbara Stanwyck or Ginger Rogers - someone who is equally adept at both comedy and drama - which actress between the ages of 28-35 would be the modern embodiment of that? I'm not even sure...but unfortunately, it's not Jessica Biel. But I do recommend the film - again, based on the visuals alone.

Miss Marple - Why didn't they ask Evans (2009)

2010-08-10T07:50:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for being absent - it turns out my flickr pro account expired so I wasn't able to upload any more photos last month. I know that $24.95/year isn't that much to shell out but I already have two other personal accounts that I do pay for so I'm a bit reluctant to continue paying for this one....ugh, is that horribly stingy of me? :( Well, what does this mean for you? It just means that you will only be able to see my most recent 200 images if you browse my flickr. The screencaps in my old blog posts won't disappear but when you click on them to see a larger version, it will take you to a blank flickr page instead. I considered adding a donations button for this site and seeing how I have 58 followers, if just half of you would contribute a $1, that would take care of the flickr hosting issue...but I don't know...is that a terrible blogging faux-pas? :-/ Well, let me know what you think - would any of you actually be willing to donate? I always appreciate any sort of feedback. Thanks!

In the meantime, I'm going to leave you with a few screencaps from a recent Miss Marple episode that I just watched. Personally Joan Hickson will always be Miss Marple to me, just as Jeremy Brett will always be Sherlock Holmes, but Julia McKenzie isn't a bad replacement. I didn't care much for the episode - it was rather confusing and may I say, kind of dull - but the costumes were gorgeous, as usual.

Beautiful hairstyle.

Nice wheels!

Cat-eye glasses, please make a come-back now!

I like her knitted gloves.

What a striking statement this single yellow rose makes against a monochromatic gray tweed suit. Don't you wish more men would pin flowers to their jackets?

Poirot - After the Funeral (2006)

2010-07-16T01:21:00.005-04:00

Hello! Salutations! My goodness, was my last post really in April?! Yikes! I hope you're all doing well. I see my little blog has picked up a few more followers in the meantime - how lovely! Spread the word, folks!

Last night I had a Poirot marathon and watched three episodes in one sitting. At 1hr 30min each, that's quite a lot of sitting! I thought I'd share a few screencaps with you while I prepare a lengthier, more detailed post on a film soon to be revealed within the next couple of weeks. The set dressing/props and costumes/styling of these Poirot episodes are always wonderful and I constantly use them as sources for inspiration.

This particular episode is called "After the Funeral" (episode 3 of season 10). Poirot was called to a country estate to investigate the death of a wealthy gentleman after his funeral. And when the terms of his will reveal that he had suddenly disinherited his favorite nephew in favor of dividing the wealth equally among his other relatives, suspicions of murder arise!

The production designer for this episode was Jeff Tessler and the costume designer was Sheena Napier. Both have also worked on the Miss Marple series as well.

Below is the same dress (from above) but the collar-scarf is now tied.

Let's bring back the silk scarf in menswear!

Interesting detail on her hat:

Another blouse where the collar has an attached scarf-tie. I love these!

Knitted blouse:

Close-up on the decoration on the hat.

Vintage hairstyle:

Another vintage hairstyle.

Not sure of the style of this hat. It kind of looks like a cloche but doesn't quite come down far enough over the ears.

I've seen this striped lampshade (left) in several of the Poirot episodes!

Lounging around, drinking cocktails after dinner.

Lovely chess set:

Green dress:

Here are a few sceencaps of the country cottage. Note the ornate Victorian chair on the left.

Dark wood paneling:

Having a sink in your bedroom was common back in the day.

Gorgeous vintage desk lamp (right):

Notice the gold clock in the background.

Tea and a good book. That is all one needs!

And there we have it, a lil' something to hold you over. I have screencaps from the other two Poirot episodes as well and I'll upload those later this week. Cheers!

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

2010-04-05T03:18:00.010-04:00

You know, there are a lot of films with the world "heaven" in the title and I would always get Leave Her to Heaven (1945) and Heaven Can Wait (1943) mixed up because they both star Gene Tierney, although as very different characters. Gene Tierney takes the honour of being my first "female crush" - I vividly remember seeing her in Laura (1944) when I was six years old and thinking, "oh my god! how is it possible for a woman to be that beautiful?!" As a child, she was my favorite actress simply because I thought she was pretty and it was only when I was older that I realized, she was actually not that great of an actress. Not compared to say, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, or Ingrid Bergman - all of whom had far better range but whom I didn't discover until much later.

For the most part Gene Tierney was given rather stock characters - generally the beautiful and more distinctively, the good damsel in distress whose reputation hangs on integrity and valor of her male costar. This is why it was so refreshing to see her as the psychotic and even, malicious female protagonist in Leave Her to Heaven, for which she was duly nominated for an Academy Award in 1946.

In Leave Her to Heaven, Tierney plays the young, wealthy Ellen Berent who meets the handsome writer Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) by chance on the train. The two immediately fall madly in love with one another and marry soon after. They then move to Maine and take up residence in a small cabin by a lake so Richard can concentrate on writing but what began as a fairy tale quickly turns into a nightmare.

pretty girl asleep on the train

boy is immediately spellbound

talk about glamourous white fur! (even though i'm against fur). notice her white gloves too.

boy strikes up a conversation and follows her off the train

inevitably, boy ends up meeting the girl's family who came to pick her up from the station

amazing mandarin styled dress with an asymmetrically gathered skirt and painted details

boy gets invited back to girl's family ranch. have profound conversations under the night sky. gets married.

see, honey, i am the perfect wife! look at this amazing table of food!

interesting hat. like the gold choker.

so happy!

it's not everyday you see someone being able to pull off salmon colored pants

boy and girl move into a small cabin in the woods so boy can write.

boy introduces girl to his crippled nephew

i want this light blue knitted dress. love the belt detail:

girl tries her best to take care of the nephew

it has now become a life goal of mine to acquire a headboard just like this one with the sailing wheel

nephew joins them up at the cabin. the walls are thin...

boy meets girl's very pretty cousin.

cousin likes to garden a lot. cousin also comes to join them up at the cabin.

did i mention, cousin was very pretty?

hmmm...frenemies.

love the exaggerated vest

girl becomes jealous. so many people diverting her boy's attention.

lovely mandarin styled quilted robe

paranoia sets in.

i see you...

gorgeous lace nightgown with silk chiffon skirt

sometimes i just like to watch you sleep

sleep, my pretty, sleep...

worried

monogram detail

pensive

why are you people looking at me that way?!

brooding

crazy eyes

Gene Tierney gave a wonderfully complex and layered performance as the paranoid obsessive Ellen, seesawing between coming off as outright malicious to just a pitiful psychotic capable of garnering sympathy from the horrified viewer. I highly recommend this film. It's a tad slow but Tierney's performance was so riveting that I barely even noticed. Without spoiling the ending for you, I'd like to move on by showing you some other screencaps of the interior spaces and other random bits.

Below are some images of the seaside cottage that they moved into after they departed from the mountain in the woods. The interior was decked out in various florals and botanticals (wallpaper, sofa, chairs, etc).

My favorite room was the nursery. I love the handpainted mural and the soothing taupe colored walls.

What adorable toys over the mantel!

Here are a few shots of Jeanne Crain as Ellen's cousin Ruth. I first saw Crain in Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) and later noticed her in A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and The Fan (1949). Unfortunately I haven't seen much of her work after 1950.

cute hat

very nice white dress. love the tie waist and the puff in the sleeves.

A few more of Gene Tierney:

love this whimsical hat and the light blue trim on the jacket

nice light blue satin "house slippers."

Do you look this cool when rowing a boat? Probably not. I think she's actually wearing a terry cloth robe because if I remember correctly, she had on a bathing suit underneath.

Alright, that's all, folks! Sorry it took EONS for me to update this blog. I've been tremendously busy.

update

2010-03-17T07:43:00.003-04:00

I'm so sorry for not having updated in AGES. I've been incredibly busy. So instead of letting this blog die, I'm going to ask for any volunteers interested in helping me get this back up and running again to please contact me. email: sundaymorning501@yahoo.com

I think the area I need the most help on would be the writing. I can edit the screen captures pretty quickly but it takes me a long time to research information on the production design so if anyone wants to help me out with that, I'd be everso grateful!

Anyway, please let me know if you'd like to be a contributing author. Merci!

Far from Heaven (2002)

2010-01-18T20:11:00.002-05:00

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 10
Performances/Direction = 8.5

As we trudge through the gray dreariness of winter, I thought it would be a nice idea to infuse a bit of life back to this blog with a film that is brimming with rich, vibrant colors. Behold, the award-winning Far from Heaven starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Dennis Haysbert!

Far from Heaven is set in 1950s Connecticut and centers on "Cathy Whitaker" (Julianne Moore), who is the picture perfect, socially esteemed suburban housewife of a successful advertising executive (Dennis Quaid). With a beautiful home, two obedient children, a shiny automobile, and even an obedient black maid, Cathy's world is the stuff Town & Country articles are made of.

In fact, to emphasize this, here she is being interviewed and photographed for the local paper:

The film is set in autumn and takes full cinematic advantage of the luscious colors of the season. In this particularly memorable scene below, Cathy and her friends are wearing beautiful, coordinating shades of russet, rose and umber.

However, the autumnal setting, which provides the film with a vibrant and rich colour palette that the costumes and set designs play off throughout, hints at the decadence beneath the surface beauty of this suburban life. It should come as little surprise that quicker than you can say John Cheever, Cathy’s hermetically sealed universe is torn asunder by twinned-revelations: Her husband Frank (Dennis Quaid) has been leading a "secret life", while Cathy has simultaneously found herself drawn to her black gardener Raymond Deacon (Dennis Haysbert). [source]

Below is Cathy's husband Frank cruising seedy bars while she thinks he's working late at the office:

Here below is Cathy and Frank, surrounded by their friends, at a cocktail party. It's interesting to note that Julianne Moore was six months pregnant when she filmed this movie. Her baby bump wasn't that obvious except for in a couple of scenes like this one where if you look closely enough, you may notice a wider-than-expected waist.

On the outside, everyone looks beautiful and happy.

But the external glamour is offset by a dark undercurrent of emotional turmoil.

Even though their relationship was entirely platonic at first, it was still seen as socially unacceptable for a white woman to be conversing on such "familiar" terms with a black man, especially in a public space.

Nasty gossip soon spread throughout the town and Cathy and her family were quickly shunned by their so-called friends.

love the white rimmed tangerine shades on Cathy

I knew that Connecticut has a long history of being socially conservative and but I did not know that a few towns (Darian most notably) once upheld the "sundown" policy that forbade "people of color" (which at times included Jews) from staying within the town's borders after sundown. This film doesn't touch on this particular "law" but it does point to a very realistic portrayal of the segregation attitudes that were still rampant in the 1950s.

Some shots of the exterior and interior sets:

mid-century furnishings:

oriental figure lamps:

an attempt at having a normal, happy Christmas morning:

Some of my friends didn't "get" the movie and thought it was too exaggerated and reminiscent of the melodramas of 1950s. It's interesting to note that this was actually the director's intention! Todd Haynes was very much paying an homage to the films of Douglas Sirk, with an obvious nod to the 1955 picture All That Heaven Allows starring Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman (which was also about "forbidden love.")

I thought this movie was near perfect and Julianne Moore crafted an amazing, layered performance. Sure there script had some flaws and there a few minor scenes that did not ring true but the overall package was truly commendable.

A Child's Christmas In Wales (1987)

2009-12-14T00:42:00.001-05:00

The temperatures in the city have taken a steep dive and it looks like winter is finally here. As I sit typing, the wind is tearing away at the window panes and it's nights like these that I feel the need to snuggle up to a good movie that "warms me from the inside." And since the holiday season is officially upon us, I can think of no more appropriate one than A Child's Christmas in Wales, adapted to the small screen from the famous Dylan Thomas poem of the same name.

Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) began his writing career as a journalist in his native town of Swansea, Wales. He then moved to London where he worked in broadcasting and wrote film scripts, prose and drama to earn enough money to enable him to write what he most wanted to -- poetry. In December 1934 his first book of poetry, "Eighteen Poems," appeared to critical acclaim. During his fourth lecture tour of the United States, in 1953, and a few days after his 39th birthday, he collapsed in his New York hotel. He died on Nov. 9 at St. Vincent's Hospital. His body was sent back to Laugharne, Wales, where his grave is marked by a simple wooden cross. [source]

Dylan Thomas' nostalgic poem strings together a loose assortment of holiday memories from his childhood, narrated by an aging grandfather (Denholm Elliott) to his young grandson on Christmas Eve. Director Don McBrearty did a fine job of crafting an adaptation that captures of the spirit of Thomas' work, with all the heart of the original without the sappiness or commercial undertones typical of holiday movies.

"Years and years ago, when I was a boy, when there were wolves in Wales, and birds the color of red-flannel petticoats whisked past the harp-shaped hills, when we sang and wallowed all night and day in caves that smelt like Sunday afternoons in damp front farmhouse parlors, and we chased, with the jawbones of deacons, the English and the bears, before the motor car, before the wheel, before the duchess-faced horse, when we rode the daft and happy hills bareback, it snowed and it snowed. But here a small boy says: "It snowed last year, too. I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea."

"Our snow was not only shaken from white wash buckets down the sky, it came shawling out of the ground and swam and drifted out of the arms and hands and bodies of the trees; snow grew overnight on the roofs of the houses like a pure and grandfather moss, minutely -ivied the walls and settled on the postman, opening the gate, like a dumb, numb thunder-storm of white, torn Christmas cards."

"But we only called the fire brigade, and soon the fire engine came and three tall men in helmets brought a hose into the house..."

"And the cold postman, with a rose on his button-nose, tingled down the tea-tray-slithered run of the chilly glinting hill. He went in his ice-bound boots like a man on fishmonger's slabs."

"Sometimes two hale young men, with big pipes blazing, no overcoats and wind blown scarfs, would trudge, unspeaking, down to the forlorn sea, to work up an appetite, to blow away the fumes, who knows..."

"...to walk into the waves until nothing of them was left but the two furling smoke clouds of their inextinguishable briars."

"An old man always, fawn-bowlered, yellow-gloved and, at this time of year, with spats of snow, would take his constitutional to the white bowling green and back, as he would take it wet or fire on Christmas Day or Doomsday..."

"There were the Useful Presents: engulfing mufflers of the old coach days, and mittens made for giant sloths...and once I had a little crocheted nose bag from an aunt now, alas, no longer whinnying with us."

"Go on the Useless Presents."

"Bags of moist and many-colored jelly babies and a folded flag and a false nose and a tram-conductor's cap.... Hardboileds, toffee, fudge and allsorts, crunches, cracknels, humbugs, glaciers, marzipan, and butterwelsh for the Welsh."

"And Snakes-and-Families and Happy Ladders. And Easy Hobbi-Games for Little Engineers, complete with instructions. Oh, easy for Leonardo!"

"And troops of bright tin soldiers who, if they could not fight, could always run."

"For dinner we had turkey and blazing pudding, and after dinner the Uncles sat in front of the fire, loosened all buttons, put their large moist hands over their watch chains, groaned a little and slept. Mothers, aunts and sisters scuttled to and fro, bearing tureens."

"I would blow up balloons to see how big they would blow up to; and, when they burst, which they all did, the Uncles jumped and rumbled."

"Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steady falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept."

To read the poem in its entirety, click here. And of course, poems are made to be read aloud so I've uploaded an audio file of Dylan Thomas himself reading his work. There is a beautiful rhythm to this poem that you simply must hear to in order to fully appreciate. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

>> download (free) Dylan Thomas reading A Child's Christmas in Wales

Practical Magic (1998)

2009-12-05T16:15:00.008-05:00

So Thanksgiving just passed, everyone is decorating for Christmas, and here I am trying to finish the write-up for that second Halloween post. :::sigh:::

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 10
Performances/Direction = 5.5

The film is Practical Magic (1998) and stars Hollywood heavy weights Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock as sister witches under the care of two eccentric aunts (Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing). It is based on the book by Alice Hoffman.

Where this movie fails in plot, it makes up for in spectacular production/art design. When I first saw this movie a decade ago, I fell head-over-heels in love with the magnificent Victorian house featured in it. The production designer in charge of the overall look for this film was Robin Standefer, who has since branched away from designing for films and opened up her own firm (Roman and Williams) with her partner Stephen Alesch here in Manhattan.

According to the production notes, this house does not exist in real life. It was constructed entirely from the ground up on a small plot of land on Washington's San Juan Island for the purposes of this movie. It basically served as an gorgeous but empty shell and was quickly torn down after the production wrapped.

This below image is not a screencap. It's a production still but it gives you another perspective of the house that is not shown in the movie. Seriously, this is my dream house.

The movie starts off with Sally (Bullock) and Gilly (Kidman) as young girls who were sent to live with their Aunts after their parents died. A curse runs in their family which causes the female descendants to continuously lose the men they love (generally through freak accidents). When their father died, their mother "died of a broken heart" so Sally and Gilly were orphaned.

However, living with their kooky aunts actually looks really fun. They get to have chocolate cake for breakfast, learn how to do spells, and have frequent feasts out on the lawn.

Such beautiful, warm autumnal colors.

the "chairs" the girls are sitting on were carved from tree trunks

notice the little black kitten on the table!

white lace gloves on a breezy summer's day

love her gigantic floppy hat and the green tunic goes so well with her red hair

The interior of the house is traditionally Victorian, but surprisingly not entirely dark and stuffy. While the entry contains dark wood paneling and ornate moldings and the parlor is furnished with leather chairs, the rest of the house is actually quite bright and airy, especially the kitchen which you'll see later.

What a clever seating nook nestled at the foot of the stairs.

The dining room contains a large spinning wheel and spools of wool and yarn for weaving.

Again, the dining room. I love the row of rectangular panels with the botanical inlay (part of the wainscoting).

This is Sally, standing in the entryway, looking into the parlor. Love the newel post at the end of the handrail.

This is the parlor. The walls are adorned with botanical print wallpaper and anchored with dark wood wainscoting.

The dizzying staircase that winds up from the first floor all the way up to the attic. I am not loving the dark wood & white rail combination for some reason...I'm not entirely sure why yet.

This is the attic. The stairs then lead up the the "watch tower."

The attic contains extra beds. It looks rustic and cozy. Lots of dried flowers and herbs decorate the room.

And now we come to my favorite part of the house: the kitchen. This space is amazing and it has now permanently imprinted itself as my fantasy kitchen. Designer Robin Standefer currently has a similar, although more modern and streamlined, version of this in her own New York loft, which you can see HERE.

Unlike traditional Victorian kitchens, this one has a more modern flair. The cabinetry is painted in a creamy white color and even more openness is achieved with see-through glass panels.

A close-up of the cabinetry. Dish rack on the counter suggests they don't have a dishwasher.

An old vintage corded phone hangs in the corner. No modern 6-set wireless in this house!

Beige tiles flank one wall of the kitchen. There is also lots of open shelving. A large wooden island is stationed in the middle.

Those pears looks so delicious....they were probably fake. :::sigh:::

The large island is big enough to laid an entire person. Just your typical night in this witchy household. Rain and thunderstorms. Trying to raise the dead. La-dee-dah.

More spellcasting. Now with the help of friends! Love all the plants and bell jars on the table.

I'd love to find out what model the stove is because the piping tells me it can't be modern. It has to be some sort of fantastic antique cast-iron piece but there wasn't a good shot of it.

Here is a better look at the stove area. Love all the copper pots & pans and the various dried herbs.

The kitchen expands into a breakfast area, which overlooks the garden.

Here they are, peering out of that window in the breakfast room. Also, more botanical patterns.

Same breakfast area. Lovely light pink roses on the table. Very soft, feminine color scheme they have going here in the kitchen.

There is also a huge butler's pantry which houses hundreds of bottles of herbs. Instead of cream, they opted for a more traditional cherry finish on the cabinets.

A closer view of the herbs. Cabinet doors are glass instead of wood to enable more efficient ingredient locating.

The kitchen also opens up to a beautiful conservatory.

Here is Sally peering into the conservatory from the kitchen.

Having the conservatory attached to the house is actually a very convenient feature because you wouldn't have to brave the cold during the winter to check on your seedlings. It also makes it easier to run from the stove while you're cooking to snip off some herbs to add to your pot.

A top-down view. By the way, those are rose petals scattered all over the floor. And there is a wire basket to hold fresh hen eggs.

At night, the room seems magical, doesn't it?

Here's a exterior shot of the conservatory at night.

Then there is the outside of the house - the gardens and the surrounding environs. From the porch you can see that the house is situated next to the ocean.

A large arbor, shady arbor for relaxing under.

Here is a view of the vegetable garden enclosed by a white picket fence. The smoke is from a large bonfire Sally made to burn away extraneous (cut) branches.

A finally, a quick look at the wardrobe pieces. While Gilly and Sally wore contemporary clothes, the Aunts seem to be stuck in a different time period. Staples for them included large hats, exquisite lace embroidered dresses, and ornate jewelry. Aunt Jet (Dianne Wiest) was generally restricted to neutral colors (lots of white and beige) while Aunt Frances (Stockard Channing) wore bright, bold colors (I liked the latter more).

Fantastic earring+necklace set on Aunt Frances (left). It looks like dark green jade? Malachite?

Imagine actually gardening in those heavy dresses and hats. A bit impractical to say the least.

Here they are both in black. The tiny part of me that is Victorian-Goth loves these outfits.

Here they are, having just returned from a festival.

Love the little white flowers woven into Aunt Frances' hair! What are these called again? They remind me of those that you pair with roses when you're making a bouquet.

All four of the women in the kitchen, after a night of drunken reveling. Love the Aunts' silk robes.

Here was one outfit the younger women wore that I was especially intrigued by - Gilly's long one-piece subtly plaid linen dress with the mandarin collar (right). Even though you can't see it well, there is a row of delicate eye-hooks that runs from the beneath the collar down to the very bottom hem so in a sense, it's also kind of like a robe but then again, it's not. I'm not sure why but I am sort of in love with this concept and I really want to reproduce it. Except you really need Nicole Kidman's long, lean body to pull off the design. :::sigh:::

Oh, and here are Gilly & Sally when they were children. Gilly (right) is wearing a gorgeous turquoise Chinese silk qipao-like pajama set (only the top is shown here but she's wearing matching pants). I think I want to have children just so I can make them wear tiny qipao sets too.

And lastly, there is one specific prop that I'd like to touch on before I conclude this entry and that is the spellbook, or the "book of shadows" that the Aunts and the sisters use throughout the movie. It is rare that I see such exquisite detail paid to a single prop so I am beyond impressed.

Here are the Aunts, using the book to cast a love spell for a nervous client.

Here is a close-up of the book. It is opened to a different spell this time.

I could not find information on who was responsible for the beautiful artwork inside the book but whoever did it, did a fantastic job. Two thumbs up, art department!

A few more pages of the book:

And well, that's the end, folks. (Not the movie, just this post). I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this one up. As you can see, it's pretty heavy with images so it took a while to organize and edit. The movie itself is a must-see if you like this style of the production design. The story, on the other hand, sadly crosses over to to that Hollywood wasteland of botched supernatural fluff. I, however, loved it only because I'm easily swayed by cheesy roll-your-eyes romantic comedies if there is enough great design on screen to visually enrapture me (like, You've Got Mail for example) and this movie does not disappoint!

So er... Happy Belated Halloween! Haha! Next set of movies will all be holiday/Christmas related and hopefully I'll have those up in due time!

Here they all are - three generations of women - the Aunts, Gilly & Sally, and Sally's two daughters up there on the far right. They are dresses as - what else - witches for Halloween.

By the way, I discovered that someone actually currently owns the spellbook prop and Sally's umbrella as seen in the above image! She even has a blog!

Bell Book and Candle (1958)

2009-11-22T15:15:00.002-05:00

I HAVE RETURNED, MY LOVELIES!

I know, I have been a bad blogger. I have neglected you for way too long. And I apologize profoundly for my absence. Things have been rather chaotic over here on my end and I had planned two wonderful entries for Halloween but never got around to posting them. And so even though Halloween is over, I thought - well, why not put these up anyway? They're probably going to end up on the blog sooner or later anyway.

The first of these is one of my favorite "witchy" movies called Bell Book and Candle starring the mesmerizing Kim Novak and the always lovable James Stewart. Bell Book and Candle was originally a Broadway play written by John Van Druten and it starred the then married Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer for over 200 performances between 1950-51. It took eight years for the story to make it from Broadway to the big screen and coincidentally, it was released in the same year as another Novak-Stewart picture, the nortorious and critically revived Hitchcock masterpiece Vertigo (1958).

Bell Book and Candle centers around a beautiful witch Gillian (Novak) who owns a small boutique selling African masks, above which resides a handsome book publisher Shep (Stewart) on whom Gillian has a major crush.

Here is Shep, asking to use Gillian's phone because his wasn't working (but we know who made it suddenly malfunction, don't we?).

This below is Gillian's cat Pyewacket, whose name was derived from the one made famous in a witch trial in 1644 England. Apparently "Pyewacket" is a popular name for cats because of this movie.

Bell Book and Candle also gives us a glimpse into the "alternative lifestyle" of New York's Greenwich Village neighborhood during that era. Instead of having a traditional Christmas dinner, Gillian and her family - Aunt Queenie (Elsa Lanchester) and brother Nick (Jack Lemmon ) - go to an out-of-the-way dimly-lit smoke-filled jazz joint overflowing with eccentric beatniks clad in black.

Shep and his fiancé Merle happen to chance across the same night club that evening so they also go in.

An old man dressed as a swami decides whether or not to admit you. Unfortunately there is no such awesome hole-in-the-wall joint in NYC... that I know of.

Gillian showing off her red satin pumps. Black dress + hot red shoes = always a win.

It turns out Merle and Gillian were old classmates and Merle had spread some nasty rumours about Gillian back when they were both in school. It certainly doesn't help that she is now engaged to the man on whom Gillian has a crush! I like Merle's long teal gloves. Btw, remember how great it was to be able to smoke indoors at a restaurant? (sorry, I'm a smoker so this scene makes me nostalgic for that privilege).

Gillian tries to play it cool.

After the night club, Gillian, her brother Nick, and their Aunt retreat back to the house.

Check out the unconventional Christmas tree.

After opening presents, they have a little fun casting some spells:

Later on, Shep stops by to have a drink. Love the back of her dress here.

But from the front, the dress is very conservative.

After a couple of drinks, Gillian becomes a little impatient and decides to cast a spell - with some help from Pyewacket - on Shep to make him fall in love with her instead.

Voilà! It worked! Love the chunky garnet bracelets on her arm.

The story doesn't end there, of course, but it's where I'll leave it so as to not spoil the rest for those of you who haven't seen the movie.

Instead, let's take a look at some of Gillian's other fabulous wardrobe ensembles:

Love this bold leopard print poncho.

The red sweater is really amazing. Looks like the massive cowl neck is flipped out over the poncho and the sleeves do double duty as gloves because I'm not seeing a divide anywhere.

She also has a penchant for wearing hoods or draping a scarf over her head to create a hood effect.

Love that mid-century console table and the stone horse statue on top of it.

This is so intense I am about to have a stroke over it!

I wish I could pull off a dark burgundy velvet cape like the way Gillian does here. And hot furry magenta muff? Love!

This is too cute.

Here's a look into some of the INTERIORS:

Gillian's shop of African masks.

Shep's fiancé's Merle's beautiful apartment. Fabulous silk screen in the background.

Nice selection of artwork.

Love the glass lamps.

Shep's office at his publishing company.

An apothecary shop that Gillian's brother Nick likes to frequent. The window display showcases all sorts of exotic specimens.

Here is the apartment of an another eccentric witch whom Shep goes to see for some "help." It's unapologetically Victorian in decor.

Gorgeous wood archway piece. Also, notice the parrot on the left.

I just find it hilarious that her stove is set in the middle of her living room.

It's interesting to note that James Stewart felt that he was miscast as the romantic lead in this movie and I have to agree with his assessment. It was rumoured that Cary Grant was in contention for the same role and in retrospect, I think perhaps I would've preferred him as Shep as well. Kim Novak, however, was perfect as the sultry, soft-spoken Gillian and I cannot imagine anyone else in her place. Overall, this is a fun light movie that I would highly recommend.

Head in the Clouds (2004)

2009-09-19T00:45:00.002-04:00

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 8
Performances/Direction = 5.5

Last week I watched for the very first time Head in the Clouds (2004) and was left puzzled, gutted and uncomfortably unnerved by the time the credits rolled. I was uncomfortable with it because I could see what it was trying to be and while its lofty ambitions were admirable, I couldn’t help but cringe and roll my eyes as I witnessed the agonizing progression of this lengthy 2-hr cinematic failure. It promised things it couldn't deliver and it wasted the talents of two of the most mesmerizing actresses working today. It was unconvincing, unnecessarily exhaustive, and disgracefully maudlin. And the ending epitaph left me tossing in bed for days, even after I learned that the entire story was fictionalized. I don't want to give it away but let's just say it was very disturbing, added merely for shock value, and historically preposterous.

But hey, at least everyone looked pretty.

The story centers around three lovers, Gilda (Charlize Theron), Mia (Penélope Cruz), and Guy (Stuart Townsend) in the 1930s up through the end of WWII. It begins with an effervescent Gilda chancing upon shy, virginal Guy one stormy night while they were both students at Cambridge and follows them to Paris where a sultry Mia is added to form the unconventional ménage à trois, and then to the desolate snow-laden battlefields of Spain during the Spanish Civil War and finally back to Paris for the German occupation of France.

You too can look nerdy and naive by brushing your bangs forward and slapping on a bow-tie and sweater vest.

Does my head-to-toe magenta outfit scare you, virginal freshman?

I am cute as a button!

But I can also be fierce!

(Love that camel colored coat. thought it was leather at first but it's not.)

So fierce!

Gilda is the girl who we all secretly kind of wish we could be for a day - tall, blond, gorgeous, and wealthy. She's brazenly bisexual, fiercely feminist, defiantly artistic and oh, she lives in Paris, works as a photographer, and spends her nights dancing the tango with her lesbian lover in seedy smoke-laced cafes. How lovely.

Check out the back to this mustard colored velvet dress.

Check out the back to this dress.

When you live in France, it is mandatory that you own at least two dozen berets in various colors.

And a collection of artsy, whimsical hats.

Gorgeous wine colored suit worn with long black leather gloves.

Loving the sheen and the ribbed texture of the suit fabric.

Actually, Gilda wears quite a lot of suits. It's interesting because while a lot of her outfits have that masculine edge, they still look very sexy and feminine on her. Expressive and empowering are two words that come to mind. A bit Marlene Dietrich.

I want to BE you, Gilda. No, on second thought, I'll just take your camera instead.

Going all sort of crazy over that leather camera bag!

Ignore that hideous puke-green+brown wool dress her assistant is wearing and focus on Gilda's low-cut gray velvet double breasted suit.

She may even look better here than the model.

She wears this headscarf so well.

Here's a shot of the rest of the outfit.

In the "3rd phase" of the story, we see Gilda abandon her pants-suits in favor of more traditional dresses that emphasized her femininity. We can look at this outward shift as a parallel to an inner shift where she no longer upholds the kind of control she had over herself, over her relationships, and over her "fate" as the movie would like you to believe before the Nazis invaded France.

Pretty floral dress + ivory chiffon scarf + hat.

Tiny hat. Love the earrings + necklace.

On the arm of a Nazi.

She's actually using cream to take off the line drawn on the back of her legs to mimic the appearance of hosiery. A lot of women during the war era did that due to a shortage of stockings.

Are you swooning over her hair yet?

You should be!

Channeling Veronica Lake.

It's hard to describe Gilda's "transformation" without giving away the twist to the movie, as if it wasn't blatantly transparent already. This movie is so predictable you have to inhale half a box of cinnamon toast crunch just to keep from falling asleep...oh no? the phagocytic cereal eating was just me?
- - - - -

And because Stuart Townsend's character Guy is totally and utterly boring, I'm going to unapologetically skip over him and move onto Penelope Cruz's Mia.

I mean, just look at this face!

And this body!

And this attitude!

Even though she was only in a third of the movie, Penelope Cruz carried her part as the crippled lesbian lover/muse to Charlize Theron's Gilda well. She was the only redeeming feature in this ridiculous melodramatic saga.

- - - - -
Moving on, lastly, to the set. I know that much of it was shot on location in Paris but some of the exteriors looked as if they were recreated in a sound stage. In fact, it looked like something out of An American In Paris (1951). And I’m left to question – Why? Was there some deeper, artistic significance that I'm not catching? Look, there's not a speck of dirt on those fake cobblestones and the ballerinas appear out of place. Did someone just say, "let's condense all the possible stereotypes you might encounter on a Parisian street together, side by side within this small stretch of 20 meters!" Because that's what it looks like and the resulting mise-en-scène is both awkward as it is artificial. Actually, you could use those two words to describe the entire film altogether.

Just take a look at how this shot is lit and you see what I mean. Doesn't this scream 1950s Gene Kelly musical? I feel like he should break out in song and dance routine any second. And the ballerinas are already perfectly positioned to join in the musical interlude!

Here are some shots of Gilda/Mia/Guy's apartment in Paris. It's actually very cute.

The spiral staircase confused me because I never once saw it used. All the action took place on the first level.

Their kitchen. Nice blue tiles over the stove.

What is up with this lighting?? I can't get over it. It's just so harsh and poorly executed!

Loved the sunburst sculpture on the console table.

I don't know why but that ostentatious coat+hat rack (left) kind of appeals to me. I generally make it a rule that if something looks like it could belong in Donatella Versace's home, then it should never pass the threshold into mind. But oddly enough, I'm liking that gnarly piece.

Bedroom. I like the dried roses in that silver vase on her vanity.

Gorgeous green silk embroidered bedspread.

I want that peacock lamp! (right)

And finally, my favorite set piece - french doors with gorgeous peacocks painted over the glass.

Also, I just discovered that the director for this picture was John Duigan, the same man who ruined Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) for me. Double fail, John.

A boring update in place of a real post...sorry!

2009-09-14T06:49:00.004-04:00

Update on me: I'm sorry I haven't been posting as frequently. I've been extremely busy and well, blogging takes up a lot of time! I've also been reading an immense amount of film criticism these past 2 weeks so my energy has been transferred over there. I really love reading criticism actually because I studied it back in college but never made a go of it myself because my writing was never up to par. And I don't have the patience to sit down and draw up a lengthy discourse of my views...because you know, there are always other things that need to get done. Plus, I haven't seen a lot of the films from the 1970s which everyone loves to reference to and I always squirm in my chair whenever that decade comes up. :-/

I've also been catching up on my "recently released" queue of movies that everyone else seems to have seen except for me, and yes, that list includes a long line male-oriented action-thrillers that I am a little shy to admit that I'm actually really into...like District 9 and Inglorious Bastards. So many movies. So little time!!

AND I'm eagerly awaiting for the DVD releases of An Education, Cheri, and My One and Only. I can't wait to watch those and bring you the screen captures!!

Meanwhile, don't fret, I am still going to keep blogging. I'll have a new post up in a couple of days.

So what have you been up to? What movies have you seen recently? Which ones are you looking forward to the most?

Agatha Christie's Poirot - Sad Cypress S9E2 (2003)

2009-09-03T16:05:00.001-04:00

I was recently alerted to the fact that my obscure little blog got mentioned in a vintage hair community. So that's why so many of you vintage minxes have found your way here! Welcome, welcome! I'll keep you all in mind when I'm selecting images now that I know there are hair enthusiasts reading. And just for you, here are a few caps of a recent Poirot episode I just watched today. I sort of have a love-hate relationship with this show, as did Agatha Christie did with the character but I do love watching it for style inspiration though.

Why yes, that IS Kelly Reilly whom we saw in my post on Mrs. Henderson Presents. I love her hair here.

Orange-reddish sweaters = perfect for the coming autumn!

View from the side.

A more formal, mature hair style. Love the rhinestone barrette.

And for my design people, check out the tiny cameo behind the handle of that side table on the left!

I like the glass on these interior doors. Great way to let more light flow through a dark space.

Manhattan townhouse of William Ivey Long

2009-08-31T05:10:00.002-04:00

I've been posting too much about fashion lately. Feeling the need to go back to posting about interior design.

William Ivey Long is an acclaimed 5-time Tony award winning costume designer who has worked on over 50 Broadway productions, including Hairspray, The Producers, Guys and Dolls, and Chicago just to name a few. I came across photos of his NYC townhouse and just fell in love. Fell in love!!! It's rare that I come across a house which I would move in immediately and keep everything as it is. This is one of them. The aesthetic is mostly traditional, with some Victorian flourishes, and a few whimsical keepsakes.

The entry opens to a wide hallway lined with framed photos and prints. Because the furnishings are kept traditional and understated, the large crystal chandeliers don't make the space seem ostentatious at all and fit right in quite nicely.

This is the front parlor.

Another view of the front parlor. Gorgeous moldings. Notice the ceiling!

This is the second, back parlor. Love the dark wood wainscotting and trim.

Another view of the same back parlor.

China cabinet with an assortment of teacups.

Hallway. Love how there are books everywhere, much like my own place.

The library. Surprisingly simple and cozy. Tony awards line the mantel.

The master bedroom. Ancestral 1835 American Renaissance four poster bed.

Another shot of the bedroom.

Another view of the canopy bed and table accessories.

The guest bedroom. Don't you feel like you're at a quaint country B&B?

Bathroom on the top floor. I like the claw-foot tube but I would've installed a separate walk-in shower for convenience.

Now, some miscellaneous items:

Some grooming collectibles on the dresser in the bedroom and his grandfather's stickpin doll.

Hat pins and vintage cigar cases.

Bikes stored in the front parlor, next the entry.

And finally, Mr. William Ivey Long himself, sitting in his bedroom.

source: NYSD

3 Coins in the Fountain (1954)

2009-08-28T20:05:00.001-04:00

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 8
Performances/Direction = 6.5

I was going to do a post about a different film but then decided to do this one instead because I'm not quite ready with the other one. This will just be a "brief" entry on a recent movie I've just watched, on the suggestion of a commenter. [Haha...this is usually when I use the expression, "I'm going to Chungking Express it," meaning that in order to take a little break from a big project, I'm going to do another short fun project on the side just like director Wong Kar Wai did with Chungking Express when he wanted to take a breather from the epic that was Ashes of Time...but I digress.]

3 Coins in the Fountain is about the (love) lives of three American secretaries working abroad in Rome, Italy. It was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar but won for Best Cinematography and Best Original Song. The title is derived from the notion that if you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, it will ensure that someday you'll return to Rome.

Here they are, the three woman, throwing the coins.

At a cocktail party. It's really difficult to see but the last dress (far right) has fantastic criss-crossing at the waist.

So let's look at each of these secretaries individually. First we begin with "Maria" (Maggie McNamara) who is the youngest of the three and the newest arrival. She gets involved with a playboy Prince (Louis Jourdan who later went on to star in Gigi (1958)).

(left) I like how the white blouse underneath is tightly wrapped at the waist using the same fabric. A nice substitute for a belt.

Cute white blouse with nice Sgt. Pepper-ish detail in the front.

LOVE the sleeve on this dress! Notice how it gathers and the button detail.

Hmm...this dress is a bit too marmish. But she was meeting the mother of her Prince boyfriend so maybe it was appropriate for the occasion.

(left) Love this robe! Love how the tie (rope? belt?) wraps around several times at the waist and then ties in the back.

At the opera. Gorgeous orange chiffon wrap.

A view of the lime colored dress she had on underneath.

Now we move onto "Anita" (Jean Peters) who was seen out on a date with an Italian coworker (Rossano Brazzi whom we also saw in Summertime). He gets fired because in-office dating was not allowed and she gets really upset because now they can't afford to get married.

Love this beautiful yellow satin dress with white polka dots. Not exactly appropriate for a casual picnic but so what!

Here's a better view of the orange belt, which is also made out of fabric and matches her orange cardigan. I think the dress just goes so well with her hair and skin tone, doesn't it?

(left) Here's Anita in another beautiful dress. I love the green color and notice the button details on the shoulder!

A better view of her green dress.

(right) Here's a better view of the sleeves on the blouse that we saw earlier at the cocktail party.

And finally we move onto "Frances" (Dorothy McGuire) who was my favorite out of all three because she's the one I can relate to the most personality-wise. She's the level-headed, mature one and had been in Rome for 15 years working as the secretary for a distinguished writer. She is secretly in love with him but he's too preoccupied with his work to notice. She's also considered "the old maid" even though she's only in her mid-30s.

This may seem like a boring dress but I really like it. Notice the trim on the collar and sleeves.

A better view of the detail in the sleeves. I just love this. It also satisfies my mild obsession with safari-esque clothing.

Here is another beige dress made out of jersey (I think). The material is very soft and body-hugging but it fits her perfectly.

Also, did you notice the thin white stripes? Also, that's Clifton Webb to the right.

(left) That silk tan dress with the frontal pleats looks almost identical to something I own. Sorry, there's wasn't a full-length shot of it. I also LOVE her multi-stranded pearl necklace with two different colored pearls - one blue to match her sequined hat and another that's tan to match her dress!

In her long, flowy nightgown. I wish this was what I wore to bed everynight...and not those pajama pants with Winnie the Pooh characters...oops, revealing too much. But they're classic Pooh so at least that's more commendable than the later, modern version.

(far right) And lastly, we have Frances in a beautiful blue satin dress with white polka dots. Notice how the belt is again made out of the same fabric! I am really loving this concept.

Now, here are two other women that I wanted to highlight. Both are elderly woman and we rarely see well-dressed "women of age" anymore. Even though I'm still in my 20s, I love to collect images of fabulous older women for inspiration. It gives me something to look forward to as I get older.

Below is "La Principessa," the mother of the Prince whom Maria was dating. Her pale blue chiffon gown is simply gorgeous. I like the gathering at the bust and I like how she wears it with a black lace shawl.

Here's a view of the long bell sleeve. The dress reminds me of something out of a fairy tale.

(left) Below is the wife of the executive in charge of the secretarial firm which employs the three main characters mentioned above. I really like this dress for the gathering at the collar.

And here she is at the opera. A very beautiful black sleeveless evening gown with a turquoise lace bodice worn also with a sheer black wrap. Very elegant and sexy and surprisingly age appropriate!

And lastly, 2 measly images for my interior design readers (so sorry I've been neglecting you lately!). Here an interior shot of the writer's residence. I love the use of broken pediments over door frames indoors and notice the marble wall paneling! (well, they're supposed to be marble, not sure if they really where...). Also notice how they made use of the tiny area between the arch and the wall (left) by painting it and adding an ornate pattern.

Love all the lamps with chinoiserie patterns on them. Also that lamp (far left) intrigues me. It juxtaposes the traditional (frilly lampshade covered in green lace) with the modern (spiral metal pipe/base). Interesting...

Sex and the Single Girl (1964)

2009-08-21T02:40:00.004-04:00

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 7
Performances/Direction = 6.9

It's intolerably hot, humid, and sticky so let's end this week with a raunchy sex comedy befitting of this weather.

Sex and the Single Girl stars Natalie Wood as a 23 y.o. psychologist (with a PhD! :::rolls eyes:::) who just recently wrote a bestselling book by the same name encouraging women to "own their sexuality." Tony Curtis plays a sleezy, underhanded magazine writer set on exposing her either as a virginal fraud who actually knows nothing about sex or relationships or as a nymphomaniac floozy who's thrown all her morals out the window (yeah, because apparently a girl can't be anything in between).

I will get the scoop, I will!

It's got all the stereotypical criteria of a fun, screwball comedy - mistaken identities, marital strife, suggestive sexual innuendos, and over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek performances. It's also got heavyweights Richard Quine as the director, Joseph Heller (yes, of Catch-22 fame) as the writer, and Lauren Bacall, Henry Fonda, and Mel Ferrer as supporting actors. Natalie Wood was adorable and Tony Curtis....erghh...well, Tony Curtis should only be shot in black & white but whatever, I'll deal. And it's got loads of allusions - almost too many - to the box office hit Some Like It Hot (1959) in which Curtis starred with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe so it would help if you've seen that too.

So let's start off with the interior/set design. I know I've been neglecting my design enthusiasts in favor of fashion lately and I apologize. I'll concentrate on Dr. Helen Brown's (Wood) office and apartment since hers are more interesting. The color scheme for both is a very chic and modern black & white. Notice her desk has black trim/sides and white rattan (?) frontal screen. The black & white carry over to the chairs, lamps, rug, and upholstery.

Black & white striped seat back. Also, notice the white phone.

Black & white striped chaise lounge.

Now we move over to Dr. Brown's apartment, where we seen more black & white. Striped drapes. White sofa. White lamps. White walls. White carpet. Black & white end tables...the list goes on and on. Btw, nice symmetry with the lamps/sofa/console table set-up.

Her bedroom. Love the ornate black headboard with the scrolled pillars. There are better shots of it in later images where I talk about her robe. Also, charcoal drawings of women hang on the wall; appropriate since she's an advocate of female empowerment in the bedroom.

In stark contrast, sleazy Bob Weston's (Curtis) apartment is full of color. Green armchairs, red rug, dark metallic lampshades, and warm mahogany toned wood furniture. It's also very cluttered, full of whimsical collectibles.

Ignore the scantily clad woman on the right and focus on that gorgeous antique book stand!

This isn't Bob's house - it's actually his next door neighbors' - but I like the rack (left) that holds the hats and canes/walking sticks.

Okay, now we can move onto the clothes!

We start with Dr. Brown, whose obsession with black & white carries over into her wardrobe too. Except for one outfit at the very end, those are the only two colors she wears. Note, cute glasses, rhinestone hair pin and large cocktail rings.

Pearl earrings, white wool coat, black gloves, scarf + purse.

B+w houndstooth coat, black fur hat + stole + gloves. And cat-eye sunglasses, which she has already taken off.

White cashmere sweater, b+w checked tweed shirt, long black leather gloves, long pearl necklace.

This white satin cocktail dress is sooo gorgeous. Fantastic bust detail - notice, small rhinestone pendant dangling from the center. Also, long white gloves and a large pearl bracelet over the glove (right). And white telephone again.

This little sexy number is supposed to be a robe! I like how they used rope as the tie. Also b+w striped sofa pillow.

A full-length shot of the "robe." Whoa, look at that slit up the side. Also, you can see her headboard in better detail in this image.

Completely black outfit.

Side view of her tall pillbox (?) hat. Nice damask upholstery on the settee. And the screen panels in the background.

Finally here she is wearing a gorgeous canary yellow dress. It's the only outfit she wears that isn't b+w in the whole film. I suppose one can say that the donning of such a bright, happy color is indication that she's finally fallen in love.

The fabric is so feminine and flowy and notice the chiffon scarf attached to one shoulder.

Now we move onto Lauren Bacall who plays Sylvia, one half of the husband-wife team who lives next door to Bob Weston. Henry Fonda plays her husband Frank but his outfits are uninteresting so I don't have many images of him. Sylvia and Frank quarrel all the time, mostly because Sylvia tends to get very jealous. Frank is in the women's hosiery business so he's surrounded by beautiful leggy models all the time. Bob (Curtis) eventually uses Sylvia & Frank's marital problems to his advantage and poses as Frank to get to Dr. Brown, becoming one of her patients.

Sylvia in two different shades of purple/violet. Notice that magnificent stone (marble?) fireplace in the background. The mantel also contains a large mirror flanked by ornately carved figures.

You can barely see it, but notice that small strip of ribbon across the top of the lampshade (left). I like that idea. Very DIY. Also, white telephone again. Oh, and that's a dress she's wearing, not a robe.

Sylvia in a yellow sleeveless button-up dress. I think it's made of wool.

Close-up of Sylvia's typical 1960s hairstyle.

Sylvia's grayish tan dress with matching capelet.

Here's her hair partially pinned back.

In a glamorous black sequined dress.

Pink coat + white gloves and handbag. Like the large shiny buttons on the coat.

Below is Bob Weston's secretary. A complete airhead but a delight nevertheless. She had the best hairstyle out of all of the characters in my opinion.

The back of her hair.

She's knitting when she should be working. Also, notice the pretty cup full of newly sharpened pencils.

The matching beret is so cute.

Here is Gretchen, Bob Weston's "girlfriend." They just casually together, nothing serious. She always has really big hair in every scene.

The back of her hair.

Another up-do but this time, she has a headband underneath.

Really cute equestrian inspired outfit, with the olive green plaid coat, black leather gloves, and hat.

A full-length view of that same outfit.

Never mind who the girl is below. She's not very important. But look at her hair. Oh dear, what is going on there? Look at all these meticulously constructed curls.

Side view of her up-do.

Just for laughs, here is Dr. Brown's secretary who, after reading her book, undergoes a "transformation"....

...by letting her hair down and adding color to her wardrobe!

Okay, maybe she went a little too far...not really age appropriate...

Oh, and one last thing. Here is Frank & Sylvia's anniversary cake. I think the boxing ring is a cute idea - because they fight A LOT. It's always a boxing match between those two.

Okay, I'm off to upstate NY for a few days to help usher the lil' bro into college. He'll be attending my alma mater so I have to show him around, tell him where all the best bathrooms are on campus, how to sneak food out of the dining halls, the best places to take naps between classes, etc. - you know, all the important stuff. He's almost a decade my junior and I can't believe how quickly the years have flown by. I shall return next week!

Charade (1963)

2009-08-17T18:37:00.004-04:00

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 8
Performances/Direction = 9

Here's a fun, quick one for you: Charade starring Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Walter Matthau. This is my favorite of Audrey Hepburn's "romantic comedies" even though I think most people would vote for Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Funny Face, My Fair Lady, or even Sabrina. I think it's my favorite primarily because her co-star is Cary Grant and no one carries a romantic comedy like Mr. Cary Grant!

It's interesting because Cary Grant was 59 when they film was made and Audrey Hepburn was only 33. He was really reluctant to star with Hepburn because he thought the huge age difference would make their on-screen romantic potential ridiculous and so he agreed to do it only if they made it clear in the script (by inserting lots of jokes about their ages) that it was Hepburn's character pursuing him and not the other way around (because otherwise he'd just come off as a dirty old man). Well, irregardless, I'm really glad that they did work together because they had amazing chemistry and I saw absolutely no reason why Hepburn's character wouldn't fall head-over-heels for the irresistible and charming older gentleman, even if he's 26 years her senior. I certainly would have!

The film starts off with "Regina Lampert" (Hepburn) at a ski resort where she meets a handsome stranger who calls himself "Peter Joshua" (Grant). They make a few quips, and she reveals to him that she's going back to Paris to get a divorce.

Peter Joshua: Is there a Mr. Lampert?
Regina Lampert: Yes, but we're getting a divorce.
Peter Joshua: Please, not on my account!
Regina Lampert: Oh no, you see, I don't really love him.
Peter Joshua: Oh, well, at least you're honest.
Regina Lampert: Is there a Mrs. Joshua?
Peter Joshua: Oh yes, but we're divorced.
Regina Lampert: Oh, that wasn't a proposal. I'm just curious.

On her return, she discovers her Paris apartment to be in complete shambles and everything has been stolen. The police then tell her that her husband has been murdered.
notice the Louis Vuitton luggage:

At the funeral it becomes apparent that her husband has quite a few enemies and was carrying out some shady activities on the side, of which she knew nothing until now.
love her mourning hat's large bowlset netting

She then receives a letter from the CIA and meets with "Agent Bartholomew" (Matthau). He tells her that her husband and a group of other Allied soldiers were ordered to parachute behind enemy lines to deliver $250,000 in gold to the French Resistance. Instead they kept it for themselves and buried it. Her husband later betrayed his band of thieves by digging it up, selling it, and pocketing the money for himself. They obviously found out, hunted him down, and in the process of trying to coax out the hidden stash, killed him. With the man gone but no evidence of the money, his buddies now think Regina has it or at least, knows where it's hidden so they're coming after her too!

Here is Regina, entering Agent Bartholomew's office.
Love her leopard print hat and red wool coat paired with long black leather gloves, a small croc purse and matching black croc kitty heal pumps.

A close-up of her leopard print hat. Her hair is done up in that huge beehive style so it looks like the hat is this huge, rigid cone but it's actually not. It collapses like a normal beanie.

Regina and Agent Bartholomew in deep discussion at a cafe.
Note: Tiled mural in the background. Oh, how I miss Parisian cafes!

Peter Joshua - that stranger she met at the ski resort - "coincidentally" shows up and helps her. The couple begin to spend a great deal of time together and it's just so much fun watching Regina and Peter exchange witty quips and playful glances.

Here is the same red coat we saw earlier. She is now clutching her leopard print hat under her arm. They're watching a children's marionette show in the park. Btw, are you noticing the shady man in the hat and mustache in the background? Hilarious!

Love her red wool dress suit (this is a different red outfit from the one above) and her white hat+gloves+pearl earrings. She wears a lot of jackets/blazers/coats with 3/4 length sleeves, which I think it's nice b/c then you can really show off your gloves, especially if they have nice button details.

Mustard colored coat with black buttons. Btw, that green booth in the background says "Vrai Gvignolet." It's the small theatre where they watched a Punch 'n Judy show earlier. It's located in the Jardins des Champs Élysées and surprisingly enough, you can still catch the marionette show there now on certain afternoons (Wednesday, Saturday, & Sundays).

Same white hat+gloves but worn with a navy dress suit this time. And I believe that's a Chanel purse.

The little black dress that made her famous. Actually I think she looks painfully thin here, really emaciated.

Here's a few more shots of Regina by herself.

Cute light tan wool coat with a matching hat.

Simple but chic white wool dress with black belt. It is supposed to be fall/winter after all.

Hilarious attempt at being a sleuth. Classic trench, headscarf handkerchief, and huge sunglasses.

The film ends with a thrilling chase scene that begins in the metro...

Btw, don't you just LOVE the vintage metro cars back then? How beautiful!

...and continues through the colonnade of the Palais-Royal...

...and finally climaxes inside the theatre Comédie-Française.

I won't spoil the ending for you but it's truly a wonderful film. It managed to cheer me up this weekend after that disastrous interview experience last week. I couldn't help but laugh and laugh throughout the whole thing. There are a few films I always go to whenever I need to smile again and this is one of them. I highly recommend it!

By the way, this is a sort of an awkward insert (it does have relevance in the story though, I just didn't know where to fit in into my description above) but I had to share it because 1) the boy is cute beyond words in his little tweed jacket and cornflower blue sweater 2) the huge autumn leaf makes me ache for October to hurry up and get here already and 3) the plaid seat covers suddenly seem like a good idea for my old VW Beetle. Makes it cozy, don't you think?

Death In Venice (1971)

2009-08-14T06:40:00.008-04:00

FIRST - some off-topic news: I don't like using this blog to vent my personal problems but I feel so bad right now that I can't help but mention this tiny bit: my latest job interview did not go well. I was so heartbroken because I was really excited about this one and thought I would finally have employment by the end of the week. Alas, no. So many things went wrong during the interview that I was just happy to get out of there by the end. The thing is, I think I was actually a really good candidate. I'm smart, I listen well, pick things up fast, and can multi-task like a cartoon octopus. I'm well-traveled, well-spoken, and I even have a friggin' degree from an Ivy League university, which seems now to be a complete waste. (And unlike all the trust-fund babies I keep running into in the industry, my parents did not pay for my education. I worked and took out loans and did it all myself). There were kids in the office that looked like they were still in high school and they couldn't even just give me one little chance? Not even an unpaid internship? I just want to learn and gain experience! I'm so sick of pounding the pavement, going to these interviews, and getting rejected. I can barely pay my rent. I saw a group of freegans dumpster-diving today and seriously considered taking up their lifestyle for about 5 minutes. Part of me just wants to give it all up, move to Oregon, and become a forest ranger. I went home, wallowed in self pity, ate enough sushi for half a dozen people, and watched the entire season 2 of Waiting for God.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

BUT ONWARDS - So because my mental state is one of extreme depression at the moment, I'm going to post about a movie that fits this mood. DEATH IN VENICE. Why? Because NYC feels like Venice in the summer right now, all hot and humid and gross. And because with each rejection, a little part of me dies. And in my own way, I can sympathize with the main character in this movie - that is, knowing what it's like to feel alone, confused, out of one's element...aching for something you can't seem to obtain, and becoming more and more despondent as the summer drags on.

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 9
Performances/Direction = 7.8

Venice

San Marco square

Death in Venice is a 1971 film by the legendary Italian director Luchino Visconti adapted from the 1912 Thomas Mann novel of the same name. The story follows an esteemed musical composer Gustav von Aschenbach, who travels to Venice (actually, most of it takes place on Lido, an island off of Venice) on temporary sojourn in hopes of restoring his health. While there, he subsequently becomes entranced by the pure beauty of a young, adolescent boy named Tadzio. This boy, represented everything that the solemnly cerebral and fastidiously self-disciplined Aschenbach had rejected in his past quest for artistic truth, that being the passionate and the physical.

von Aschenbach arriving on a gondola (he came via train but now he's being transported in a gondola).

Can you believe the man is in a heavy coat and full suit in that heat?

The boy he's obsessed with. Btw, love that stain glass panel in the background.

The film moves slowly, with minimal dialogue but contains some of the most visually mesmerizing sequences you'll ever see on screen. Aschenbach spends his days watching Tadzio play on the beach and allows the languid resort atmosphere to transform him into the very thing he had despised for so long - that is, someone who simply idles. Meanwhile, the city is gripped by a wretched outbreak of cholera, which the officials are trying to keep under wraps as to not scare off the tourists...and Aschenbach keeps putting off leaving for the sake of his deteriorating health because...well, he couldn't bear parting with the boy...

The beach. The small row boats are adorable. I want one. Row myself out on a lake, lie there basking in the sun, repress all memories of that disasterous interview...

Boardwalk. Love that striped canopy. Also, those greenish-teal sheds in the back remind me of Provincetown, where I spent many summers as a child. Btw, can you imagine wearing those dresses/that much clothes while at the beach?! And those gigantic hats! I would be sweating bullets!

von Aschenbach in a full suit and tie on the beach. He set up a little table and attempted to "do work."

ah, but how can he concentrate with that pretty boy frolicking about in his adorable one-piece swimsuit?!

Here he is again, at breakfast, pretending to read his newspaper but he's just really watching the boy's family dining at another table. He's flustered because the boy isn't there yet. Like his temple-less glasses.

The boy's family having breakfast. Cute straw hats the girls are wearing.

The boy passes him as von Aschenbach leaves the dining room. Btw, he totally knows that this middle aged man is in love with him. And he kind of relishes the idea too.

The story takes place in the early 1900s, which is one of my favorite eras aside from the 1950s in terms of fashion. It makes no difference to me that much of the style from that period is entirely outdated and not applicable to the everyday modern woman. A good example of the embellished glamour of ladies' clothing from that period can be seen on Tadzio's mother. She's gorgeous. And her clothes are gorgeous too.

Here she is reading a book on the beach, in her white dress, multi-stranded pearl necklace, massive hat topped with roses and enveloped in yards of netting. How perfect is this image?

Another day at the beach. She carries an umbrella to block out the sun despite already wearing a gigantic hat that is serving the same purpose. She's even wearing gloves.

Here she is indoors, in an extremely ornate pink ensemble. It just seems like she's constantly wrapped in lots of chiffon & tulle.

Walking the streets of Venice. Black & white suit-dress with matching umbrella.

And before I sign off, I wanted to quickly mention some other design elements. Here is the elaborate lobby/lounge of the hotel. I was surprised it looked more Victorian than Venetian.

von Aschenbach's hotel room. Notice the monogrammed semi-sheer drapes. Also that large suitcase/steamer trunk in the middle of the room is actually used as a kind of portable closet, in which you can hang your clothes instead of folding them.

Here's a better view of that wardrobe steamer trunk. You can see him reaching in to grab his clothes.

And finally - check out that magnificent carved headboard. LOVE.

So there you have it. I'm going to sleep now. It's almost 7am.

Hollywoodland (2006)

2009-08-10T22:18:00.005-04:00

My Ratings:
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design & milieu) = 7
Performances/Direction = 6

Ugghh...why did I sit through this in its entirety?? It moved sooo slowly...seemed much longer than its supposed 126min. I have to admit, I picked it up originally for its vintage 1950s effect but then got interested after discovering it was about the late actor George Reeves, most well-known for his Superman tv series back during that period. For those of you who aren't familiar with him (I certainly wasn't until this movie), he died via a gunshoot wound in 1959, in his bedroom, and people still aren't sure if it was suicide or murder. The tagline suggested a thrilling murder mystery - "Living in Hollywood can make you famous. Dying in Hollywood can make you a legend!" and this - "Based on the true story of Hollywood's most notorious unsolved mystery!" What is it with Hollywood's recent obsession with unsolved murders from the California's past (Black Dahlia, Zodiac, etc)? Anyway, I thought maybe this would be good since it starred Ben Affleck, Adrian Brody, and Diane Lane...with Ben = "ehhh"...but people, I'd watch anything with Diane in it! She's just brilliant. But despite the all-star cast, it was still bad. It was so slow and dull and static that I almost fell asleep.

Here's Ben Affleck as George Reeves acting as Superman disguised as Clark Kent:

Here is a gorgeous Diane Lane playing Toni Mannix, the wife of MGM studio head Eddie Mannix. Toni meets the then struggling actor Reeves and the two being to have a long affair.

The following are a series of screencaps of Diane/Toni in all her lovely vintage ensembles.
Classic Hollywood glamour.

Hot red nails.

Let's start a movement to bring hats back!

In her car, spying...love the soft chiffon scarf despite the hot LA weather.

In a cute polka-dotted dress + cardigan set.

Wow, she really pulled off that tight pink jumpsuit!

Love her sunglasses.

Here's a few caps of Ben Affleck as George Reeves.
Here is Reeves during an audition.

I think Affleck has a very slight resemblance to Reeves and the makeup artists and stylists did a great job doing him up.

Reeves looks very Clark Kent here.

The framed poster print he's holding up is of From Here to Eternity (1953), a great film starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, and my childhood crush Montgomery Clift. I couldn't figure out why Reeves was holding it up though b/c I don't remember him in it but after some researching, I discovered he had a small uncredited role.

Adrian Brody plays the private detective hired to look into Reeves' murder. Brody, along with Diane Lane, were the only two things that got me through this agonizing movie.

At certain angles, Kathleen Robertson - the blond in the hairnet - resembled Mary Stuart Masterson. I got really excited for a minute until I realized it wasn't her.

I love this textured blazer with the understated satin sheen he has on here:

And the following are just a few more examples of the menswear. Below is Reeve's agent.
Gray sweater vest under a dark suit jacket with a light tie and white pocket square. It's so put- together yet casual...I really love that combination.

Nice texture on the hat.

Great, I forgot who character this was. But I love his tie. Horizontal stripes. I don't see that very often.

Cream ascot with striped shirt and dark blazer.

(right) A shirt with small raised dots...and a flower pinned on the lapel...interesting!

RIP John Hughes

2009-08-07T12:13:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Thursday August 6th, John Hughes died of a heart attack at the age of 59. I grew up watching his movies on TV - those wonderful 1980s teen flicks like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, and Some Kind of Wonderful. He single-handedly managed to skew my entire perspective on romantic relationships, reassuring my thirteen year old chubby four-eyed self that the awkward plain girl with the killer personality will always win over the guy in the end. He told us that being different was a good thing, that being weird isn't so weird, and that if you stay true to yourself, someday other people will see how great you really are. That we can all be friends. Not always the case in real life as I've learned, but I believed it as a child and most days, I still believe that now.

Here's a brief glimpse at my top three favorite John Hughes movies from the 80s.

Sixteen Candles - a young sophomore is in love with the hottest guy of the senior class. Except he doesn't even know she exists. Happy ending though, as always.

She says, "Who me?" How many of us have felt like that? Me - all the time.

The Breakfast Club - a group of socially diverse kids from very different backgrounds are forced together for a day of detention. They bond.

How many of you remember this scene where she pours out the sugar from her pixie sticks onto two slices of bread and makes it into a sandwich?

Some Kind of Wonderful - a boy falls in love with a popular girl at school and tries to do everything to impress her while neglecting his tomboyish best friend, who in return is in love with him. This was also the film that introduced me to Mary Stuart Masterson, who is just darling, and later starred in another one of my favorite films, Fried Green Tomatoes (1991).

She's the punk rocker tomboy who works with him at a car garage.

He's in love with the pretty popular chick (Lea Thompson).

Do any of you remember this particular part in the movie where he takes her on a tour of his favorite art gallery at night, after it had already closed? They walk down the empty corridors and he leads her to a painting...

...a painting that he had made of her!! I remember being 13 and thinking that was the most romantic thing ever. The perfect date. John Hughes is to blame for my subsequent attraction to artists and the generally turbulent relationships that resulted with them. :-P

Meanwhile his best friend is waiting outside, heartbroken!!!

I actually though Mary Stuart Masterson here in her "chauffeur/driver's uniform" was really hot. One of the rare instances where I would swing the other way just for a night.

Farewell, John Hughes. And thank you.

My House in Umbria (2003)

2009-08-06T00:01:00.002-04:00

Perhaps most of you have seen or at least, heard of Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), the film starring Diane Lane whose American character moves to Italy for a fresh start after a heartbreaking divorce? And perhaps you saw that movie and marveled at the gorgeous Tuscan landscape and her charming, albeit dilapidated fixer-upper of an Italian villa? But how many of you have seen My House in Umbria, an HBO special feature with comparably breathtaking production design released in the same year?

My House in Umbria is a wonderful, gentle picture starring the legendary Maggie Smith as "Mrs. Emily Delahunty," a British expat living in Italy. On a trip to Rome, her train was bombed by terrorists and having survived the blast, Mrs. Delahunty decided to invite the other three survivors of her compartment to stay at her house during their recovery. These included a newly orphaned young American girl, an elderly British general (Ronnie Barker), and a young German man (portrayed by the delicious Benno Fürmann who has the most mesmerizing blue-gray eyes I've ever seen, especially in The Princess and the Warrior and The Order - but I digress).

They met on the train:

Mrs. Delahunty is a successful romance novelist so everything around her reflected this - her clothes, the way she decorated her house, and the style in which she entertained - that is, romantic, dramatic, and embellished.

Mrs. Delahunty's villa from afar:

driving up to the front door:

The house used as Mrs. Delahunty's villa actually does not exist in real life as you see it on the screen. The actual house had good bones but was rather stark so the production design team had to add a great deal to it - such as the creation of the interior courtyard, the gardens, and the back terrace. They also added the climbing ivy + wisteria and all the shrubbery/trees.

Another shot of the gorgeous main doors, flanked by light bluish-gray shutters. Love the orange trees next at the front entrance.

the interior courtyard:

Love the fountain in the interior courtyard and the little sitting area.

Love how they brought the outdoors in. For example, notice how they incorporated beautiful potted trees inside the house/behind the doors.

The Kitchen:

Beautiful Tuscan tile:

Love the large wooden table/island at the center of the kitchen:

One of the bedrooms. Love the romantic brass headboard.

Headboard upholstered in a beige paisley print.

This is the bedroom occupied by the little girl. Her drawings on the wall are cute, even though they're actually kind of scary and traumatizing.

Totally in love with this headboard. Just look at the fine detail and the subtle colors against the dark veneer. And I think there's also a bit of pearl inlay!

The gorgeous indoor dining room. Love the large mural behind Mrs. Delahunty. And the candlelit lily centerpieces.

A bathroom. Not sure if this is actually a bathroom in her house. It might be in a hotel because they took a couple of day trips too. Love how the bathroom is large enough to encompass a vanity, seating area, and lots of drawers and side tables. You can spend a whole day in this one room!

One of the sitting rooms inside her house:

Tapestry on the wall and some strange but beautiful shimmery hanging fixture (right).

Another sitting room. Gorgeous sunny and happy yellows. Pitchers of orange juice. Sunflowers in the back. A part of a broken stone something hanging on the wall.

Her desk, where she types all her romance stories.

Another room. Unpretentious paperback books + old records + retro record player.

This is my absolute favorite part of the garden - an extended stone arcade/arbor shaded by hanging wisteria. Truly breathtaking. Mrs. Delahunty liked to dine outside most of the time and many meals were had under this arbor:

At night, it's lit up with countless candles in glass lanterns.

Magical atmosphere!

Because most of the activities take place in and around the house, the filmmakers had to create different areas of interest, to break up the otherwise static environment. They successfully accomplished this by creating varying niches, such as this small seating area next to the stone fence. Notice also the stone relief of a woman with her two children carved into the wall of the fence. Small details such as this go a long way to emphasize the nurturing and healing environment Mrs. Delahunty is providing to her ailing guests.

Stone bench tucked away among the flowering shrubbery:

Here's another area where they took meals - on the second floor balcony. Follow your eye up the ladder.

Breakfast on the balcony:

Another example of how they divided up the environment is the creation of a back terrace that sits over the lower gardens. To understand this, pretend you're Mrs. Delahunty, looking down from your second story window balcony:

The first level you see is the "back terrace."

This back terrace is directly at the other end of the interior courtyard, almost straight across from the front entrance. In other words, you enter the house, walk through the inner courtyard, and come out to this area:

The back terrace is paved in stone, much like a back patio would be. The "fence" overlooking the rest of the lower gardens is partially constructed out of sticks+vines:

A closer view of the seating area.

Here's a shot of the lower gardens I was talking about. In this image, not much has been planted yet. They've just started laying it out. The creation of the lower garden was part of the characters' healing process so you see the area transform from a small patch of dirt into a beautiful, luscious oasis.

Here's the end result of their labor - a gorgeous English garden full of sunflowers, hollyhocks, foxgloves, mums, poppies, etc.

Magnificent light pink climbing roses on the stone wall:

My House in Umbria is a really sweet movie and worth seeing for the house + gardens alone.

Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) Pt. 2

2009-08-01T21:05:00.001-04:00

My Rating (from 1 to 10):
Production Design (wardrobe/hair+makeup & set design) = 9
Performances/Direction = 7.5

Mrs. Henderson Presents is an Oscar-nominated film based on the "true story" of the Windmill Theatre in London during the WWII era. After her husband dies, the wealthy widow buys a dilapidated theatre on a whim, hires Vivian Van Damm as manager, and together they turn it into a commercial success.

a computer enhanced London during the late 1930s

Bob Hoskins as "Vivian van Damm" and Dame Judi Dench as "Mrs. Henderson":

The Windmill Theatre lit up at night.

At first, what set the Windmill Theatre apart from all the others was their continuous back-t0-back performances during a time when theatres only had 1-2 shows a day. They called their vaudeville variety reviews "Revudeville" and it proved to be a very profitable enterprise until everyone else started to copy their methods.

As a solution, the bold Mrs. Henderson suggested adding female nudity to the performances. After all, they were already doing it in Paris at the Moulin Rouge. But the UK was more prudish and such a shocking display private bits was outrageous at the time. Fortunately, Mrs. Henderson happened to be good friends with the Lord Chamberlain and managed to convince him to allow it on the grounds that the actresses would stay perfectly still, like figures in a tableaux so it could be considered "art." The concept proved to be a huge success.

here are the girls during rehearsal, practicing how to hold their positions.

i really love their silk robes. this green one goes so well with her blond hair.

One of the tamer naked silhouettes. I'm showing this b/c I think the set-up is actually quite lovely and classy.

Then WWII broke out. But the theatre stayed open even as London was being bombed because its auditorium seating was actually below ground and thus considered relatively safe during the air raids. The performers bravely gave new meaning to the phrase "the show must go on!" and were known to get right back up to continue even after nearby bomb blasts collapsed the sets.

her blond hair is just gorgeous against the royal blue

Here's a few screencaps of the girls in the dressing room. I've always loved the glamour associated with vanity mirror lights so I could resist sharing these images:

the b&w photo at the bottom of her mirror is of the legendary Louis Brooks.

reading the cards that came with the flowers sent in by admirers.

love the hair.

love her red silk embroidered robe and her teal headband/scarf (left)

This is also the best of I've seen Judi Dench look in a long while. The costumes they put her in were exquisite. I also love her hats. They are mostly all in the same style but in different colors to match her outfit for the day. It's sort of a like a beret but one side is gathered and the folds are held together by a long hair-pin like thing. Does anyone know the official term for a hat of this style?

Love the long teal coat/robe with the gold floral embroidery. And her diamond tiara+earrings+necklace set. Very regal.

Check out the gorgeous coral bead necklace and the green drop earrings.

Love her chunky jade necklace and the black Asian robe.

Now for some other images. Here's Mrs. Henderson's best friend in the middle, surrounded by actresses from the show. Loving the long gloves on her. Wish someone would bring those back in fashion.

The colorful plaid coat and red beret make me long for autumn.

INTERIORS:
Love the soft yellow wallpaper with the pink floral motif.

Love the green chinoiserie wallpaper in the dining room.

Here's a closeup of the green-gold wallpaper.

More great wallpaper.

Mrs. Henderson at her husband's funeral.
Does anyone know what those spikey things on the roof of the car are called?

Love the design on these seat backs!

Overall, my feelings toward the film can best be described by the words of Roger Ebert, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" is not great cinema, and neither was the Windmill great theater, but they both put on a good show. It's a decent film. Both Bob Hoskins and Judi Dench gave quality performances. Even Kelly Reilly (remember her as the red-head Brit in L'Auberge Espagnole?) shined.