A Sip of Sarsaparilla

Friday, October 15, 2010

Beautiful and Haunting: "The Red Shoes" for Halloween

Now that I've publicly declared that I will be spending these coming weeks carrying out my mission of restoring Beauty and Order to my home - I'm firmly committed to following through.

But yesterday was such a godawful day at work, when I got home I stumbled past all the chaos in a daze and headed straight for my computer/TV room with only one goal in mind: zoning out on instant play Netflix films for the rest of the evening.

It turned out not to be a wasted evening at all...because I discovered my new favorite movie: the 1948 classic, "The Red Shoes."

(warning: spoiler alert!)

I don't know how I managed to have missed seeing this wonderful film all these years. Have you seen it? It's both amazingly beautiful...and darkly haunting.

"The Red Shoes" is loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of the same name, and features real-life ballerina, Moira Shearer, in the role of the enchanting young dancer Victoria Page.

Vicky is torn between the man she loves, Julian Craster the composer (played by Marius Goring)....

...and the man who has the power to help her realize her dream of becoming a prima ballerina - but can also take that dream away: the Lermontov Ballet impresario, Boris Lermontov (played by Anton Walbrook).

I'm not going to attempt to write a review of "The Red Shoes." Many others who are far more capable than I have already done that. Take a peek here.

One reviewer described the film as a "feast for the senses." I thought I'd give you a little taste of that "feast" through these photos that I took directly from the film as I was watching it. (For those of you who have never done this before - it's a great way to get to know a film intimately.)

"The Red Shoes" has everything that makes this vintage-loving girl's heart sing!
Gorgeous ballet...

Intriguing characters...

Fabulous fashion from the 1940's...

Lots of wonderful train scenes...

...and handwritten letters.

Plenty of romance and intrigue...

and DRAMA...

Dark, Dark DRAMA...

...that turns to TRAGEDY...

For those of you who have a tradition of watching a haunting film on Halloween night - but are sick of the typical blood-and-gore horror films, "The Red Shoes" might be just what you're looking for.

And...if you had fancied the idea of being a ballerina when you were growing up...and you still look halfway decent in a tutu and tights...why not consider dressing up as Vicky Page for Halloween?

All you need is a dress like this...with a pretty blue bow for your hair...

A pair of red, red lips - and dramatic eyes lined in black and red...

And most important of all - red ballet slippers, preferably handmade by the Shoemaker himself.

But at the end of the night, after you come home from the costume party...

and are ready to go to bed...if you discover that those red shoes simply refuse to budge from your feet...

...don't say I didn't warn you...

.....hehehe, cackle, cackle..................

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

"I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art." - Madonna Ciccone

Like Madonna (well, sorta) I am in the midst of "my own experiment" - attempting to create a "work of art" out of the chaos that has invaded my home after a long summer of estate sale madness.

courtesy of Illusions Gallery

"The Artist" (1920) by Alfonse Maria Mucha.

I've learned over time that when my environment is chaotic and disorganized, I'm not nearly as creative or productive as I am when I've found "a place for everything, and everything is in its place." I can't remember the last time I felt that sense of peace as I walked through my home.

So that's my goal for this next month. Beauty and Order. I'm going to sort through everything I've purchased during these past several months, write it all down, categorize it, take lots of photos (for YOU, of course), and give them a proper home.

And after I've made my home a Work of Art - then, with a sense of peace, I can start focusing on my own Inner Beauty too.

courtesy of Art Prints on Demand

"La Belle Liseuse" (The Beautiful Reader) by Leon Francoise Comerre (1850-1916)

I've written before about how I like to decorate my home with works of art, especially portraits of women. Well, included above and below are a few more favorites...

courtesy of Great Masters Gallery

"An Elegant Beauty" by William Clark Wontner (1857-1930)

courtesy of Canvaz Inc

"Pavonia" (1858-59) by Lord Frederick Leighton.

Each of these paintings is highlighted in this fabulous video compilation by Philip Scott Johnson -
"Women in Art: 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art."

Johnson's Women in Art video was nominated as "Most Creative Video" in the second annual YouTube Awards. The lovely music, Bach's Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007, is performed by Yo-Yo Ma.

If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat!

If you'd like to see a complete list of the artists and paintings included in this video, I highly recommend that you visit a wonderful guide to Johnson's Women in Art video on Boni's Site for Students (and Friends)

As an aside...
Probably the closest that I've come to being a "work of art" is this caricature drawn at a work convention last year. The artist was clearly very intuitive when he chose to put a drink in my hand, and thoughts of money and romance (a little heart) floating around my head.

A work of art, I'm not. But a work in progress? I hope that's the case - for years and years to come!

Have a beautiful week,
"Sarsaparilla" Susan

Thursday, October 7, 2010

O hushed October...

This morning I found myself in Vogue UK's website, perusing the magazine archives from the 1920's and 1930's, and came across this wonderful Vogue cover from October 1924.

Vogue - October 1924

The poet Robert Frost was a master at capturing the imagery of the four seasons - and the 1924 Vogue cover above reminded me of his wonderful "October" poem included in his 1915 collection of poetry, A Boy's Will. I had this poem printed on the back of the church program that was handed out to family and friends on my wedding day many Octobers ago - so it's a sentimental favorite of mine.

OCTOBER

O hushed October morning mild,

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call;

To-morrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow,

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled,

Beguile us in the way you know;

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away;

Retard the sun with gentle mist;

Enchant the land with amethyst.

Slow, slow!

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

Robert Frost (1874–1963). A Boy’s Will. 1915. 30. October

I love the colors of autumn, don't you? Gold, crimson, amethyst, burgundy, wine, auburn, brown, mocha, dove grey, sienna, rust, ochre, plum, pumpkin, goldenrod, copper...

All those lovely colors can be found in the Fall issues of fashion magazines from the 1920's and 30's. Here's a collection of scans from the covers of Delineator, Eu Sei Tudo, Harper's Bazaar, Photoplay and Vogue that capture the warmth of autumn and the spirit of the Art Deco era. Enjoy!