Richard Rushfield, unknown to me, but apparently an editor at Vanity Fair, the LA Times, and Gawker, makes concrete an often-made observation by cruelly comparing Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Lauren Bacall to their age cohorts in the above photo, which he captions "Gatsby for Kids." It does look like senior prom at Lawrenceville.....
Monday, November 21, 2011
Probably Unfair
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
Ah yes...the they look healthier and less world weary, thus they look like pouting teens argument.
Bah.
The fact is that people are living longer today, eating healthier, etc.
To assert that good health is a disadvantage seems trite.
It's about culture more than diet, a version of the argument that there no manly young actors in the US anymore; that young men are being indoctrunated to be recessive and sensitive, which is why all the hero parts are being filled by guys from New Zealand, Australia and the UK who know how to project a strongly personality -- and why the emergence of a manly American man like Jon Hamm is being slightly over-celebrated.
Yes, yes. A baby boomer tells us that his father's generation looks more grown up than his children's generation.
There are plenty of manly actors. There is also a taste for the "unmanly." Whether or not Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart -- in their youth -- could be called "manly" is another discussion entirely.
And that recent trend of "heavy" roles going to Kiwis, Auzzies, and Brits...new actors like Richard Harris, Cary Grant, Richard Burton (who even looked manly in Alexander the Great -- a challenge in itself), Michael Caine, etc.
Leo looks great here, and everyone looks appropriate to the book. Can one truly imagine Daisy Buchanan played by Lauren Bacall? Puhleeze. Bacall was stunning and intense, she lacked the pur vapidity required to play Daisy.
For heaven's sake, how old does Rushfield think the cast of Gatsby ought to be? It should look -- at most -- like a 10 year reunion. Nick should be around 27 or so. WWI = 1914 - 1918 (5 years)
Yale = 4 Years
Myrna Loy would have made a perfect Daisy, and she looked 12 throughout the Thin Man series.
"A baby boomer tells us that his father's generation looks more grown up than his children's generation."
LOL as the kids say...
I still maintain that the ability of Leo DiCaprio to charm major film-makers and producers is a blot on the already blotted film scene.
Great thing about the movie business though... the results will be in at about noon on Sunday of the weekend of release.
After seeing Leo in "The Aviator" and "Catch Me if You Can," I am a huge fan. In "Catch," Leo perfectly captured the charm of a golden age Hollywood star/character. The film is wonderful, as is he in it.
I'm not defending the film mind you. It could be awful. I am a fan of Baz though. His work is quirky and wonderful. "Moulin Rouge" is a Lindke household fave and seeing his "Boheme" is a Lindke date highlight.
That isn't to say that "Rouge" is the modern equivalent of "Gigi," but what could be? "Gigi" is a masterpiece. As is "The Music Man." Which reminds me...Cary Grant was begged to take the roll of Prof. Hill. Thank heaven he didn't. Robert Preston is so charismatic and wonderful, and the final scene where we see the "transformation" of the band and the redemption of Hill is one of the great moments in cinematic history.
"Blotted"? As in "soiled"?
Post a Comment