The Anatomy of Cool
It always fascinates me when something considered cool generations ago becomes vintage cool for a contemporary generation. Often the past is a great indicator of what will be cool in the future. Go back around 20 years and you will often find indicators of the trends of today. That 20 year window leaves a great un-mined resource of vintage films, fashion and music to be re-examined and re-packaged for today’s generation. I would like you to consider another film that falls out of this 20 year pattern of appreciation.
The film “Anatomy Of A Murder” (1959) is an American trial court drama directed by Otto Preminger. This film is known for being one of the best trial movies ever made. What stood out to me and most critics of the time was how it incorporated jazz in the musical score. It was the first film to extensively do this. The use of what was the alternative music of the time was a novel approach. The Jazzy opening sequence with music by Duke Ellington and artwork by Saul Bass also added to the cool aesthetic. Imagine yourself as a teenager 1959 not knowing much about what is going on in contemporary pop culture and then you see this trailer or this poster. You may say to yourself ‘This ain’t your daddy’s music,’ and suddenly you wonder about the world outside of your small middle American town. Sound familiar?
Check out the embed below, and if you get a chance to see the movie on TCM or pick it up on Netflix I do recommend.
Enjoy
TrevzNewpop
The Naked City – Williamsburg Bridge 1948
The film “The Naked City” is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City. It is known for having one of the more famous quotes in movie history. “There are eight million stories in the Naked City; this has been one of them.” I actually watched this entire film just to hear this quote in context after hearing it out of context my entire life.
One scene that I took note of during this film was the final chase scene on the Williamsburg Bridge. The transformation of the Williamsburg Bridge from then to now is pretty fascinating. The West bound side has incoming and outgoing traffic, and the current eastbound side has a stairway that leads to the walkway. The most striking difference is how folks back then (Assuming that this portrayal was true to life.) utilized the Manhattan side walkway as a park. You can see kids rollerskating, jumping rope, playing marbles, etc. The only bridge in NY that bears any resemblance to that now is the Brooklyn Bridge. However the Williamsburg Bridge 1948 seems to have been a playground for locals as opposed to the tourists who cross the Brooklyn Bridge now. Also fascinating is how little Delancey street has changed. Haha.
Another interesting note about this film. The visual style was inspired by the New York photographer Weegee who published a book of photos of New York life entitled Naked City (1945). Weegee was known for his stark black and white street photography. Check out the embed below that has both the Williamsburg chase sequence and the famous quote. And if you get a chance see this film by all means do. It pops up on TCM every now and then or you can order it on Netflix.
Who Are You, Polly Magoo?
The 1966 French film “Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?” is a satirical art house movie spoofing the fashion world and its excesses. It stars native Brooklynite Dorothy McGowan as supermodel Polly Maggoo who is being followed by a French television crew. I caught this on TCM one night and was drawn in by how it poked fun at the cool mod style of the late 60′s. The director William Klein is a well known photographer and one of my inspirations. The asthetic beauty in this film, balanced with the cutting satire intrigues me. It draws many parallels to the world I work in today. Beautiful, inspiring and cool, while hilarious, silly and superficial. The difference with this film and a film like Zoolander, is there is a insiders perspective and reverence that acknowledges that there is something to love about this world. Zoolander tosses it all aside as fodder for laughs. Don’t get me wrong I love Zoolander, but “Polly Maggoo” deals with the dichotomy of that love hate relationship in a serious way without fishing for the big laugh.
The first clip is the opening scene from the film. It is a fashion show where the “clothes” are so outlandish and impractical that the models are cut by the material and the designer has to make modifications with a wrench. It illustrates just how silly the fashion world can be. The second is a trailer just in case you were thinking of renting or buying it. There isn’t much substance in terms of storyline, but if you are intrigued by cultural commentary about the super cool today, tomorrow, or 40 years ago, I would say go for it.
Le Mans 1971.
Caught the movie Le Mans on TCM yesterday. The movie starring Steve McQueen is about 24 Hours of Le Mans and was filmed on the circuit during the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race. What makes this race unique is instead of focusing on the ability of a car company to build the fastest machines of the time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans would instead concentrate on the ability of manufacturers to build sporty yet reliable cars and the endurance of the drivers. But what I found compelling about this movie was the culture of sophistication surrounding this event. How true to life this is then or now I don’t know. I am well aware of how easy it is for filmmakers to present things as they see it, but since this was filmed in part at the actual event and not entirely staged I am less cynical about it’s accuracy. The vibe felt more like a Polo match than what I have grown to expect from car racing. I suspect the European sensibility about art and culture that seems to permeate everything they do has allot to do with this. Especially when the two main cars involved were Porsche and Ferrari.
The clip I embedded below is a conversation between Mcqueens character Michael Delaney and Elga Andersen character Lisa Belgetti. After a serious accident that involved Lisa Belgetti lover she asks Michael why do men risks their lives for sport? Michael responds with the following famous movie quote. “A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing’s important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it… it’s life. Anything that happens before or after… is just waiting.” This is followed by a beautiful montage that illustrates the subtle and not so subtle beauty of the sport, focusing not only on the cars, but on the faces in the crowds, and the lifestyle that surrounds this event. It is a beautiful piece of filmmaking. This all takes place in the first 4 minutes so don’t let the 9 min duration discourage you from viewing the clip. And if you ever get a chance to watch the entire movie or if you have a Netflix account, you should give this film a chance.
Trev