I don't know why I love classic film so much. Actually, yes I do.
One of my first ever "film" jobs was working at Blockbuster Video - when they first opened up. (Yes, that's how old I am:))
Anyway, me securing a job at Blockbuster video is a story unto itself - one that's best told over a few cocktails in a dimly lit bar.
Why? Because it involves chicanery, manipulation, a 125 question test, schemeng and the judicious use of my then-unlimited store of feminine wiles.
The upshot of all that drama was that I, did indeed, get a job at Blockbuster. Far beyond the perks of that long-ago job though - I walked away from the experience with the tools I needed to one day run a film festival and to knowledgeably hold forth on a number of genres - obscure and conventional - in international cinema.
The day before I started, I was given, along with instructions to purchase a blue oxford shirt, some left-over film school books and a list of over 100 films that I must watch before I die.
The list was misplaced years ago, but I can safely say that I've watched many, many times that number in my quest for film knowledge.
I've had many infatuations with various genres and directors.
For a while I was obsessed with yakuza films, then tired of them in favor of hard-boiled 40s noir.
My enduring love for Emir Kusterica will probably never wane - I've even sat through films of his that were subtitled in Dutch - just to watch his audacious images and let the waves of Goran Bregovic's music wash over me.
I keep a running list of subjects in my head that I deem documentary-worthy, and I'll probably never tire of watching the works of Pratibha Parmar, Bruce LaBruce or Lars Von Trier.
But classic American films - starrring Audrey Hepburn, Kathrine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and a host of others.. I could watch them every day. Perhaps it's because of their easy availability, or because the social mores seem so quaint. At heart I'm a fashionista - perhaps that's the draw?
Whatever it is.. I can't get enough of Technicolor, Cinemascope and cinched belts over wide skirts.
This year's Divas Outdoors - featuring once agan Doris Day, Marilyn Monroe and some newcomers to the series (Betty Grable and Laren Bacall) is themed somewhat topically - each film is tied to the economy.
In the first, That Touch of Mink, Doris Day is job-hunting (as are so many of us now). In fact, the film opens on a scene set in an unemployment office - and things haven't changed too drastically since then.
The second film, How To Marry A Millionaire, features a trio of women (Bacall, Grable and Monroe) who are all broke and trying to land rich husbands. In between furniture repossessions, cocktail parties and unpaid grocery tabs, there's a fair amount of social commentary that rings true even today.
They're both ligh-hearted fun and absolutely gorgeous to look at - I hope you can join us.
Divas Outdoors
May 29th and June 12th
Hillwood Museum
4155 Linnean Ave.
NW
NW
for more info: http://www.reelaffirmations.org/
