Review: The Women

So we're gonna talk about Joan Crawford abit this week as I wanna talk more about Bette Davis, and Bette and Joan had quite a history so why not. Plus this film is very interesting and totally unlike any film that I ideally like to see, basically I didn't think it'd would be my cup of tea as it just sounded like a Bridget Jones Chick Flick from the plot summery that is. 

What this film is about is a group of friends who all live in fairly middle class standards, one of them called Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) who's husband called Stephen may or may not be having an affair with this beautiful, flirtatious woman called Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford). When Mary finds out about this and confronts Crystal about it and tells her to stop, Crystal just refuses and Mary and Stephen get a divorce. 2 years later Crystal and Stephen are married and Crystal has been having this affair with this new man who is married to one of the friends who's a countess and it just blows up. 

The plot of the film annoys me somewhat as the friends are good and so is Mary's mother as they're both very supportive of Mary because she's the innocent one and going through quite a bad time with everything. Also none of Mary's friends who are played by Rosalind Russel, Paulette Goddard and Joan Fonatine and a plethora of other brilliant actresses, none of the friends seem to like Crystal which is justified I guess as its the thing where its 'you've hurt my friend so automatically I don't like you' but it just seems like they all just gang up on her, which is horrible.

Crystal's character is someone I actually like, because she is a woman who knows who she is and is fine with it. She is very much of this bacheloresque woman in a way, because she is so strong and doesn't care what people think of her or her relationships, which I think is great as you shouldn't care what people think, but at the same time you should take people's feelings in to account if you're doing something like what Crystal did and she was very selfish and hurt other people. I mean she's a bitch but she admits it and is fine with it and not shady or denying that she is. 

Mary the main character is something I can't relate to or understand as she in the end and this frustrates me. In the end she goes back to Stephen the man who cheated on her in the first place! It annoyed me that Mary confronted Crystal and not Stephen who did the dirty and its more of a marriage and couple thing rather than it being another issue, but that's just me. They really tried to make Crystal a real bitch, from her costumes she wore to her attitude towards people, particularly towards her Step-Daughter little Mary. I like little Mary she is very passive aggressive towards her and it just makes me love her so much, because she does it in such a polite way you can't be annoyed at her. 

 Overall this film is good, but some of the characters are abit crap I should say, like Mary she just annoyed me at the end where she went back to Stephen who broke her trust but she loves him anyway. I feel like there should have been more of Stephen in the film, because that way he's more 3D you didn't even see his face throughout it. Love Joan Crawford in this obviously, and Paulette Goddard was brilliant aswell, because both are so mesmerising you can't stop watching them. 

Review: Of Human Bondage

The name does sound abit dodgy, trust me its not a porn its a wonderfully modern story with the fabulous Bette Davis.

The basics of the story is what happens when you fall for the wrong girl, It's about a man called Phillip (played by Leslie Howard) who is in love with waitress Mildred (played by Bette Davis) who is this very vulgar and unlike the sort of woman Phillip would go for. Mildred shows no liking to him, as much as Phillip would show it. Mildred fell for Emil, meanwhile Phillip falls for Norah and tries to get over Mildred. Emil leaves Mildred pregnant and distraught she goes to Phillip for help. 

This story is so modern as Bette Davis as an actress at the time was so dynamic and brilliant, and usually she plays alot of cold, brass women. That's something I love and I find very modern as back then in society it was very much man can be the crazy, angry one, woman can only be sweet, and kind and thats it. So in storytelling I find it fascinating that this character felt so 3D and I just wonder how this story affected the world and women. 

I love the use of the characters like Phillip as he is so sweet and nice, for some reason he loved Mildred. Mildred throughout the film really did like him, she just released her true colours as she moved in with him. Norah said at one point how humans have bondages over people, people they just find themselves attach to, like Philip is to Mildred and that will always happen. One thing that I love about Bette Davis is her voice its so unique and different, again I wonder the huge affect she had on the world at that time in the 1930s. 

The reason I say its a story of what happens when you fall for the wrong girl, its also a case of don't be taken for a mug. Phillip is Mildred's knight in shining armour constantly, from when Mildred's pregnancy, and being abandoned twice by the same man. She is a horrible woman, but I love watching her, and yet I still want her sarcastic, twisted sense of humour, but that's down to the fantastic script writers,  

                                                                
The camera angles of the film are one of the reasons as to why I love this so much. I love how it goes from one shot directly on the face when its a dinner conversation or just a conversation. Especially for facial expressions, as it just made me love the film even more because I don't think many films do that, not even now its all about the shot being on both, capturing both expressions of the actors. Its crazy that this film was made in 1934 with it being so modern and everything, but its even crazier that its based of a book by W. Somerset Maugham which was written in 1915.

There will be a Bette Davis post watch this space, as I need to talk about her, she is just so brilliant I want to be her. Anyway sorry its a bit late but, better late than never and I shall speak to you all tomorrow! 

Peppermint Friday Review #26: Sullivan's Travels

I hope you enjoyed Wednesday's post as it was nice to talk about something abit different for a change, and appropriately it was uploaded on International Woman's Day which wasn't planned at all by the way. Anyway we're gonna talk about an Actress and one of the best films ever I think, and it needed to be a Peppermint Friday Film to talk about, I couldn't just do it on any other day.

To put it short this film is about filmmaking, John Sullivan played by Joel McCrea is a Director who has done well, and made some money from the films he's made, but is creatively dissatisfied with the films he's made and wants to make some real gritty drama instead of the comedies he's making. The studio he works for wants him to make a film that is very much the same genre and style of film. John decides he wants to see the world at first hand so he becomes a tramp and bumps into a struggling actress called as in the film 'The Girl' who is played by Veronica Lake.  

The dialogue of this film is just brilliant, I love how witty they are and the quick humour of them both. Veronica Lake is such a beautiful woman and an amazing actress, she is a woman who I admire greatly and her portrayal of an actress who has struggled and has found it really hard the fact that she has this sense of humor is amazing and so classy and sultry she is a woman who I think we should all aspire to be. One of my favorite bits of the film and its turned into a classic line for varies films, TV shows, Theatre alike and that's when they're in the car and he goes 'What could go wrong?' and suddenly they're in prison together.

Joel McCrea is brilliant, he's an actor I've only seen in one film and that's this film, but despite that he's a good actor and I love the chemistry between him and Veronica Lake it's like an old married couple, and that's something I love in romance I like the witty, fun atmosphere with it, instead of it being all serious all the time as it's nice to have a bit of yin and yang. The character development from Joel's character is something I love, I love that he is so relatable because creative people are very erratic at times, its about changing things up all the time.

 Sully I should call him, at the beginning he is very frustrated with what he's doing, he wants to create gritty realism that has dirt underneath its fingernails, throughout the film he wants to deal with real trouble by being a tramp, he meets a beautiful girl who is struggling as an actress and is seriously thinking about going back home. She brings light to him and he brings light to her, and you all know already how much I love witty, cleverly written comedies with added genres and themes of anything. 

Minor characters I love are the Head of the studio which Sully works for, he is so patronising towards Sully about him doing something different which I like as he was very cheerful about it, which makes him even more so patronising, but I liked that because it succeeded in what the character set out to do. The butlers were so funny, and relaxed about it, one of my favorite bits of them was when Sully and Veronica were by the pool and fell in twice because they were having quite a heated conversation. They were so 'oh they're in the pool' and I just found it so amusing, during the end of the film when the plot gets thicker and much more deep.

                                                              
One of the cutest and most picturesque screenshot of the film that I love and holds a memory for me is the scene where Sully is on a boat in his hobo gear with a dog, I don't think there's nothing more beautiful than a man with his dog. You should definitely watch this film its so witty and wonderful, with a brilliant cast and its got Veronica Lake in and that's a film made I think. On that note I shall speak to you all very soon, and have a lovely weekend!

Review: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

This week is gonna be a lot less harder than it was last week, not to say it won't be intellectual and insightful, as this film is just different in genres. Plus this is a film that I really want to talk about, and I haven't done talked about Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in this detail before or ever really, so thats what we're gonna do. 

Its about a Southern couple Maggie 'The Cat' and Brick Pollitt played by Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, Brick is trying to reconnect to his athletic high school days and tragically injures his knee. The next day he and Maggie visit to celebrate Big Daddy's 65th Birthday who is played by Burt Ives. Brick and Maggie find out that Big Daddy has cancer and will die in a year, Maggie wants the large inheritance and encourages Brick to spend time with him to get in Big Daddys good books. Throughout the film its parallels of family struggle and relationship troubles.

I love Elizabeth Taylor as an Actress and of course a Fashion Icon, there is no doubt she looks absolutely gorgeous in this film. It got me thinking that if Maggie was a middle aged woman or just hideously ugly would people still like her? Elizabeth Taylor makes the role look so sexy and brilliant. Her character was so real in a way as she did things that were so childish and irrelevant to this relationship and she did things that were quite grown up and mature in a way, for instance she got quite jealous when Brick had a best friend called Skipper who got to spend more time with him, Skipper committed suicide and she wanted to ruin their relationship, which to me makes no sense and just a stupid thing for someone to do. She portrayed this character so brilliantly and with such instinct to the role. 

Paul Newman was brilliant, he portrayed a man who lost all his glory days and was deeply unhappy. Its funny because he had a beautiful wife who loved him but was a very selfish woman. I haven't seen Paul Newman in many films, so I can't comment on he as an Actor too much as I haven't seen him in many roles, but I will watch him in more films. Brick as a character was so depressing and just sad to watch, but he is a better person than Maggie even though they are both incredibly flawed. The thing is both of them annoyed me equally so I don't have a favorite out of either of them.

Minor characters that are mentioned like Big Daddy was very good and the typical terrifying father figure, who deep down has a real insecurity like Brick has. Characters like Big Mama, Mae Flynn especially Mae Flynn were so annoying it was like fingernails to a chalk board just her voice was so irritating. I can understand the family aspect that was very Southern, or stereotypical Southern family. Being very friendly, polite and courteous, but it was very deep Mississippi accent, and particularly the style. 

                                                         
It was originally a Play by Tennessee Williams, and as we all know the works of Tennessee Williams is always brilliant and discussed everywhere. This film is fantastic to watch and I feel the best of Elizabeth Taylor's acting talents. Definitely give this film a watch for brilliant acting performances and gorgeous scenery set in the deep south of America. 

Peppermint Friday Review #21: Sabrina

So to end the wonderful week, we're gonna talk about a film that I love very much that stars two of my favorite people Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart and I did mention it in a post a couple of weeks ago. It was also directed by the same man who directed The Seven Year Itch which I did a review of at the start of this week. 

The story is about a girl called Sabrina (played by Audrey Hepburn) who has been in love with a guy called David Larrabee (played by William Holden) who doesn't really return the favor. Sabrina tries to commit suicide due to it, but fails but David's older brother Linus (played by Humphrey Bogart) intervenes she then goes to Paris to go to cooking school she returns home after two years and looks completely different, stunning, new attitude adjustment.

First of all the costumes are stunning, then again its hard to make Audrey look awful even when before Sabrina went to Paris she looked beautiful. But when she got back she just looked abit more groomed shall we say, and much more glamorous. Even with William Holden and Humphrey Bogart's characters looked amazing, with there character arcs and I know that they just wore suits but for the characters and the personality types they looked amazing. Thats my girly bit of the review done for a bit, but we all know

I loved Sabrina as a character, I saw allot of myself in her that she wears her heart on her sleeve which can be a bad thing, but a very human thing and thats something I love about her. Linus is so brilliant and opposite from Sabrina I actually love that they develop feelings for each other as the film goes on from the character development from Sabrina at the beginning of the film lusting after a man who clearly doesn't show the same affection back, to the end of the film where she's beautiful, graceful and a woman who knows her worth.

The script was so flawless and I loved the way they said the lines that needed to be said in that way. William Holden's character David was the perfect mix of arrogance and charm, the way I describe it is Gaston who went to finishing school and actually tried hard and completed it. In some ways this film is a mixture of Beauty and The Beast with Sabrina being Belle, David, Gaston and Humphrey The Beast, and a modern romance film that wants the characters to get together you know, like a Team David and Team Linus sort of thing. 

Now you all know this by now, I'm not a fan of chick flicks, romcoms things like that, but when it comes to Classic films that have romantic bits and are largely romantic in terms of genre, who has a Hollywood star in like Audrey, Marilyn or Veronica Lake or whoever I like the list goes on I will 100% watch that film. Billy Wilder who directed this film, is a fantastic director who is well known to direct Romantic films with an edge of Comedy to it.
                                                                       
I think you should all know that there is a 1995 remake of this film, which isn't as good as this one, even though it has Harrison Ford in but this one has Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, so who wins? Not that I don't like Harrison Ford he's brilliant but its Audrey and Humphrey. This film and story is so beautiful to watch even if you're not a huge romance fan you will still love this film, as there are some funny bits of the film which are incorporated in brilliantly by the wonderful directing of Billy Wilder. I will talk to you all next week, and have a lovely weekend!

Monroe Vs Hepburn

Now I know there is no competition for these two lovely women, as they are both so different from each other. One is blonde, curvy and stunning, one is brunette, petite and gorgeous. But they were both very successful and at the top of there game at the same time, or around the same time. I adore these women both equally, so this is gonna be really hard also this is gonna be about Fashion and the Style they wore as well so lets begin.

Lets start with Marilyn, Marilyn didn't have an easy start in life as she spent most of it in foster homes and married at 16 her mother had a mental illness so she was then placed in a mental hospital. She started modelling when she was in her late teens which she was very good at she then wanted to do acting which led her to have bit parts in films. Then she got a speaking part in All About Eve, which earned her critical acclaim, and was taken seriously as an actress.

She also became a sex symbol which I can see why. But because of this she is labelled and automatically branded as being this blonde, flirtatious bimbo, which I don't think is the case at all. As in alot of her films she can be seen as this dark femme fatale character like in Clash By Night or Niagara, but people only know her as this dumb ditzy blonde in comedies which yes she is good in it, but she's also an actress who can play all roles. 

Now we're going to Audrey, Audrey's life began in Belgium and as a girl she did a lot of ballet, and that was the career that Audrey wanted to do. Then World War II happened, she would dance in London and was spotted by a casting director she then had a few minor roles in films, and then had her big break in Roman Holiday. 

People mainly recognise her for being this beautiful actress, with this stunning swanlike face. Which is true yes but she is a very nurturing person, she actually stopped acting because she wanted to help those in need particularly in Ethiopia, she then went on to become an UNICEF ambassador. Some people don't really realise how giving she was, people only really know her for being beautiful.

Both women in acting, are again quite similar, but totally different aswell. In terms of stereotype in roles, Audrey is very delicate and subtle when it comes to roles she plays like she's not over exaggerating or overdoing it. Thats what made me really like her, she was just so casual and eye catching in her roles and very softly spoken. With Marilyn again she is so eye catching and softly spoken, and doesn't seem like she tries too hard. Both are brilliant at comedy and the darker and abit more serious genres. Marilyn is abit more sexier and she has had much more roles that are largely dedicated to the male audience, than Audrey not to say thats a bad thing. 

Marilyn is much more curvier and has a stronger male following, due to the fact that she has modeled for Playboy and done nude not that thats a bad thing, because I still think she's amazing. I've read articles where she was a size 12, size 16 I don't know which is true! But I do think its wonderful as she was outspoken about her body, and wasn't entirely bothered by it. It is true as it doesn't matter what size you are aslong as you're happy and healthy, you can do anything and thats what I feel she gave off to the world. A wonderful, refreshing attitude to body image, and the fact that its all down to you. 

In styles of fashion I admire then highly, they are both stunning in there own sizes and styles. I look up to both in different ways, Audrey has the beautiful dresses and lets not forget that iconic black dress in Breakfast At Tiffany's, and can definitely put together a beautiful outfit, she loves her trousers and stripey tops which I love to wear. Marilyn has beautiful dresses again, and loves wearing legging/jeggings and has that low plunge neckline tops. Put it this way I want all there wardrobes in the films, they were in the costumes and the day to day wear. 

I don't think theres a winner here, which is usually does happen. I love Audrey and her simplicity and the way she carries herself and how quirky she acts in her roles. Marilyn is so beautiful, and doesn't even try hard in her roles and is so positive. Obviously both have had adversities throughout there life like anyone has, and thats what makes them so likeable in a way to me. 

The fact that they are both different sizes and different looks makes no difference to me, that Marilyn was a size 16 or 12 doesn't make a difference to me, I still think she's amazing, as an actress and a woman, same goes for Audrey she is a very petite and small but that doesn't make me think she's any less beautiful or talented as an actress. 

They are both such good actresses and so influential I can't honestly decide. Theres not even one woman I've liked or admired longer than the other. I love how caring they are towards people, Marilyn had a number of miscarriages and yet was still so caring to those who need it the most, but never cared herself. Audrey gave up her acting career to care for those in need in Ethiopia and all over the world. Both have such wonderful attitudes towards life and the acting and film universe. They didn't blame other people or think someone's out to get them, they made with what they had, and became the icons we all know and love.  

Review: The Seven Year Itch

Now this week, is gonna be an Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe week, as they are both very different but both were very successful around the same time. They are also not only brilliant actresses and women I highly admire but also they're fashion and sex icons, which is new to me to talk about. But I shall talk about that on Wednesday! 

We all know this film, predominantly from the icon Marilyn Monroe picture of her with the white dress standing on top of vent and the dress, yup we all know the scene and pictures. But the story goes abit deeper than that, yes her character is very free and relaxed but not slutty. It's about this man called Richard Sherman who is abit nerdy and talks to himself quite often, and he tends to overthink and has a very wild imagination. He is married and has a child who are in Maine, and he is in New York working through the summer. He lives near a woman who is Marilyn Monroe, and she is an Actress who is very glamorous and its Richard's imagination that the main thing of the story.

I love this film, the costumes are great then again the costumes in the 1950s will always be appealing to me so its a given. The film was originally a stage play which I can completely understand with as Richard's imagination and tendency to overthink would be quite fun to portray on stage. I love the bit where Marilyn says something along the lines of 'Not all girls find handsome men, or men that have confidence particularly attractive' I can't quite remember but I like that because it is true in many cases, girls and boys are attracted to what they're attracted to.

Marilyn's character and I think in her true character aswell, are very beautiful and they know they're beautiful, but she's not insecure about it or arrogant and cocky about it, she is very casual with it. Thats something I don't think people get from watching her in much more serious films, than in comedy films. But I will talk about her in much more depth in the Wednesday blog post. In this film, she proved that she is perceptive and doesn't just think about men all the time, and isn't this ditzy blonde girl.

I think Richard's stream into madness is what I really love about this film. It is accurate to what a person with anxiety is and I know its very farfetched from this being a romantic comedy and I'm jumping it to what its like with someone who has a mental illness. But Richard overthinks allot mainly around Marilyn as she is this beautiful woman and he is a man who has been married for 7 years has a child and boom he is faced with this gorgeous woman who lives just above him, and he's going mad.

One moment of the film that I loved was when Richard tried to kiss Marilyn, and he then started to imagine what would happen if word got out that he is a married man and kissed another woman and he didn't do gently he did it quite aggressively in a sexual way. I loved how intense he thought it would be and how his wife would react and how Marilyn would talk about it on TV and how crazy it was. That something that made me laugh, and made me like the film even more, as in comedy sometimes the funny thing can be quite vulnerable and absurd.

                                                                       
I adore this film, I love Marilyn in all her films, her serious, dark, mysterious side and her funny, blonde and ditzy side.I'm not that big into romantic comedies or chick flick, but when it comes to Audrey and Marilyn or any Classic Hollywood Actress that I love I'm all over it. This week for me is gonna be allot of fun as I've talked about men on here whether it'd be Comedians, or Directors or Actors they've predominantly been male, not that thats a bad thing, its just nice to talk about women who I love also for a change. If you want to buy this film go ahead by all means if not thats fine. I hope you all have a lovely week and I'll see you on Wednesday!

Favourite Horrors

On my last post I mention as to what I'm going to do on Halloween week, as I'm not that into Horror films, It's a fairly but they're my favourites nevertheless.

Freaks

This film is a weird one, like really weird, but I like it. Its about a circus of freaks and the love triangle between Cleopatra, Hans and Hercules, Cleopatra is a trapeze artist who's a beautiful woman she is inlove with strong man Hercules, so everyone assumes they're gonna get together which they do, Cleopatra finds out that Hans who is one of the midgets in the freakshow has a large fortune inheritance. She and Hercules make a plan to marry Hans, murder him and get the money. The freaks soon find out and turn Cleopatra I enjoyed this film, dispite it being completely freaky and just uncomfortable, I feel like its succeeded its job for me, as I felt freaked out and on edge I feel like thats what Horror films such as this one should do. 

 

House Of Wax (1953)

Now I know this version of the film is kinda forgotten from the car crash 2005 remake with Paris Hilton in but this version the 1953 version with Vincent Price is brilliant. He is practically the King of Horror, his voice is absolutely incredible. The story is about this Wax sculptor (played by Vincent Price) who owns a Wax museum that specialises in Historical figures, he adores his Marie Antoinette figure. One day his business partner says to him 'We could make allot of money on the insurance if something happens to this place'  Obviously he says no, but he sets it on fire. Years later the Wax sculptor's hands are crippled and he is left injured, and cannot make Wax figures, because of that he gets the help from Igor and Leon. Then he builds the House Of Wax Museum again, but he kills people and makes them into Wax figures. I love this film, primarily as it has Vincent Price in and his is a legend. The film has just so much more depth to it than the 2005 one. Give this film a chance and don't let the horrific 2005 colour your judgement. 

A Nightmare Before Christmas

This will probably be the only superficial film on the list, I was obsessed with this film for about a year when I was at college, because its by Tim Burton, its a dark comedy and I love dark comedies. I love the music and the fun behind it all, I also love Tim Burton's vision of it all with storytelling and the wit of his characters I just love it. I kinda just wanted to throw this in here as I love the film and its so nostalgic, and beautiful. I love the music and the relationship and chemistry with Sally and Jack.

House on Haunted Hill

Another Vincent Price film, I just love Vincent Price he's just so classy and brilliant I love that horror films back then and his era was much more about suspense, and words, rather than it being just blonde booby girls getting killed with blood everywhere. Not that there are no screaming girls in this film as there are, I love the wit behind it all. The story is about a couple who don't seem to like each other they have a ghost party invite there guests over, and if they stay the night they get paid £10,000. I love this film its wonderful, its got humour to it which I think is important for a horror as yes people dying or being chased by a ghost or demon or whatever, but its nice to have a little joke now and again, but it ties in with it. 




The Invisible Man

First black and white horror I saw, and I loved it, it was also the first film that introduced me to Claude Rains an actor who I don't think anyone really knows of. The film is about this scientist who is played by Claude Rains, who does an experiment and it goes wrong and makes him invisible, he then moves to this town to try to fix the invisibility problem. Over time the invisibility goes to his head and he soon goes crazy. Claude Rains's voice is brilliant as we hardly see him not invisible, and his laugh is just crazy. I love that everyone seems really quite stupid, the policeman is very much 'alwight alwight whats going on 'ere den?' kinda guy, but I like that as he's the comedy value to it all. The landlady just screams at everything, at whatever moves it sounds like a parrot's trapped inside her. I do love this film as it's one of the first Old Hollywood film I saw, so for me its very nostalgic because I remember the first time watching this film and loving it. I never saw a huge difference between modern films and then, but I love both theres just something so magical about older films than newer ones.