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tilbageidanmark · 9 months ago

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Movies I watched this week (Year 4, week 5)

6 more by Icelandic Hlynur Pálmason (After ‘Godland’ and ‘Seven Boats’):

🍿 White, white day is about a grieving policeman whose wife died in a car accident. A masterful feat of slow film making, with unusual choices in its subtle direction. The man renovates a house, takes care of his cute granddaughter, and then, (as in 'The Descendants'), he discovers that before she died, his beloved wife had an affair with some guy. A stunning story of grief, resignation and acceptance. 10/10.

🍿 A painter is a 30-minutes unexplained riddle, about a conceptual land artist, harsh and isolated. A slow meditation about art and relationships, told via stark visuals and few words.

🍿 During Corona, Hlynur's 3 kids were building a tree house in Nest. The camera was fixed at one spot (in 99% of the cases) and recorded hundreds of short clips over a full year of changing seasons. It's absolutely the most captivating 22 minutes of film I've seen this week. (Pálmason used the same technique at the beginning of 'White, white day' recording the house over a long period of time). 10/10 (In spite of watching it with Spanish subtitles only).

🍿 A day or two, a painful, lyrical short about a boy who is left alone in a neglected farmhouse. Inexplicably traumatic. 9/10.

🍿 Milk Factory is basically a home movie with the same little cute girl (his daughter from 'Godland' and all the others) running through a modern gallery at the small fishing town of Höfn, where they live.

🍿 Fortunately, I saved his debut feature Winter Brothers to the very end. Had I started with this tedious, incomprehensible artsy piece first, I would never have discover the rest of his fascinating work. The story takes place in a metaphorical underground, a Siberian-type inferno, where chalk-faced miners use pickaxes and shovels to dig for something in darkness and noise. 2/10.

Now that I've seen everything he's done, 3 features and 5 shorts, my top three of his are: 1. A white, white day. 2. Nest. 3. Godland.

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Like the little heartbroken girl in 'White, white day', mourning the death of her grandmother, (and like the kids in the Danish 'Beautiful Something Left Behind'), Ponette is a 4-year-old girl who must come to terms with her mother's death in a car accident. (Photo Above). This sad and simple story features the most phenomenal performance by a child actress I've ever seen. The grief on her face was absolutely devastating and hard to watch. It's also hard to imagine how the director, Jacques Doillon, managed to coax such genuine emotions during the unbroken, long takes. 9/10.

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Exterminate All the Brutes, a 4 hour meditation about the roots of colonialism, racism and genocide. My first by Haitian documentarian Raoul Peck. An unflinching examination of the shameful atrocities on which our modern life is established. The many genocides that followed the European conquests of the world. The twin principals on which the Americas were founded; Extermination of all the native nations, and the exploitive slavery of kidnapped Africans. Painful truths.

There were some chapters I did not know: That White supremacy was codified for the first time in 1449 with the help of the pope, the king and the Spanish Inquisition. That the first successful slave revolt against colonialism was the Haitian Revolution of 1791. That the Code-name 'Geronimo' used for the killing of Bin Laden was simply one more time of using Indian names for America's worst enemies, all part of the need to 'Exterminate all the brutes'.

The documentary itself was in parts too fragmentary, used too many symbolic reenactments, and employed too many personal anecdotes, for my taste. Still, it's a must see warning. Trump makes his entry only at the last hour. 7/10.

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Only my second by independent writer-director John Sayles (after 'Lianna'), the neo-western Lone star. Real stories of the Anglo, Tejano, and Black communities in a small Texas border town. Also a new sheriff who investigates an old skeleton found at a firing range, and discovers old secrets about his dad and his old sweetheart. Unforgivably humane.

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Gun Crazy, a second-tiered, pulpy Film Noir, a precursor to Bonnie & Clyde and any other 'Outlaw couple on the run' stories. He's obsessed with guns since his childhood. She's high on deadly adventures. After falling in love at a carnival, they embark on a crime spree across America together. In 1950 that mean that the murderous fugitives will die at the end. Strangely, this urban crime caper ends in a dreamy Tarkovski swamp.

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Another Noir, Elia Kazan's medical thriller Panic in the Streets, taking place on the waterfront, this time in New Orleans. Jack Palance debut performance. I watched it after reading the article The Myth of Panic, which analyses how the 'Elites' uses the fear of 'the crowd' to always control narratives in times of mass disasters, The Spanish influenza, The London Blitz, the Atomic age, AIDS, Corona...

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Falcon lake is the charged debut feature of Canadian Charlotte Le Bon. It's a lovely coming-of-age story about a 13 year old boy who falls for a 16 year old girl at a lake cottage in Quebec. He's innocent and caring, until he fucks up and becomes a ghost. Accomplished film making with an indecisive finale. 7/10.

*Woman Director

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"Goddamn-dipshit-Rodriguez-gypsy-dildo-punks. I'll get your ass."

First watch: LA cult movie Repo Man. I guess you had to be there at the time to appreciate its weird punkness. But even though I stuck to the very bitter end, every moment made it worse. Rambling, disjointed, uninteresting. 2/10.

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Junk mail, a grimy Norwegian Noir about a lowly postman who doesn't give a shit: He throws away the mail he doesn't want to deliver, he's shabby and dirty, he stalks a deaf girl and hides in her apartment. And he always steals bites of food from everywhere. But then he gets involves with some robbers and murderers, and saves the girl from suicide. Oslo looks disgusting here. 3/10.

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Leonor Will Never Die, my first meta-film from The Philippines. A different standard told in a different film syntax, which unfortunately left me baffled. An elderly lady who used to be a famous scriptwriter in the golden age of Pinoy Cinema of the 1980's, but now lives in the slums and can't pay her bills, is getting hit on the head by a television set that her upstairs neighbor throws out of the window. While in coma, she re-writes and re-lives her unfinished manuscript, a low-low-brow action movie, and even plays the main character in it. Weird to say the list, but with a surprising dance and song routine at the end which was wonderful. 2/10.

*Woman Director

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2 from screenwriter Etan Cohen, both about dim-witted morons:

🍿 "Whatever you do, keep painting!... "

Another re-watch: Mike Judge's prescient satire Idiocracy, a movie tinged with enough criticism of late-stage capitalism, that Fox C21 decided to abandon, rather than promote it. Featuring real brands like 'Flaturin', 'If you don't smoke Tarrlytons - Fuck you!' 'Crocs, they are so dumb. Could you imagine those ever getting popular?', 'Buttfuckers restaurant'. As well as the actual line 'He's gonna make them grow again'.

Funniest lines from Wikipedia: "Rita, a street prostitute" has been "in a relationship with Paul Thomas Anderson since 2001. They live in the San Fernando Valley with their four children."

🍿 My wife is retarded, a one-note, low-brow, offensive premise played for laughs, and repeated more than a dozen times in the span of 10 minutes. With 'Bill Lumbergh'. 2/10.

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"Nothing about Barcelona?"...

Another Guilty Pleasure Re-watch: Steven Soderbergh's fast action Haywire. A convoluted spy plot, with a female Jason Bourne assassin, and kick-ass hand-to-hand fight scenes.

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2 NYC shorts co-directed by Ellie Sachs:

🍿 In Proof of concept an aspiring auteur tries coaxing her dad and Richard Kind, her uncle, into financing her first short film. Cute.

*Woman Director

🍿 My Annie Hall, a wholesome 30-minute remake of 'Annie Hall' starring seniors citizens. The 94-year-old Alvin (and 73-year-old Annie) had all the quirkiness of the originals without the unpleasant personal baggage. 7/10.

*Woman Director

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And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine is a new documentary about 'The power of the Photograph', produced by Ruben Östlund. It started promisingly with a few minutes of Camera Obscura, and the first ever 1826 photograph by Nicéphore Niépce, but the rest of the time it just jammed hundreds of random clips and images from the internet into fast-moving soup with no depth. 1/10.

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"There is a grown-up way to eat watermelon!"

Everything Is Terrible, The Movie (2009) was an older but much funnier montage. A cynical compilation of bizarre and obscure clips found in long forgotten VHS tapes, it just fast-edited hundreds of ridiculous tidbits from the 80's and 90's into a dumb and absurd mishmash. Much better!

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"Don't forget me". Some YouTube essayist's 'Falling down' was propaganda. In spite of not being a fan of such essays, it was an insightful 44 minute analysis. Diving into sociological and historical background trying to prove that DFENS descent into villainy had some very valid reasons. It end with Plato's 'The noble lie'. (Even the YouTube comments were intelligent, for the most part.)

Apparently, there are many similar essays on the same topic!

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Another unfathomable documentary about the central role the "New Apostolic Reformation" played in instigating the Capitol riot of January 6th. Spiritual Warriors: Decoding Christian Nationalism at the Capitol Riot. Also about C. Peter Wagner, and 'Jericho Marches' and 'Blowing of the Shofars'. Religious fruitcakes are the worst of all nutjob crazies. Mental illness of prophetic levels.

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(My complete movie list is here)

#movies

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clarabowlover · 4 years ago

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Happy Birthday To Beautiful Anglo/Indian Actress Merle Oberon

(Born 19th February 1911)

Pics Source: Listal.com

#merle oberon #birthday girl #born 19th february 1911 #beautiful anglo/indian actress #nicknames: obie - queenie #best remembered for her roles in the privite life of henry VIII (1933) - the scarlet pimpernell (1934) - wuthering heights (1939)#60 acting credits #years active 1928-73 #british and hollywood films #pics source: listal.com

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astrognossienne · 3 years ago

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scandalous beauty: vivien leigh -an analysis

“I'm a Scorpio, and Scorpios eat themselves out and burn themselves up like me. I swing between happiness and misery. I say what I think and I don't pretend and I am prepared to accept the consequences of my own actions.” - Vivien Leigh

The quintessential Scorpio, Vivien Leigh is one of the best actresses of all time. Immortalized for her fiery film performance as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind, one of the most successful films of all time, she is the only British woman to win two Best Actress Oscars (interestingly enough, both for playing Southern belles). To her public, she was forever the lady — beautifully mannered, exquisitely dressed, radiating charm. But among those who knew her well, she didn’t give a damn. I’ve often said that I see a lot of myself in Scarlett, and it was Vivien who breathed life, neuroses and her own dangerous sexuality into her. Vivien’s beauty was like that of her beloved Siamese cat, her eyes the same extraordinary shade of blue, her light movements almost feline in their grace. As Stevie Nicks said, “she is like a cat in the dark and then she is the darkness”. Her beauty was matched only by her talent. She had a fierce single-mindedness in her professional and personal life; whatever she wanted, she got it. She had a near-photographic memory and knew her lines after one or two readings of a play. A true Scorpio, she didn’t have any concept of balance; she only knew extremes: she was a bipolar nymphomaniac; when she was high, she was very high indeed and almost uncontrollable, when she was low she was suicidal. However, these mood swings would later be defined as manic depression, a mental illness that quite a few Scorpios seem to suffer from, from what I’ve noticed...she had violent mood swings and uncontrollable behaviour, which at times bordered on insanity. Her mental illness often manifested itself in sex addiction, which led her to having sex with strangers in London parks. Yet, while Leigh was incredibly unstable and as such, could at times be impossible to live with, she was said to be in other ways a “kind and generous person”. This tiny, frail actress from the Himalaya Mountains who won enduring fame for playing unforgettable characters, was as enigmatic as she was tragic. The parallels between her character and Leigh in real life seemed only too real. Her Scarlett O’Hara and Blanche DuBois remain so powerful today because she revealed herself in each of these characters, and in doing so gave us a realistic glimpse into the human condition. Regardless of her many flaws, demons, and hectic personal life cut short at the age of 53, Leigh’s place in film history is secured.

Vivien Leigh, according to astrotheme, was a Scorpio sun and Aquarius moon. She was born Vivian Mary Hartley, in the British Raj (India) to Ernest Richard Hartley, a Scottish-born British broker, and his wife, Gertrude. Gertrude, of Irish and Anglo-Indian parentage, was a devout Roman Catholic. Vivien was a child of the Empire, and while pregnant, her mother spent half an hour a day staring at the Himalayas in the hope that some of their beauty would be transferred to her baby. Her faith was repaid: even at an early age is was clear that Vivian would be stunningly beautiful. It was a life of privilege; her parents were well-off and she was waited on hand and foot by servants. Like Dolores del Rio, she was an only child, and as such, she was a spoiled rotten princess, constantly reminded by her mother that she was special. Once when she asked why fireworks were being let off on 5th November, she was told “it's for your birthday, darling". But her pampered childhood came to an abrupt end when she was sent away to the Convent of the Sacred Heart in England at the age of just six and a half. It is believed that the change had a profound effect on young hypersensitive Vivien's mental health. She was two years younger than all the other children and didn't see her mother for almost two years. But it was at the convent that her interest in drama began. One of her friends there was future actress Maureen O'Sullivan, two years her senior, to whom she confided: "When I leave school I'm going to be a great actress".

She was removed from the school by her father, and traveling with her parents for four years, she attended schools in Europe, learning French and Italian along the way. The family returned to Britain in 1931. After seeing O’Sullivan’s films, Vivien told her parents of her ambitions to become an actress. Shortly after, her father enrolled Vivian at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (RADA). Vivien also knew what she exactly what she wanted when it came to finding a husband. In 1932, at the age of 18, she caught sight of a handsome man on horseback out riding with the local hunt. "I'm going to marry him," she told her friend. It made no difference that the man, Leigh Holman, was 13 years her senior and already engaged: Vivien, not for the last time, got her way, and they married in December 1932. Soon after, she quit RADA. But settling down to a life of domesticity held no interest for the wannabe young actress. When her daughter, Suzanne was born on October 12 the following year, she simply wrote in her diary "had a baby - a girl". Vivien pestered her husband to allow her to return to drama school; to gain his approval she took his Christian name as her stage surname. She hired an agent name John Gliddon, who recommended her to British film director Alexander Korda as a possible film actress, but Korda rejected her as lacking potential. Her big break came in the West End production of The Mask of Virtue in 1935. The "staggeringly beautiful" young actress earned rave reviews and was soon the talk of London's theater-world. After this success, Korda soon admitted his error and signed her to a contract.

In the autumn of 1935 Vivien first set eyes on a young actor named Laurence Olivier. "That's the man I'm going to marry", she told a friend once more. Again it was pointed out to her that her latest prey was married. However once again, Vivien was determined to go to any lengths to get what she wanted. At Leigh's insistence, she had an actor friend introduce her to Olivier at the Savoy Grill, where he and wife Jill Esmond dined regularly after his performance in Romeo and Juliet. She went backstage to visit Olivier in his dressing room and in front of astonished onlookers, kissed him on his shoulder. And when she learnt that Olivier and his wife were going to Capri on holiday, she went there too, taking along a friend of her husband's as cover. Soon Leigh and Olivier were having an affair. The first film they made together was Fire Over England, where they played the role of lovers. Finally, after appearing together in a production of Hamlet, they announced they were leaving their respective spouses and setting up home together. The news scandalized the socially conservative Britain of 1937. Even after capturing Olivier, the ultra-ambitious Vivien still had more mountains to climb. Despite her relative inexperience, Leigh was chosen to play Ophelia to Olivier's Hamlet. It was around this time that she started to exhibit the madness that she was known for; her mood rapidly changed as she was preparing to go onstage. Without apparent provocation, she began screaming at Olivier before suddenly becoming silent and staring into space. She was able to perform without mishap, and by the following day she had returned to normal with no recollection of the event. Leigh appeared with her old schoolmate O’Sullivan, along with Lionel Barrymore in the film A Yank at Oxford. During production, she developed a reputation for being difficult and unreasonable, partly because she disliked her secondary role but mainly because her petulant antics seemed to be paying dividends.

Hollywood had launched a talent search to find an actress to play the part of Scarlett O'Hara in the film version of the best-selling novel, “Gone with the Wind”. Although she had found fame in Britain, Leigh was still a relative unknown in Hollywood. Yet Leigh was not discouraged. She immersed herself in Margaret Mitchell's novel, learning passages of it by heart. She traveled to America, ostensibly to be with Olivier, who was filming Wuthering Heights, but really to meet his agent, Myron Selznick, brother of Gone with the Wind's producer David O. Selznick. Leigh persuaded Myron to take her, dressed as Scarlett, to the set of Gone With The Wind and introduce her to the film's producer. Selznick was enchanted with the beautiful young British actress. The director, George Cukor, concurred and praised Leigh's "incredible wildness". She secured the role of Scarlett soon after. Leigh's mesmerizing performance won her the 1939 Academy Award for Best Actress, one of eight Oscars the film received. Yet although she had achieved global stardom at the age of 26, personal contentment proved elusive. While filming Caesar and Cleopatra in 1944, Leigh, then pregnant, slipped and fell, suffering a miscarriage. Also, that same year, she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis in her left lung and spent several weeks in hospital before appearing to have recovered. The stress triggered a mental breakdown and Leigh entered an even worse manic depressive state which was to blight the rest of her life. In 1951, Leigh won her second Oscar for her portrayal of the neurotic Blanche DuBois in Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire. Her performance is regarded by many critics as one of the greatest in the history of the cinema, but it proved catastrophic for her mental health. Leigh later claimed that playing DuBois - who at the end of the film is taken away to a lunatic asylum - "tipped me over into madness". She even started to utter the character's phrases from the film in real life.

Vivien had another problem, too: nymphomania. A by-product of Leigh's mental illness was an insatiable desire for sex. The first signs came early on when, during periods of depression, she had distressing sexual fantasies. She sometimes had a compulsion to insist her taxi driver should come into the house with her. At other times, it was a delivery man who caught her attention. Leigh also had frequent sexual encounters with strangers. She propositioned whoever took her fancy. In 1948, while touring Down Under with her husband, she embarked on an affair with the young Australian actor Peter Finch. Her affair with Finch resumed on the set of the 1953 film, Elephant Walk, when Leigh suffered a nervous breakdown and had to be flown back to Britain. Vivien was fiendish about sex. Once she rang a friend and asked her to have tea with her. The friend arrived half an hour later, but Vivien wasn't there. Eventually Vivien returned. It had been raining- she was bedraggled, covered in mud and looked terrible. She had been in the square with someone. That sort of thing happened all the time. She even tried to seduce the controversial critic Kenneth Tynan, who would always write poor reviews of her stage work, yet praise her husband.

While outwardly, Sir Laurence and Lady Olivier were still the golden couple of the British film and theater world, their marriage came under increasing strain. Olivier could not satisfy his wife's sexual appetite and there were frequent rows, sometimes of a violent nature. Finally, in 1960, after 23 years together, the great romance was over. Olivier left Vivien for Joan Plowright (also a Scorpio, albeit a much more dignified and controlled one) and the Oliviers divorced soon afterwards. Leigh was heartbroken. She blamed Plowright for the break-up, forgetting about her own affair with Peter Finch, but soon she took up with and mrried an actor named Jack Merivale, who was incredibly patient with her and, together with her first husband, with whom she remained friendly, took care of her for the rest of her life. Her manic depression continued to plague her, and she had to be treated with electric shock therapy. A friend of Leigh's went to see her after one such bout of treatment and recalls seeing her crawling on the ground digging with her hands. Leigh didn't even recognize her. Leigh's last film was Ship of Fools, made in 1965. In ailing physical and mental health, she played a down-on-her-luck divorcee, giving what many consider a quite moving performance. Two years later, Leigh was rehearsing to appear in a play when her tuberculosis resurfaced. Following several weeks of rest, she seemed to recover. However, her tuberculosis returned; when Merivale left her as usual at their flat to perform in a play, he returned home just before midnight to find her asleep. He entered the bedroom and discovered her body on the floor. She had been attempting to walk to the bathroom and, as her lungs filled with liquid, she collapsed and suffocated to death. A true water sign, she drowned in her emotions and passions, and quite literally consumed herself.

Next, It’s only natural that I focus on her husband, a most respected and distinguished actor and one of the greatest actors of all time...he was a classic Shakespearean actor whose passions were almost as intense as his talent: Taurus Laurence Olivier.

STATS

birthdate: November 5, 1913

major planets:

Sun: Scorpio

Moon: Aquarius

Rising: Taurus

Mercury: Sagittarius

Venus: Libra

Mars: Cancer

Midheaven: Aquarius

Jupiter: Capricorn

Saturn: Gemini

Uranus: Aquarius

Neptune: Cancer

Pluto: Cancer

Overall personality snapshot: She was often torn between being the dispassionate observer of life and the intensely engaged redeemer of human suffering. Sometimes she could not help feeling isolated and cynical; other times she found her identity with being one of the gang, and her conscience sends you out into some all-consuming cause. She had a real job combining her immense pride with her lofty idealism, her blunt, piercingly astute observations with her need for congenial companionship. But when she successfully managed it, she became a powerful force in her own circle and in the world at large if she so deemed that a cause merited her total dedication. She pursued truth with an intensity that would exhaust more laid-back, luke-warm types. When the impartial spectator within her married the passionate experiencer of life’s mysteries, she became a natural scientist, philosopher or artist, who brought together the heights and the depths. This satisfied her need to understand from her lofty eyrie and make sense of what can at times seem a deeply threatening world. Life for her seemed both a tragedy and a comedy in which both the light and darkness of the human situation are mysteriously and inextricably intermingled. And her fine intellect got lots of mileage from this awareness – she could be a master of satire and a sharp social critic. She was all too aware, however, that the paradoxes and ironies she observed in society lie within herself as well, and she may have used a well-developed sense of the absurd as a kind of defense against the pain of being alive.

She had powerful desires and feelings and a real need to achieve. Her standards were high; she knew that personal achievements reflected her essence, so she made sure that her achievements were worthy of her. But her essential seriousness and emotional control often belie some very tender feelings and a deep need for friendship, for underneath that solid ego was immense concern, affection and even compassion for the suffering to which she was so sensitive. Sometimes, however, she suspected the worst of her fellow human beings, seeing them as predators and, even worse, monstrously indifferent to the plight of other living beings. Like Dylan Thomas, she may have felt that life was summed up by the fact that "we are born in others’ pain and perish in our own". But she had enormous resilience and tenacity, a capacity for regenerating social structures, and she could take her perceptive mind and emotional commitment into the healing professions or politics and accomplish much. She saw what needed doing and got on and did it, regardless of what others thought. A certain ability to plunge into experience and observe the consequences made her an excellent trouble-shooter. Her personality combined sheer survival instinct with aspirations for nobility. She could turn despair into hope by clinging tenaciously to her uniqueness and to her common bond with all humanity.

She displayed a warm attractiveness and ripeness. Her most outstanding feature was her eyes and her gentle smile and voice. She enjoyed dressing well, preferring soft colours. The philosopher in her meant that she found ideas and opinions more important than fact. She was very optimistic and was easily distracted by anything new. When opportunity came knocking, she was quick to recognize it and take advantage of it. Sincere and versatile, she had a strong social sense. Her fresh outlook and breezy manner meant that she related well to people. Although she may have been careless over detail, she had an instinctive idea of the truth. She was especially good at seeing through sham, however always expressing the truth could be seen as tactlessness by others. She possessed writing talent. She needed to be able to show her originality and independence in any job for complete satisfaction. She was capable of routine work, but ultimately found it too dull and boring. She needed scope for her inventiveness, because she was able to bring a fresh view to any job. She had trouble trusting those who had authority over her. She tended to be fairly materialistically oriented, working hard for eventual success. Her sense of duty and responsibility were well-developed. Her powers of concentration are strong, and she was an honest person. She could be extremely efficient in the way that she tried to get maximum result out of minimum effort. She didn’t like extravagance and waste. She was a thoughtful and resourceful person, who was well-informed on many subjects. Success came gradually and as a result of hard work. Success and growth, for her, were expressed by material and financial achievements, bringing status and prestige.

Her attitudes and ideas tended to be on the conservative side, but they were profound and she was able to constructively develop and apply them. She was very serious about everything that gained his attention, although high nervous tension plunged her into periods of depression. At times, she could lack emotional warmth, preferring her life to be ordered and disciplined. When things didn’t go her way, she could fall into a bout of depression or feel very bitter and vindictive. Her sense of humour tended to be rather black and low-key. She belonged to a generation in which humanitarian ideals became extremely important, as well as the belief in absolute freedom for every individual. As a member of this generation, she came up with radical new ideas which she stubbornly followed. Knowledge was acknowledged as bringing freedom. As a member of this generation, she felt deep spiritual convictions, although she may not have seen herself as religious in the traditional sense of the word. She was part of an emotionally sensitive generation that was extremely conscious of the domestic environment and the atmosphere surrounding their home place and home country. In fact, she could be quite nostalgic about her homeland, religion and traditions, often seeing them in a romantic light. She felt a degree of escapism from everyday reality, and was very sensitive to the moods of those around her. Vivien Leigh embodied all of these Cancer Neptunian ideals. Changes were also experienced in the relationships between parents and children, with the ties becoming looser. Was part of a generation known for its devastating social upheavals concerning home and family. The whole general pattern of family life experiences enormous changes and upheavals; as a Cancer Plutonian, this aspect is highlighted with Leigh’s ruthlessness in her determination to land Olivier, when she left her first husband, barrister Leigh Holman, and five-year-old daughter Suzanne at home 'with hardly a backward glance' and took off for Los Angeles. She only became close to her daughter when she became a grown woman herself.

Love/sex life: No lover expected more from love than she did. For her, love was the highest ideal possible and sex was a rapture that exalted her being at every level: mind, body and soul. This made her a lover to be reckoned with—someone who was completely focused on the relationship. The intensity of her approach made life very difficult for those who loved her. She didn’t stand for halfway measures and she demanded a level of commitment that made many shy away. But when she loved, she did so with such utter devotion that the brave few who stuck with her would have no regrets. It was not unusual for the intense emotionality that characterized her love life to spill over into her philosophical and spiritual beliefs. When this happened she became a particular potent and thoroughly devoted idealist. Of course, she expected the person she loved to share her idealism and she could become quite resentful when they didn’t. At some point the question was going to be asked; “What did she love more, the ideas in her head or the person sleeping beside her?” That’s a question she probably didn’t want to answer too quickly. In early 1940, both divorced their spouses and married later that summer, but even the great Laurence Olivier soon found he couldn't keep Vivien happy. Soon she was seeing other men and Olivier would later state that satisfying her sexually would eventually become burdensome. Leigh would fulfill her sexual needs with many other lovers, including celebrated actor Peter Finch who was a close friend of her husband's. Some biographers have labeled her as a true nymphomaniac. Leigh, who many experts now believed was bipolar, would continue with her wanton ways right up until her death in 1967, her list of bed mates as long as Clark Gable's. Lover Peter Finch would say after her death, that sex was a "sickness" with the one-time Scarlett O'Hara, a stimulant as powerful and addictive as any drug.

minor asteroids and points:

North Node: Pisces

Lilith: Pisces

Vertex: Libra

Fortune: Aquarius

East Point: Taurus

Her North Node in Pisces dictated that she needed to develop her emotions and overall sensitivity. She needed to try to be less critical and demanding of both herself and others. Her Lilith in Pisces ensured that she was a natural born mystics and cultivated her own myth. Her Part of Fortune in Aquarius and Part of Spirit in Leo dictated that her destiny led him to a prominent position in life as a leader of some sort. Fame and prestige brought her success and material rewards. Success came to her when she stepped forward into the spotlight. Her soul’s purpose asked her to embrace unique and unconventional life experiences. She felt spiritual connections and the spark of the divine when there was a humanitarian benefit to her efforts. East Point in Taurus dictated that she was more likely to identify with the need for pleasure (including the potential of liking himself) and comfort. Her Vertex in Libra, 6th house dictated that she longed for a union of souls that was based on a model of pure peace and justice. Images come to mind of a mythical life on Venus, the planet of love, where there is never a discordant beat between lovers, but rather, continual harmony even if played in the minor chords. Physical lust was certainly a necessary aspect of two beings eternally intertwined, but the platonic component far outweighed it in importance for her. She had an attitude of duty, obligation and sacrifice when it came to heartfelt interactions. The negative side was the tendency to become hypochondriacal or martyristic to get the love she so desperately wanted. There was a need for others to appreciate the sincerity of her intentions, to the daily tasks she executed in a conscientious and caring way and for others to know that her actions, no matter how routine they may seem, were based on devoted love.

elemental dominance:

air

water

She was communicative, quick and mentally agile, and she liked to stir things up. She was likely a havoc-seeker on some level. She was oriented more toward thinking than feeling. She carried information and the seeds of ideas. Out of balance, she lived in her head and could be insensitive to the feelings of others. But at her best, she helped others form connections in all spheres of their daily lives. She had high sensitivity and elevation through feelings. Her heart and her emotions were her driving forces, and she couldn’t do anything on earth if she didn’t feel a strong effective charge. She needed to love in order to understand, and to feel in order to take action, which caused a certain vulnerability which she should (and often did) fight against.

modality dominance:

fixed

She liked the challenge of managing existing routines with ever more efficiency, rather than starting new enterprises or finding new ways of doing things. She likely had trouble delegating duties and had a very hard time seeing other points of view; she tried to implement the human need to create stability and order in the wake of change.

house dominants:

10th

6th

3rd

Her ambition in relation to the outside world, the identity she wished to achieve in regard to the community at large, and her career aspirations were all themes that were emphasized throughout her life. All matters outside the home, her public image and reputation were very important to her. Her attitude to people in authority, and how she viewed the outside world, as well as the influence of her father and her own attitude to him was highlighted. The general state of her health is also shown, as well as her early childhood experiences was a defining force for the rest of her life. Her workplace in respect to her colleagues, and the type of work she did as well as her attitude to it was emphasized in her life. Her everyday life and routine and the way she handled it was highlighted. How she went about being of service to others in a practical way, and the way he adjusted to necessities of mundane existence was a them in her life. Also, how she aspired to refine and better herself was of importance as well. Short journeys, traveling within her own country were themes throughout her life; her immediate environment, and relationships with her siblings, neighbours and friends were of importance. The way her mental processes operated, as well as the manner and style in which she communicated was emphasized in her life. As such, much was revealed about her schooling and childhood and adolescence.

planet dominants:

Uranus

Venus

Sun

She was unique and protected her individuality. She had disruptions appear in her life that brought unpleasant and unexpected surprises and she immersed herself in areas of her life in which these disruptions occurred. Change galvanized her. She was inventive, creative, and original. She was romantic, attractive and valued beauty, had an artistic instinct, and was sociable. She had an easy ability to create close personal relationships, for better or worse, and to form business partnerships. She had vitality and creativity, as well as a strong ego and was authoritarian and powerful. She likely had strong leadership qualities, she definitely knew who she was, and she had tremendous will. She met challenges and believed in expanding her life.

sign dominants:

Aquarius

Cancer

Scorpio

She was an original thinker, often eccentric, who prized individuality and freedom above all else. Her compassion, while genuine, rose from the intellect rather than the heart. She was hard to figure out because she was so often a paradox. She was patient but impatient; a nonconformist who conformed when it suited her; rebellious but peace-loving; stubborn and yet compliant when she wanted to be. She chafed at the restrictions placed upon her by society and sought to follow her own path. She needed roots, a place or even a state of mind that she could call her own. She needed a safe harbor, a refuge in which to retreat for solitude. She was generally gentle and kind, unless she was hurt. Then she could become vindictive and sharp-spoken. She was affectionate, passionate, and even possessive at times. She was intuitive and was perhaps even psychic. Experience flowed through her emotionally. She was often moody and always changeable; her interests and social circles shifted constantly. She was emotion distilled into its purest form. She was an intense, passionate, and strong-willed person. She was not above imposing her will on others. This could manifest in her as cruelty, sadism, and enmity, which had the possibility to make her supremely disliked. She needed to explore her world through her emotions.

Read more about her under the cut.

Vivian Mary Hartley was born on November 5, 1913, in Darjeeling, India. She lived there for the next six years. Her parents wanted to go home to England but because of World War I they opted to stay in India. At the end of the war the Hartleys headed back to their home country, where Vivien's mother wanted her daughter to have a convent education. She was one of the youngest in attendance, and it was not a happy experience for her. One of the few consolations was her friendship with a classmate who also became a successful actress, Maureen O'Sullivan While there her mother came for a visit and took her to a play on London's legendary West Side. It was there that Vivien decided to become an actress. At the end of her education, she met and married Herbert Leigh in 1932 and together had a child named Suzanne in 1933. Though she enjoyed motherhood, it did not squelch her ambition to be an actress. Her first role in British motion pictures was as Rose Venables in 1935's The Village Squire (1935). That same year Vivien appeared in Things Are Looking Up (1935), Look Up and Laugh (1935) and Gentleman's Agreement (1935). In 1938, Vivien went to the US to see her lover, Laurence Olivier, who was filming Wuthering Heights (1939) (she had left Herbert Leigh in 1937). While visiting Olivier, Vivien had the good luck to happen upon the Selznick brothers, who were filming the burning of Atlanta for the film, Gone with the Wind (1939), based on Margaret Mitchell's novel. The role of Scarlett O'Hara had yet to be cast and she was invited to take part in a screen test for the role. There had already been much talk in Hollywood about who was to be cast as Scarlett. Some big names had tried out for the part, such as Norma Shearer, Katharine Hepburn and Paulette Goddard. In fact, most in the film industry felt that Goddard was a sure bet for the part. However, four days after the screen test, Vivien was informed that she had landed the coveted slot. Although few remember it now, at the time her casting was controversial, as she was British and many fans of the novel it was based on felt the role should be played by an American. In addition, the shoot wasn't a pleasant one, as she didn't get along with her co-star, Clark Gable. The rest, as they say, is history. The film became one of the most celebrated in the annals of cinema. Not only did it win Best Picture during the Academy Awards, but Vivien won for Best Actress. Already she was a household name. In 1940, she made two films, Waterloo Bridge (1940) and 21 Days Together (1940), though neither approached the magnetism of GWTW. That same year saw Vivien marry Olivier and the next year they appeared together in That Hamilton Woman (1941). By the time of the filming of Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), her life had begun to unravel. She had suffered two miscarriages, contracted tuberculosis, and was diagnosed as a manic depressive. However, she gave another excellent performance in that film and her public was still enthralled with her, although the film was not a financial success. She rebounded nicely for her role as Blanche DuBois for her second Oscar-winning performance in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) opposite Marlon Brando in 1951. She wasn't heard from much after that. She made a film in 1955 (The Deep Blue Sea (1955)). In 1960, her marriage fell apart, as Olivier left her to marry actress Joan Plowright. She appeared on-screen again until 1961 in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961), co-starring Warren Beatty. Vivien's final turn on the screen came in Ship of Fools (1965), and that was a small part. She died at the age of 53 after a severe bout of tuberculosis on July 7, 1967. (x)

#vivien leigh #scorpio #scandalous stars #star analyses #long ass post #astrology #mine

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thememorium · 4 years ago

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Merle Oberon: a Life of Passing

Phyllis Chan

In 1978, Merle Oberon was invited to a reception with the Lord Mayor of Hobart, Tasmania, where a theatre had been named in her honour in her hometown. A film star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Oberon had starred in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) and Wuthering Heights (1939), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Dark Angel (1935).

Strangely, after her arrival, she denied she had been born there, excused herself, and declined questions about the truth of her background. For the rest of her stay in Hobart she remained ensconced in her hotel and never visited the theatre named after her. She died the following year in Malibu at the age of sixty-eight.

Oberon had claimed throughout her career that she had been born and raised in Tasmania, and that records of her birth had been destroyed in a fire. After her death, however, the truth began to emerge, especially after her nephew Michael Korda, editor-in-chief at the American publishers Simon & Schuster, wrote a novel based on his aunt’s story, called Queenie in reference to her childhood nickname. He asserted to the Los Angeles Times that Oberon had been an Anglo-Indian, i.e. of mixed parentage, born in Bombay (Mumbai).

Over the decades, rumours spiraled as various biographers attempted to find out the truth of Oberon’s parentage, or, to put it more bluntly, her race. Throughout her career her beauty had been described as ‘exotic’, a term that was used similarly for actresses of colour, such as Puerto Rican Rita Moreno. Due to US law at the time Oberon was being cast in leading romantic roles, it was illegal for interracial kisses to be depicted onscreen (alongside widespread laws against interracial marriage until 1967). It would have been impossible had the truth been known for Oberon to have starred alongside Leslie Howard or Laurence Olivier in her most famous films.

Biographer Charles Higham in the 1980s noted of how difficult it was for him to gain any information on Oberon’s early life before her arrival in England, aged seventeen. He went as far as requesting birth records from the Tasmanian government before receiving a letter from a Mrs Frieda Syer in India, who claimed she had known her and her half-sister Constance.

Some continued to believe she was Tasmanian. As late as 2008 a publisher and art dealer in Hobart, Nevin Hurst, offered a reward of $10,000 Australian dollars for ‘convincing proof’ she was indeed born there. Others insisted she was Tasmanian-Chinese. Shortly after, another biography, this one called Merle Oberon: Face of Mystery, was released, penned by Bob Casey. The story of Merle Oberon had become a Hollywood enthusiast’s puzzle, made all the more mysterious and alluring due to her renowned beauty and glamour, with that acceptable tinge of the ‘exotic’.

In 2014, the British Library collaborated with the genealogy website findmypast.co.uk to publish over 2.4 million records from the India Office Collection online. Amongst these was Oberon’s birth certificate, which confirmed a tragic, lurid story seized immediately upon by the Daily Mail.

According to the certificate, Estelle Merle O’Brien Thompson was born in Bombay on the 19th of February, 1911 to Constance Selby and Arthur Thompson, a British railway engineer. Selby was only twelve years old at the time of Oberon’s birth. After Thompson died after enlisting in the First World War, Oberon was brought up by her grandmother Charlotte, herself a Ceylonese Burgher of mixed descent, including partial Maori ancestry. She had given birth to Constance herself at the age of fourteen after a ‘relationship’ with an Anglo-Irish foreman on a tea plantation.

It is clear that Oberon knew the social stigma of her unconventional birth as well as her race. While Anglo-Indian relationships had been commonplace in the early part of the nineteenth century, ideas of racial ‘purity’ and the protection of ‘whiteness’ soon permeated the colonial world. Oberon’s mother and grandmother are described in various articles as being in relationships with older white men at highly precocious ages. While we have to be cautious about anachronism, it is easy to fill in the blanks here as to the trauma Oberon and her family suffered.

Various details about Oberon’s attitude towards her identity reveal the painful reasons she hid the truth for so long; her embarrassment at her ‘mother’ picking her up from school, so much ‘darker’ than she; a relationship that ended after the man in question saw her mother’s skin tone. While Oberon’s rags-to-riches story has doubtless inspired many of mixed-race and Indian descent, it clearly pained her that so many attempted to peel back her façade to the end of her life, all for a salacious story. Perhaps rather than searching for painful stories asserting tropes of mixed-race ‘exoticism’, we should be focusing on deconstructing them and respecting the individuals behind them.

Below: a headline pulled from the top ten results for ‘Merle Oberon’ on Google.

#indianhistory #hollywood #goldenage #merle oberon #classichollywood #eurasian #woc #mixed #americanhistory #colonial history #imperial history #decolonize #white passing

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mamapriest · 4 years ago

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THE MANY, MANY WOMEN OF ICONIC SINGER FRANK SINATRA

December 2018 | By David Clarke

Frank Sinatra, arguably the most famous person of the 20th century, was many things. He was a singer, an actor, and a producer. He also happened to be a womanizer. It’s no secret that Sinatra, the epitome of cool, made many women swoon, and the list of those he had relationships with is a who’s who of beautiful stars. We’ve compiled a list of Frank Sinatra’s lovers, spanning decades. Some will come as no surprise, but we expect some of them to shock you.

GRACE KELLY

An actress, Grace Kelly became the princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III in 1956. Before that, she had relationships with some actors. It was rumored that she had a romantic relationship with Frank Sinatra off-screen when they worked together on High Society.

JUDY GARLAND

Judy Garland was romantically involved with Frank Sinatra on two occasions. The first was in 1949, when Garland was recovering from a nervous breakdown and the two went on a romantic rendezvous in the Hamptons. At the time, she was still married to director Vincente Minnelli. The second was in 1955, during one of Garland’s many separations from her third husband, Sid Luft.

LAUREN BACALL

Frank Sinatra was very close to Lauren Bacall. Humphrey Bogart, Sinatra’s friend and workmate, was married to Bacall from 1945 until his death in 1957. Bogart believed that Sinatra was in love with Bacall, and failed to attend Bacall’s 32nd birthday party out of jealousy. Sinatra and Bacall were frequently seen together in 1957. On March 11, 1958, they reportedly got engaged, though Sinatra denied intending to marry her.

GLORIA VANDERBILT

An artist, author, actress, and socialite, Gloria Vanderbilt had a long list of famous lovers — Howard Hughes, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn, and Frank Sinatra. Vanderbilt remembers Sinatra being a wonderful friend to her.

MARILYN MONROE

Marilyn and Frank began seeing each other casually in the late 1950s — her maid Lena Pepitone says the star even moved into Frank’s L.A. home briefly to recover after her split from Joe — but their romance really heated up in 1961. “They spent a lot of nights together,” said Jimmy Whiting, a Sinatra friend. “They took bubble baths together.” Out of deference to her ex-husband, who had been a friend, Frank tried to keep the relationship a secret. “He didn’t want Joe to get pissed off,” Jim White, an insider, explained.

JULIET PROWSE

Juliet Prowse was an Anglo-Indian dancer. She was engaged to Frank Sinatra for a short while, from fall 1961 to early 1962, before Sinatra broke it off later that year because Prowse refused to give up her career.

ANGIE DICKINSON

Frank Sinatra was romantically involved with Angie Dickinson on and off for 10 years, from around 1954 to 1964. In 1999, after Sinatra’s death, Dickinson stated that she and Sinatra had an incredible “like” for each other. They had a very comfortable relationship and a burning affair, she added.

GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA

An actress, photojournalist, and sculptor, Gina Lollobrigida co-starred with Frank Sinatra in the film Never So Few. Off-screen, they were reportedly involved romantically.

SHIRLEY MACLAINE

Actress/singer/dancer Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra were extremely close friends. They co-starred in the film Some Came Running and were spotted going to a party together. Were they more than just friends? We’re not sure, but there’s no question that MacLaine loved Sinatra.

DONNA REED

Donna Reed, an actress and producer, worked with Frank Sinatra in the film From Here to Eternity, and they both won Oscars for their work in the movie. Reports spread that they were dating during filming.

View more here: http://standardnews.com/list-frank-sinatra-lovers/11/

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tcm · 5 years ago

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The Alluring Appeal of Ava Gardner by Theresa Brown

It’s here folks! One of TCM’s signature programming events and one of my favorites: Summer Under the Stars! For August, TCM features one movie star a day and programs a full 24 hours of their films. I can’t think of a better way to get a sweeping overview of a film star’s career. Let me tell you a bit about my pick.

Do you know how captivating and alluring and uniquely famous you have to be to be known by just your first name? Anyone can be a Harlow, a Barrymore, a Valentino...a Garbo! (Actually no…they can’t! ) But a first name, now that’s tough. You’d have to not be confused with anyone else sharing that same name. In the 1940’s, there was the premiere blonde, brunette and redhead of glamour girls. There was Lana, the Blonde – kittenish and cute as a Barbie doll; Rita, the Redhead – regal, aloof, drop-dead gorgeous; but for my money The Brunette of the 1940’s who beats out The Sweater Girl and The Love Goddess is AVA.

Ava Gardner was sensual, down-to-earth, edgy. She could kiss you as soon as kill you. She’d steal your man right before your very eyes by just walking into the room, and she could be heartbreakingly vulnerable. Not bad for a girl born on a tobacco farm in Grabtown, North Carolina, going barefoot much of the time. Unlike the other bombshells who were discovered in person at a soda fountain or dancing in a nightclub, circumstance has it that Ava was discovered from her photograph in the window of her brother’s-in-law photo studio. The rest is history (which you can read on TCM or in Lee Server’s biography Ava Gardner: "Love Is Nothing"). She became a star overnight...though it took Ava a good five years of ‘overnights’, lots of B pictures and two husbands (Mickey Rooney: 1942-1943 and Artie Shaw: 1945-1946) to have her first real major hit in 1946. Ava had a better and longer lasting career than Lana and Rita.

Of her films showing, the ones to particularly take note of are those coming into her own as an actress in the '50s, showing that she was not just a pretty face. I’d like to recommend a couple of her movies for you, starting with her first real big hit, THE KILLERS (’46).

It’s an iconic film noir that’s tough, complex and not at all dated. My friend says the first 12 minutes are Killer! And she’s right. Ava’s good as a femme fatale with a faux hint of damsel in distress. When she first appears in the movie, Burt Lancaster (in his first movie) sees her and is a goner. So are we. You can feel her in the room. Don’t let her hushed, whispery voice fool you. She’s no shrinking violet about to take a beatdown from her husband in front of his gang. Instead, Ava laces into him in a room FULL of men, with this threat:

“You touch me and you won’t live ‘til morning!”

I relish that moment.

In SHOWBOAT (‘51) [the Sinatra years ...], Ava plays riverboat performer and “tragic mulatto” Julie LaVerne. Those quotes are on purpose. Isn’t she really just a woman in love with a man she’ll never have, wrapped up in 19th century racial politics? We see her take the slings and arrows of trying to pass for white and by the end of her story, she’s bedraggled.

Ava’s also very good in BHOWANI JUNCTION (’56). Again playing a bi-racial woman, the film is set during the time the British are leaving India. Ava’s character doesn’t deny her dual heritage of Anglo-Indian. She is torn, though, between tradition and falling for the dashing British military soldier played by Stewart Granger. It looks like everyone else has the problem with her; she’s not fitting into any box nicely and neatly. She challenges their perceptions. She is harassed and nearly sexually assaulted because of her heritage. She doesn’t trade on her looks in this film and again, she’s a woman unlucky in love. You know what? I find these movies about interracial romance endlessly fascinating – in the many ways they keep couples FROM being together.

Personally, I hate re-makes. So, of course it stands to reason that I love MOGAMBO (’53). (Go figure.) I think it’s cool to find Gable starring as ‘The King’ of the jungle in his second go-round with this story. He’s a man who has to choose between two women. Well, let’s say two types of women. In the original 1932 version, RED DUST, Gable is torn between the lady Astor (Mary Astor) and ‘30’s blonde bombshell Harlow. (See...that last name). By the time 1953 rolls around, John Ford directs this deepest, darkest, technicolor African safari film and Gable’s choices are between one of the 'It' girls of the ‘50's: future princess of Monaco Grace Kelly and the saucy, sassy Ava as Eloise ‘Honeybear’ Kelly. Ava’s a good-time girl with Gable...they got ‘history.’ No strings. She’s sexy, but that’s not all she shows. Ava has a scene with a baby elephant which shows off her comedic timing. And when Ava sees that Gable prefers the prim and proper blonde, we hurt for her. Ford gives us a lovely but sad moment with her on that veranda, when she drops the devil-may-care mask. I love the angry, fiery Ava...fur flying, but the heartbroken Ava tugs at you.

MOGAMBO marks Ava and Gable’s third teaming together, the others being THE HUCKSTERS (’47) and LONE STAR (’52), hence the easy breeeezy chemistry between them.

THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (’54) is a big-budget Hollywood film where we cover the rise and fall of a small-town dancer/turned actress. As with Lana and Rita, men chased them, but I find more often than not with Ava, she does the choosing. She is the object of desire in THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA, but what these men fail to understand is you can’t control Ava; so whether you’re a millionaire playboy or a powerful movie executive as they are in this movie, she stays with you for as long as you’re not a possessive pain in the neck. She maintains her independence through each relationship. The story unfolds in flashback and we see how Ava’s Maria Vargas winds up where she does. Maria’s story reminds me a little of Ava’s real-life story; plucked from obscurity, thrown in the spotlight, not happy in relationships. It’s dawning on me that Ava’s characters do well when the man is her plaything. But let her fall in love...and it’s her undoing.

Ava and Humphrey Bogart have great chemistry here and it’s one of my favorite Bogart roles. I wish they had done more films together. But I understand the chemistry was on-camera only. Bogie was Team Sinatra in Ava’s and Frank’s turbulent years together. She and Edmond O’Brien (Academy Award-winner for his nervous and sweaty press agent he portrays in this film) appear here together for the second time. She’ll work with him a third time in 1964’s SEVEN DAYS IN MAY.

If you can only see or DVR one film of Ava’s tonight, PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN (‘51) is a MUST-SEE.

“I’d die for you without the least hesitation.”

Ava is at her most ravishing in her entire career in this film. Her beauty is other worldly, the screen drips with her. And who better to try and match her beauty but master cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Ava plays Pandora, a selfish girl who weaponizes her beauty. Boy oh boy, what men do for her. She's like the mythological Siren whom men are compelled by. It’s not that she sends men to their doom; they willingly leap into it. And I’m telling you, Ava works it.

In talking about this movie with my friend Wendy, she explains to me Ava’s appeal and she really helps crystallize for me just what it is about Ava. She says it better than I could:

“She is a woman who lives like a man. Ava is just so much herself in this movie. There’s no pretense. Somehow with director Albert Lewin she is relaxed and confident. And in glorious color.”

In PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, Ava is headstrong, bored, looking for kicks, does what she wants; not totally uncaring but a bit careless with people; sad she can’t do anything about men falling for her. She feels nothing...until she meets a man onboard a boat who, sight unseen, has been painting her portrait. The magical realism of the film takes off. You have to see Ava hopelessly in love. You have to see this movie.

TCM’s Summer Under the Stars programming is a good way to see an actor in one fell swoop. Perhaps it’ll make you want to explore her other films. See her in EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE (‘49), ON THE BEACH (‘59) or especially her tear it up in NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (’64). But for here and now...spending all day with Ava is not a bad thing.

#Ava Gardner #Summer Under the Stars #TCM #Killers #Barefoot Contessa #Clark Gable #Humphrey Bogart #Pandora #Turner Classic Movies #Theresa Brown

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nellygwyn · 6 years ago

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10 favourite books that I read this year

• Slammerkin by Emma Dongohue - about the 18th century teenage sex worker and murderess, Mary Saunders.

• Life Mask by Emma Dongohue - about the possible romance between 18th century actress, Eliza Farren, and sculptress & gentlewoman, Anne Damer. Also explores the rest of their hectic lives and their social circles and late 18th century society.

• The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar - In 1780s London, the beautiful and voluptuous courtesan, Angelica Neale, befriends an ageing, widowed merchant, Jonah Hancock, who claims to have found a rare mermaid and wants to exhibit it to high society.

• The Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg - Reimagines the story of real-life 18th century criminal, Jack Shepherd, and his mistress, Bess Lyon, with Jack as a transman (who lacks the language to explain how he feels) and Bess as an Anglo-Indian sex worker. The diverse magic of Georgian London ensues.

• The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna Marie Crowhurst - Ursula Flight, born at the cusp of England's Restoration era in the late 17th century, wants to become a playwright and a libertine, but her genteel family have other ideas.

• Courtesans by Katie Hickman - Non fiction book about historical courtesans, but specifically focuses on the lives of Sophia Baddeley, Elizabeth Armistead, Harriette Wilson, Catherine Walters and Cora Pearl.

• The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell - A good old fashioned ghostly gothic. Flits between the 19th century and the early 17th century. A newly widowed London wife, used to bustling and glamorous living, has been left her husband's family estate. Surprise surprise, it's a dilapidated manor house with an eerie air. And worse still, it seems to be plagued by a collection of 17th century wooden painted figures that hold a dark and terrible secret.

• Fanny Burney's Journals and Letters - A collection of the private diaries and correspondence of 18th century female novelist and predecessor of Jane Austen, Frances 'Fanny' Burney. She rubs shoulders with the great and the good, blushes and worries, fights with anxiety, and longs to fall in love.

• Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court by Lucy Worsley - Non fiction book. The fascinating story of the royal courts of the first two Hanoverian of Britain. A whole host of characters dominate the pages.

• The Butcher's Hook by Janet Ellis - Stories about murderess teenage girls always go down well. In 1760s London, Anne has just fallen for her social inferior, a butcher's boy nicknamed Fub. He's handsome, passionate and gives her pleasure she's never known. But her odious father and her shy mother want her to marry the sleazy, misogynistic but monied Simeon Onions and Fub's attentions seem to be straying towards his pretty young country cousin besides. In a desperate attempt to win her freedom, wreak revenge and keep her man, Anne does the unthinkable...and gets a taste for it.

#bleep bloop

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filmstruck · 7 years ago

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Interview with Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies Authors Anthony Uzarowski & Kendra Bean by Kimberly Lindbergs

FilmStruck has recently made a batch of Ava Gardner films available to stream and I decided to contact the authors of Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies to discuss the actress and her films. Anthony Uzarowski and Kendra Bean have also recorded an introduction for FilmStruck’s Ava Gardner collection available to subscribers now.

FilmStruck: To begin with, can you both tell me a little about yourselves, your backgrounds and what inspired you to collaborate on a book about Ava Gardner?

Anthony Uzarowski: I'm a writer and film historian and I also work as a collections assistant at the British Library. I studied film and languages at University College London, but my fascination for cinema goes way back to my childhood. I've always been fascinated with movie stars, particularly the old-timers. I remember falling in love with Marilyn Monroe when I was about 5— it was love at first sight. Ava was always very special to me because I was told she had been my grandfather's favorite movie star, I never met my grandfather so she became a link that connected me with him. I always identified with her free-spirited nature and her love of adventure and nocturnal lifestyle. Kendra and I first met through her wonderful website, vivandlarry.com. Our mutual love for Vivien Leigh and classic Hollywood brought us together and when we met in person, we became instant friends. I had been wanting to do a book about Ava for a long time– I started running a Facebook page for her back in 2009, and it soon became the largest FB page for Ava, with over 240,000 followers. It's still larger than the official page run by her estate.

After Kendra published her first book on Vivien Leigh, she suggested we collaborated on a project together, and of course Ava was an obvious subject. I'm so grateful to Kendra for giving me the confidence to go for it. If it wasn't for her, I don't know how long I would have waited before I'd feel 'ready' to write a book. Working together was a wonderful experience, and Ava, as a subject, proved to be everything I hoped for and more. We both really felt that Ava deserved a visual tribute to her life and work, and a book that would highlight her often underrated legacy as a screen star.

Kendra Bean: I'm a historian and currently work as the collections assistant at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, U.K. I did my B.A. in Film and Media Studies at the University of California, Irvine and then moved to London for an M.A. in Film Studies at King's College London (this was followed by an M.A. in Museum Studies). Like Anthony, I've always been obsessed with cinema. But it wasn't until college that I realized my passion for film history. In 2007 I launched the website vivandlarry.com, and online tribute to Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. I've been fortunate to meet so many amazing people through the website, including Anthony, who was the Man of Honor at my wedding in 2016. My work with vivandlarry.com led to a book titled Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait (Running Press, 2013). Afterward, I had a chat with my agent about what to do next and she suggested I try a different subject before continuing with my research on Vivien Leigh. Like Anthony said, we agreed to collaborate on a book about Ava, in part due to Anthony's social media reach with his Facebook page, and in part because she's a great subject. I didn't know much about Ava when we set out on this project, so it was really a process of discovery for me and it lead to great appreciation for her career and who she was as a person. Anthony was wonderful to work with. We encountered some pretty large obstacles when writing the book but we made it through and I'm very proud of the finished product!

FS: You're both working with FilmStruck right now to create introductions for the Ava Gardner movies we'll be streaming, so I have to ask: what are some of your favorite titles that FilmStruck has made available? And what film would you recommend to new viewers who may not be familiar with Gardner's work?

KB: I was honored to be invited to do film intros for a selection of early Vivien Leigh films that streamed on FilmStruck last October. It was a great experience! I'm a big fan of the Criterion Collection and was sad when Netflix dropped them from their streaming lineup a while back. So really, being able to view any Criterion/Janus Film titles are wonderful in my opinion. FilmStruck was recently launched in the U.K., which is cause for celebration, and I'm hoping they get licensing permission to stream films on the scale of their US counterpart. In terms of Ava films, I'm going to recommend BHOWANI JUNCTION (‘56). It's not as well-known as NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (‘64) or PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN (‘51), but it is an interesting historical film directed by George Cukor, in which Ava plays an Anglo-Indian woman struggling with identity issues amongst India's fight for independence from British rule. First of all, she looks stunning. I also consider her performance as Victoria Jones one of her strongest. Ava always talked down about her acting abilities but in this film she proves that she has emotional sensitivity and more depth than she ever gave herself credit for.

AU: BHOWANI JUNCTION is great! I agree with Kendra, Ava gives a very nuanced performance and I think that George Cukor is one of the directors who really knew how to get the best out of her. Ava was very insecure about her acting, she also never had a studied method or technique to rely on. In order to bring a character to life, she felt she needed to expose her own feelings and emotions, and that wasn't always easy for her. I personally love THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA. I think the script by John Huston and Anthony Veiller (who had also written THE KILLERS (‘46) is one of the best adaptations of a Tennessee Williams play ever committed to screen, and Ava as Maxine is a revelation. She is warm, fiery, tender and heartbreaking. I think that the selection chosen by FilmStruck will be a very good showcasing of the evolution of Ava's style and the different facades of her career and her screen persona. Of course, MOGAMBO (‘53) and PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN are beautiful and iconic, but some of the later films are also very interesting—aside from THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA—I think Ava gives one of her best later performances in SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (‘64). The script really doesn't give her very much to do, and her screen time is very limited, but Ava manages to craft a multilayered, complex character and her scenes are truly memorable.

FS: Ava is absolutely gorgeous and very sensual on screen, but she has an earthiness and timelessness that seems to set her apart from many of her Hollywood contemporaries. What do you think made her such a unique presence in so many great films? And why do you think modern audiences still find Ava so compelling?

AU: Such an interesting question! I completely agree, there is something very timeless about Ava's screen presence; she at once epitomizes classic Hollywood and is very contemporary. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Ava was entirely natural and spontaneous as a performer, even in her early films (THE HUCKSTERS (‘47), THE GREAT SINNER [‘49]) she is very authentic and fresh, there is no put-upon mannerism about any of her performances. It's significant that a lot of her best performances are in films she made outside of her home studio, MGM. Metro were famous for their very particular brand of manufactured glamour which can often appear dated and artificial today. Ava is at her best in films made on location, away from the constraints of a studio (MOGAMBO, ON THE BEACH (‘59), THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA). I think another element that contributes to how relevant Ava is today is the way she lived her life–her independence and the choices she made were in many ways much more 2018 than 1950. KB: I think Ava was a true film star. She had screen presence and that something undefinable yet at the same time recognizable. She was earthy and soulful—especially as she grew older—and when she was cast in roles that she connected with on a personal level, she gave some great performances. I think people today find Ava compelling because she was memorable, sexy and mysterious at the same time. She didn’t play by the rules and lived her life the way she wanted to. As surely, her beauty still resonates with film fans today.

FS: Ava’s personal life is as fascinating as the films she appeared in, and one of the film’s streaming on FilmStruck is the documentary AVA GARDNER, THE GIPSY OF HOLLYWOOD (2017), which focuses on her life in Spain. Ava spent a lot of time there during Franco’s reign, which was a very turbulent time in Spanish history. Why do you think the country appealed to Ava? And how do you think it may have may have inspired or influenced her work?

AU: Ava's years in Spain are a huge part of her legend, her very name brings to mind images of Flamenco dancing, bullfighters and hedonistic fiestas. At the time, the fact that a major Hollywood star would dare to leave Hollywood and permanently relocate to another place was almost unprecedented—when around the same time Marilyn Monroe moved to New York—it caused a sensation. Ava's move to Europe transformed her from a successful actress to an international icon, synonymous with decadence and bohemian glamour. She lived alone and didn't apologize for it; she was independent and free-spirited, and it that sense Spain and its culture appealed to her. I don't think she took a very keen interest in the darker side of the political realities of Franco's regime. To her Spain meant dance-filled nights, exciting friendships, sexy men; all of which she enjoyed in abundance. Her life and her art certainly intertwined during this period. Many of her films during the 1950s took advantage of her real-life status as a glamorous, uninhibited expat. She also frequently played Spanish women, in the minds of the public, Ava and her adopted country were inextricably linked. Even today, decades later, Ava's spirit lingers on in the places she lived and worked. In the coastal village of Tossa de Mar, where PANDORA AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN was shot, pictures of Ava adorn shops and cafes. In Madrid, tales of Ava's legendary escapades have become part of the local folklore. KB: I don’t think there is much to add to Anthony’s great response!

FS: Lastly, you’ve both written a lovely book (Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies) about the actress filled with gorgeous photos that I hope readers will seek out. What’s the one thing you learned about Ava while working on the book that really surprised you?

AU: I think the one thing that surprised me while researching the book was just how complex Ava was. Different people knew different Avas, and yet there's also a common thread– an unpretentious, generous spirit and a loyal friend. But within that, Ava was a bundle of contradictions: at once a wild and uninhibited man-eater and a shy romantic, a sophisticated woman of the world and a simple country girl, a talented and dedicated actress and someone who couldn't care less about her profession. And while it seems impossible to be all these things, it was the case with Ava.

KB: I actually knew very little about Ava before embarking on this project. I had to start from the beginning watching her films, reading all of the biographies and going though the archives. Looking back on it, I think I had preconceptions about Ava, that she was just a sex icon and there wasn’t much more to her than that. But as I learned more, I discovered she was more interesting than I previously gave her credit for. I especially enjoyed going through her letters to colleagues like George Cukor in the archives at the Margaret Herrick Library. She was very funny and good natured and didn’t seem to take life overly seriously. I found that refreshing. Working on this book made me into a fan. I think she was much more talented and multi-faceted than people tend to give her credit for.

#Ava Gardner #FilmStruck #Ava Gardner A Life In Movie #old hollywood #vintage #The Night of the Iguana #Bhowani Junction #Pandora and the Flying Dutchman #StreamLine Blog #Anthony Uzarowski #Kendra Bean #Kimberly Lindbergs

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isdischool · 2 years ago

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History and Evolution of the Indian Fashion Industry

Years of Indian fashion can not be weaved into a few words - the ethnicity, elegance, and grandeur belonging to each era captured by artisans and designers. The tweaking-turning evolution of the same is what charms the curious minds. Here we present an overview of the history and evolution of India’s booming fashion industry.

There have been some drastic and subtle changes that the Indian fashion industry has gone through. Let's go back to where it all began.

The Origin

The Indus Valley Civilization is where it all seems to have started. Records of some of the very first traditional Indian clothing were found during the Indus Valley Civilization (AKA the Bronze Age of Civilization) that lasted from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE.

Indian Textile VS Indian Fashion

The Indian textile industry was booming far before the fashion industry even began to take its initial steps. Silk and cotton exports had started in India long before the era of colonization. India had discovered the secret to making silk around 300CE from the Chinese. A lot of places throughout India became the centers for weaving silk. These were predominantly places like Cochin, Gujarat, Varanasi, Delhi, etc. Silk was known for its softness and luxurious feel which quickly became popular among the royals of the country.

With the rise of the Mughal Empire began the introduction of intricate details and prints on silk. However, fashion was a luxury reserved only for the rich. Along with beautiful silk pieces, the rich wore accessories, jewelry, lehengas, and sherwanis with embellishments by the best of the professionals.

Indian Fashion during Colonialism

The East India Company brought with it the Anglo fashion of skirts, trousers, and blouses. These styles were enforced upon the employees of the British while they served as clerks in their offices. The upper classes slowly then began adapting these European styles.

Fashion was a privilege afforded only by the richest of the country until the Indian colonization. Something worth mentioning is the impact of the caste system on Indian fashion history. Fashion followed the occupation of the people and the practicality of the clothing. For instance, the poor farmworkers and clerks wore dhotis and cotton sarees; for soldiers or warriors the clothing was armor. Clothing was a symbol of caste, class systems, and diverse roles divided amongst the society.

Indian Fashion: Post Independence

Decades after the Indian independence, the economy still seemed to be in the torturous grip of the negative impact of colonialism. The country was still struggling economically, which once again caused fashion to take a back seat. The urban and educated population of the country, however, preferred western clothing and kept European fashion alive to a certain extent.

The true rise of the Indian Fashion industry started only after the partition and the stable economy of the country came into play. A development in inter-state trade, in turn, led to the development of Indo-Western fashion.

The Bollywood Turn

The impact of Bollywood has been the greatest on the Indian Fashion Industry. As color cinema became popular in the 1950s, people began to be greatly influenced by the fashion sense of Bollywood stars. Movies were inspired by its culture and to a certain extent, even the British.

The 1940s to 1960s

People looked up to actors like Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand and actresses such as Madhubala and Nargis Datt to seek inspiration for their fashion choices. The drawback of the Indian fashion industry was that the industry was largely disorganized, clothing styles were limited due to the rarity of bazaars and brands available for the common folk.

The 1980s to 1990s

The 1980s and 1990s of the Bollywood era did impressive work in making fashion even more popular among the masses. The style of superstars like Amitabh Bacchan, Jackie Shroff, Zeenat Aman spoke volumes about their personalities and once again people sought inspiration from these celebrities.

Many trends of the 1970s were also at par with European fashion with the introduction of denim and bell bottoms and even activewear.

The Economic Rise of the 1980s

For the first time in the history of the Indian fashion industry, homegrown brands came into the mainstream. Brands like Park Avenue, Lakme, Louis Phillipe became popular among the Indian audience.

It was finally in the 1980s when fashion designing became a viable profession for Indians. Amongst a few of the first fashion designers of India were the esteemed names of Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla and Tarun Tahilani whose designs are still loved by their audience. Other brands also started coming forward which gave rise to competition in the fashion industry. Soon, international brands were also expanding to India, and boutiques were now prominent and more welcoming to the younger crowd.

The 1990s to 2000s

As more and more people started watching TV, fashion became more common among all Indian households. Exposure to fashion magazines also proved to be extremely beneficial for the fashion industry of India. Some of the popular designers of the time are Manish Malhotra and Rohit Bal, with their works still being largely recognized and appreciated.

In the 2000s, there was easy access to the internet and a rise in disposable income for women. As more women became independent, they could afford to spend a larger amount on fashion and beauty products. More international brands such as Louis Vuitton and H&M had now also started expanding the base to India.

The 2010s to 2020s

The fashion industry of India has seen many volatile changes in recent decades. The digital era has made all fashion available at the click of a button. Fashion is now easy and accessible. However, brands must keep in mind the ever-changing needs of their customers, especially where Indians are seen prioritizing quality over everything in clothing lately.

Want to know more about the rise of fashion in India?

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bitter69uk · 7 years ago

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Striking, almost eerie 1937 portrait of the beautiful Anglo-Indian actress Merle Oberon (1911 - 1979) by high society artist Gerald Brockhurst (1890 - 1978).

#merle oberon #gerald brockhurst #anglo-indian #biracial #mixed race #asian #leading lady #exotic #beautiful #portrait #old hollywood #golden age hollywood #hollywood scandal #movie star #decaying hollywood mansions #graham russell #lobotomy room #bitterness personified

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pyotra · 7 years ago

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I've been thinking abt this and I wanted to get ur opinion (if u have one!) on how u feel abt kalki koechlin being a white woman in indian cinema?

i used to feel eugh abt her too (i think esp bc of that one statement she said abt being brown on the inside) but i think also it was spoken from the simplistic pov of diaspora indians who don’t know the nuances and history of race and ethnicity in india. she literally is an indian woman, she was born there, and of course there are a lot of perks of being white in a country obsessed with whiteness (as beauty, as power). im sure it’s helped her too but most of the roles ive seen she’s like played characters that are anglo-indian or half-white. VERSUS some other literally white american imports who wear bronzer so we can believe theyre like the girl next door in bhopal or something (the blame should be on the indian men who go thru all that trouble instead of hiring like a real version…)

And also really if you look at the early history of the bombay film industry, anglo-indian actresses have always been a part of it–they literally were the first iconic stars and everything because joining films was a taboo for the so-called “respectable” indian woman. as the silent era gave way to the talkies, it was actually their inability to speak the language of the movie going masses and their othering by burgeoning national sentiment that led to really, the erasure of anglo-indians …

plus she’s gotten way better as an actress ! im still imagining that dinner scene in a death in the gunj 😩

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acupof-tee · 8 years ago

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Dear Vogue India... why?

Vogue India has just celebrated its tenth anniversary – ten of years of runway fashion, ten years of fresh-faced models, ten years of graceful actresses and eminent figures, ten years of the Indian arm of this iconic, global brand… and who do they put on the cover? Kendall Jenner. It leaves me questioning yet again – are we ever going to be enough?

Beautiful pictures, yes… great idea? Not so much. I don’t have anything against Kendall Jenner, I don’t know enough about her and what she does to have an opinion about her – what I do have something against though, is having her - a non-Indian, who has nothing to do with India in fact (for example, she has never been in a Bollywood film, and has never even publicly toured India) - on the cover of a milestone edition of an Indian style magazine.

Of course, multiculturalism does go both ways – if we want all cultures, including models of Indian ethnicity, to be featured on the cover of global magazines, then we too should follow suit. However – a cover as iconic as a 10th anniversary for the Indian arm of a globally known fashion magazine, should feature an Indian.

It’s almost like the editors of Vogue India forgot that brown girls still exist. They asked Kendall to grace the cover of the magazine, forgetting about the incredible Indian women who are doing empowering things both nationally and globally. They forgot about Priyanka Chopra, and the waves she has made in the States; they disregarded Deepika Padukone who just starred in her debut Hollywood flick; where was Sonam Kapoor, the woman who has redefined style and become an icon for Indian and Western fashion? What about one generation up – Aishwariya Rai, who has been dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world on numerous occasions, by the likes of even Oprah? If they desperately wanted an international star – we have many talented NRI ladies that are far stronger role models than the Kardashians and Jenners: see Lilly Singh (aka Superwoman), or Nimrat Kaur. And if you are that keen on a non-Indian, then meet us halfway and have the likes of Katrina Kaif sashay her way on to the cover (by the by, she was featured in the edition – but did not make the cover)! If nothing else – put 10 iconic Indian women on the cover on the 10th anniversary!

That is just the list of famous faces – what about our aspiring models, working tirelessly to make their name stand out in the competitive world of Indian fashion?

On another level, and something that bothered me considering I am an obviously brown-skinned girl, is that we claim to be trying to combat these old-school, backwards notions of beauty about the fairer skinned girls being more attractive than darker skinned girls… and then Vogue India puts an Anglo-Saxon on the cover of a milestone edition? On one hand, you try to tell us how ridiculous these ‘Fair and Lovely’ ads are, and that colour does not define beauty… and you put a ‘gori’ on the front page? Bit unsure what you’re trying to tell us with that…

We try to empower our girls – we tell them not to see the shade of their skin, we tell them to continue their education, we encourage them to pursue their passions with fire in their stomachs… and then in one swift motion, one not-so-well thought out decision… we bring them down. We subconsciously make them question whether they are good enough, and whether if anything they do will ever be enough.

#vogueindia #kendall jenner #vogue #india #blogger

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astrognossienne · 3 years ago

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scandalous beauty - dolores del río - an analysis

“I love my native Mexico but I love Hollywood, too. It has brought me much happiness and yet, while here I have been miserably unhappy also. But through it all I have found myself, my work and my true destiny.” - Dolores del Río

Like Lupe Vélez, Dolores del Río was a pioneering Latina actress, however del Río’s reach was longer. Far from being stigmatized as a woman of colour, she was acknowledged as the epitome of beauty in the Hollywood of the 1920s and early 1930s. While she insisted upon her ethnicity, she was nevertheless coded white by the film industry and its fans, and she appeared for more than a decade as a romantic lead opposite white actors. Returning to Mexico in the early 1940s, she brought enthusiasm and prestige to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, becoming one of the great divas of Mexican film. With struggle and perseverance, she overcame the influence of men in both countries who hoped to dominate her, ultimately controlling her own life professionally and personally. Her sophistication, style and artistry bewitched everyone from Stella Adler to John Ford, Federico Fellini, and her great friends Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, who proclaimed to be “totally in love with her, just like forty million Mexicans and one hundred and twenty million Americans who couldn’t be wrong.” She was America’s first Latina superstar, and by the early 1930s, she was one of Hollywood's ten top moneymakers. Hers was a charmed life, but not even she was without problems. A child of privilege in her native Mexico, her family’s status was destroyed in the Mexican Revolution, and her desire to restore her comfortable lifestyle inspired del Río to follow a career as an actress. Discovered and promoted by American director Edwin Carewe, her obsessive protector and Svengali, as the “female Rudolph Valentino,” del Río’s aristocratic, Spanish-European background was constantly pushed to counteract Hollywood’s racism against Mexicans; indeed she was generally thought to be one of the most beautiful actresses of her era, and was the first Latin American movie star to have international appeal. She worked for over five decades and paved the way for Latin American stars in American cinema.

Dolores del Río, according to astrotheme, was a Leo sun and Aries moon. She was born María de los Dolores Asúnsolo López-Negrete in the Mexican town of Durango; she was an only child born to parents who belonged to the wealthy Mexican aristocracy. She was the second cousin of actor Ramón Novarro and a cousin to actress Andrea Palma. They lived the high life in the company of intellectuals and artists. Dolores attended a prestigious school but soon their world was turned upside down, threatened by an insurrection led by Pancho Villa in the region. Del Río and her mother escaped Mexico City disguised as peasants, while her father crossed the border to the United States. When the family eventually reunited in 1912, they did so under the protection of Francisco I. Madero. In 1920 she married the 18-year older attorney Jaime Martinez del Río and became a socialite. Her career got off to a good start when in 1925 when the lauded American director Edwin Carewe was invited to her home and saw her perform and dance for her family and friends. He persuaded del Río and her husband to moved to the United Sates and go to Hollywood to be in his films. While in Hollywood, del Río played a variety of leading roles, from European aristocrat to "native" girl to European peasant.

Within a few years after her arrival, she was a major hit and her appeal was astonishingly broad. She quickly came to command a substantial salary and to exercise control over her choice of films, scripts, and camera angles. Despite the fact that she did not speak English when she first began and had to have the director 's instructions delivered through interpreters, she made the transition to sound films gracefully. Her accent was deemed slight, attractive, and not specific to a particular country. As socially attractive as she was, physically and personality-wise, the truth is that a major part of del Río’s seamless transition into Hollywood is down to racism and white supremacy. While her contemporary (and nemesis) Lupe Vélez was viewed as the "bad Mexican wildcat" (to be fair, her temperament didn’t help this stereotype), Dolores was viewed as the "good Spanish lady." The contrast between the two stars and their degrees of acceptance reflected society’s stereotypical dichotomy between "good" Spanish and "bad" Mexican images– which has its roots in U.S. history. While most Mexicans were perceived as racially inferior, the elite Hispanic Californianas were deemed European and superior while the mass of Mexican women were viewed as Indian and inferior. Californiana women who possessed land and intermarried with Anglo men were depicted positively; they were represented as aristocratic and virtuous and they epitomized "good" women; but this was at the price of denying their racial identity, and being treated as racially superior to Californiano males and the rest of their people. So as such, she soon divorced her Mexican husband Jaime in 1928 and two years later married MGM art director Cedric Gibbons (who happened to be Gary Cooper’s wife’s uncle).

Soon after her marriage, she was romantically linked with actor Errol Flynn, filmmaker John Farrow, writer Erich Maria Remarque, film producer Archibaldo Burns, and actor Tito Junco. However, it was her affair with Orson Welles, who considered her the love of his life, that was arguably her most high profile relationship. She and Welles met at a party hosted by director Darryl Zanuck. The couple felt a mutual attraction and began a discreet affair, which upon eventual discovery caused the divorce between Dolores and Gibbons. Their relationship lasted for 4 years; she ended it when she got word of Welles cheating on her. She decided to end her relationship with Welles through a telegram that he never answered. According to his daughter, Rebecca, until the end of his life, Welles felt for del Río a kind of obsession. Weeks later, her father died in Mexico. With these personal and professional downturns, Dolores del Río returned to Mexico in the 1940s and became a significant part of the Mexican film industry’s Golden Era. She was the muse of director Emilio Fernández and starred most notably in Las Abandonadas (1944) and La Malquerida (1949). On a national and even international level though, Dolores del Río will perhaps always be best remembered for her role in the 1946 classic María Candelaría, which is said to be the film of which she was most proud. It also marked the first tentative steps of the Mexican film industry into the world of serious cinema and was the first Latin American film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946, where it won the Grand Prix (now known as the Palme d’Or) for Best Picture. After her triumph in her native homeland, she returned to Hollywood and played opposite Henry Fonda in The Fugitive (1947). She continued to work steadily, starring in various TV shows and films until retiring in 1978. On April 11, 1983, del Río died from liver failure at the age of 78 in Newport Beach, California.

Next week, I’ll focus on her one-time lover, an iconoclastic disruptor who took on the conventions of Hollywood and won: the amazing Taurus Orson Welles.

Stats

birthdate: August 3, 1904

major planets:

Sun: Leo

Moon: Aries

Rising: Leo

Mercury: Virgo

Venus: Leo

Mars: Cancer

Midheaven: Taurus

Jupiter: Aries

Saturn: Aquarius

Uranus: Sagittarius

Neptune: Cancer

Pluto: Gemini

Overall personality snapshot: She had a large, warm-hearted, extroverted personality that was always eager to embrace life, love and success – in big doses. There was something about her that assumed the divine right to live life to the full, and her intensity and impatience, along with her personal ambitions, pulled her ever onwards into new projects, fresh relationships and greater challenges. She was something of a gambler and had a daring and dramatic spirit which propelled her forward to make her mark, a sense of personal destiny which can only be exciting and noble. And she was prepared to fight for that glorious destiny if she had to, although she would rather simply steal the show and convince everyone with her intelligence, originality, courage and fabulous style. One of her most beguiling qualities is that she was totally lacking in guile and pretense. Although her own personal destiny was what interested her, paradoxically she at first looked for people she could admire and make into personal heroes. Strongly influenced by a favourite teacher, friend, poet, sports champion or movie star, she could then emulate them and learn through experience how to be great.

She loved the process of creating, as well as the applause that came at the end. Indeed, she relied on those adoring strokes and affirmative responses more than she liked to admit. Life without people would be colourless and boring for her. Social interaction was her life-blood – she could be the life of the party, a real ham and an eccentric, ready to take up the most outrageous dare. But when her extrovert escapades dry up, so did she. She may have, in fact, driven herself to exhaustion and then collapse like a child, home from an all-night rave-up. Yet despite her headlong rush into the experience of life, she was not necessarily irresponsible. Daring and highly idealistic dreams worked away inside her and made her want to improve things, to show people the way, and she may have simply taken charge – for a while. Intensely self-motivated, she did not respond well to orders from others, even though she could be quite bossy herself. There is a touch of the preacher inside her, and she approached her work with great enthusiasm and commitment. She needed space to do her own thing, to learn from her own mistakes, and to learn how to impose her own brand of self-discipline. Her innate self-dramatizing tendencies made her a natural for the theater, business, lecturing, the media – areas that involved group interaction and provided scope for her original and iconoclastic ideas.

She had great presence with a strong-featured face and a sunny glow of inner self-confidence and displayed a regal quality in her posture and carriage; was definitely well-built. She sought perfection in whatever she did and could be very critical of herself and her own efforts. In this way, she often became overly critical and pedantic, especially under stress. She was basically an honest person, and it disturbed her greatly when she had to deal with people who were not. Anyone who violated her sense of trust had a very hard time getting it back. It was very important for her to know that she had the security of a guaranteed paycheck coming in regularly. She had an artistic side to her that obviously influenced her choice of career as an actor. Once she had decided upon her career, she was able to (and most certainly did) pursue it with great determination. She had boundless enthusiasm and big ideas coupled with high expectations of succeeding. She was also self-sufficient and broad-minded. Her genuine pioneering spirit, positive outlook and large-scale personal ambitions led her right to the top. She needed to learn to think before you take on a challenge, and all risks should have been carefully considered. She needed to learn to relax and slow down. She was anxious to prove herself both to others and to herself. If anyone said that she couldn’t do something, she defied them to try and stop her. As long as she felt that she was the one in control, she had a high degree of optimism and was fun-loving, loving to play at life.

She had an original mind and used every skill she possessed to gain control of her affairs. She found it hard to let go of the past, and it would have been good if she did so that she could grow. She was willing to tolerate austerity for as long as it was justified. She respected institutions for as long as they served her purpose. She had the ability to judge what was viable or important. She belonged to a generation with fiery enthusiasm for new and innovative ideas and concepts. Rejecting the past and its mistakes, she sought new ideals and people to believe in. As a member of this generation, she felt restless and adventurous, and was attracted towards foreign people, places and cultures. She was part of an emotionally sensitive generation that was extremely conscious of the domestic environment and the atmosphere surrounding their home place and home country. In fact, she could be quite nostalgic about her homeland, religion and traditions, often seeing them in a romantic light. She felt a degree of escapism from everyday reality, and was very sensitive to the moods of those around him. Dolores embodied all of these Cancer Neptunian ideals, when she returned to her native Mexico in 1943, a country of which she was very proud, her decision to return to her roots changed her career. As a Gemini Plutonian, she was mentally restless and willing to examine and change old doctrines, ideas and ways of thinking. As a member of this generation, she showed an enormous amount of mental vitality, originality and perception. Traditional customs and taboos were examined and rejected for newer and more original ways of doing things. As opportunities with education expanded, she questioned more and learned more.

Love/sex life: She had a heroic conception of herself as a lover. She saw herself as strong and in control, the protector of the weak and the saviour of the desperate. Unfortunately, the realities of her love life didn’t always support this notion. Often it was her tender feelings that required protection and her desperate plunges in and out of love that called for a saviour. In order to justify this discrepancy, she often had to be less than honest, both with her lover and herself. The person most likely to win her heart would have been that individual who made it appear as if she was the champion when, in fact, she was the one crying for help. Her tendency toward self-deception often extended to a failure to admit to her very natural emotionalism and sexual passivity. Unfortunately, there always came a day of reckoning when she had to “own” her emotional susceptibility and capitulate to her sloppy feelings of dependency and her deep-seated need for affection. The good news was that surrendering everything for love wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it was. She may have lost her dignity but what she got in return made it all worth while.

minor asteroids and points:

North Node: Virgo

Lilith: Pisces

Vertex: Sagittarius

Fortune: Taurus

East Point: Leo

These points in her chart, however minor, packed a major punch in her sex appeal as well. Her North Node in Virgo dictated that her tendency to dream and be disorganized needed to be tempered by developing more practical and down-to-earth attitudes. Her Lilith in Pisces meant that she was a woman who was a natural born mystic and cultivated her own myth. Her Part of Fortune in Taurus and Part of Spirit in Scorpio dictated that her destiny lay in attaining personal freedom through seeking material security and comfort. Happiness and good fortune came through tangible and practical results that had a solid foundation. Her soul’s purpose lay in delving fearlessly into the unknown. She felt spiritual connections and saw the spark of the divine when she could strip away the outer layers of experiences and get to the core of a situation. East Point in Leo dictated that she was more likely to identify with the need for pleasure (including the potential of liking herself) and comfort. Vertex in Sagittarius, 4th house reveals that she dreamt of the pinnacle of adventure when it came to mating. Her psyche yearned to be carried away to the ends of the earth or to be exposed to every manner of religious and/or philosophical theory known to man and then some. Her yearning was strong and really deep when it came to rarefied experiences of any sort. Encountering and wanting to join with her demanded that she always had an itinerary that will provide her with the maps to explore the roads that they have not yet traveled, to say nothing of the different worlds they have dreamed of but not yet experienced. She had a childlike orientation, in all of its manifestations, toward relationships on an internal level. That implicit dependency and impressionable nature that was instilled in her childhood persisted far into maturity. The concomitant explosions and occasional tantrums when these constructs are violated also accompany this position. She had a need for emotional security and comfort in a committed relationship, no matter how many years it has endured. She often had deep fears, typical of children, of abandonment, as well as a need for protection and universal acceptance, no matter how she acted, which she needed her partner to respect and nurture, rather than rebuke, especially in adulthood.

elemental dominance:

fire

earth

She was dynamic and passionate, with strong leadership ability. She generated enormous warmth and vibrancy. She was exciting to be around, because she was genuinely enthusiastic and usually friendly. However, she could either be harnessed into helpful energy or flame up and cause destruction. Ultimately, she chose the latter. Confident and opinionated, she was fond of declarative statements such as “I will do this” or “It’s this way.” When out of control—usually because she was bored, or hadn’t been acknowledged—she was be bossy, demanding, and even tyrannical. But at her best, her confidence and vision inspired others to conquer new territory in the world, in society, and in themselves. She was a practical, reliable man and could provide structure and protection. She was oriented toward practical experience and thought in terms of doing rather than thinking, feeling, or imagining. Could be materialistic, unimaginative, and resistant to change. But at her best, she provided the practical resources, analysis, and leadership to make dreams come true.

modality dominance:

fixed

house dominants:

12th

9th

1st

She had great interest in the unconscious, and indulged in a lot of hidden and secret affairs. Her life was defined by seclusion and escapism. She had a certain mysticism and hidden sensitivity, as well as an intense need for privacy. Traveling, whether physically across the globe, on a mental plane or expanding through study was a major theme in her life. She was not only concerned with learning facts, but also wanted to understand the connections formed between them and the philosophies and concepts they stood for. Her conscience, as well as foreign travel, people and places was also of paramount importance in her life. Her personality, disposition and temperament was highlighted in her life. The manner in which she expressed herself and the way she approached other people is also highlighted. The way she approached new situations and circumstances contributed to show how she set about her life’s goals. Early childhood experiences also factored in her life as well.

planet dominants:

Mercury

Sun

Venus

She was intelligent, mentally quick, and had excellent verbal acuity. She dealt in terms of logic and reasoning. It is likely that she was left-brained. She was restless, craved movement, newness, and the bright hope of undiscovered terrains. She had vitality and creativity, as well as a strong ego and was authoritarian and powerful. She likely had strong leadership qualities, she definitely knew who she was, and she had tremendous will. She met challenges and believed in expanding her life. She was romantic, attractive and valued beauty, had an artistic instinct, and was sociable. She had an easy ability to create close personal relationships, for better or worse, and to form business partnerships.

sign dominants:

Leo

Aries

Virgo

She loved being the center of attention and often surrounded herself with admirers. She had an innate dramatic sense, and life was definitely her stage. Her flamboyance and personal magnetism extended to every facet of her life. She wanted to succeed and make an impact in every situation. As a Leo dominant, she was, at her best, optimistic, honorable, loyal, and ambitious. She was a physically oriented individual who took pride in her body. She was bold, courageous, and resourceful. She always seemed to know what she believed, what she wanted from life, and where she was going. She could be dynamic and aggressive (sometimes, to a fault) in pursuing her goals—whatever they might be. Could be argumentative, lacked tact, and had a bad temper. On the other hand, her anger rarely lasted long, and she could be warm and loving with those she cared about. She was a discriminating, attractive, thorough, scientific, hygienic, humane, scientific woman and had the highest standards. Her attention to detail was second to none and she had a deeply penetrative and investigative mind.