Monday, January 28, 2013

Ruth Chatterton


Ruth Chatterton, what an edgy Old Hollywood gem. She was an actress, writer and pilot- or to put it more charmingly, an aviatrix. Briefly a marquis name, many times her roles reflected her nerve and intellect. She worked during the 1930s, an era when Hollywood was not afraid of smart women. Bette Davis co-starred in a couple movies with her and Davis described her as talented and intimidating. Bette Davis was intimidated. Precode productions took advantage of her assertive sexuality. Ruth Chatterton made three films with Dorothy Arzner one of the only woman director's of the 1930s-40s working in Hollywood. At times her films were melodramatic, with dizzyingly scandalous convoluted plots but Chatterton's talent would carry things along. Pauline Kael called her "the great Ruth Chatterton".  She made her screen debut at 35 and worked in film acting for about ten years. She reached a point in her career where she could choose which projects to sign on to, an accomplishment during the contracted studio system years.  Prior to her cinema career Chatterton worked on Broadway. She went back to theater when she "aged out" of working in movies. Known internationally, she also worked in Europe and translated French plays for the American stage. In her later years she retired to write novels.
Oh and she flew solo across the Atlantic- twice.

Ruth Chatterton films to check out-  Female 1933,  Dodsworth 1936


Further Information on Ruth Chatterton-
NYPL Blog

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Friday, January 25, 2013

I want to hold up a ship



I want to be like water, I want to slip through fingers but hold up a ship.
-Michelle Williams


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Last Year's 1 Reel shoot


About a year ago I wrote about how I made a short film with my brother Brennan and my friend Heather Vernon. Well Brennan just sent over some pics from that day. We shot 1 reel of film : ) & there was a sequence where Heather was hanging out the back of the minivan-which explains the last shot.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Celluloid like champagne



Reality doesn’t impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.

-Anais Nin  

 

 

image  Joanna Pallaris

Monday, January 21, 2013

How can I keep it?



"What can I do with my happiness? How can I keep it, conceal it, bury it where I may never lose it? I want to kneel as it falls over me like rain, gather it up with lace and silk, and press it over myself again." -Anaïs Nin,  Henry & June


image - Sofia Ajram

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Ripley's Briefs


In my post about Michael Kaplan's wardrobe for Flashdance, I wondered if "cotton ever looked sexier"? Well can't forget about Ripley's cotton briefs in Alien-

Monday, January 14, 2013



image  Pauline Frederick