s o u l i z b l o g

How do you end an autobiographical movie? You’re living to make a film about yourself so how do you know the ending? Traffaut found a solution with moving pictures in the 400 blows. He reprinted the same frame on celluloid to be screened at 24fps. So although the image is halted, the film keeps running. It’s not a still photograph that documents a beginning, middle, or end. Nor is it an image of a noun. Rather than a moment in time, it’s an image of time, movement, a verb. Ongoing. See image in motion from 3:39 in the video below.

And meet some of her friends? Some old, some new faces.

It was an advanced screening of Coco Before Chanel(2009) at the Skirball. Great film that was beautifully shot, but it didn’t really focus on her passion for fashion. Rather, the love story between her and Boy Capel was highlighted(which I didn’t think was that romantic in the first place, imho).

For a more overall view of her incredible life, I’d recommend the Lifetime miniseries starring Shirley Maclaine. I know i know, SM as Coco? hehe yes, there were some cringing moments of embarassment for her and for the poor acting in general, but it was quite entertaining, i remember it to be. Also, it helped me understand how the designer came to be, therefore cultivating a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship and label of the Chanel brand.

If i were to make a biopic based on her life, I’d mix the cinematic assets of Coco Before Chanel and the concentration on her passion for fashion from the LT miniseries. Possibly a movie of her summer at Deauville, where she perfected her craft and style as a way to escape the war as well as her intensely turbulent relationship with Boy? The beginning of her fame and legendary career and the height of her romance, if you will. Ok, I’ll shutup now.

So that’s everyone. and me.

So cool how all of us did the same things but all of our shots have such different perspectives. I would never take a picture of my cousin checking out her leg(?) behind a pretty backdrop in westwood, or to take a group picture in accordance with the rule of thirds. Nor do I think that these girls would care to take pictures of the chairs at the Skirball (or would they? i dunno). Ok, I’ll shutup again.

A much more mature Catherine Deneuve in Belle Du Jour (1967), compared to her role in Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). The movie was so sad, I think I kind of cried. But not really.