Just a thought on Hollywood epics

What is it about gigantic romantic epics that's so endlessly appealing? Is it their size, their bigger than life status? Is it the impossibly juicy drama to them? Maybe just a little bit of both - in a way, they represent in themselves everything Hollywood has always stood for: melodrama, immensity, romance and beautiful people tangled in passionate love triangles [or quartets?] that usually turn out tragically. Because, in all honesty, what's the point if they don't end tragically?











It's almost like a natural high to hear the loud and melodramatic movie theme (by Max Steiner, perhaps?) and seeing the very sign of a big budget:
What we'll see now are gorgeous lies, and we're gullibly (and willingly!) believing in them...

And so Vivien Leigh misses every chance with Clark Gable to an infatuation with Leslie Howard; Julie Christie loses Omar Shariff to a cold and unsympathetic revolution; and James Dean remains miserable in his millions as, despite of it all, Elizabeth Taylor chooses Rock Hudson over him...



I'll have to deal with the fact that, for better or for worse, they just don't make 'em as they used to...

My favorite male characters

Now, a list of favorite male characters is, in many ways, much easier to make than a list of female ones… of course, might have something to do with how different the choosing criteria is: female characters are those I either admire or find myself similar to… in the case of male characters, there are, of course, those factors… and the attractiveness one, not only physically (I’m not that shallow) but as far as character goes… so, basically, this is a list of fictional characters I’m in love with, so expect romanticized characterizations…

As far as the description of each of them goes, another problem comes along: if they’re well-written enough to be lovable, they should at least seem plausible, real - and I don’t understand men. I love them (for some odd reason, it seems sometimes) but I don’t get them… which is a big part of their appeal, to be perfectly honest. So, in all, these won’t be nearly as well described as [hopefully] the female characters were. However, I’ll give it a try, and here we go…

1. Rhett Butler, Gone with the Wind

With a dirty stare directed at the heroine, Clark Gable’s Rhett Butler was introduced to cinema: a bluntly honest, devilishly handsome, selfish and rebellious bastard boiling with sex appeal. To all this, add a couple of wicked ways, quick wit, charming sarcasm and, of course, an infinite devotion to both Scarlett O’Hara and Bonnie Butler, and you’ve got my favorite character of all time. Flawed himself just as much as his female counterpart, Rhett is, in so many ways, the perfect match for Scarlett – which, of course, dumb and blind as she is (a frightfully accurate portrayal of women), she doesn’t notice. And, in the end, even if it is Scarlett’s story entirely, Rhett is the glue that holds it all together.

2. Rick Blaine, Casablanca

There’s no doubt that whenever a camera was on Humphrey Bogart, cinema history was in the making – and this is truer in his portrayal of Richard Blaine than anywhere else. Rick, an American renegade full of New York attitude, is probably the coolest character ever filmed – a man that minds nobody’s business and expects the same towards him, as he watches World War II starting right by him, with no more interest in it than a “sporting” one. Cynical, cold, detached, Rick carries a different type of war wound – one from the time of the Paris occupation…

3. Christian, Moulin Rouge!

A true Bohemian revolutionary, filled up with hopes about beauty, freedom, truth and love, Ewan McGregor makes magic in Moulin Rouge! A hopeless romantic (*sigh* much like myself), Christian runs to Paris from what seemed like a life of boredom and restrictions, to find love and passion – and he finds all that, and more.

4. The many sides of 007

As clichéd as this choice might seem, it’s almost sinful not to mention the ol’ superspy. While my favorite Bond remains still Timothy Dalton, there’s something to say about Daniel Craig and Sean Connery’s versions of the role. Breaking it down a bit, let’s just name all three separately and get this over with:

License to Kill

A cold-hearted murderer on the exterior and a loyalty-driven man in reality, Timothy Dalton’s portrayal of the 007 agent is exactly what Ian Fleming intended Bond to be: cool, with a steady hand, a way with women… and some sort of humanity to him. As Bond takes on a personal revenge, leaving his work on a second place, we see an edgier and un-detached version of him, and Dalton is mostly responsible for this… not to mention nobody looked sexier asking for that Vodka Martini, shaken and not stirred.

Casino Royale

In black and white, brutal sequences, we are introduced to the Bond of the 21^st century (Die Another Day, just so you know, never happened): a blunt sex creature that practically rapes the franchise, in every possible way, and Daniel Craig was the right man for the job. Breaking every previous stereotype of the franchise, in comes this fair-haired (oh, the sin!) sex bomb that, not only doesn’t look like Bond, he doesn’t even have Bond’s personality until about halfway through the movie: we see a Bond that not only bleeds and messes his hair, but actually screws up, which is rather refreshing in a franchise that was starting to show off invisible cars…

Goldfinger

Sharp, sensual, suave, and attractive: this is the James Bond we met in a poker table in Dr. No, as he lit up a cigarette with a [now] famous theme as a background and, coolly introduced himself: “Bond, James Bond”. In his third appearance as the double-O seven agent, we see a fantastic character that reeks 1960’s pure class in every movement: and Connery’s Bond will forever remain iconic, if only merely because of him being the first one.

5. Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights

Burning with the passion of a wild creature, Laurence Olivier simply vibrates in 1939’s version of the Emily Brontë classic. Compelling, wild, romantic, Heathcliff is a very rare case of a rather heroic type of anti-hero… his actions might be vindictive and violent almost to the point of despicability, but… being, as it is, all for the sake of undying love – who can help but adoring him for it?

6. Count Laszlo de Almásy, The English Patient

With a power that’s almost palpable, Ralph Fiennes’s performance in The English Patient is one of the most romantic characters in cinema. Calm, cool, shy and seemingly afraid of commitment through the first hour or so of the film’s flashbacks (although obsessed with its heroine), Almásy slowly develops into this mad, violently in love, jealous and passion-driven man, willing to do anything for love. Rather Heathcliff-like, probably, and lovable for the same reasons.

7. Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Another for the obvious pile, but – how can one help it? What’s not to love about a crazy, clumsy pirate with very bad luck? Johnny Depp brings to life the most fun character of the decade, a completely insane and rude pirate with many incredible (mostly because they’re untrue) legends on his back. With an evil grin to die for, Jack Sparrow’s the filthiest and surprisingly most attractive pirate ever filmed – with a fetish for jars of dirt…

8. Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice

And another one for my share of 19^th century literary heroes, no list is really complete without Mr. Darcy. Honoring Keira’s Lizzie in the other list, I might as well add Matthew Macfadyen’s portrayal of Darcy – a very earnest, very rich, extremely attractive and quite proud English gentleman with a wonderful ability to say the wrong thing at all times… except when he doesn’t, and the most beautiful confessions of love come out of his mouth, said with enough power to make any girl, Lizzie Bennet [and myself] obviously included, swoon.

9. Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Sure, he’s practically James Bond with a different background (and with James Bond as his father, go figure), but Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones is still one of the most kickass characters in film, combining sexiness with smarts, an adorable love for hidden treasures, adventure [and his hat] makes dear ol’ Indy completely awesome.

10. Harry Lockhart, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

In the light comedic environment he probably works his best in, the nevertheless always great Robert Downey Jr. appears as the gentlemanly, funny, adorable and completely clueless robber turned actor turned private detective, Harry Lockhart. Wanting to impress a former teenage crush, the guy does everything in his power, from doing the knight in shiny armor thing by saving the girl to completely mess it up… by peeing on a corpse.

Five things I love about Liz

Seeing as Elizabeth Taylor is my favorite movie star of all time, seemed only natural to dedicate a post to her... so I'm making a tiny list of things and mention only 5 things that make me love her:




Her beauty
Call me shallow, but I can't help but loving someone who looks the way Elizabeth did about 50 years ago (yes, did, I'm not going to pretend she's maintained her good looks up to this point) Wasn't she just lovely? Elizabeth's face looks like a portrait: flawless skin, great bone structure, gorgeous and well-defined features (the cute little nose, sensuous lips, her very soft face in general), thick eyebrows... and, of course, her eyes, those famous, big [blue-green-violet?] eyes of hers.






Her ability to show emotions on-screen
While I'll be the first to admit that when Elizabeth had just started out there seemed to be a sense of under achievement in her acting, as she matured so did her talent, as she exploded with emotion - particularly in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, BUtterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, she was just splendorous.






Her determination to find love
Might seem a tad too obvious, but I really admire this in Elizabeth: she spent a good portion of her life falling in love, and idealizing romance enough to marry eight times. Fine, it's not exactly a very grown-up thing to do, have more weddings than shoes, but I love her to death for trying. She's probably known more happiness than most people thanks to this idealization of love - and isn't happiness the whole point of life?




Her cheerful approach at her own life
While almost completely out of the spotlight nowadays, Elizabeth still makes a random public appearance every now and then - and there's not yet an interviewer that doesn't attempt to poke at the old "Liz" clichés... and she merrily changes the subject. Just last year, Larry King interviewed her and, in his endless [un]eloquence, randomly said something about her eyes being pretty: "are they violet?" Elizabeth calmly smiled and replied "oh, are they? I always thought they were red". Now, that's class. Not to mention her many quotes of the style of "Some of my best friends have been dogs and horses" - gotta love someone who takes things lightly.





Her off-centerness Doesn't this picture speak for itself? While Elizabeth's days of glory might be long past, she's still lovably quirky. Now, being best friends with Michael Jackson is odd enough (however understandable it might be; after all, there are obvious connections between the two, like both being practically pushed into the entertainment media while extremely young), but something like this... maid of honor in Liza Minnelli's last wedding? Pure Elizabeth! Oh, and of course, it's not exactly the best of signs to have the queen of unsuccessful marriages as your matron of honor.

To start out in style: My favorite female characters

1. Scarlett O'Hara, Gone with the Wind
Everybody's favorite btch... and, if not, most certainly mine. The amazing Vivien Leigh gives life to one of the most compelling characters ever filmed: a spoiled, decided, passionate, stubborn, beautiful Southern belle that seems to rather out of place in such a male-driven society as Civil War Atlanta was - and yet, she succeeds at the game of survival, gaining admirers and enemies along the way (the latter having been, mostly, unsuccessful at recovering from the war) Being the one character I feel closest to, I have something to say in Scarlett's defense: she didn't have the time to grow up. The circumstances forced her to quickly turn from a spoiled brat to a widow of war, to suddenly the person in charge of her entire family- in what other way, but clinging to the same teenage ideals, in hopes of being saved from it all! (main teenage ideal being, of course, the very bland Ashley Wilkes)



2. Clementine Kruczynski, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Gorgeous, creative, fun, unpredictable and yet loaded with insecurities; Kate Winslet's most natural performance presents us with the ultimate Charlie Kaufman heroine: fantastic, intimidating, and still very human. As it has been pointed out in the past by others much more articulate than myself, Clementine is the very figure of the 21st century female. We're told right from the start, as she introduces herself in a train, that she's a "vindictive little btch" and that she "applies [her] personality from a paste ". Is it really true? Hardly. But it's obvious that's what she thinks of herself, which is what makes her such a fantastic character - her humanity, her flaws, her honesty about herself. A complete mess of hidden emotions... which is basically why I relate to her so much.



3. Mrs. Robinson, The Graduate
Trapped in a life she didn't plan, Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson is a woman in her 40's, stuck in a marriage with no love, in a life with no emotion. That solution of splitting up and start over isn't plausible... we are, in the end, talking about a 60's housewife, Heaven forbids she'd break up her family because of that silly desire to actually live. The grand solution: preying on 20 year-olds for her own amusement. Being the most decided character in the film (and definitely the best written one), Mrs. Robinson makes the screen vibrate with her appearance: confident, knowledgeable, attractive, intelligent, she's got everything going for her - save that small detail of a life ruined at adolescence thanks to a mistake in the monthly countdown. But I'm sure dear ol' Benjamin Braddock doesn't mind... or at least at the very beginning. And, when I grow up, I want to be just like Mrs. Robinson.



4. Tess Harding, Woman of the Year
The godly Katharine Hepburn plays (as she so often did) the very dilemma of the 20th century female: work vs. family. Tess Harding is a cultured, well-mannered, intelligent, attractive and rather intimidating woman, that seems to get more work done than any of her male counterparts. With an educated opinion on every matter, exuding confidence - and completely unable to make a sandwich. In other words, a great companion, but a deficient wife - must we remain with the traditional standarts to achieve a sort of social perfection? One of many Kate Hepburn roles where she tries to prove otherwise.



5. Bridget Jones, Bridget Jones's Diary
Renée Zellweger's turn as the witty Londoner is, basically, every woman. The expectations that are much too high, the inability to decide (from "what to wear" to "which guy to pick"), the endless dieting, the doing and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Every single one of Bridget's complexes is a reflection of those of the rest (or at least most) of us. And that's why I love her.



6. Céline, Before Sunset
Julie Delpy's neurotic, beautiful, intelligent and cynical - and yet beyond sweet at the new perspective of re-found love. An uneventful love life has made her focus on her career, thinking she was doomed to eternal loneliness... overanalytical, cynic, and yet still, quite deep inside, very much the romantic, Céline's reactions are the very pillar Before Sunset stands in.



7. Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's
Has anyone ever been more divine? Against Truman Capote's wishes, Audrey Hepburn was cast as his novella's heroine (the story's core changing quite a bit) In both story and movie, however, a fabulous figure with few cares in the world - a wild spirit completely in tune with the big city, but not so much with herself. A nameless vision wearing une petite robe noire around the streets of New York City... as much an icon of the town as the Empire State Building, Woody Allen and the Sex and the City girls - sharp, beautiful, fun, a bit "cuckoo" (I love that word...) and wildly chic.



8. Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice
The Jane Austen heroine, as interpreted by Keira Knightley in the 2005 adaptation, is one of the loveliest characters ever filmed. Filled with expectations of marriage only when in love, and to just the right man, Lizzie is not your typical boring 19th century beauty: she's witty, charming, well-read and (duh) quite proud.



9. Sally Albright, When Harry Met Sally
In one of the most candid and fun performances of all time, Meg Ryan introduces us to the fun, loving, neurotic and sweet specimen that is Sally Albright, a girl that, like so many others, only wants to find love - her views, however, change through the course of her life. At the beginning of the film, while discussing the ending of Casablanca, she bluntly says "I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Casablanca married to a man who owns a bar!" - ten years later, discussing it again, she's reminded of such a comment. Thoughtfully, Sally replies "I'd never say that..." Had age turned her into a romantic? Was she idealizing love?



10. Maggie Pollitt, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
I couldn't possibly leave out an Elizabeth Taylor role! From Tennesse Williams's original Pulitzer-winning play, comes a stunning, vibrant, decided and highly sexual woman who's determined to win back the love of an estranged (and quite possibly, closeted bisexual) husband that won't take her back... of course, played wonderfully by The Goddess herself.

My blog: An impulse of envy

Basically, after having seen so many wonderful blogs from IMDb users, I decided that the whole thing would be pretty fun. Knowing myself and my inability to finish anything I start, I know this'll eventually be forgotten in cyberspace - but, for now, I'm planning to enjoy it. So... welcome to my new blog, I hope you enjoy it!