The Eyes of Irene Bordoni

So you may recall that I was reading Our Hearts Were Young and Gay. Sadly, I've had to take a pause. Why? Because in the year 2003, I bought the fifth Harry Potter book along with almost Everyone else. At about page 80, I got bored with Angst-Harry and set it aside, saying to myself, "I'll finish it later...and anyways, this way I'll get to enjoy Harry Potter longer than everyone else." I've always been a fan of suspense and looking forward to things.

Flash forward six years, and I haven't purchased the sixth or seventh book and the bookmark is still in the exact same place in the fifth book. Finally, I decided: the sixth film is coming out and I want to see it in theaters. I missed seeing the last one in the theater, because I wanted to read the book first. But I'm babbling.

The last time I read Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, the new pop culture item that kept rising up was Irene Bordoni. Apparently this is another star that young Cornelia Otis Skinner looked up to. Bordoni was a French singer and Broadway star during the 1910s and 20s, and later made some movies in Hollywood. According to Wikipedia (what can I say? it's handy) Claudette Colbert copied Irene Bordoni's style in some ways, too.

Independence Day Ensemble

Geez, LOUISE.

I went to a party this 4th of July and quite a few people wore red, white and blue. I didn't really think about that. I just tried to choose something cool and cute. On another note, I am a more curvaceous woman than perhaps ever before. I feel...okay about this.

Top: bought at a market in Cairns, Queensland

Skirt:'90s Casual Corner, thrifted at a Goodwill

Les Cheveux!

I got a haircut. The inspiration came back in April when I watched No Man of Her Own with Carole Lombard. One of my summer goals is to perfect finger waves (NO EASY TASK!!!). I also bought some hot rollers on ebay so will experiment with those.

Top: thrifted, Buffalo Exchange

Skirt: Galore boutique

The Bicycle Thief

I know next to nothing about neorealist film except from what I gain from the genre title itself. I feel like average modern cinema doesn't pay too much attention to whether or not a story is realistic or absurd, etc. Not that all filmmakers are on the same track, of course. What I'm inarticulately attempting to say is that the average movie fare (the action movies, the romcoms, and even some of the period pieces, etc) seem to me to be loaded with metaphorical cheese. Hollywood is famous for this, of course...and cheese sells. An example of metaphorical cheese might be Matthew MacFayden(sp?)'s last lines in the new P&P: "I love you, I love you, I love you..." or "Mrs.Darcy" or whatever. UGH. I'm sorry. This just....no. Sorry. No.

So many films throughout time are a little bit on the sappy, contrived side. I'm not saying films should Always be realistic, but it's so refreshing when something really hits home. A movie doesn't have to try to be some high brow intellectual masterpiece in order to make you feel something. The Bicycle Thief (1948) makes you Feel Something, makes you feel a lot, and really really want to marry a good man one day and have a couple kids, including one adorable boy who follows your man around and is his best friend. Did I just...I just typed that, didn't I? And this is going to be on the internet...huh...oh well. Seriously, on a personal note, I think I have a thing for movies about little boys having good relationships with their fathers. First I teared up at Kramer Vs Kramer, and now this. But nevermind me.

The story takes place in impoverished, Post-WWII Italy. The hero is so poor that when he finally gets a job (that requires a bicycle) his wife has to sell their bed sheets so that he can buy his bike back. I read that the director, Vittorio De Sica cast non-actors for the roles, and no real actors could have done a better job. I highly recommend this one. I nearly cried three or four times.

If I had a million dollars...

I'm REALLY craving a change up in my wardrobe. I think of myself as being someone who has some flair for personal style (at least when I feel like making an effort) but when I was in PARIS, looking at all these immaculately, artistically robed women, I couldn't help but feel like some ugly American dog. I'm sure I do exaggerate. One guy thought I was Russian, another thought I was Italian (?) so I must not have stood out as an American tourist TOO MUCH. I'm rambling. All I'm trying to say is: I'm bored and ready for changes.

Sadly, Paris took a Lot of the money that was to last me the rest of the summer. If I DO intend to shop, I must be Extremely prudent with how and where I do so. Hmmm....maybe I should get one of those weardrobe accounts and scrutinize all my clothes. It might be a wise summer project.

ANYWAY, to get to my first POINT which is SHOES.
I don't buy many shoes. I have a lot of high heels, two pairs of flip flops, both Havaianas purchased while in Australia, one pair is black and one pair is raspberry pink. I also own a pair of shiny red, slip on moccasins purchased from the Talbots outlet my mother frequents in Lynnwood, and one pair of black ballet flats with absolutely NO foot support. Oh, and one pair of purple Asics tennis shoes I ordered used from ebay which don't fit Perfectly. I currently cannot find the right shoe to the pair.

I've always been more obsessed with clothing than shoes. Trust me, I love shoes, but I can always be more tempted to spend $80 on a great dress than on a great pair of shoes. I am a dress fiend. I buy skirts and tops on occasion, but mainly if I'm buying something, it's a dress. But my feet are neglected. Sigh. One day, feet. One day I'll buy you some cute shoes that are also comfortable. I promise. If I were Very rich, here are things I might purchase.

Also from Modcloth.










Look at all the pretty things!! Sigh. I Must go thrift buying and selling before I go mad. MUST.

Eyes Wide Whoa

Netflix recently led me to the film, Eyes Wide Shut (1999) which was Stanley Kubrick's last finished project. I had seen The Shining and Dr. Strangelove and in younger years, had heard that this film was just crazy and unsettling. I'm sure it would have been to a younger me. Anyway, I watched it and was truly entranced. This man makes good movies that also happen to freak me out. I don't know if I will ever watch this again. It's not something I would personally enjoy watching over and over, but when it's compared to the average film that's made, it has so much more to offer a thinking human being. I love entertainment. I love romance, glitz, glamour, and "pretty." I love light humor. But, in a moviegoer's diet, I think you need variety. You need a movie now and then that gives more questions than answers, that scares you or disturbs you more than it ties things up in pretty bows so you can have a clear picture of the universe in mind. I love happy endings, but sometimes, it's not what needs to happen in a film. I love escaping from reality, and I think what attracted me to this film, is that in escaping reality, it comes back to haunt you and it's this big messy circle of confusion. There are so many symbols in this film, so much thought behind the details (Christmas lights, masks, mirrors...). The lines that are spoken are odd. You don't expect characters to say the things they say, but when they go against the melody, it doesn't strike the ear as false.

To give one example, in the last scene of the film, Bill (played by Tom Cruise) and his wife, Alice (played by Nicole Kidman) are beginning to reconcile after a rough few days. In the final scene, Bill says "A dream is only a dream." To this Alice replies, "The important thing is: we're awake now, and hopefully for a long time to come." When Bill says "forever", I automatically sighed like a sentimental fool, but Alice responds with "Let's not use that word. It frightens me." There is a sense with these two characters that they represent two opposing belief systems. Bill clings to ideas of certainty, stability, security, while Alice looks deeper into things, into herself, into him, and refuses any learned notions about people, dreams, reality.

I don't know a ton about Kubrick or his themes, but I did a little light online reading about the film and the Freudian novella it was based upon (Traumnovelle/ Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler). It's such a crazy story and honestly reminded me a lot of a Symbolism project my group did for theatre history last quarter. ALSO, I recommend seeing this film if for one reason only: Alan Cumming plays a small, but hilarious role as a hotel desk clerk. You might appreciate him the most if you stick with seeing the whole film, as his character springs out of nowhere in humorous delight amid a lot of dark, scary plot twists. I WISH there was a youtube clip I could show.

Je reviens

I have returned from Paris. I spent one lovely week there with one of my favorite people in the whole world and his grandmere. Mon ami and I had a very nice time reconnecting, and came up with a lot of inside jokes. I forget what it's like to have inside joke-friends. I guess I don't have very many at the moment, or at least not many I see regularly. Not that non-inside joke-friends are disposable and worthless, au contraire: all friends are good friends. That's why we call them "friends." I will cease this meaningless dribble...maintenant.

I did some naughty things in terms of spending which I shall reveal a little later. I'm a little ashamed of myself, to be honest...but I NEEDED to buy some nice things in Paris. If I came home with a Paris t-shirt and a pen and no more, I would have felt so sad. You see, when I visited France at fifteen, I had no idea about my own personal style. I thought I did, but you see, I thought terribly wrong. This was my opportunity to shop in Paris, and do it RIGHT.

My last day was highly entertaining. Drew and Grandma Patti went off to London and I was left alone at Drew's lovely friend, Claire's apartment (she was off to London for the weekend as well). I absolutely could Not just sit around all day, so I left, with FAR greater courage than I should have had. 'I am a city-dweller! I can handle this!' I thought innocently. I walked outside and saw the Eiffel Tower so I was on my merry way. Clearly, I got lost and a lot of highly comical things happened to me. Maybe I am conceited sometimes, but I really do believe that my life is sometimes comedy gold. Or maybe I'm just not used to such a wide variety of Parisian/foreign men and their ways.

I feel like I have many more posts in me than have actually been posted of late but at the moment, am too lazy to craft anything together. Here are some photos. FIN.