This stop animation television special by Rankin- Bass shows how Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney) an orphan adopted by elves became Santa Claus. If you don't mind funny moving mouths, fishing wire and plot holes you will find this so delightful. If you are like me you find it rather funny.
The first Character we see wearing glasses is one of the elves.
All the elves have funny names that rhyme with Kringle, I think the one with glasses is named "Dingle". All we know about him is that he is old, an elf, makes toy and helped raised Kris. I guess when you have four dads and one mother, you don't know much about all the dads?
These elves used to be the royal toymakers, they spent a lifetime developing this skill. Yet for unexplained reasons they don't make toys for the royal family anymore. They still waste time and money making toys just to throw them in a pile outside their house. Little Kris pointed out that they could sell the toys to the nearby town. However they are afraid of the Winter Warlock (KeenanWynn), apparently he does not like elves. So when Kris becomes a grown up he ventures out through the Warlock dominated wilderness to the town to sell toys. You think because the Warlock doesn't like elves, Kris would be smart enough to not look like and elf. However he wear a red suit like they do, and gets caught. He gives the warlock a gift and sing a song, and they become friends. It's amazing how a toy train engine can make a villain into a good guy.
When Kris Kringle finnaly gets to the town, Sombertown he is unaware of how bad it is there. The children do chores all the time and all it's people are forced to dress in greyscale. Kris is unaware that their mayor; Burgermeister outlawed toys, due to his slipping on one. The children he meets are overjoyed to see toys, and In comes their teacher;
I cannot find the scene on Youtube nor Vimeo. The Kids introduce her "that's Miss Jessica ourTeacher". She comes in holding her glasses, whenever she has to see Kris Kringle, She tries to explain what he is doing is actually illegal in Sombertown. They way she uses these spectacles, she clearly needs them. Then Kris gives her a doll. She always wanted a doll.
She falls in love with him.
We never see her use her glasses again. She doesn't need them, because she is in love. It's almost like Kirs Kringle is the Freddy Prince Jr. of the Rankin-Bass animation world.
Then she really lets her hair down, BECAUSE she knows Just where she belongs, with Kris Kringle.
Her world is beginning today, even thought she has no plans, and it's out of her hands.
I have been a long time watcher of Stephen Colbert, I remember him on the Daily Show.
I can never get enough Satire, I started watching the Daily show because I was sick of the news. Itt was time to make fun of it. Colbert took it a step further by playing a character and that character got his own show.
Not everyone got his satire (#Cancel Swift) but those who did loved it. He wore his glasses throughout, only taking them off to put on goggles for motoring, or a hood to become an honorary member of Pussy Riot.
Some may argue since his frames are the drill post kind, they are near invisible thus they don't count. I think most people male and female are pressured not to have glasses, and he kept them.
There are few celebrities that wear their glasses consistently, that we know they wear them.
I can't write about this one fully this year, I would have to watch it.
I can't watch it. You know the marathons of this movie?
My brother would watch those marathons
ALL Day
Every Year
For Four Years
and no one could change the channel
My father thought this movie was funny, so further encouragement to continue watching it.
If I ever found it funny I don't anymore I just need to get away from this movie
seriously need a couple years away from it
SO for now;
The lead character Ralphie Parker wears glasses through out the movie. He only wants one thing for Chirstmas, a BB gun. When he gets his gun he shoots the gun and he accidently knocking his glasses off and then stepping on them, He actually thought he did what his mother said "You'll shoot your eye out"
For a kid the moment of panic, from not seeing and not knowing any better yeah you would think you shot your eye out for a second. Also his mom comforts him and we go "AAAWWW"
Ralphie not tough enough to have a gun. He is just a sweet glasses wearing little boy.
* glasses to create an Other * glasses used to add age I had the pleasure of seeing a print of this film on the big screen at the Colonial Theater with my father. The way this film was shot was brilliant, and at the time was never done before. Often you are looking at characters on television screens and mirrors, also "amateur" hand held camera techniques are used to keep a faster pace of the movie. I don't expect everyone to look at the same details on composition as me, but this film is very funny as well. It has often been compared to the Marx Brothers movies, and since the director hang out with The Beatles before shooting, he got a good feel for everyone's character. Some of the lines in the movie are things The Beatles have said, and their tailor was in the film as well.
But enough of that talk,
There are Glasses in this film. If you have not seen it, it's not what you think. John Lennon did not start wearing glasses till later. There is one particular character that wears glasses throughout. Paul's Grandfather. John McCartney, Paul's (fictitious) Grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell) is traveling along with Paul and his band to get a change of scenery. However he is a "king mixer" as Paul puts it and gets in all kinds of trouble.
Glasses are used as a tool here, they are to age the actor. This grandfather character is from another generation, and another country. He is Irish, he life was not as easy as his grandkid's he faced discrimination. Enough so that makes him kinda kooky around authority. He convinced Ringo to have some adventure, to enjoy himself which leads to him getting arrested, Which is pretty bad due to they have be on tv soon.Take a look at one of my favorite scenes after he gets arrested for causing a disruption in front of the television studio:
go about 5 Minutes in to see his reaction to the police
Ringo doesn't understand, due to being a different generation and living in England. Also these particular policemen are rather polite.
There is another Character who wears glasses through out the film, the TV director's assistant. The director Simon is rather over dramatic, a worry wart, Adrian(Julian Holloway) his assistant does what he is told. He pretty much fallows Simon around writing down anything he says. I can't find the scene on youtube, He takes a drumstick and plays around on Ringo's drum kit. Which gets Ringo a little upset. The only respect Adrian has is for the director.
Alfred Hitchcock seriously had a thing for glasses. Not just for his films either; he insisted that his secretary Carol Stevens wore them. A studio optician designed four or five pairs for her to wear. If she came to set without them Hitch would be furious. He also enjoyed ordering her to remove them.
He used glasses frequently in his films as we discussed before, which is why I write about his films so much on here. Most directors don't even think about glasses, especially not in the same way as Hitchcock.
Author Donald Spoto in his book Spellbound by Beauty says:
For Hitchcock, the removal of eyeglasses disclosed a partially
concealed beauty, but the gesture also rendered the wearer vulnerable
and somewhat isolated, removed from the situation, The glasses, in other
words became Hitchcock's modern version of the Venetian mask-a kind of
prop that both concealed and revealed.
This film Strangers on a Train glasses are used in a similar way as Vertigo, they separate the person from the action. They know what is going on, but is not consumed by it like the other characters. However this film is different from the Vertigo theme, glasses became essential to the plot and the removal makes the character more vulnerable than in previous films.
The movie begins with, you guessed it two strangers on a train.
A tennis star, Guy Haines(FarleyGranger) and Dandy boy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), who ultimately is more than just a run of the mill dandy. ( I do love all his suits and shoes, a tie with a lobster printed on it!) They discuss their lives, get to know you stuff. Bruno suggests that they each commit a murder for the other. Bruno has a controlling father, and as Bruno points out to Guy; Guy had a wife who causes trouble.
Guy who was frustrated with his wife Miriam's (Laura Elliott), he began dating Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), who is a daughter of a senator. Bruno read about this affair in the paper. Guy left the train, feeling that Bruno is a little nutty but can't be serious about murder. Guy hardly knows this man, and why would he kill his wife? He may convince her to get a divorce.
He goes to his wife's workplace to convince her to grant him a divorce.
At first, maybe she is a victim of his affair. She dressed plain, wears glasses and works in a place full of books and files. Maybe she is home alone when he is with his glamour girl girlfriend. Then he mentioned she is pregnant by another man. She takes him into a room where they can talk in private.
Wow, all I can say is wow what a femme fatale.
She been cheating on him for a much longer time than he has on her.
And She is not planning to stop any time soon either.
Also she wants all his money.
Geez Louise!
She needs her glasses. She does not ever remove them, yet she uses them to her advantage. Who would suspect her looking at her appearance doing anybody wrong?
I think Hitch had a thing for bad girls as well.
Guy calls his girlfriend, he is very up set and said things he really didn't mean.
Bruno, without Guy knowing, took the train conversation seriously and decided to do his part.
Miriam is out at the fair with her boyfriends, she sees sharply dressed Bruno. At first she is a little flirty with him, and then well, . . . she is dead.
She is not involved with her husband's life. Miriam does what she wants, which means she is unaware of the crazy dandy Guy met on a train. Miriam thought Bruno was fallowing her because he liked her. She thought wrong. Does she deserve to die? No she does not. During the attack her glasses fall off her face. Her most and only Vulnerable moment. Bruno found Guy that night to tell him what happened to Miriam. Bruno had Miriam's glasses to prove it. The situation is too unreal for Guy to do anything about it.
Then Bruno visits Guy during a tennis match, just to remind Guy has to do his end of the bargain.
In comes Anne Morton's (girlfriend) sister Barbara ( Patti Hitchcock, yes the director's daughter, Ilove Patti). Bruno sees Barbara and is reminded of Miriam, due to that they both wear glasses. Their frames are similar, they both have same hair color and about the same height. The two women are not meant to be identical, the glasses are a reminder.
Bruno can turn on the charm, as you can see. Due to the girlfriend and Barbara not knowing about the train conversation, Bruno gets himself invited to their high society shindig.
At the Shindig Bruno charms some old ladies, and when Barbra enters the room, he becomes haunted again an accidently chokes a little old lady. Anne figures out what is going on and makes Guy tell her everything. "What did Miriam look like?" she asked him, he describes, Anne get flustered "she wore glasses?! she looked like Barbara"
Guy, in deep trouble now; gets two cops to fallow him everywhere. Barbara is very flirty with the one cop.
This is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of glasses I have seen. Neither Miriam, nor Barbra are a nerdy stereotype. They don't sit at home with their books and a multitude of cats and make us feel sorry for them because they don't have a boyfriend. Both are very capable of getting a man's attention. And yes there are some guys who go crazy for a girl who wears glasses (Hitch included), just the media like to tell us otherwise. However neither character is the love interest to the leading man.
This does remind me how some people can also get distracted when the see glasses. Barbara reminding Bruno of Miriam, due to her glasses. There are people that when they see a person wearing glasses, that is all they see- glasses.
I noticed when I show up somewhere with a couple of my female friends who also wear glasses, people would ask if we are all sisters. I used to be mistaken to a former friend of mine all the time, mostly because we both wore glasses. This would annoy me to no end. I just had vintage Dior cat-eye frames that I got my prescription fitted into($$$$) and she had standard rectangle frames.
Also, she was a good foot and half taller then me. I had to look up to see her face, I could never really tell what her hair looked like other than that she'd bleached it. This girl wore really tiny shiny dresses and all my retro dresses and suites covered the majority of my body.
We didn't look alike at all! Yet people would call me by her name.
When guys notice we were actually two people with two completely different names; they would constantly ask me about her. Her glasses and impossibly short dresses got all the dudes. She attracted kinda like Miriam, and I didn't want to be bothered. Especially not by some drunk dude asking if my 'sister' is 'easy'.
My point is some people are oblivious to detail. When there are glasses, all they see are glasses. Bruno could think Miriam and Barbara look alike due to similar glasses, and ignoring the rest, or he could just be somewhat conflicted by what he did and the image Miriam's glasses on the night haunts his mind.
Wow I had a busy Halloween week, sorry for not writing till now. I was fortunate in being able to see a 35 mm print of 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi thanks to the Philadelphia Film Society.
If you are not familiar with the story of Dracula; This version starts with Renfield(Dwight Frye) traveling to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula. Renfield works in real estate and travels to Transylvania for business reasons. He is to have Count Dracula sign some papers to own a home in England. The castle Dracula lives in Transylvania and the castle his moves to in England look very similar. Renfield falls under the Count's spell and for return of eternal life, aides the Count on his trip to England. Oh by the way, in case you did not know Count Dracula is a vampire.
He also doesn't drink wine. Vampires can not cross water, well not like we people do. Count Dracula has to be emended in dirt from his homeland during the journey. His new buddy Renfield,(who is now crazy and has a crazylaugh) is with Dracula on the boat to make sure no one disturbs The Master. In England Renfield is put into an mental institution. Dracula starts on having some victims. The first lady Lucy, (yes Lady in this he only preys on rich women in fabulous gowns) sad to say she does not make it. Her friend Mina (Helen Chandler) falls under Dracula's spell too. The rich folk don't know what to do. Are they sick? Why are they having strange dreams?
In comes Dr. Van Helsing,(Edward Van Sloan)who is considered the best doctor around. He is older and wears glasses with heavy lenses. Van Helsing was sent from Germany to figure out what disease these ladies have. Yet it is not a disease they have, they are victims of a vampire. Vampire myths belong to other parts of Europe,
they are superstitions,
folk tales;
Old World.
A new, industrialized, modern country such as England do not believe in such things.
Van Helsing even though he studied medicine, believes that there are vampires. He ultimately proves Dracula is a vampire and saves the day. Mina's father eventually trusts Van Helsing, and Van Helsing becomes the hero of this story. Van Helsing, wears glasses through out the film. He portrayed as intelligent, sure of himself, not akward or nerdy at all. At times he removes his glasses when talking to someone seriously face to face. These glasses look heavy, his removal of them when he talking close to someone is understandable. He does not fit in with these English blue bloods, it takes much convincing to make them believe Dracula is a vampire.
What I like most about Dracula (other than vampires, bats and Bela) is the old world versus the new world. Count Dracula who is from the old world, with his accent his flashy cape and he embodies folktales because he is one, a vampire. The rich English folk are of the new world, they don't believe in "silly" things, John Harker (David Manners)who is Mina's fiancée refuses to think a Dracula is out to get her, even when all the evidence is staring right at him. Dr. Van Helsing is of both worlds. He too comes from a modern country, yet he is not so removed from the old world. He see that there may be some truth to the old ways, and he uses that to his advantage. He out smarts Dracula and defeats the vampire.
* Glasses used to show the character is outside the situation
As discussed in pervious posts, Alfred Hitchcock loves glasses. He loved the notion of love "beautifying" a woman, which he used in the movies Suspicion and Spellbound, but also he like how glasses visually makes the character removed from the drama that is going on. As if the character is more of a spectator. Vertigo is more along the theme of the latter. Unlike Suspicion and Spellbound, Vertigo has a lead character that wears glasses throughout the movie. Yes a female character that wears glasses THROUGH THE ENTIRE MOVIE. no taking them off because she is in love, she wears them every time you see her.
Midge played by Barbara Bel Geddes is an old friend of the lead Scottie played by Jimmy Stewart. The premise ; Scottie who is a recently retired policeman, is struggling with is new found fear of heights. An accident on the job gave him this anxiety. An old acquaintance Gavin Elster called up Scottie to do some private detective work. Scottie retired and unemployed took the job of fallowing Gavin's wife Madeleine (played by Kim Novak). Madeleine is not being fallowed because she may be having an affair. She is being fallowed because as her husband says, acting weird. Supposedly Madeleine will go into a trance, become depressed, and perhaps may hurt herself. Scottie as the detective work goes on, gets enthralled with Madeleine and all the spookiness that goes along with her. Midge becomes increasingly more concerned for Scottie, and tries to find out what he has been up to. She tries to find out to be there for him, but is ultimately on the outside of the drama. She watching all this affect Scottie, due to him being so enthralled Midge only knows part of his story. Thus she is helpless from preventing any wrong doings because she is not there. However she is there to help during the aftermath.
I love this film, I must of watched it a hundred times. I don't want to reveal to much of the story if you have not seen it; because there are a couple twists. I first saw this movie in TCM with my father. My Father introduced me to some great cinema. I may of been too young to watch the psychological suspense of Hitchcock but I loved this movie the first time I saw it. Mostly because of Barbara Bel Geddes character Midge.
Midge is introduced drawing, she works as a fashion illustrator. She works, she draws for a living, I draw!, also she has blonde hair and glasses I have blonde hair and glasses!. She wore dresses, painted too and she was fun.
In one scene Scottie asked her if she knew a historian, for some research. Midge knew someone, (she must know lots of intellectual people", I thought "oh she is so cool") and Scottie invited her to meet this historian together by saying "get your hat" Midge replies "I don't need a hat".
Oh my excitement first seeing Midge on the screen.
I identified with her, and wanted to be like her whenever I became a grown up. Sadly I became a grown up in the 21st century and no one needs a fashion illustrator anymore.
My father and I always felt for her character. She really cares for Scottie, but Scottie fell in love with Madeleine (Kim Novak). Even though she may be no Kim Novak, we (my father and I) agreed Midge was way better person. In a conversation between Scottie and Midge, the viewer learns that Midge was once engaged to Scottie. We also know from that same conversation Midge called it off. It is unknown why she called it off.
Perhaps she wasn't ready and wanted to establish her career first.
Or maybe she wanted a heads over heels romance and Scottie wasn't all that romantic.
Or maybe Scottie was eyeing Kim Novak types throughout college.
We Don't Know.
As Scottie becomes more involved with this private detective job, and with Madeleine. Midge senses something going on, that he may be getting into trouble. Midge is losing him, and he may be in danger.
An attempt to grab Scottie's attention again:
She knows something is up, she did fallowed him a little bit earlier.
Is she jealous? Did she develop romantic feelings for him again?
Perhaps her work life takes most of her time that she doesn't meet new people much.
Maybe she thought Scottie will always be around.
This scene is clear that she wants to feel attractive. 'What does she have I aint got?" of course she may be trying to be subtle with a note, the painting is not so subtle, and comes across as too forward. Yet anything always comes too forward when I girl shows she likes a guy. The only acceptable behavior is to stand around and wait for them to talk to you first. Midge is not the waiting around type.
Midge is with Scottie till the very end. She may not have romantic feelings toward him anymore but it's clear she really cares about him. Just like how she catches Scottie falling off the step ladder in the beginning of the movie; she helps him at the very end when he is hospitalized by giving his doctor some insight. She wants him well again. She may of been 'interfering' before, but only because they were once close, and then he drifted away. Her intuition was telling her that he may be in trouble.
However she may be more caring, loving and truthful than Madeleine, she was not the one Scottie fell in love with. My father and I would get upset whenever a great female character like Midge is not the one the leading man falls for. Why go for personality when Kim Novak (or any other Sexy actress) around? This movie taught me that some people rather go after a person who looks ideal, than a person who is real. Those people may be nice, they may be a good friend but if they cant see the awesomeness that a person like Midge is than they are just not worth it. They are chasing illusions. Most likely will get hurt or bored when they find out that pretty face-killer body combo has no personality.
*glasses are absolutely pointless My fiancée and I are very excited to see this movie. It has everybody in it; Stallone, Snipes, Arnold. Lundgren, Jet Li.Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and Transporter guy from the other two movies.
The movie was going great lots of explosions, fighting, Snipes. Then Stallone's character thought he had to get a new team, Lame. I didn't came here to watch new people. whatevs. Kelsey Grammer helped Stallone find new recruits. Most were guys. Then this happened:
I was hopeful, a Girl that kicks butt, a Girl that kicks butt whist wearing glasses
I was excited
I gave my hopes up.
Through the rest of the film she never wears them again.Never wore them again. No mention of contacts. No Stallone saying "hey where is your glasses?" Nothing. Like she never had them in the first place. Was she wearing them for an added extra surprise for her introduction? if so it was not necessary because she is already wearing a little dress and high heels. I'd be surprise if I see a girl fight in high heels. Or a female bouncer wearing a dress and heels. Most Bouncers I have seen male or female, wear a black t-shirt and jeans. Glasses were not needed for the surprise element, even more so if they are not actually part of the character. At the end of the movie where the whole team was just hanging out I was hoping she would wear her glasses again. I can understand wearing contacts instead of glasses for a big mission. She did not.
Good thing about this is that my fiancee see my point about how glasses are portrayed in movies. That glasses are often only in the introduction and later never seen again.
Stallone and Kurt Russell together in the same movie. This movie is so action packed it's absurd.
Seriously absurd, it's hard for me to describe the plot, I had to look up the premise on Wikipedia.
So this is a buddy cop movie along with an action movie. Stallone and Kurt Russell are you guessedit ;opposites. Russell wears t shirts cowboy boots, and jeans. Stallone wears nice suits and . . . Glasses!
the movie opens like this:
The one thing these two cops have in common is that they do anything to catch the bad guy, (including mass destruction) and they are so good at it the mob is afraid of them. The Mafia creates a plan to frame both of them in a murder. This is so the two are in jail, and the mob can do what they want again.
Stallone wears glasses through most of the beginning, but they are taken off. Basically are off his face through the more action packed parts and worn again when a scene requires more talking than grunting or yelling. So glasses are worn throughout the movie, just not consistently. Overall putting glasses on a "tough guy" is a good attempt to break the nerd stereotype. Way to go Stallone.
* glasses used to create an outcast * glasses to show inferior health/physical weakness
I go in two directions with my tastes in science fiction. One direction is totally cheesy,
with plot holes, robots, overacting and costumes made out of various shiny materials. The other is dystopian, where the government or the system becomes too controlling, and people want to break free.
Gattaca is of the later;
This movie takes place in the future where your DNA makes or breaks you. A class system is developed by what is in your genetic make up, what diseases run in your family determines how high you can climb the corporate ladder. If you genetics are perfect or near perfect you are 'Valid' and if you have disease ridden family history you are 'Invalid'. With this new kind of eugenics; poor eyesight is rare. So anyone wearing glasses would automatically be an outcast. I prolly wouldn't make it in this type of future.
The lead character Vincent Freeman, played by Ethan Hawke is what they call a "god child", which means he was born the natural way instead of the new way where parents put their DNA together for test tube baby. He was born with all the genetic baggage of both his parents, which means he does not have much of a future. His younger brother was born the test tube way, and was always stronger and better. Little Vincent is incredibly skinny, wears glasses and has a great passion for space travel.
Vincent's passion is so great it continues into adulthood, yet the only job he can have is to be a janitor. This character knows so much we want to see him succeed in pursuing his dreams. The only way he can pursue his dream is to take another identity, because in this world skills and knowledge mean nothing if you don't have the DNA to match. Mr. Adrian Monk provides Vincent with a plan, to take an identity of a stronger DNA person, and get a job in space travel. Vincent is to take the identity of a once Olympic swimmer, now crippled Jerome Morrow(JudeLaw) , by using his DNA and living in the same fancy pants apartment. Vincent goes through great lengths to obtain a new identity. He gets surgery on his legs to match Jerome's height, He starts wearing contacts. He also scrubs his dead skin off every morning to leave no trace oh himself anywhere.
This character starts dating a coworker Irene (Uma Thurman) who is born near perfect for a "god child" she still has a risk of heart disease. A murder happens in their office, and the police are looking for an Invalid, which put Vincent on edge afraid his cover will be blown. On his date with Irene there is a police check with an eye scan. Vincent takes his contacts out, (I guess contacts are alsoillegal because they hide invalids) before the scan. Later Irene want to look at the landscape on a bridge, to do so they both have to cross a high traffic road. Irene dashes off, Vincent now vision impaired without his contacts is hesitant to cross. He somehow managed, but he did struggle to cross the road. Irene notices this, and as the movie goes on she suspects he truly an 'Invalid'.
Even though some truth is found out about him, (doesn't help if your brother is a detective) he goes on the big space mission, his masquerade got him his dream. Maybe while he is there the police will find the real murderer and leave him alone.
Glasses are used to show genetic inferiority, thus making the character also an outcast. We know there are fairly healthy people who also wear glasses. Yet in a future where everyone has their DNA altered to be 'Valid' poor eyesight along with everything else is being weeded out. When Vincent starts wearing contacts, he is trying to fit in to society's rigid rules. For this future the only way he can get a better life is to not be himself. It make me think of all the people I have met who refused to wear their glasses, and yet also can't handle wearing contacts. They go around squinting, claiming their vision is "not that bad". If you are not wearing glasses because you want people to see your eyes, in reality no one can see your eyes because you are squinting all the time. I also think of the people married to their contacts, are they pretending?
Is it really so bad to wear glasses? why hide yourself?
So far I have only written about female characters, it is not my intent to leave out guys.
Glasses are also used on male characters, for similar reasons as female characters;
*create an outcast
*to give "smarts"
*physical weakness, or unattractiveness
We women forget that media also pushes ideals on men. Men are pressured to be strong, athletic and to hold back their emotions. Let's think of a 'nerd' character, often male, thin, wears glasses, uses an inhaler, and knows a lot about science. To summarize physically they are weak, and glasses are apart of showing that. This person is not athletic; so instead of caring about sports they spend time reading about science , math history and anything too brainy to a 'normal' person to think about. We are suppose to laugh at these characters, yet we would want them to fix our broken technology.
How often are glasses attached to this 'nerd' stereotype? It is incredibly rare to see a strong, attractive, admirable or even just a lead character wearing glasses; male or female.
How to Marry Millionaire 1953 * Glasses to make the character different
This is one of my favorite movies, Lauren Bacall is so hypnotic to watch in any film she in, plus there is Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe. Marlin Monroe wears GLASSES!!!! Anyone who knows me knows I am a big Marilyn Monroe fan, and this movie she wears glasses. Glasses! one of my favorite icons in cat eye frames.
SO here is the premise of the film:
Lauren Bacall's character Schatze Page was married once before to a "gas jockey" , she knows the money can make or break relationship happiness. Also I think this gas jockey may of been a jerk. Schatze decides to make a plan to end her and her two friends financial troubles; for one of them or all of them to marry someone rich. Shcatze rents huge luxurious apartment in the rich part of town (takes place in NYC). The apartment was made available because the previous owner is running from the IRS, more on that guy later. Shcatze invites her friend Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe). Shcatze explains the plan, great scene. The best way to meet a rich guy is to be that part of town with that apartment. Pola agrees and she invited her friend Loco Dempsey played by Betty Grable in on this. Schatze was hesitant on her but Loco came in with a ton of groceries with a man carrying them, Loco supposedly only had a nickel and this guy bought the rest.
Schatze was impressed with Loco, but not the fella, Tom Brookman (Cameron Mitchell) because he was not wearing a necktie.
Okay let discuss their plan, yes it does seem anti feminist. Instead of developing financial independence; they want to marry rich. The three young women work as models, and in those days models got paid very little. Heck in those days women got paid very little in any job, and not too many jobs were available for women. I've been broke before; it sucks. I'm sure some young women who are broke, feel there is very little they can do to get out of that life. They may day dreamed about meeting a rich guy. Almost no one thinks it could happen, and fewer pursue this dream. Why? because what really matters is if you love someone and they love you back. Well as the movie unfolds the plan looks more silly, and the girls know it. They sell all their furniture to pay the rent and have nothing in the fridge.
Somehow the three girls meet a rich widower and he invites them to a party. The girls all pair off. Schatze attaches herself to the widower, Loco with a very grumpy businessman and Pola with a shady eye patch guy. Pola is very self conscious about her glasses. She wears them in the apartment, but takes them off whenever a man is around. She really does believe the whole "men don't makepasses to girls who wear glasses". It makes me think her character was raised by her mother to believe that. Pola really does need her glasses, she stumbles and bumps into walls without them. It's so silly you want to say to her "Please wear your glasses". She didn't know at first her date had an eye patch her eyesight is so bad. Pola's best friend Schatze has this scheme so the pressure is on big time.
This shady gangster eye patch guy invites Pola to meet his mother in Atlantic City. She was suppose to take a bus but accidently got on a plane to Kanas city instead. Big mistake, but a good one. For one reason, we all know that guy is bad news and for another reason she meets someone else, the previous owner of the apartment.
And then this happens:
He Immediately knows she has poor eye sight, because Pola is reading her book upside down. He asks if she has astigmatism, she replies that she is just blind as a bat. He encourages her to wear her glasses, to not hide them. I love this scene. He wears glasses himself so he gets it, and no one want to walk around bumping into walls. Marilyn does this scene perfectly, so vulnerable. You believe Pola been told her whole life she wasn't good enough the way she was because she wears glasses. In this scene Pola finally meets someone who wants her to be herself. How magical it is when you meet someone who likes you for you ( it truly is! it took me a while to have that experience but I have itnow, it's truly wonderful). The rest of the movie she wears her glasses. All three of the girls ditch the plan and be with someone they love.
Pola is the opposite of other movies, most movies the character ditches their glasses when they meet a man. In this movie she wears her glasses, after meeting someone. For the first part of the movie she hides who she really is from men. Later she stops hiding because with a little encouragement she realizes none of those people were really worth impressing.
The Wasp Woman 1959 *Glasses used for aging * Glasses to say the character is smart *Glasses to make a person unattractive
The main focus is the character Janice Starlin, played by Susan Cobat. Janice runs a cosmetic company, she is intelligent, and in charge. She wears black frames and I love her very slim sheath dress. The viewer is to make the assumption that she is older, she does Run a company.
Janice find a a scientist Eric Zinthrop played by Michael Mark who was fired from his previous job. Dr. Zinthrop was fired from the farm he was working at for his experiments on wasps. He extracts enzymes from wasps to reverse the aging. Not just the appearance of aging, but aging from the inside out. He promises this wasp juice will make a person healthier and more beautiful.
This does sound like a beauty product wonder drug I would read about in Vogue, so yes I see why a woman like Janice would be interested in the research. One can make a lot of money if something like that works. Also she wants to use it for her self, make herself look younger.
This wonder drug was first tested on her cat. almost magically he cat becomes a kitten again. So she starts testing the wasp juice on herself. After the first injection she gains good eyesight, like Spiderman. Youth, beauty and good health also means good eyesight. I have bifocals at 30 no wonder I get sick all the time. The Doctor want her to see him for a injection of wasp juice every day, however she sneaks in to his lab at night and injects herself. I guess it was not working fast enough for her.
She goes into work Wow-ing her employees. Without glasses, and with glamour girl eye makeup, I thought she looked good before the transformation but whatevs. She does put her glasses back on for a minute for a business meeting, but quickly takes the off.
Her secretary is concerned, she finds that Janice is using company money for this wasp research. Two of their mutual guy friends think Janice may be scammed by Dr. Zinthrop.
This Doctor Zinthrop abandons the lab, and it research never to be found, and Janice is starting to get bad reactions to the injections. She turns into DUN DUN DUN a Wasp WOMAN! and she attacks people, mostly the catty employees who teased her before.
I actually feel inspired and empathetic to Janice. I love how she is "in charge" of her own company, she calls the shots, makes the decisions and takes no bs from her employees. A woman in charge is often ridiculed, a female cannot come off as "too aggressive" or "bossy". She wears glasses because she needs to see, she needs to read all the paper work for her cosmetic company, see all the people she has to deal with. Yet she sell beauty, she sells an ideal surrounded by society's notion of beauty. If you don't fit into that notion when you work in that field, someone will say something. Being a head of a company is also like being you have to be an example as well. I think she been around it so much, she took it too far, got desperate and well literally turned into a monster.
Think about it, did you ever try something stupid because you thought it made you look better? Did you try a haircut that looked cool in a magazine, but didn't look cool anymore after a couple weeks? Did you ever try that lip plumping lipstick, and it burned you mouth like crazy?
I really don't see her as she was out to make a choice, she did choose to abuse the injections, yet I see her more as a victim. A victim of society's pressure on being beautiful.
Suspicion 1941 * Glasses only in introduction
*Glasses to suggest intelligence * Glasses to create an outcast
This Film is Directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Joan Fontaine. Joan received an Oscar for this role and many agree she should of received one for her previous film with Hitchcock Rebecca. There have been many comparisons with her role in Suspicion and in Rebecca. In Rebecca Joan is a young naïve young lady who fall for a older man with a dark past (Jane Eyreanyone?)
However in Suspicion I find the role to be the opposite. Yes both characters are shy and lonely, yet in Suspicion I don't find her character as naïve as her role in Rebecca. Joan's character Lina in Suspicion is older, a spinster bookworm who is very practical and knowledgeable. Her love for Cary Grant and his shenanigans get the best of her. Rebecca is more about a naïve girl and a older more knowledgeable experienced man , and Suspicion is a practical down to earth woman who falls for a silly naïve man. see? do you see? huh?
The movie begins with her on a train, Lina is by herself wearing glasses reading a book about child psychology. Why this subject? what is implied here? The book is not a novel, so she must be super brainy to volunteer to read about psychology. Child Psychology? Does she want to have children one day? The viewer is not fully aware of her spinster hood at this point of the movie, maybe this book is a visual clue. In comes Cary Grant, being Cary Grant his characters name is Johnny. Lina is a little surprised that she not alone in the train car anymore and starts to develop a crush on him. We are unsure what his feeling for her are, he does get her to pay for his train ticket. He didn't have enough money when the train worker came in to collect tickets. Bad first impression if you ask me.
He see her again when all the blue bloods are together for a hunt. Lina is all dolled up, (without glasses btw) which is understandable it's a social gathering. Johnny realizes how beautiful she is, now that he can see her without those frames.
For their first date her invites her to "Church". He finds her reading at home. she has a news clipping about him. He's known for being a bit of a playboy and liking glamour girl types. When he invites her to go to church and also asks about putting on "that saucy" hat she wore on the train. Hmm so he was attracted to her when they first met. Of course she goes, without wearing her glasses.
They ditch church to go for a walk and then this happens: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/274159/Suspicion-Movie-Clip-Your-Ucipital-Mapilary.html
He invades her personal space, she's not used to such closeness with a man. She gets defensive. She still likes him after this. I find "Monkey face" quite insulting even though I think it is meant to be cute. "Monkey face" does show what kind of guy Johnny is, a teasing pulling on your pigtails immature type and a little silly.
When she arrives home she overhears her parents talking. They are discussing how hopeless she is on attracting a husband. Her father in a way defends her saying spinsters still do a lot for their community, still not what one want to hear.
In my opinion at this point she becomes quite attached to Johnny. She knows better, yet she is desperate. Maybe not necessarily desperate to get married, but to be loved to prove to her family and the other blue bloods that she can be loved.
Before the ball she is first upset that Johnny may not be there, then excited when she hear that he will be there. She changes her dress around to show off her ucipital mapilary that Johnny likes so much, also attends the ball sans glasses. Johnny and Lina ditch the ball, they confess their love for each other. They get married, she never wears glasses again. After the wedding she is so dolled up in every scene. Is she doing this to emulate a glamour girl type that he was known for dating before her? She different from that, he like her because she is different, right?
She finds out he is a gambler, and a liar and owes a big debt. However Lina loves him to the very end. Now a days we say "just leave him" which she very well could do. However, she may be pressured to be married and stay married due to class, and her own ideas. She may feel she cant do better, and does not have the confidence to be alone. Maybe when she was alone before she hated it. How many people have you known that stay in a bad relationship? it happens.
The ending of this film was changed, in the original version Johnny because he owes so much money kills Lina for the insurance. This was changed because Cary Grant not a villain. I wont tell you the end in case you have not seen it, but it does seem made up on the spot after knowing it was a reshoot.
Maybe Lina never wears glasses after the introduction of her character because she is no longer herself after that. She's trying to impress Johnny, trying to be someone "better" for him. I almost feel sorry for her. In my opinion, no one is worth changing for, especially Johnny
She's All That- 1999 *Glasses used to make the character "different"
I remember finding this movie predictable and silly the first time I saw it, around the time it first went to rental. It's a Cinderella tale, outcast girl gets made over and popular because the jock guy placed a bet with his friends. Then he falls for her, she finds out get upset but they all still live happily ever after.
There are things I don't understand in this movie. Such as Usher's role, is he just a dj on the school announcements? if so why does he never go to class? In my high school my principle made the announcements. Is Usher the principle? How does everyone one know the same choreography to dance at the prom? Why does the dancing looks like it comes from an Elvis Presley movie? when I dance like that people call me a nerd. Is Elvis dancing cool in Beverly Hills? So many questions!
The movie begins with Rachel Lee Cook's Character named Laney Bozz. (Or Lady Boggs, I thinkher name really Laney but at times it sounds like "Lady") painting and making a collage in her basement. She strolls into school with her painting apron on. Wet paint is uncomfortable, on your apron it sticks to you body makes it hard to walk in, usually you take it off and hang it up. I know this because I went to art school. She is wearing glasses and her "hair" is pulled back. Her wigs in this movie are not convincing enough to me to be perceived as real hair. To quote the movie "MAJOR WIG-AGE"
Her pants shoes, portfolio are majorly smeared in brightly colored paint. Quite cartoonish if you ask me, well mostly everything about this movie is quite cartoonish. The movie makers want you to know SOOOOO badly she's an artistic outcast in a rich kid school. They practically hit you over the head with it.
In art class two rich gothy looking girls talk to her about her art. "in Spain we were talking" yadayada, "By the Way it may be a good idea to kill yourself" even other outcasts are mean to her.
Freddy Prince Jr.'s character is introduced as him walking around in a varsity jacket, being Freddy Prince Jr. His brunette Barbie bimbo girlfriend named Taylor breaks up with him because she met a MTV Real world star over spring break. Of course he's a little upset and talked about it with his friends. He says to them Taylor is an illusion, just clothes makeup and attitude. Any girl can fake that illusion. So his friends create a bet where they pick a girl, dress her up, make her popular and piss off the ex-girlfriend.
He finds her after school working and like always in these movies she is wearing an embarrassing bad uniform. She is suspicious, when he talks to her. Her friend who just so conveniently hanging out at her job invites Freddy to see her art performance that night.
She wears her glasses during the performance. After the show Freddy asks her "Do you always wearthose glasses?" She replies that she had contacts but is uncomfortable putting stuff into her eye balls.
CONTACTS! it was discussed normally it is not. Then he says:
As if she is suppose to go "Awww" and remove her eye wear and go off into the sunset with him.
She makes fun of him for saying that.
Their next date he convinces her to go to the beach. His friends find them there and his one friend says "She almost looks normal" as she takes off her overalls to reveal her swimsuit. I guess she would look completely normal if she removed her glasses with the overalls.
Somehow they got invited to a house party, she is uncomfortable on going. She makes an excuse that she has to clean her house. Freddy shows up to her door with the school's soccer team and cleaning supplies. So she has no excuse not to go. He even brings his sister (who is played by Anna Paquinbtw) to do her hair and makeup and he gave her a tiny (really tiny) red dress to wear too.
Laney comes down the stairs looking gorgeous of course, sans glasses. All those paint splattered clothes, glasses and bad wig was hiding her beauty. I do remember being able to see her eyes with the glasses, oh well she put her contacts in maybe just this once she will try them again. Freddy did say her eyes were beautiful without them.
At the party silly stuff happened; Matthew Lillard dances badly and Laney gets revenge on that gothy girl from art class. Then Taylor (Freddy's ex) poured her dink onto Laney.
Laney run away crying and Freddy finds her. She is sad, says she shouldn't of came to the party and wants to go home and be herself again. Freddy takes her home.
You think after a night of being dolled up like somebody else and having it end badly you want to just be you again. Well Laney is in her art clothes and apron again, but not wearing her glasses.
She does not put her glasses again for the rest of the movie. not even once. I understand she has contacts it was mentioned, "I have them but never wear them" statement implies the ones she has are probably old. So did she get new ones? Is she wearing expired contacts? why? I mean if you hate putting things into your eyeballs, (which she also said) why take the extra effort ? especially after a bad night like that party.
Oh right;
because Freddy said your eyes are beautiful
So the bet is revealed to her by Freddy's friend (who is also the Fast and the Furious guy, I keptwanting an epic chase scene in this movie with him but never happens) tells Lanely and also asks her out to the prom.
Prom night she hanging out in the basement telling her dad she is not going. We know she will change her mind and go to the prom and WOW everyone by looking like everyone else now. Maybe Freddy with show up at her door with a prom dress for her to wear or something. She goes with the Fast and the Furious guy ( good point of the movie to add a high speed chase scene, tanks, aliens, Godzilla, Anything? please movie director person make this more interesting) Where did she get the dress from? how did she know how to do her hair? Before Freddy's sister did her hair and makeup. When Freddy's sister was tweezing Laney's already non- existing eyebrows it was discussed that Laney did not know how to do makeup, hair or the like. Does the removal of glasses and the insertion of contacts, also magically make you a beauty expert?
At prom her friend, Freddy's sister and Freddy ; learn that the Fast and the Furious guy is a jerk and want to bring her to a hotel room for unno
Freddy saves prom night
She never wears glasses again and they both go to college after graduation
They live happily ever after
the end
Hell Comes to Frogtown- 1987 *Glasses for introduction * Glasses to show a character is a careerist
As I said in the introductory post; some movies I will be writing about are classic and some are well not so classic.
This film will never be put in the category of Citizen Kane or Gone with the Wind, but it sure is entertaining with it's ridiculous premise and overacting.
Roddy Piper pro wrestler and star from the Carpenter's classic They Live, plays and outlaw turned hero named Sam Hell who is imprisoned in the beginning of the film. To gain his freedom he has to go on a mission with two army women to save a group of kidnapped females. oh yeah I forgot to say this all takes in the future, after an unexplained apocalypse so whomever not human is a weird human frog mutant. These frog people have their own city and the king is holding the group of women. Sam Hell with two female companions have to save them and thus, Hell comes to Frogtown.
The one character Spangle is a blonde with big black frames who is in charge of the mission. Her character seems promising, she is a leader of the mission, smart etc. Three quarters into the movie and she is still wearing her glasses, "can this be true? " I thought to myself " is she going to wear them the entire movie? even though she is pretty much now the love interest?"
Yet I was still disappointed.
The scene is Spangle and Sam Hell are in disguise to sneak into Frogtown. In an attempt to perfect Spangle's disguise Sam takes off her glasses. I was crossing my fingers that he was going to put them into his pocket. The glasses were thrown into the dessert, never to be found again. Maybe after the mission the army can give her a new pair? I think after an apocalypse resources for eye glasses are scarce.
I can understand taking them off temporarily to go incognito but throwing them into the dirt far away as if they are worthless? She needs to see! seeing is important!
The rest of the movie is as predicted, lots of action, one liners and she is shooting, running and fighting along Roddy's side as if she never need glasses in the first place.
