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1930s film, 1953, 1954, A Shot in the Dark, After the Silents, Best Picture, Betty Grable, BGKY, Blonde, Bowling Green Kentucky movie theaters, bowling green ky, Brickyard Cafe, Burt Lancaster, Capital Theater, Classical Film, Columbus, dissertation, early film sound, Eddie Redmayne, English accents, family ghosts, Gallery Hop, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, George Clooney, German Village, How to Marry a Millionaire, James McAvoy, Judgement at Nuremberg, Judy Garland, Kenneth Branagh, Lauren Bacall, Laurence Olivier, manatees, Mariah's, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Michelle Williams, Montgomery Clift, My Week with Marilyn, New York, Of Human Bondage, Ohio, Oscars, PhD film studies, Pink Panther, prince and the showgirl, Richard Widmark, Rochester, Schmidt's Sausage Haus und Restaurant, sexy british accent, Silver Screen, sinus infection, Spencer Tracy, The Descendants, WIldLights, William Powell, William Shatner
Marilyn or Michelle?
The film My Week with Marilyn snuck into the Bowling Green (KY) theater months after its official release date elsewhere in the U.S. … though with openings in the big cities as far back as the fall, if memory serves. Mike ran across this local showing in one of his random theater checks yesterday. We skeedaddled to see it this afternoon (Sunday). We’d given up hope that it would ever play in Bowling Green. The Descendants has yet to, and it’s a Best Picture sho-in. Chew on that one.
We loved the film—both films, My Week with Marilyn and The Descendants (which we watched in Columbus over the holidays)—but for now I’m talking Marilyn. I had a bit of trouble getting into its reality at first, as I know the actors who are playing actors and I know the story that they’re portraying. It was a triple-consciousness thing that had me a bit reeling until my brain settled in: actors who are playing actors who are in a story that I’m already familiar with since I’ve read Blonde and watched the movie that they film in the movie (The Prince and the Showgirl).
Eventually, I forgot that Michelle Williams dead-on channeled Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh nailed Laurence Olivier with creepy accuracy. I just watched Marilyn and Olivier duking it out as the background and the tragedy of Marilyn Monroe unfolding before the eyes of a besotted 24-year-old heartthrob played by talented Eddie Redmayne. Hello, Eddie! Please do more British period pieces so I can ogle you and your sexy British accent. What girl can resist (e.g. Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Colin Firth)? My first boytoy had a Yorkshire one.
The Prince and the Showgirl
Er, right. I think I got majorly distracted there, and Mike’s asleep so I must plod on with matters of the mind versus the flesh …
It’s been a great movie weekend. As a prelude to My Week with Marilyn, we watched How to Marry a Millionaire on Netflix Instant View early last night (Saturday). Lesser known than Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which shot Marilyn Monroe to her star position even though the two films premiered the same year, I much prefer How to Marry a Millionaire. Perhaps Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a man’s film and How to Marry a Millionaire is a woman’s? Though Marilyn plays second or even third fiddle to Lauren Bacall and Betty Grable, she’s exquisite as always. How to Marry a Millionaire is a delightful, light comedy with lovely but cheeky morals and fabulous costumes. Best of all, we get a large dash of William Powell in his later years, where he goes from cheeky to a gentleman “doll”.
Doesn't do the class of the film justice.
In addition to our Marilyn mini-fest (which will not end here, at least on my part, as I’ve found seven more Marilyn films available on Netflix Instant View that I either haven’t watched at all or haven’t watched in ages), we also split the 1961 film Judgement at Nuremberg between the two nights. Hm, now I’m wondering what we watched Friday night … It must have been something after our lovely dinner-date at the local date place Mariah’s. We splurged, using Christmas gift cards, on NY Strip Steak and Filet Mignon (yes I’ll eat red meat if it’s Filet Mignon) complete with all the other mandatory nice-dinner courses … topped by bread pudding in sweet whiskey sauce. Still not as good as Brickyard Cafe, our very favorite BGKY restaurant, but overall a fun date night and good meal.
Oh, yes, we started rewatching The Pink Panther sequel A Shot in the Dark, but Mike fell asleep halfway through and I vaguely finished it. Before dinner we checked out a small gallery opening at the Capital Theater. We weren’t crazy about the (modern) art (we’re traditionalists in the art world), but at least they had wine and nibbles. Sadly, the biggest art events in BGKY are the “monthly” Gallery Hops, but they don’t restart until March. Sadness.
No simple Good vs. Evil nonsense here.
Right, so Judgment at Nuremberg. Three hours. Showcasing the trial of four Nazi judges three years after the close of World War II. Starring Spencer Tracy with a mind-blowing cast including Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Widmark, Burt Lancaster, and—of all people—William Shatner (aged about 25!). We’re talking serious acting, serious topics, serious film. Far contrast to the rest of our weekend’s film fest. Serious mind-bending moral topics, some of which we almost got into arguments over afterwards. But totally worth it, mentally and morally.
How much of the movie is historically accurate? No clue. Not my field or period. On most levels, it doesn’t matter. It’s not that sort of film. The sort of film that EVERYONE needs to watch to help them become a responsible global citizen, I believe. It makes you ask the tough questions. Questions with no answers. Questions we hate to ask but must ask to be more than children, more than lemmings. And ultimately, judgements we must come to on our own, individual terms.
Still Waiting, Great Escape Theaters! I mean, seriously?!
This week: more movies. Mike’s working on the Conclusion to his dissertation on early film sound (titled After the Silents, which we hope will be a book in a few years!), which goes into the beginnings of cinema’s Silver era, my favorite. Or maybe it’s termed Classical? Whatever. Basically, mid-1930s to mid-1940s. He’s e-mailing me the list, but tomorrow’s films include Bride of Frankenstein and Of Human Bondage. Tuesday’s include The Informer and Captain Blood. Gone with the Wind will be in there somewhere in the next two weeks, along with two other Greats every week day.
I can’t wait. It’s perfect timing as I’m officially “off work” until the last week of January, when the Spring Semester starts. I’m also still fighting a sinus infection, now in Week 5, worst since 2008. Thus, I’m also taking it easy. I’m still recovering from our two week “Holiday” trip. We returned a week ago from first a week in New York (Rochester) and then a week in Ohio (Columbus) with our families. Major stress what with my allergy to car traveling (particularly while sick) and old family ghosts. But I have a whole year to exorcise them and to prepare for next year’s … and we did have a few good times, like trips to the WildLights at the Columbus Zoo and German Village, both of which I adore visiting with my family (despite the ghosts).
WildLights at Columbus Zoo
Manatees, my fav "exhibit".
Schmidt's Sausage Haus w/ my Dad
