WTF?

In looking around for "WTF?" items, I came across two kind-of-bizarre images.  Neither of them was weird enough in and of itself, but the fact that both were randomly from the same movie, and I found them in separate searches, seemed to indicate to me that I should post them.  Picnic was a movie from 1955, critically acclaimed and well-received by audiences....although the stills are a bit confusing.

"One of us belongs on the cover of a romance novel...
the other refuses to partake in such nonsense, and is merely here to rest against this log."

"Are we laying down?  Or propped up against a wall in the girl's bathroom?
Hard to know, but I'm glad neither of us is wearing tops."

Charade

This week I watched Charade, from 1963.

This is a rom-com-dram.  The rom is from Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn falling in love while trying to find Audrey's character's late husband's missing fortune. (I'd refer to them by their character names, but Cary's character lies repeatedly about his identity, so his name changes about every twenty minutes, each time Audrey's character catches him in a lie.)  The com is from Cary's arrogant dry wit, and Audrey's sassy dry wit, both of which are immensely appealing:

Peter Joshua: Why do you think Tex did it? 
Reggie Lampert: Because I really suspect Gideon and it's always the person you don't suspect. 
Peter Joshua: Do women find it feminine to be so illogical, or can't they help it? 


Reggie Lampert: You're blocking my view.
Peter Joshua: Ohh... which view would you prefer?
Reggie Lampert: The one you're blocking. 


The dram is because people keep dying, and the viewer (and Hepburn's character) aren't sure who to trust.  


The story is fantastic, the dialogue witty, the characters interesting; it's one of my favorite movies of all time.  Plus, you can't beat Cary Grant for handsome leading man:

Somebody get me a cold compress.

And there is no one more beautiful and elegant than Audrey Hepburn:

Hello, bright eyes.

Sigh. Remember when life was simple and women wore scarves over their hair and men dressed in suits every day and we had to figure out where Charles hid a quarter of a million dollars before a group of thieves killed us?  Those were the days.

The Parent Trap

This week I watched The Parent Trap.*  I love Maureen O'Hara.  

I love Brian Keith.  

I love that there was a time when people got dressed up to fly on planes.  

Ms. O'Hara's traveling suit.

Heard the term "traveling suit"?  No?  That's because we live in a society without civility!  In 1961 you wore a traveling suit on a plane and you were on your best behavior.  Granted, I can't be on my best behavior when I fly because I need three vodkas on ice and half a Benadryl just to get me on the damn plane...but I always wear something nice.

(*Don't ever speak to me about the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap.  That was a shameful time in movie-making history.)

The Maltese Falcon

This week I watched The Maltese Falcon.

I thought it was....umm....  I felt the movie lacked....eh....  Okay, in a word.  Boo.  Booooo!  This was supposed to be a caper film, but in the end, there was no treasure.  Turns out it was a caper of the heart, and Bogart's character finally finds a woman he can commit to, and she's a murderer.  And he turns her in.  But the good news is, she'll only serve 20 years of a life sentence, and he'll wait for her!  That is not a thrilling ending.

Also, can you believe how small the guns were back in the day?

 My final thoughts...Mary Astor is not the dish she's supposed to be.  Her eyebrows are drawn in and her hair is flat on one side, bouffant on the other.  WTF?

Also, Humphrey Bogart speaks like he has too many teeth in his mouth.  I find this oddly appealing.

Casablanca

This week I watched Casablanca.  I love old black and white movies.  Everything seems more romantic, more dramatic, more elegant.


What I learned:

1) I want Ingrid Bergman's waistline.    

She's long and lean, but she still has a defined waist, which is unusual (and admittedly might have been accomplished through a girdle and cinching).

2) Women should wear suits outside the office.  

What about a lovely dinner suit?

Love the sharp shoulders on this garment.

3) Everyone looks taller in black and white.  Humphrey Bogart was only 5'8" but he looks like a giant in this movie.

4) People should still drink champagne from those old squat glasses.

I love all things old, but old movies especially make me nostalgic and dreamy.  Sigh...