I certainly understand why women in the 1950's and 1960's went crazy over Elvis Presley's sexy movements on stage. They may seem ridiculous today, but... not for me. Watching Elvis move like he had an electric shock, shaking his legs like they were made out of jelly, studying his constant face twitching (see the Paramount screentest in color below)... it's just a very guilty pleasure of mine. It serves as a kind of nostalgia for me: Elvis (his music, good looks, Jailhouse Rock) was my entry to the world of classic film and retro music. My classic film craze owes a lot to Elvis with the Pelvis. Most people seems to like his 1970's songs more, but the gospel/patriotic approach has never been of much interest for me. I've always been more of a rock'n'roll chick.
The clip with Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show (well, one of the times he was there, at least) is a favorite of mine. He teases the audience - he knows they love him. But the best thing is how he presents the song he is about to perform. It is a sad song, it has a message. Beautiful lyrics. It's "Hound Dog".
Damn it, I forgot. Yesterday was Elvis Presley's 75th birthday, and there is probably a gazillion photos and honor blog posts around that I can't beat. What I can do is to offer a few un-staged photos of the rock icon.
These pictures are taken by a photographer called Alfred Wertheimer in 1956. My favorites among these are the backstage kissing photos, but all them are beautifully natural and shows a relaxed (and oh-so-handsome) Elvis. I hope you'll enjoy.
Some days ago I was tagged by the lovely Kate Gabrielle to write about an actor/actress that I have made a 180 degree turn in my opinions about. Well, instructions here:
Name an actor, actress or director that you started out despising (or just really not liking) but ended up loving. Or vice versa, someone you started out loving and ended up despising (or just really not liking) -- and explain why.
Definitively a great and interesting question!
This task, however, puzzled me a bit, since I've tried to totally forget that I ever hated anyone I now simply adore. But after some anxiety filled flashbacks at my life as a 14 year old girl, not knowing anything and not worth listening to, I came up with no less than two objects. Hold your breath!
Oh yes, I hated those guts just a bit over five years ago. Why? I hadn't seen them in any films, I hadn't heard them sing - why did I hate them both?
Because they are so goddamn over-commercialized! They are everywhere. Anywhere you turn - there you have it: Posters, bags, pencils, refrigerator magnets, everything is draped with these two faces. And most people who wear a Marilyn Monroe bag or an Elvis t-shirt actually have no idea who they were. And that made me just sick.
But then again - as a classic film newbie I had to see at least one film with each of them. How I dreaded that day.
Luckily enough, my introduction to Miss Monroe was the brilliant Billy Wilder classic Some Like It Hot (1959). I fell in love, no question about it. After having shed some tears to the sentimental I'm through with love scene, I realized that Monroe was a wonderful actress.
And nowadays, I also think that she is sadly underestimated as both an actress and as a singer. Diamond's Are a Girl's Best Friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawks, 1953) is a perfected musical number, her acting skills are put to the test in Bus Stop (1956) (she is wonderful, but her leading man is, oh, so annoying!), and a self distance to her dumb blonde image is proven ultimately in The Seven Year Itch (Billy Wilder again, 1955). What can I say? I love Marilyn Monroe.
I'm not through with my love for Marilyn Monroe. (And Tony Curtis is such a dahling in make up.)
Okay, but Elvis then? Sure, he has made a lot of really bad movies, but people seem to forget that he wasn't such a bad actor after all. (He just liked easily earned money, who can blame him?) I'm not trying to state that he was an Academy Award nominee type of an actor - but he was sure okay, and managed to every now and then stir up some feelings.
Naturally, my first gentle feelings toward Elvis started with his music (preferably the 1950's and 1960's), and I admitted that "sure, he has a great voice - but he's still an overrated brat".
Then Jailhouse Rock (1957) was being shown on the television. I taped it, watched it and - believe it or not - actually was quite moved by his acting skills. It didn't take long before I bought Love Me Tender (1956), Wild in the Country (1961) and Flaming Star (1960) on DVD. (The latter one I gave away, such a crappy movie... But the other two are really nice, actually.)
And so, my respect for Elvis was restored. (He's still overrated in my opinion, with all impersonators and all the 1970's craze, but he really does deserve a lot of that attention.)
How could you not love someone who made the choreography for this? (And his voice - his voice! Sigh.)
Brick (played by blue eyed Paul Newman) is an alcoholic ex-football player with a broken leg, who has a (for a start) unexplicable disgust for his devoted wife Maggie (Elizabeth Taylor). The location is Brick's parents' home, were his cancer sick father, Big Daddy (Burl Ives), is celebrating his 65th birthday. With them is also the family of Brick's brother, a pregnant and infiltrating wife with plans to take over the mansion, and five poorly raised children.
I recently read that both Lana Turner and Grace Kelly were considered to play the role of Maggie. I'm just happy that they made the right choice - Taylor, with her childlike voice and feminine body, is like a devil in disguise. You don't really know were she stands, which is brilliant for a chamber drama like this, with intence mood and an escalating plot. The consideration for the role of Brick is just laughable when you have seen Newman in the film. (Even if you haven't, it is still bizarre.) Elvis. Yes, Elvis Presley. I'm glad his "Colonel" said no. Newman as Brick is beyond criticism - he is just perfect.
Paul Newman - criminal sexy.
Scene: Brick and Maggie have a marital argument.
The script is based on Tennesse Williams' play from 1955. He was so disappointed in the movie adaption that he stated that "this movie will set the industry back 50 years. Go home!". It is not difficult to see why the writer, the creator, was disappointed when you consider the fact that a large piece is missing from the original script - the reference to Brick's homosexuality. The removal of that part not only made Paul Newman very disappointed, the originally planned director George Cukor also turned down the job because of it. However, at the time it almost wasn't possible to have anything like that in the movie, due to the Hollywood Production Code.
Tennesse Williams had Burl Ives in mind when writing the role of Big Daddy.
Despite the homosexuality part missing, this film may be one of the greatest dramas made in Hollywood during the 1950's. You get sucked into the intrigue directly in the introduction scene. The dialogue is brilliant (but we are talking about Tennesse Williams, so who would be surprised?), the actors are at their peakes (even though, at the time, the audience were sceptical to Burl Ives, the folk singer) and the tension between the characters rises at the speed of light. When the movie ended, both me and my friend Elenova were shivering. And this after seeing it about ten times!
The glorious Liz Taylor.
Quotes:
Brick Pollitt: What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof? Maggie Pollitt: Just staying on it I guess, long as she can.
Brick Pollitt: I don't have to do anything I don't want to! Now, you keep forgetting the conditions on which I agreed to stay on living with you. Maggie Pollitt: I'm not living with you! We occupy the same cage, that's all.
'Big Daddy' Pollitt: Let's go home. 'Big Momma' Pollitt: Don't you want to ride with the children, honey? 'Big Daddy' Pollitt: No! 'Big Momma' Pollitt: [laughing] He's his sassy old self again, all right! 'Big Daddy' Pollitt: Be quiet, woman!
'Big Daddy' Pollitt: You won't live with mendacity? Well, you're an expert at it! The truth is pain and sweat and payin' bills and makin' love to a woman that you don't love any more. Truth is dreams that don't come true, and nobody prints your name in the paper 'til you die.
