MARILYN AND CHAIRS...

Marilyn Monroe is in the media a lot this week.  I was perusing the Huffington Post at the coffee house the other day and caught a review (with terrific photographs) of a forthcoming book about her - David Wills' Marilyn Monroe: Metamorphosis, which promises to be the last word in all things Marilyn.  I appreciate the actress as much as the next guy, but truthfully, I've never been one of those gay men with a Marilyn fixation.  I guess it's just not my generation.  I'll laugh at (and, ideally, with) Liza -  but Judy Garland's allure completely escaped me.  I'm really just not into tragic gals much at all, though apparently Wills definitely does not see her as a tragic figure, and I do think his sentiments on the subject are worthy of real consideration. 

But the reason I bring all this up is that I saw the following photos and - in consciousness of my initial reaction to them - was amused by the similarity to a Facebook meme I saw not too long ago.  One of a picture lightheartedly presented to test one's sexuality by what one immediately noticed upon looking at it. There are a few variants on it.

Well, in these I hardly noticed the blonde bombshell for the chairs!  I suppose that makes me gay.  But the fact that I passed up the iconic Marilyn for the chairs? Guess that makes me not that kind of gay. Here, test for yourself and see what kind of gay you are...

This photograph is from a costume test for Something's Got To Give of 1962.  Marilyn is particularly notable in this photo for her radiance in the wake of a twentyfive pound weightloss. (And apparently the actress was often credited for the uncanny gift of appearing on camera ten pounds lighter. That's certainly not tragic).  But seriously, is it that wingback on the right that is the star of this shot, or what?  I love that large-scale pattern applied to this piece. It looks like it was taken from - I don't know at this distance - maybe a Persian miniature painting or something.  And I rather like the idea of a chair upholstered with a bit of a narrative, too. Why not? Why not wrap a chair with more visual narrative than Trajan's column?

 

This one really kills me. Of course, as anyone who has followed the blog will readily attest,  I've not been shy in expressing my admiration of the orange (or red) accent chair, which I consider as iconic as the actress herself.  And here it is - a big daddy wingback (rakeback, with a Marlborough leg in a pickled finish, no less), and Marilyn Monroe sitting in it, too boot.  That is rich.  This shot was taken from The Seven Year Itch of 1955.  I'm sure many will readily recognize what is probably the dress with which she is most associated - and I rather prefer it in the wingback than over the subway grate.  

Also of course I have long been possessed by the OpArt influence and, really, any instance of an interior effectively accented with the optic, high contrast of black and white for that matter, so of course I am enthralled with those draperies.  What particularly intrigues me, though, is not just the chic (in my esteem) of black and white - but that the silhouette-based pattern could have been pulled out of a Dutch textile design studio any time over the last decade - specifically I am thinking of Tord Boontje, to whom I seem inclined to credit for birthing the entire (and now very ubiquitous) silhouette trend in design. (Of course if I am mistaken, anyone is welcome to set me straight.  I invite it. I am here to learn, too.) And so I say, 1955? Really? I can hardly believe this room is 56 years old!

Enjoy...

COCKTAIL PARTY SCENE FROM "FIVE DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON" (1970)

  
  
  

 #16: EXHIBITIONISM AND CUTTING GLANCES: ENNUI'S NATURAL ANTIDOTE.

I mean really, how much lounging around a villa is one possibly expected to endure? Sometimes the very best you can do is - oh - spontaneously erupt into wild, unbridled dancing.  It never hurts to make yourself the center of attention, provided of course you're already gorgeous and put together.  But if that's not your style, consider the potential of heavy and intriguing eye-play...

A great cocktail party scene from the film "Five Dolls for an August Moon" (5 bambole per la luna d'agosto, and also known, rather unfortunately, as "Island of Terror").  That's fabulous euro scream-queen Edwige Fenech in the heavy eyeliner and big, sexy hair letting you know who's the belle of this ball.

A great favorite of mine among the Italian stabby films.  Mario Bava directed this film in 1970, and though it is often written that he was not proud of the final result (it was hastily produced, the cast was already hired before he signed on to direct, et cetera), it is still a stunningly delicious piece of eye (and ear) candy.  Like most giallo films, the plot is thin and basically beside the point - it's more a less a variant on Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" - but who cares?  Otherwise it's rich with a masterful use of gorgeous, saturated color and features a fabulous Italian modern villa, some great clothes, a charismatic cast, and a very, very groovy soundtrack from my absolute favorite of the Italian cinematic composers, Piero Umiliani.  I ask you then, what's not to love?

From a strictly interiors standpoint, note the sparing and effective use of red to accent the otherwise fairly neutral interior, harkening of course back to #12: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RED ACCENT PIECE.  I have quite a bit more to post on Five Dolls, interior and otherwise.  I hope you enjoy as much as I do!
 
 
 

COCKTAIL PARTY SCENE FROM "BLACK EMANUELLE 2" (1976)

    

#12: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE RED ACCENT PIECE.

From the 1976 film "Black Emanuelle 2" (Emanuelle nera No. 2), directed by Bitto Albertini.

So the first time I saw this scene I thought Dagmar Lassander was the star. She looks fabulous, one has to admit, presiding over cocktails as her psychiatrist husband comes home from a long day of treating Black Emanuelle's apparent mental disorder. What could it be, a case of Acute Nymphomania perhaps? Yeah, whatever the case, I guess I'd have problems too if everyone always prefaced my name with a racial modifier.

But then of course later I realized the real star wasn't actually big, German, Euro-Scream-Queen Dagmar but rather those silver platform shoes on the lady in blue on the sofa. Those sure pair well with booze and cigarettes.  But you know, while they are without question the best fashion accessory in the whole scene, I am finally able to say with certainty that the real star of this scene is...

That red secretary in the background. Eighteenth century-styled, likely English, with lacquered chinoiserie finishing. Red accent pieces to interiors can be like salt to food: when used sparingly they finish off rooms and give interest. This applies with casegoods like the secretary and also chairs, as well. And especially in this film scene, to an otherwise totalizing neutrality I can only describe as "monolithic mushroom".

And yes, to review from previous posts, uniformed domestics are still an attractive (and very functional!) accent. And you'll notice he's wearing red, too.

#2:  ACCESSORIZE WITH A WHITE-GLOVED MANSERVANT WHENEVER POSSIBLE.