NOIRVEMBER Day 5 – Crime jazz

Noirvember - Day 5

Hello lovelies! How is Noirvember treating you so far? Have you felt inspired to watch any movies?

What is the sound of film noir?

What are the must-have elements of a film noir? For me it’s the setting (a dark city), the characters (a femme fatale, a detective, a crook) and… the music. The style of noir is undisputably very visual, but the music also sets the mood for the dirty affairs taking place in the shadows. And what is the sound of noir? Why, of course, it’s jazz.

Up ’til 1930s and 1940s movie soundtracks were dominated by classical orchestral arrangements. Then, somewhere, Hollywood married the then-new jazz styles with the gritty, black-and-white mystery film, and linked them forever in the popular consciousness. Jazz became truly popular as a style of music used in movie and TV soundtracks in the 1950s. It was the music of the street, the music of bars and clubs, so whenever these elements were prominent in the stories on screen, jazz became the background sound. The particular type of jazz which we can hear in the film soundtracks is now dubbed “dark jazz” or “crime jazz”(a retroactively-given name, much like “film noir”). Xeni Jardin at Boing Boing defined this genre quite brilliantly as “jazzy theme music from 1950s TV shows and movies in which very bad people do very bad things”.

Get yourself in the mood for some noir with these tracks!

So, do you agree with these choices? Do you have your own Noirvember playlist? Share them in the comments!

NOIRVEMBER Day 4 – Moving pictures

noirvember
Well, hello there! Are you enjoying Noirvember so far? Have you watched any noir films yet?

Since I plan on infecting all of you with my love of film noir, today I decided to share a collection of my favourite gifs from noir films. Because everyone needs a good reaction gif, and these old movies are absolutely full of wonderful shots!

Rita Hayworth in “Gilda” (1946) gif by mattsko.wordpress.com

“Gilda” is actually full of really good shots, but I think this one fits as a reaction gif best 🙂

Paul Valentine in “Out of the Past” (Tourneur, 1947) gif by littleplasticthings.tumblr.com

Humphrey Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon” (Huston, 1941) gif by bellecs.tumblr.com

Dick Powell in “Murder, My Sweet” (Dmytryk, 1944) gif by ??? (if you recognize the author, please let me know!)

Lauren Bacall in “???” gif by rphelper.tumblr.com

Barbara Stanwyck in “Double Indemnity” (Wilder, 1945) gif by charlottecamillevale.tumblr.com

Humphrey Bogart in “The Big Sleep” (Hawkes, 1946) gif by ??? (if you recognize the author, please let me know!)

This might also be my favourite quote from the movie!

Gloria Grahame in “The Big Heat” (Lang, 1953) gif by filmnerdsunite.wordpress.com

Rita Hayworth in “The Lady From Shanghai” (Welles, 1947) gif by grafixandnoirandgarage.tumblr.com

The last one probably isn’t a good reaction gif, but it was just too good not to share…

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in “The Big Sleep” (Hawks, 1946) gif by bellecs.tumblr.com

Do you have your favourite film noir gifs? Please share them in the comments!

NOIRVEMBER Day 3 – Noir films you can watch on Netflix now!

Noirvember Day 3

It’s day 3 of Noirvember! We started talking about specific noir films so I wanted to prepare a list of recommendations to watch on streaming services such as Netflix (as this is the one I personally subscribe to). Unfortunately, their current offer available in Poland is not very rich when it comes to film noir 🙁 Nevertheless, I decided to list films that are, in my opinion, absolutely must-see.

The Maltese Falcon

Maltese Falcon on Netflix Polska

Double homicide? Call a spade a spade. Unless it involves unusual suspects, then call cool-as-ice P.I. Sam Spade. Humphrey Bogart stars as private eye Sam Spade in this noir classic that finds the sultry Miss Wonderly seeking protection from a man called Thursby.

L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential on Netflix

It’s 1950s L.A., where politics, Hollywood and cops collide. No one’s off-limits and no one’s secrets are “hush hush”. Three wildly different cops form an uneasy alliance to ferret out corruption in this Oscar-winning whodunit set in 1950s Los Angeles.

Sin City

Sin City on Netflix Polska

Revenge, passion and fear are the threads that connect these intertwined stories in a pitch-black world. In these intertwined stories, an ex-con avenges a hooker’s death, a gumshoe gets mixed up with dangerous vixens, and a cop saves a dancer from a rapist.

Do you agree with this list for Noirvember? Have you found some other films that you think would fit here? Let me know in the comments!

NOIRVEMBER Day 2 – FILM REVIEW – “Double Indemnity” (1944)

Noirvember - day 2

Classic Film Noir

Now that you are familiar with the concept of Noirvember, I thought it only appropriate to start with a review of one of my favourite noir films. “Double Indemnity” is a fascinating, tragic story of an insurance agent and a bored housewife.

No, really 🙂

The movie is a thrilling story about greed, heartbreak and human weakness. Walter Neff, an insurance agent, sits in his office, wounded, and records a story for his boss, Barton. It all started with the Dietrichsons. He recounts going to their house to discuss an insurance policy and instead of Mr. Dietrichson, he meets his wife, flirty, beautiful Phyllis. They both immediately take a liking to each other and Phyllis loudly wonders about the life policy of her husband. It doesn’t take long for them to come up with a plan that will not only free her from her married status, but also get them a nice lump sum of $100,000. With such an amoral plot, it can’t all end up happily, can it?

On rewatching the movie I was captivated by how the feeling of impending doom was conveyed since the very first scene. We know from the very first moment that this is not going to end well. Walter narrates his story bleeding from a gunshot wound, so we know there are going to be consequences for him. Wilder used this flashback device, telling us the ending from the very start, in his other famous film noir, “Sunset Boulevard”. I think it is a vital element of the gloomy mood of noir. What hooks us is how the plot to kill Phyllis’s husband is going to go wrong.

Another element of the film breaking up the convention is the lack of good – as in, sympathetic – characters in this film. Walter has no qualms about seducing a married woman and is quite ready kill her husband, both for love and the money. Cold Phyllis is almost a psychopath, motivated by little more than boredom. Barton, Walter’s boss is presented as the honest guy, dedicated to his work, but also kind of pretentious and charmless (although the father-son relationship between him and Walter is probably the one positive relationship in the movie). Phyllis’s doomed husband is rich, boorish and utterly dull. Nevertheless, the drama that ensnares them all is immediately captivating.

The movie itself is a collaboration of titans. Based on a novel by James M. Cain, with the script written by Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder, and directed by Wilder, it truly set a standard for many films of the genre. The same goes for the look of the film. It takes place in the City of Angels, and if a scene takes place outside, it’s almost always night. If it’s inside, it’s dimly lit, with sunlight coming in through the blinds, exposing dust in the air.

The only exception is Barton’s office. That’s because Barton, despite his lack of charisma, is the moral center of the film. He is, however, too blind to see that the person he is looking for, the accomplice in the murder of Mr. Dietrichson, is his friend of 11 years, someone “close – right across the desk […]”. “Closer than that” he says to Neff quietly. Neff smiles, and struggles to light up a cigarette. Barton takes the lighter from him and lights up the cigarette. There is tenderness in this exchange that enhances the tragic heroism of the story.

Does it stand the test of time?

To me, absolutely. It’s a must-see for any fan of not just film noir, but classic cinema in general. The movie did not gain universal acclaim when it first came out. Despite its popularity, many people were uncomfortable with its theme and saw it as too immoral. At the 17th Academy Awards in 1945, “Double Indemnity” received seven Oscar nominations, including one for Best Film, but did not win any. Its appreciation and popularity, however, grew in time. In 1992 the U.S. Library of Congress deemed it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”, and thus selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Interesting tidbit about me – I once wrote a 10-page paper about just one scene from “Double Indemnity” for a film study class. It was about the first meeting between Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson, starting with her descending from the stairs. Remember when the camera first focuses just on her anklet? That’s an introduction of a sensual femme fatale!

NOIRVEMBER Day 1 – What is it all about?

NOIRVEMBERIt’s Noirvember! And no, that’s not a typo 🙂

This year I decided to take up the challenge and make a series of posts related to the area of film noir, which is a subject near and dear to my heart (wouldn’t you guess, with that pseudonym).

What is Noirvember?

It’s a month-long celebration of film noir! The idea started back in 2010, when social media specialist Marya E. Gates decided to catch up on top noir films and tweeted on the experience using the hashtag #noirvember. It quickly became popular and today it’s celebrated all around the world as the month of appreciation for the moody, nostalgic film.

What can you do to celebrate Noirvember?

Watch movies, of course! But Noirvember can be a celebration of all things noir-related, be it music, literature, art, make up or fashion, etc. I am definitely planning on writing about more than just movies, so stay tuned!

But what is noir anyway?

Traditionally film noir is a style (rather than genre) of movies of the 1940s and 1950s. They are usually noted for the fatalism of stories as well as a literal and metaphorical darkness. Noir films are full of worn-out detectives and dangerous femmes fatales, murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery – all the things we hold near and dear to our hearts. I say “traditionally”, because movie critics argue about the definition of film noir to this day. The term itself was coined by critics rather than film makers, which means even the creators of the handful of movies that is universally agreed on as the film noir canon, didn’t know they were doing noir. Opinions also differ on whether noir ended in the 1950s or whether we can still find noir (or better yet, neo-noir) movies today.

I could write a lot more about the subject (it’s not like I wrote a thesis on it… or did I?) but there’s a whole month in front of us to explore what noir is and can be. Let’s get to it! Come back tomorrow to see what I write about!

bonus points to you if you recognize the quote I used in this post 🙂

Film Review – “Allied” (2016)

The new classic?

How do I summarize “Allied” in one sentence? “Allied” is a movie whose first half wants to be a Casablanca-meets-Inglorious Basterds action movie (heavy on the “Casablanca” part) while the second is a melodramatic spy thriller (heavy on the “melodramatic”) that doesn’t quite succeed in captivating the audience.

Allied

The film is a story of Canadian intelligence officer Max Vitan (Brad Pitt, who I expected to start talking in Souther accent of Lt. Aldo Raines) and French resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour. In the first half of the film they meet while working together in order to assassinate the German ambassador in Casablanca. They pose as a married couple, meticulously building an illusion of happy relationship for the benefit of nosy neighbours. Somewhere in the middle, the pretended emotions become real and after accomplishing their mission, the pair flees to London and gets married for real. Marianne gives birth to Max’s daughter in the middle of the Blitz. A year later Max, now working from behind the desk although the War still rages on, gets a call from his superiors. They suspect that Marianne may be a German spy. They organize a test of her loyalty, in which Max must cooperate, and in the event that it’s proven she is working for the enemy, he must also execute her himself. Is the whole thing a test? Is Marianne who she actually says she is? Or has his marriage been all a pretend?

OK, but seriously?

For all the neat little things – and there are plenty! – I left the cinema a bit disappointed. Brad Pitt is, well, Brad Pitt. He looks like himself but doesn’t get much too play – only in the last scene does his face seem to actually show some emotion. Marion Cotillard, on the other hand, really gets to shine as a woman both beautiful and dangerous. This quality seems to have become her Hollywood signature (her roles in Macbeth, InceptionThe Dark Knight Rises and Midnight in Paris come to mind). But for all their efforts, the movie is unbalanced and a bit predictable. The little tricks used in some of the scenes are fantastic – a quick and quiet murder staged to look like suffocation, a fancy card trick, some delightful background characters (Max’s openly lesbian sister who would not be present if the movie were made under Hays code). Camera closeups on reflections in the mirror, or seams of stockings are a hit-or-miss. The fashion is beautiful, but how many films can I watch just for the fashion?

The verdict

“Allied” is definitely not going to be the next “Casablanca”. But hey, Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt are sure nice to look at.

Brad Pitt in a scene from “Allied.”

Allied, Photo: Paramount Pictures/Daniel Smith

Allied, Photo: Paramount Pictures/Daniel Smith

"Allied"

"Allied"

Film Review: “Florence Foster Jenkins” (2016)

Florence Foster Jenkins

What’s with that Florence?

Florence Foster Jenkins is a legendary persona in the circle of classical music lovers, whom many called the worst opera singer in the world. Her colorful life gave plot to several plays (the most famous one is “Glorious!”), and recently, also a movie. And with Meryl Streep in the lead role!

“Florence Foster Jenkins” feels like a movie adaptation of a play. A large part of the action takes place strictly in Florence’s apartment, which looks like a completely different era than the one in which the film actually takes place. Judging by Florence’s style and the decor of her apartment, she stopped somewhere at the beginning of the twentieth century. Meanwhile, the film takes place during World War II and the world moved on… but can Florence deal with it?

The story of Florence Foster Jenkins is the story of triumph of passion over talent. Being a big fan of classical music, and quite a rich person, Florence was active in the world of New York music lovers. Very often she went onstage as well, to the delight of her friends. Florence could not sing. But she sang with passion, tackling even the most difficult arias. Originally she performed at private concerts, but the news of her unique voice only spread. In 1944, Florence, aged 76, sang a sold-out concert at the legendary Carnegie Hall.

The relationship between passion and talent is a subject in numerous films about artists (Milos Forman’s Amadeus comes to my mind). The case of Florence is interesting because we know that in her youth she was a talented pianist, so she couldn’t not have musical hearing. The quality of her vocal performance was probably due her long-term illness (syphilis, which causes degeneration of the central nervous system) and the drugs used at the time to cure it, arsenic and mercury (which, in turn, could result in partial loss of hearing).

Secondly, “Florence Foster Jenkins” is a love story. The relationship between Florence and her longtime companion, a British actor and illegitimate son of an aristocrat, St. Claire Bayfield is the type that is rarely shown on screen. Their relationship was really quite unique.

Florence was a few years older than Bayfield, but it was definitely him who took care of her and all the prosaic things related to their comfortable lives. Bayfield even made sure that Florence’s concerts were only attended by people who could behave, that no sharp objects were ever in her presence and that at parties there was no shortage of her favourite potato salad. The love and tenderness between the two is clear and true. However, they did not have sexual relations (at least in part due to Florence’s illness). In fact, Bayfield had a separate apartment (paid for by Florence), where he lived with his longtime girlfriend Kathleen Weatherley, whom he married after Florence’s death. There is a scene in the film where Bayfield admits to Florence’s accompanist, McMoon, that Florence knows that she is not the only woman in his life, but does not know the details. I think it’s a really interesting relationship and it’s a bit of a shame that it was not explored more.

What about the film itself?

Ultimately, “Florence Foster Jenkins” is a very good and very concise movie. Nevertheless, it is tempting to think what movie it could be if its creators explored how it came to be that Florence closed herself (or maybe was closed by her caring, well-wishing friends) in this magical, but artificial world. If this bubble was punctured in some way a little earlier than in the penultimate scene.

The great cast is of course great. This is obvious when the main role is played by Meryl Streep (I’ve saying it for years, she could play a chair and get an Oscar nomination for it). The film also stars Hugh Grant and the delightful Simon Helberg, whose facial expressions during the scenes of Florence’s vocal performances KILL ME. Incidentally, the singing and accompaniment were reportedly recorded live on the set. All the more credit to Meryl Streep and Simon Helber, because both of them are truly phenomenal!

The costumes are also great. I particularly liked the stage creations worn by Florence, who loved elaborate costumes with big ornaments and headpieces. A woman after my own heart!

The verdict

Reminiscing about this film and Florence herself, I think that she was a remarkable woman. She loved music with all her heart and really did a lot to support this art. Many of her fans recognized her sincere passion and supported Florence in her performances. And the fact that her performances weren’t objectively the best – does it ultimately matter?

Florence Foster Jenkins

Florence Foster Jenkins

Florence Foster Jenkins

And that’s how Florence sounded in real life:

My 5 Favourite Retro Bloggers Right Now

Because I am interested in basically everything retro, it’s natural that I read as much as I can on the subject – and I look for inspiration from other retro bloggers!

Check out this list of my 5 favourite retro bloggers I’m following now and tell me if you knew them before or if you’ve just discovered them! Do you have your favourite retro blogs? Let me know in the comments!

B is For Brittany

I found Brittany on Instagram and immediately fell in love with her style. Her blog isn’t as active as her Instagram account but I still highly recommend it to everyone interested in early 20th century retro fashion!


Bannertransparent

Gracefully Vintage

Kayla is an Australian vintage fashion blogger with some very enviable wardrobe! I like her consistency, elegant outfits and pretty pretty pictures.


2imat69

Flashback Summer

Oh man. This girl’s style is everything I love. Emileigh is serious goals for me. Hair goals (#straighthairproblems), outfit goals, and most importantly, sewing goals. That’s right! This girl sews almost everything she wears!


vintage-gal-logo

Vintage Gal

This blog is a MAJOR inspiration for me. Cate is another blogger who prefers the style of 1930s and 1940s with enviable wardrobe and sewing skills. She also writes about vintage lifestyle, movies & books, art, designs, and provides fashion roundups. Wow! Her blog is basically what I want my blog to grow into.


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Curve Creation’s Closet

Missi’s presence on this list may surprise some since she is very much into 1940s and 1950s looks which are not really my cup of tea. While stylistically I tend to lean more towards 1920s and 1930s, I sincerely admire Missi’s dedication to her blog, her openness about her lifestyle and quite simply, the girl’s character. Her social media posts inspire me to do better, and to do it while looking FABULOUS

And that’s my favourite 5 retro bloggers right now! Would you like to see more of my favourites? Drop me a comment and let me know 🙂

Film Review: “Cafe Society” (2016)

cafe societyI have a complicated relationship with Woody Allen’s movies. On one hand, I love their general mood and beautiful visuals. On the other – I am increasingly disappointed by the scripts. They seem to be telling the same story over and over again, and the quality of this story is, sadly, not improving. My opinion of “Cafe Society” is very much in line with this.

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The movie is a story of a young man coming to Hollywood looking for something more exciting than work with his father. He is hired by his uncle, a Hollywood producer, and discovers the ups and downs of living in Tinseltown. He also falls in love with his uncle’s secretary, Vonnie. As per usual in Woody Allen’s movies, no love story is ever that simple.

The good

I love, love, LOVE the visuals. It’s no surprise, really – the movie takes place in 1930s Hollywood and New York City. I mean, it doesn’t get better than that for me. All the costumes, scenography and music are simply enchanting. Chanel played a big part in the creation of costumes for the movie and it shows! The glamour is breathtaking! The cast is very good – Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Steve Carell, Corey Stall and Blake Lively, as well as Anna Camp who is a very funny one scene wonder.

The movie’s soundtrack is full of wonderful, light variations on well-known melodies such as “The Lady Is A Tramp, “Jeepers Creepers” and “Have You Met Miss Jones?”. I’m listening to it as I’m writing this review and it’s delightful, jazzy, easy listening.

The not-so-good

I’m not very happy with the story of the movie. I’m not even entirely sure that the title is relevant. I would expect some analysis of Hollywood or New York’s cafe society, but apart from a few voice-over anecdotes, the plot really focuses on the rather unexciting love triangle.

Now, I don’t want to discourage anyone! I have a certain taste in movies, which is dictated by my personal preferences and education I’ve received throughout the years. Watching this movie I felt like yes, scenes happened in some order. But there was no real plot to the movie, no culmination, no resolution. Just events happening, one after the other, without structure. I’m sure that this will not be everyone’s opinion.

The verdict

If you like Woody Allen’s movies, are excited about retro fashion, are looking for light entertainment and a few laughs – by all means go and see it!

cafe society cafe society ksbr12-0 ksbr13-0

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ksbr16 00-holding-cafe-society Cafe-Society-2773187 Cafe-Society-27731872 Cafe-Society-kristen-stewart-woody-allen-2166 Cafe-Society-kristen-stewart-woody-allen-kinopoisk.ru-Caf_26_23233_3B-Society-2773182 chanel-cafe-society-02 chanel-cafe-society-03 chanel-cafe-society-04 chanel-cafe-society-05 chanelwa15_d21_00172-h_2016_0 CjfE2MZWgAAeeWo cafe society

All pictures from The Woody Allen Pages.

“You Can Do Anything, You’re a Princess!” – or, how I went to burlesque summer camp

burlesque summer camp

The idea of burlesque-themed vacation may seem a little risky. Burlesque’s natural habitat is rather the city, the club, the night. Meanwhile, a group of burlesque fans (both female and male!) under the leadership of our burlesque mother, Betty Q, went to New Kawkowo for a burlesque summer camp.

burlesque summer camp

Relaxing in a hammock.

Program

I have written many times that burlesque is not a dance style. And, as I expected, there were no dance classes during this trip. There was a series of workshops on a variety of topics, very widely associated with burlesque – from a mind map, through history and discussion on scientific text (there are such in existence!), though classes on body awareness and coordination, and of course a YouTube party with watching the most interesting burlesque performances from all over the world. In addition, a short instruction class on tassel twirling was a must. Everyday we could (but were not obliged to) participate in a morning warm-up and typical sports class conducted by Vila Vanilla. Another interesting addition was a presentation and discussion about the art of drag and how it connects to burlesque, led by two drag performers (Yalla Yalla and Chirusska). In short, there was no way we could complain about being bored!

burlesque summer camp

Modern Cindy Crawford, our Vila Vanilla

burlesque summer camp

Vacation meaning dolce far niente? Not here 😀

burlesque summer camp

We learned about the benefits of cooperation by dressing ourselves in a boa, gloves and petticoat and by eating chocolate… really! 

Participants

I really, really liked how diverse a group we were. Our group had people of all ages, with varying degrees of stage experience and knowledge of burlesque, but also with a whole range of own interests and skills that could be useful in burlesque and in everyday life. As a result, we were also extremely self-sufficient – we cooked out own (delicious!) food, organized all our activities and trips to the nearby lake. The sense of community between us all was very, very nice.

burlesque summer camp

Eating meals in the open air, at one table (well, we added a second one) – BEST <3

burlesque summer camp

This is more or less how we all looked together 🙂

Place

The house were we were staying was great. At the end of the post I put a link to its website so that you can find more information, but let me just write that a place where in each room you can find a record player with a collection of vinyl records, a swing (sic!) or a huge bookcase, has my seal of approval.

Most classes took place either in the living room or in the barn. The barn was very spacious and equipped to have physical classes there, so we used it almost every day, no matter the weather. We also had two improvised showcases there – one was the culmination of a burlesque challenge, during which we had to create acts-tributes to the burlesque legends. The other was a presentation of acts on which we wanted to get feedback from the audience.

Let me tell you, performing in a barn is a real school of life for any performer. Zero backstage, no stage, one spotlight – in such circumstance the strength of the performance is everything. I don’t think it’s possible to have this intimacy with the audience on a club stage – but maybe it’s also the matter of the fact that we performed for each other. We were, however, joined by the house owner and his friends, as well as a team of yogins who were also staying in the house.

burlesque summer camp

View from the doorstep. Just lay down on a blanket and enjoy!

burlesque summer camp

Vila Vanilla taking a sun bath.

Was it worth it?

The program of the trup was planned in such a way that both the people who are completely new to burlesque and those who already have some experience, had something to do. It somehow happened that in the group I was the one with the longest “seniority” after Betty (it’s been… 4 years already?) but I too learned something new, both about burlesque and about myself as a performer.

It is important for me that one of the aims of the activities was to make the people who often make up our audience realize that there is something more to burlesque than just attractive visuals. I don’t think I will forget the discussion about whether burlesque and striptease are different, how, and whether they are feminist. The same goes for biographies of some of the burlesque starts who I knew by their names but did not know anything about their personal stories.

The whole experience was a great pleasure for me and I will be most happy to repeat it. Anyway, even before leaving this magical place we agreed with the owner for a date for the next year! Who knows, maybe next time I will play the role of the teacher?

The house in New Kawkowo

Akademia Burleski Betty Q

burlesque summer camp

burlesque summer camp

Beautiful little lake whose name I don’t know but I went skinny dipping in it 😀

burlesque summer camp

Last but not least, me on vacation – without makeup but stylish nonetheless 🙂