The woman behind the glamour: Edith Head

If it’s glamour you want then you have to seek out Edith Head.

Despite a lack of formal training in art and design Edit Head won 8 Oscars for her creations.  She was a master of dressing to hide an actors flaws and flaunt their assets.  Go back to any movie of the 1940’s to 1970’s and Edith will be there in the credits.  She also made patterns for Vogue Patterns meaning that the public could dress like the stars they admired.

Here are a few examples,

Now if I just had the body to do the designs justice!

And of course the big show stopper from White Christmas with Vera Ellen on the trapeze. God knows what Lady Gaga would do with it.

I must confess there is something Enda Mode about Edith…

It’s bigger than…

What could possibly be bigger than Ben Hur?

This would have to be one of the most expensive (at the time 1954, 15 million dollars in production, not to mention the 300 or so studio lots over 300 acres, as for extras…) costume, romance, revenge, redemption movies ever made.

This was one of my family’s favourites growing up.  This was the only time I was allowed to stay up late to watch all 3+ hours of this block buster.

In short, (hopefully) the story is about a Jewish nobleman, Judah Ben Hur, who renews his friendship with his childhood friend Massala who is now in a position of authority in the Roman Army.  The two fall out over the tense political situation. (Gore Vidal wanted director William Wyler to turn this into a homoerotic lovers tiff.  Really! )

After an accident where the the consul general’s horse is startled and throws the consul, Massala blames Judah for the accident and has him arrested and sent to the galleys as a slave. Judah’s mother and sister are incarcerated and the family stripped of its possessions and wealth.

Judah seethes with anger and revenge.  Amazingly he survives the Roman galleys for three years and after a fierce sea battle, saves the commanding officer who intercedes for Judah and secures his leave from the galleys, offering him a chance to drive chariots in the circus.  Judah accepts and after more adventures finally wishes to return to his family and seek revenge on his injustice by killing Massala.

And so it continues on…and on…with chariot races, a visit from Jesus who offers Judah Ben Hur a drink of water on his way to the galleys, and more horse races.  Then there is The Big Race.  Massala is alive and finds out that Ben Hur is in town.  After another change of costume with meaningful stares, close ups and brotherly brutishness,  Ben Hur takes on Massala in the great Circus in Jerusalem where there are no rules.  Massala enters with his customised chariot,  blades protruding from the wheel hubs ready to play dirty.  Our champion Ben Hur enters the circus with his Arabian Horses, the pure white ones, and squares off against Massala’s evil chariot of death with the black horses.  Yep the baddie has the black horse!

Black Horses = bad. White Horses = good

I wont ruin the ending for you, except to say that Jesus makes another appearance, there are miracles and moments of madness and chaos.  Amazingly not a single person or horse was killed or maimed in this epic despite their best efforts.

This is a great movie.  The story is enormous and deserves a big production and when you sit back and review it, it is an incredible logistical and physically demanding feat to film this saga.

I recommend getting the dvd one rainy day, turning off the phone and settling into a grand session of high drama and costume.  Just pause now and then to get something to eat.

Hollywood in Yarraville. The Sun Theatre

Deco glory at The Sun Theater Yarraville

The Sun Theatre in Yarraville is truly Hollywood in Melbourne.  It is a refurbished and lovingly renovated old theatre in Melbourne’s west that is brought back to its Art Deco splendour.

Check out their sessions time and movie list at www.suntheatre.com.au

The Grand Cinema

They now have 6 theaters where comfort, style and Art Deco opulence transform your experience into strictly Old Hollywood.  Nothing cheap and barn-like here.  Seating, screens and sound are all state of the art with each cinema retaining its old architecture.

So get over the West Gate bridge, turn off to uber-funky Yarraville and enjoy some glamour of the 1920’s at The Sun.

Hitchcock

Hitchcock. The suspense grand master

You can’t chat about Hollywood without including the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock.  The prolific British director, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock  KBE (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) made the chilling suspense movie his own.  Mention ‘Psycho’ and secretly every one thinks “perhaps I’ll skip my shower tonight!”  Hitchcock’s thrillers are classics because of the glamour of the principle actors, an innocent premise with a dark undertone and solving a mystery.  Add to that a preoccupation with innuendo, psychoanalysis and vulnerability and you have audiences in no small sweat.

Like the novelist Agatha Christie, his movies are strewn with clues some obvious, others not so.  However, the audience does not have the drawing room standoff  where all is revealed Poiroit- like before cocktails.  Hitchcock’s threats are home grown, all the nastier because they are so familiar, so banal that they could happen to anyone… and it could happen to you…Hitchcock said he ‘brought murder back into the home, where it belongs’

Why do birds turn evil and attack?  What happens when on a warm evening you look out of your rear window as your neighbourhood settles down for the night, only to see a murder that no one else notices?  What happens when you answer a telephone by accident and you’re now a marked man with a price on your head?  What happens with one split decision to turn off the highway and check in at the Bates Motel?

I  like the way he can hold an audience in the palm of his hand.  Our family were home together one Friday night, which is rare, and we all sat together watching Rear Window.  For a movie made over 50 year ago (1954) it transcended the years. It was suspenseful, witty and glamorous today.  The dialogue was sharp and funny, the issues controversial especially the ideas surrounding marriage, sex and commitment.  The imagery chilling and haunting with the murderer in his dark apartment creepily sucking his cigarette with only the glow to show his presence.  ( A much imitated image) You can see him, but can he see you!  All that great imagery is hard to forget.

"A preview of coming attractions"

One thing about Rear Window that I just found hard to swallow was, why was Lisa Fremont, Grace Kelly’s character, so interested in the irrascible chauvinist ‘Jeff ‘ Jeffries played by James Stewart?  There is some attempt to soften his character as Lisa shows how brave she is to flush out the murderer.  Still I am unconvinced.  Jeff  and the daily nurse/masseur would have made a great couple.

Another film I should mention is Rope (1948) that was filmed in an apartment in about 10 takes of 10minutes each.  This is a truly innovative move that maintains the viewer interest and suspense as well as the sense of immediacy.  If you get a chance to see it do it, but make sure you have a few mates to dinner first then watch their reaction!

Hitchcock was amazing and I’ll look at some of his other work in later posts.

My obsession with Marilyn

I’m just going to come right out and say it…I am 100% obsessed with Marilyn Monroe. My obsession started in high school, right about the same time my fascination with old Hollywood began. In the last decade I have managed to read multiple biographies on her life, buy and watch every movie she has been in and collect an insane amount of posters and framed images, including a Marilyn Monroe dressing screen which lives in my room. For my 18th birthday (which was a while ago now) I received so many handbags with a picture of Marilyn on them that I had to consider returning a few.

This obsession will come as no surprise to anyone who has known me for a while, because every dress up party since I was 16 years old has become an excuse for me to dress up as Marilyn. I even own the white dress and a blonde wig…sad, I know. I didn’t realise how bad my obsession had gotten until I attended a dress up party in late 2009. The theme was to dress up as a famous person that had died. I instantly thought of Marilyn, but then decided that there would be multiple Marilyn look-a-likes at the party, so in the interests of being different, I dressed up as Carmen Miranda. When I arrived at the party there wasn’t a Marilyn in sight. After talking to most of the girls at the party, it became apparent that no-one else had dressed up as Marilyn, because they all assumed I would!

I have to admit, I have settled down a bit these days. There are far less posters of Marilyn around, and I have added posters of other Hollywood stars, like Audrey Hepburn (mainly to create a bit of balance). But I don’t think I will ever be completely over her. There’s always going to be at least one image of her around my house, and from time to time I’m going to want to watch one of her films. Although I’m yet to find someone who is as obsessed as me, I can confidently say I have never talked to anyone who doesn’t like Marilyn Monroe. Let’s face it, she’s fabulous!

An Affair to Remember

I finally watched ‘An Affair to Remember’ for the first time late last year. It is a favourite of a good friend of mine’s mum (who was also a very good friend of mine), who had insisted I watch it for one particular scene. When I travelled to Europe at the end of 2009, I went with my partner to visit his family in the south of Italy. During that visit, I met his 102 year Grandmother (who is still going strong at 104 years old). Although I found it difficult not being able to understand her, I felt instantly welcomed by her and her family and found my time there a wonderful experience. When I told my friend’s mum of this, she said it reminded her of a scene in ‘An Affair to Remember’, where the Terry (Deborah Kerr) meets Nickie’s (Cary Grant’s) grandmother and feels an instant connection with her. It was from then that my friend’s mum insisted watch the movie with her. Unfortunately, my friend’s mum fell ill last year and while she was in hospital we decided I would watch it on the lap top with her one night. She told me that she wanted to watch the movie with me, so every time I watched it in the future, I would remember her. On the night we had scheduled, my friend’s mum was not well enough to watch it, so we decided to reschedule. Unfortunately she did not get any better and passed away in September last year. It took me a while to build up the courage, but I ended up watching the movie without her at the end of last year. It was a beautiful movie and everything that she had promised. Although I didn’t get to watch it with her, ‘An Affair to Remember’ still holds special meaning for me and every time I watch the movie, or even think about it, I remember my friends beautiful mum.

Iconic Hollywood attire

Many Hollywood starlets and stars of the golden years are still glorified today and images of them are instantly recognisable. Perhaps the most recognised images are defined by the outfits that they wore…the iconic attire.

You can’t go past Audrey Hepburn in the full-length evening gown with long black satin gloves and a pearl necklace ensemble she wore in ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys’. It’s easy to see why this glamorous, classic look became one of Hepburn’s most famous.

James Dean is often remembered as the handsome young man wearing that leather jacket in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’. Images of Dean in this jacket, with his hair slicked back have become iconic.

When we think of Marilyn Monroe, it’s hard not to picture her in the pleated white dress. Images of her standing over the subway in ‘The Seven Year Itch’ have become immortalised in history and this dress is undoubtedly her most famous attire.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

In 1953, Howard Hawkes directed the fun loving musical ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’. The movie follows the story of two singers and best friends Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) and Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell), who travel to Paris on a transatlantic cruise, working as lounge singers. The movie follows the the man-eating Dorothy and the gold-digging Lorelei , as they pick up men and jewels along the way. One of the most iconic songs of all time —‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’— is performed in this film by a pink dress and diamond clad Marilyn Monroe. This song has been replicated many a time in contemporary movies, including Nicole Kidman’s rendition in Baz Lurhman’s ‘Moulin Rouge’. Jane Russell performs the fabulous ‘Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love?’ in a black leotard, surrounded by shirtless, male athletes as her back up dancers. The frivolity and cheekiness of this film can be summed up by some of its fabulous quotes, like this one by Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe): ‘Don’t you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You might not marry a girl just because she’s pretty, but, my goodness, doesn’t it help?” If you’re up for a bit of fun and laughter, I think ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ is the perfect mix of glamour, music and frivolity for a fun night in.

The wonderful ‘Wizard of Oz’

When we think of iconic movies, it’s hard to go past the childhood classic, ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Try as they might, no other movie has ever come close to offering as much adventure and wonder. From tornados and munchkins, to talking lions and flying monkeys, this classic is watched and loved by every child and adult alike. I don’t think I’ve ever come across anyone who hasn’t seen ‘The Wizard of Oz’, or anyone who hasn’t enjoyed it.

Children’s movie makers of today aim to appeal to both children and adults, by incorporating witty one liners that only adults can understand and by creating sub-plots that adults can uncover. ‘The Wizard of OZ’ however, captures the adult audience in a different way; by appealing to their inner child.

I and most adults I know (whether they would admit it or not) would happily watch ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and simply enjoy it for what it is—a spectacular movie with a whimsical plot and a good excuse for a bit of escapism.

I wish I could wear an evening gown to dinner…

Marilyn Monroe in 'How To Marry a Millionare'

Whenever you watch an old movie there’s bound to be at least one scene where the beautiful female star is dressed in a gorgeous full length evening gown. Their hair and make-up is immaculate and they ooze glamour from head to toe. They may be dressed for a ball of some kind, but more often than not, they are simply going to dinner.

Take the movie ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ for example. The three female stars—Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Bettie Grabel—adorn stunning evening gowns to dine with their potential millionaire husbands. In one particular scene, Monroe shines in a fitted crimson satin down, with a jewelled waist band and shoulder strap, only to sit in a booth for a nice meal.

In the 21^st century, it’s only deemed acceptable to wear a full length evening gown at very few events…a debutant ball…a school formal…your own wedding. I want to know who decided that full length evening gowns would be reserved for ‘formal’ events? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to dress in your best to go for a meal at a nice restaurant? I’m not saying I want to wiggle into a jewelled gown every time I head to Hungry Jacks for a Whoppa and some onion rings, but wouldn’t it be fabulous if after work on a Friday night, you could slip into something spectacular before heading out for a beautiful meal in town?

A girl can dream…