It has come to my attention that there may be people out there who have no idea about Sunset Boulevard – only one of the best films of all time by iconic director Billy Wilder. This disturbs me slightly, so here’s a glimmer of that inspiration in guise of one of our classic {MUSIC MINUTE}s.
Scored by legendary Hollywood composer Franz Waxman, the moody jazzy score provides the perfect sultry and mysterious backdrop for this strange tale. If I had a dime for every time I said “they don’t make them like they used to” . . . but this film is the epitome of that sentiment.
The film opens as a murder investigation, but delves into the twisted depths of an aging silent movie starlet who coerced a handsome screenwriter to be her live-in gigolo. When he decides its time to leave, things get very . . . dramatic.
Gloria Swanson who was an aging silent movie star herself brings such complexity, vulnerability, and diva strength – you are sure to be shook. On top of that, the film is a gorgeous display of midcentury Hollywood style and glamour; from the grandeur of the mansion (which was also used in Rebel Without a Cause) littered with gold leaf, exotic mouldings, tapestries, and furs to some seriously chic loungewear – there really is inspiration at every turn.
So watch these Main Titles, take in that awesome score, and get yourself a copy of Sunset Boulevard!
You wont regret it.
Just doing our duty of bring the {past} to the {present} to shape the {future}.
Indescribable… indestructible… insatiable… It crawls… It creeps… It eats you alive!
The 1958 film “The Blob” might just be the pinnacle of classic 50s B-Movie awesomeness! Check it out for the sci-fi camp, the american nostalgia, and above-all the wicked vintage style inspiration in every moment of the film.
E.O.F. {STYLE IDOL} STEVE MCQUEEN actually made his feature film debut starring in this flick! His brooding blonde badass-ness is still a refreshing sight on the screen. Funny enough, the star was 27 at the time of filming but playing a 17 year old!
We were enraptured recently discovering that Burt Bacharach created the film’s charming happy-go-lucky theme song, and wanted to bring it to the forefront!
We thought it apropos to delve into the fantastic and fundamentalstylish-ness of this poignant and severely under-rated film.
Whilst the flower power movement is mostly seen as Woodstock, flower children dancing in parks, peace, love, and rainbows – the counter-culture movement that began to arise from the horrors of the Vietnam War and injustices in America was also an aggressive and violent force ready for radical change.
Parties like The Weathermen, Baader Meinhoff, and the Black Panthers fought for revolutionary change from the capitalist bourgeoise regimes that still run the world to this day.
Much the way Antonioni’s fashionable masterpiece Blow-Up captured the Swinging London of the mid-60s in his chic docu-stylized manner, Zabriskie Point aimed to shed light on this particular moment in time.
The film even features a cameo by THE political power-force and activist Kathleen Cleaver (who is also very due to be inaugurated to the rank of E.O.F. DIVINITY}!
The turbulently good-looking Mark Ferchette plays Mark, an armed student radical on the run from the cops.
While flying an airplane over the desert he spots Daria Halprin who plays Daria, a gorgeous bohemian goddess who may or may not have a thing for wealthy older business execs, and they engage in an erotic (and dusty) desert orgy.
Whilst a desert orgy might seem like a tried and true climax for any film- the real climax drifts dreamily to Daria’s increasing discomfort and disgust over bourgeoise attempts to redevelop the gorgeous Mojave desert.
What follows this moment of realization is a fantastical finale that tells a thousand thoughts, statements, and poetic musings through the universality of cinema.
This final moment cannot be denied.
SPOILER ALERT!
{WATCH THE FINALE BELOW}
If you watched the clip, you can see why Zabriskie Point is really fuelling our psych-rock summer.
Would have to recommend musing over the desert love scene, if you’re in the romantic mood . . .
And whether you’re in it to take in all the timelessly cool/counter-culture chic/boho American stylings of costume designer Ray Summers or the epic psych-rock soundtrack that features a theme song by Roy Orbison, and tracks by the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, The Youngbloods, Patti Page, and the ultimate Pink Floyd– this film is ICONIC in every right!!!
Interestingly, both of the films stars were non-actors who both appeared in exactly three films.
Mark Ferchette was a carpenter discovered during a loud argument on the streets of Boston where he allegedly threw a flower pot at a woman, while Daria Halprin was spotted by Antonioni in the Jack O’Connell documentary ‘Revolution‘ which profiled the counter-culture movement in San Francisco.
The two make for a beautiful All-American bohemian brunette couple, whose enigmatic bond is as mysterious as it is inspiring…
They gained the status of the first counter-culture couple, and actually maintained a real life romance, which later led to them getting a string of magazine covers, TV appearances, and even joining a cult together.
After all, a couple that joins a cult together stays together!
”It put me in a kind of lifestyle and situation that in many, many ways I wasn’t ready to deal with,”
Whilst the film garnered lack lustre reviews at the time for its meandering plot and docu-surrealism which may have just been a little too ahead of its time.
But, that’s what’s great about exploring the {PAST} you have the opportunity of looking at it through the lens of the {PRESENT} and hopefully keep the dialogue going into the {FUTURE}.
In a world as messed up today (if not more than)- a film like Zabriskie Point is a fearless reminder of the people who almost 50 years ago cried for change, the timelessness of true style, and the dreaminess of the desert . . .
Where did this courage and fight go in our day to day? Have we really been brainwashed to believe everything will be OK?
Sometimes it feels like you just might pull a Daria, too?
Talk about American beauty . . . do yourself a favour and watch this film!
“A chance to sit quietly and find out who you are; where you’ve been and where you’re going.”
-Ira Levin, Rosemary’s Baby
{published in 1967}
I called this an interlude because of its sauntering sweet nature between the high stakes and drama that is”Rosemary’s Baby”.
Polanski’s iconic film had many claiming he had beckoned the murder of his glamorous superstar wife, Sharon Tate just months following the film’s release, with this chilling tale of a wife sold to a coven of witches to give birth to the child of Satan!
The myth of the curse on the film was further perpetuated when John Lennon was murdered just outside the historic and now notorious Dakota building (below) just across the street from Central Park in New York City.
in·ter·lude
noun \ˈin-tər-ˌlüd\
3. a musical composition inserted between the parts of a longer composition, a drama, or a religious service
So enjoy this brief interlude, and sail away with this new vintage classic. . .
Growing up in the dirty thirties, with a rough and tough childhood, our lady crooner has been through a lot more than most have to experience!
Bouncing around from city to city through her childhood gave this woman real tenacity. Money troubles abound kept her family on their toes, shifting from town to town running away from the Police.
She had a father who walked out on her family to runaway with another woman, and the only word again from him was a telegram alerting the family of Mr. Hutton’s suicide.
Maybe her irreverence to her father helped fuel her fire for this tune. Betty does her rendition of ‘Murder he says’ in 1943, and we are moved!! We’ve love her styling of ANY song , and we are suckers for her straight-shooting bluntness and of course we’d love any tune that cries out ‘MURDER’.
We gave a mention to this seminal 1990s David Lynch classic in one our latest posts, a reblog from The Selvedge Yard regarding the September 1991 photo spread in American Vogue entitled “Wild at Heart”.
For me, it was easy to see the title as a reference to Lynch’s film of the same name, released just a year prior to the shoot, and winner of accolades that included the Palm D’Or (an equivalent to Best Picture at the Academy Awards) at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990.
The film stars Nicolas Cage as Sailor Ripley and a radiant Laura Dern at her sexiest as the dangerous bombshell Lula Pace Fortune. The film plays out like a rebel fantasy, with plenty of allusion to The Wizard of Oz (this has been admitted by Lynch himself who idolized the film as a child), as well as Elvis Presley, 50s youth culture, and the American Dream.
It’s nothing and everything it promises to be, and is perhaps my ultimate favorite film of the American auteur. And as for style savvy, the film has got it in spades. Check out those shades on Nic Cage in the top photograph (I used to have a pair exactly like those that had been given to me by a friend) – classic rebel style, shaking it up by ditching the frames altogether and letting that gold bar along the brow do all the hard work.
And, of course there is the rebel snake skin jacket donned by Sailor, which is seen in the film’s most iconic moments. It seems the sssss-seductive look could have taken inspiration from one of cinema’s most famous bad boys – Marlon Brando, who wore a similar snake skin jacket in the forgotten 1960 classic “The Fugitive Kind” directed by Sidney Lumet.
Brando plays Val Xavier, a sexy, down on his luck convenience store clerk who finds temptation in both his boss (the talented Ana Magnani), and the town’s local wild child, played by a young and ravishing Joanne Woodward. The film is being discovered again for it’s crushing performances, moody black and white photography, and brash, bold direction.
It goes to show that everything has its precedence, and discovering the links make for a richer understanding of the landscape we visit.
We pulled this track from the film’s soundtrack to share with you all in a music minute that promises to mill about deep within you, and scatter your thoughts to the darkest and most beautiful corners of your subconscious…
Don’t be scared, though; It’s just a little music to keep you going throughout the long and arduous days and nights…As Lula says:
“This whole world’s wild at heart and weird on top.”
Garbage did the same thing, only 15 years ago, which in our world makes it certifiably vintage!
That makes it all the more fun to revisit now and marvel at the power of Shirley Manson’s voice and the seductive lyrical quality that only a GREAT Bond song can provide.
We still think Shirley Manson is a timeless style icon whose fashions are mesmerizing menageries of things {PAST}, {PRESENT} and {FUTURE} which in our {EYE} makes her the BOMB-DIGGIDY.
That’s why we made this special {MUSIC MINUTE} a {STYLE WISE} edition, as well, to keep feeding some Shirley Manson realness to the forefront of our popular culture!
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The world is not enough
But it is such a perfect place to start, my love
And if you’re strong enough
Together we can take the world apart, my love
So there you have it. A little taste.
Colleen Nika at Rolling Stone Magazine wrote a comprehensive article on Shirley’s fearless and truly individualist style throughout the years.
Bobby Beausoleil has a bit of a bad rep. Bad rep could be an understatement, but it’s true.
It never helps to be friends with Charles Manson, or get caught up in a war against society, but its sad to have this overshadow some of his greater achievements, like music. It goes without saying that he was a rebel to the extreme; a hardcore bad boy, his music translates a certain genius that was erased by his life’s tragedies.
Entitled “Penumbra”, and composed by Beausoleil himself, the track was not used for the film, but can be heard today along with the Freedom Orchestra to create a magical and mystic ride to other places. It’s definitely something to jam to, and knowing how the darkness delights you, I’m sure you will find this one truly intrinsic.
Bobby Beausoleil appeared also appeared in Kenneth Anger’s magic short, “Invocation of My Demon Brother”, alongside Anger himself, and the notorious Anton LaVey – the founder and High Priest of the First Church of Satan, and a staple haunt of the entertainment industry in California during this time.
Bobby Beausoleil, insane in the membrane in “Invocation of My Demon Brother” (1969)
So, what do you think of the tune? HAUNTING? ? ?
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I don’t mean to scare you . . .
So,
+until next time+
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Nothing but a heartache every day . . . must be nice.
We were drawn to this dynamic trio whilst listening to our favourite box set of Girl Group classics, and couldn’t resist but share this dazzling number with you.
The video is a rare promotional video shot for their single that depicts the beautiful Flirations amidst the mysterious ruins of what seem to be a church or abbey, the kind we are used to seeing when we picture romantic landscapes, or the English countryside. Northern soul was very popular in England, so perhaps, they made a trip across the water to shoot it.
Certain conspiracy theorists, might have some ideas, I’m sure. Music Industry. Need I say more?
We like to let mysteries stay mysteries now and then . . . if anyone knows more about this, they should share it in the comment section below!
The song was originally record in 1968 by the South Carolina trio and peaked at #34 on the charts in the US, making it to #3 in Boston. The song was relatively popular world wide, but didn’t hit the Top 50 in the UK, settling at 51.
We picture listening to this song on a rain day . . .
Many young men and women must have shaken their tail to this over the years, so lets keep the tradition strong, and carry this fantastic song into the future!
We’ve been milling over 1960s girl group style the past weeks, so expect to see it make its way into our labyrinth of inspiration more and more over the coming days and hours . . .
Every fan knows that this man’s music can make you soar – and if there isn’t one piece that can make one’s mind soar to the farthest reaches of imagination it’s this one. Makes for a great surge of power and might to kick ass out of any day you might be facing.
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