martedì, gennaio 30, 2007

I drew these tides of men into my hands

So once the application madness was through yesterday, I had a little rest, saw the kids, saw a student, came home and watched Lawrence of Arabia, which was neat. Peter O'Toole was great, but the scene where he gets stripped and whipped by the Turks shattered a beautiful illusion. Later on, when he was pinching his titty at Omar Sharif saying, "this is what I am! This is me!" or some such, I could only shake my head and agree. So fucking white - like blancmange! And so little of it! And yet such a lovely face!

I wonder if he was wearing powder to make him that white, but I think it's far more likely he was just one of those pasty Scandinavian/Celtic throwbacks who drink too much to grow shoulders or digest protein but still manage to cultivate a fine neck and head. Big actors can't get away with that shit anymore, you know? Brad Pitt may have a face like a demented horse but he has a real Ritz-Carlton dessert trolley of a body. Even the face-homeliest lead actors these days are worth seeing dressed in less.

There's some sort of weird contradiction there, because actresses' bodies have been getting less and less interesting. I might just be saying that because I saw Once Upon a Time in the West recently and Claudia Cardinale's figure was a great distraction from the lame plot and the swarthy Sicilians pretending to be Scottish. But I don't think so. I think actresses are actually a lot more boring-looking now. All skinny, or else all skinny with tacked-on tits and tiny, tiny bums. Besides Salma Hayek, who I haven't seen in anything for ages since I don't watch television, I can't think of any contemporary actresses who are fun to look at.

11 commenti:

Melbine ha detto...

Yeah, it's really true isn't it! Peter O'Toole's eyes are a huge distraction so that you don't notice what his body is or isn't like. But you know, it's not very often that a pretty boy can accompany that face with an amazing body. God only doles out one or the other I think (for men anyway)...

...it's true about current actresses too. They're all under 100 pounds and look like crap. Salma Hayek's guest starred on some Ugly Betty episodes and it was great! Hmmm...anyone else...what about Kate Winslet? I just saw her in The Holiday, she was lovely.

Dread Pirate Jessica ha detto...

I like Kate Winslet, but always thought she was just sort of normally really pretty.

Sugarplum ha detto...

There is an attempt at going away from the too skinny look and more towards the normal shape look in modelling - I expect if that catches on actresses will stop trying to be too skinny as well. I really don't get the Maredith character on Grey's Anatamy. Her face annoys me along with the rest of her and guys fight over her in the show where she is just as annoying as her matching face.

cali ha detto...

Meredith from Grey's Anatomy reminds me of a demented frog.

And, bobble-lollipop head is the new pretty. Apparently!

Dread Pirate Jessica ha detto...

You guys make me happy I don't watch television anymore.

I guess it's an economical sort of pretty, the bobble-head look - having a Claudia Cardinale body is a matter of lucky genetics but having a wildly disproportionate head/shoulder ratio can be a "lifestyle choice."

What a disgusting society we live in, in some ways.

Sugarplum ha detto...

I noticed last night on the 24 teaser that Keefer's head is too big for his little body. Maybe it was the angle but the trend is migrating. Boy, give it up. It is time to start aging.

Dread Pirate Jessica ha detto...

And all back to square one: Peter O'Toole's lovely young face perched on an eensy-weensy (not to mention blindingly white) body.

Sugarplum ha detto...

Oh yeah. I forgot that was where we started from. Maybe the problem is that ageing actors are still trying to play the same roles in teeny, tiny boyish figures. It is unnatural.

Melbine ha detto...

Peter O'Toole's not trying to play the same roles, that's for sure. I like Kiefer Sutherland, I've never thought his head was unnaturally large...I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, although I do like Sandra Oh (who TOTALLY has a head too big for her body, speaking of!).

I like Kate Winslet because she's one of those people who can look extraordinarly beautiful in one shot, and then unbelievably plain in the next. Very interesting.

Have you heard about the Tyra Banks 'scandal'? There were comments that she's fat, but she's only 161 on a 5'10 frame. Last time I checked the BMI scale that's perfectly reasonable!!

Dread Pirate Jessica ha detto...

Well, I guess it isn't where we started from because Keeeeeeeeefer isn't Peter O'Toole and never ever will be.

I hope that's reasonable, Mel . . . Maybe it's just much more than she used to weigh and people, you know, are morons about that sort of thing.

Melbine ha detto...

It's 30 pounds more than her 'modelling' weight, which surprisingly still tips in at a 'normal' weight for her height. She always was one of the more curvy ones though, which I liked.

I like that Kiefer's eyes crinkle, it means he's had lots of sun and laughter. I think.