the world was hers

"All I want for Christmas is another picture with Audrey Hepburn'- cary grant

director william wyler (1902-1981)

the facts: considered by his peers as second only to John Ford as a master craftsman of cinema, Wyler's directorial career spanned 45 years, from silent pictures to the cultural revolution of the 1970s. nominated a record 12 times for an Academy Award as Best Director, he won three and in 1966, was honored with the Irving Thalberg Award, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' ultimate accolade for a producer. So high was his reputation in his lifetime that he was the fourth recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, after Ford, James Cagney and Welles. Along with Ford and Welles, Wyler ranks with the best and most influential American directors, including Griffith, DeMille, Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg.

wow. well, for me wyler represents the man who made three of my all time favorite movies :
'the little foxes'
'dodsworth'
'the heiress.'
i watch them repeatedly.

Laurence Olivier credited Wyler with teaching him how to act on film. Bette Davis credited him for making her a box office-star after he directed her Oscar-winning performance in Jezebel (1938).

he made three films with bette. three films with audrey too. on the tiny hepburn Wyler said, "She had everything I was looking for: charm, innocence and talent.

photo: courtesy tom sutpen

by way of illustration

A+

though i rarely write about comedies i do love to laugh. my preference for the darkly black and white world of cinema has cracks in it's high walls that occasionally lets in the light which humor brings. last night i was cracking up.
it is possible that everyone adores audrey hepburn. she made great movies, gave of herself to the plight of suffering souls, and left a standard of style that has yet to be surpassed. audrey's own soul weighed a ton even if her slight frame did not. she is seriously missed.

i was familiar with the beautiful portrait of the two friends (audrey and shirley maclaine) whose livelihood/lives were destroyed by gossip. 'the children's hour' is an unforgettable film that is delicate, controversial, and stunningly acted. it was directed by wyler and though shot in black and white, willy must have seen great potential in audrey's huge chocolate colored eyes.

fast forward to 1966. not only did wyler bring on the color, he brought the house (in this case, museum) down with a riot of gorgeousness. 'how to steal a million' has irresistible performances by audrey and her thief, played by peter o'toole, who has enough charm in one fingernail to sweep one off one's feet. i thank everyone involved for this joyous tale of two people who had to fold their mutual skinniness into a closet to fall in love for our delight. laughter, love, and a most lavish display of talent.

photos: dream team of hepburn and o'toole/yes, purple carpeted stairs

public transport

i don't know if people feel safe or frightened on a bus but on a bus is where plenty happens. major moments in film take place on a bus.
'benny and joon' is a lovely film but there is an incredibly sad and moving scene where joon really loses her self on a bus. not only does ratso lose his life on a bus in 'midnight cowboy' but 'buck' loses his only friend.
i do not enjoy riding in a bus. however, there have been times i really waited for one. a fellow bench person told me, 'just light up a cigarette and the bus will surely come.' there is wisdom in that comment, for non smokers too.

hey! an old bus from santa monica, where i grew up.

lots in common

they are both:

kate
great
and sitting

hepburn and winslet. vive la difference! in other words: let's drink to the general diversity of individuals.

tippi

this image came without a model credit but i do believe this is beautiful tippi hedren showing some serious style.

small screen/big surprise

happy valentine's day to you. what a nice treat i received today via sherry. she brought to my attention the fact that my song 'people talk' was featured in the first episode of a new t.v. show called 'life unexpected.' i am unfamiliar with current trends in television but i just watched the first few episodes and really liked them.
the story of a blonde teenager who is at odds with her mom hit home. the fact that she is a vegetarian hit home. so, i am very happy with my valentine.

he could sure pick 'em

i love alfred hitchcock's leading men. farley granger, surely one of alfred's faves, was incredibly handsome but somehow steered clear of being trapped by it. while watching him i always have one of those moments where i stop and think, gosh, he is so good looking. it never seems to get in the way of his character. he is great in hitchcock's 'rope.' if he is even better in 'strangers on a train' this may be the reason:

"Rope" is fascinating but wasn't as much fun to make. It was all about the technique of making it, which was extremely difficult.'

regarding 'strangers on train':

'I remember the joy of it. We were completely prepared. There was a smell of success in the air from the very first. Hitchcock knew how good it was and we knew how good it was before we made it. The script was very strong.'

photo of farley zipping up shelly winter's dress: 'My lifelong romance with Shelley was very much a love affair. It evolved into a very complex relationship, and we were close until the day she died.'

beautiful direction

there is a very poetic scene in neil jordan's 'breakfast on pluto' that is shot through what appears to be a tent. the characters converse in shadow which only adds to the intimacy. even though at this moment in the story 'kitten' has only made a couple of appearances on stage, no one wants to be told that their participation in a band is not working out after all. so, it is a blessing to not see the faces of both the heartbreaker and heartbroken.

the fwench!

leslie caron by cornel lucas

the future is now

while reading patti smith's perfect memoir of her heady/hearts full of soul days and nights with robert mapplethorpe, i knew it would be a movie someday. i trust that the director will be completely swept up in the honesty and keep right on patti's path when retelling her tale.


photo: the kids from 'just kids.'