Marilyn: London trip part 2

 

While I was in London one of the things that HAD to be ticked off the list was seeing the Marilyn Monroe exhibition at the Getty Images Gallery.

A treat for any Monroe fan, this simple exhibition housed hundreds of beautiful black and white photos of the screen star (many I'd never seen before) alongside outifts that had belonged to her and costumes from her films. 

 A showgirl costume from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

 

As a life long fan I found the experience thrilling. To see a row of Marilyn size and shaped mannequins all wearing such familiar clothes was probably as close as I'll ever get to the lady herself. I took lots of photos but couldn't use flash because of the glass so some aren't as great as they could be.

I have to admit I got a little bit sentimental while viewing these great pieces of modern history and got glassy eyed when I saw her red sequin dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, my favourite Marilyn movie. I've probably seen that film near 50 times and it still fascinates me.

 

 

Marilyn with Jane Russell wearing matching red gowns in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

  

Even though Monroe was the 'blonde' in the film she only received a tenth of the fee Russell got. However despite this the two bombshells got along just fine. This famous red dress is sewn with thousands of red sequins of different sizes. I wonder where Jane Russell's version is?

 Marilyn in her 'Mermaid' showgirl costume from Bus Stop

The Bus Stop costume has a very sweet and patched up feel to it. A showgirl in hard times, this piece perfectly described the character of Cherie, beautiful, damaged and badly mended.

 The Pink Wiggle dress from Niagra

I've a feeling the bottom of this dress has been been cropped away at some point as it doesn't seem as long on the mannequin or have a split in the front. It is still undeniably a very sexy number outlining Marilyn's curves to perfection.

  

 The white muslin dress from The Prince and the Showgirl

This dress is very fragile and several mends can be seen in the front while a sizable tear can be found round it's side on the hip. I was quite surprised to see just how sheer this piece was. It's the kind of dress that would be very unforgiving on the wrong figure. As you can see she wore it wonderfully.

  

 Black beaded dress from Some Like it Hot

It's hard to believe that this dress was so tight Marilyn had to be lifted onto the piano for this scene in Some Like it Hot. The actual dress is pretty stunning and again, only a very specific figure could fill it out in all the right places. 

 Marilyn wearing her cream showgirl dress and headdress from There's No Business Like Show Business

I was really impressed with this outfit. It was so detailed and well made, a true tribute to the costume departments of the studios of yesteryear! The ironic thing for me is I really don't rate the film, it's one of Monroe's worst, one she only took as a deal so she could work on The Seven Year Itch.

   
This is a fantastic show so go and see it while you can. The great thing is it's free! But it's only on until the 18th May, that's two more days!!! If you can't get there I hope these photos and blog give you an idea of what it's like to witness the presence of a true icon through her clothes.

Paintings from the movies

I've just spent a wonderful Sunday watching Laura, the classic film noir starring Gene Tierney. The film is part of the matinee classics being shown on the big screen at the Cornerhouse, and it was great to see it as it would have first been viewed all those years ago at it's premier in 1944.

The story revolves around the murder of beautiful advertising executive Laura Hunt (Tierney) who soon becomes the infactuation of detective Mark Macpherson (Dana Andrews) as he falls in love with her stunning portrait and learns her story.

The portait in question is quite beautiful and has it's own interesting story to tell;

The first version of the picture was painted by the wife the of the original director, Mamoulian, but when Otto Preminger took over as the film's director he found the painting to his dislike. He wanted mystery and captivation, but instead thought the portrait was inflattering, flat and boring. 

To remedy this he sent Tierney off to studio photographer Frank Polony and had her picture taken. The best shot was enlarged to a portait size and the photo was then painted over with oils to give it the quality of an original painting. In this way Premigner felt he had captured the allure and power the painting needed to draw the audience in and be believable as the object of Macpherson's desire.

But what intrigues me perhaps more is what happend to this wonderful object after the film had wrapped? The IMDB website states that the painting can be seen in two other films; On the Riviera 1951, starring Danny Kaye and, Woman's World 1954 starring Clifton Webb who also starred in Laura.

But where is it now? Indeed the painting of Laura is not the only art from a movie which has made me ask this question; There have been numerous works of art created just for films that seem to have disappeared into the great abyss, some more classical than others but in my opinion just as wonderful, not only for their asthetics but also because of the history they hold.

 

My favourtite movie painting is that of Scarlett O Hara, as seen hanging in her and Rhett Butler's huge town house in Gone With the Wind. An imposing piece of portraiture I'd love to know who painted it and if Vivien Leigh actually sat for it. On further investigation, I've found out that it now hangs safely in the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta.

However another piece of movie history that probably HAS gone with the wind is the saloon painting of entertainer Katie Brown from the film Calamity Jane starring Doris Day and Howard Keel.

This (purposely) unfinished painting shows the newly discoverd showgirl Katie Brown after she made her debut, coming out of the shadows of stage star and former employee, Adelaide Adams.

Used simpley as a prop for Keel to sing to, this painting is still a super pin up girl of the era, with all the cute cheese cake allure of a Gil Elvgren. But where is it now?...

If you can think of any other paintings or art from the classic movies of yesteryear I'd love to know what they are and perhaps what happened to them, who knows, an historical movie gem could be sitting dusty in some attic right now just waiting to be discovered....

Frankly my dear I do give a damn!

I celebrated my birthday last week, and contrary to the belief that a birthday so soon after Christmas must be a quiet affair, mine lasted four days!

One of my presents was Gone With The Wind in paperback form, a brilliant coincidence since I am currently reading 'Frankly My Dear' by Molly Haskell; a book that looks into the making and creating of both the book and the film taking into account the lives of the author Margaret Mitchell and the many great actors who made GWTW such a classic and much loved story.

I have loved the film (which incidentally saw it's 70th anniversary last year!) since I was small and first watched it in installments (five I think) with my Mum after we got back from our weekly swimming. It was of course Scarlett who attracted me first, my fascination with female sexuality and empowerment, which began at a very early age, was here packaged in the gorgeous form of Vivien Leigh. I admired without real understanding Scarlett's determination, bravery and selfishness. Her version of femininity undoubtedly stayed in my imagination and has gone on to influence my art work.

She embodied a type of female character I'd never seen before and one which isn't often celebrated in films; Manipulative, unmaternal, masuline minded and bold yet successful and popular. As Rhett Bulter says in admiration, 'What a woman'.

After watching the film again this weekend I am once again full of love for Scarlett and Vivien. Vivien brought a feline like quality to the role, and a depth of understanding that made Scarlett more than a one dimensional bitch. I am especially in love with the scene where she enters the barbeque at Twelve Oaks and systematically enchants every male in the room while encurring the wrath of every women.

Vivien Leigh went on to become the darling of the theatrical scene alongside her husband Lawrence Olivier. During the 30's and 40's they appeared in a collection of Westend hits with Vivien taking on other challenging film roles including the sensitive production Waterloo Bridge. Yet she never achieved the same fame and recognition as for her role in GWTW. She suffered from recurrent tuberculosis and mental illnesses and died far too young at the age of 54.

Aside from the endless debates about race and American history the film always kicks up, my main love for Gone With the Wind stems from the female viewpoint. The strong female performances of Hattie McDaniels and Olivia De Hallivand. A sheer adoration of Scarlett O Hara, a woman I would probably steer well clear of in real life. Applaud for the actress who portrayed her to perfection and a girly affection for a love story plain and simple. Lets not forget the absolutely gorgeous Clark Gable who played Rhett as he should be played; with swagger, charm and irony.

GWTW here's to another 70 years!