My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady is a 1964 musical film adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe stage musical, My Fair Lady, based in turn on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. The film was directed by George Cukor and stars Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

Professor Henry Higgins takes a bet from Colonel Pickering that he can transform unrefined, dirty Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a lady, and fool everyone into thinking she really is one, too! He does, and thus young aristocrat Freddy Eynsford-Hill falls madly in love with her. But when Higgins takes all the credit and forgets to acknowledge her efforts, Eliza angrily leaves him for Freddy, and suddenly Higgins realizes he's grown accustomed to her face and can't really live without it.

Winner of Best Picture
in 1964 for
Academy Awards and BAFTA

>>View more of the awesome costumes done by Cecil Beaton

Moulin Rouge!

I was swept away by this movie!

Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor gave stellar performances as Satine and Christian, the star-crossed lovers who meet in Paris in 1900. I was surprised by how well they both could sing. I also enjoyed Jim Broadbent's caricature of Harold Zidler and Richard Roxburgh's portrayal of the obsessed Duke.

Baz Luhrmann directed this feast of colour and music that never stops. The only thing I didn't care for was its setting in a brothel but this was not a major factor to the unfolding of the plot.

The Story

It's Paris in 1899. Christian, a young English poet, comes to Paris to persue a pennyless career as a writer. However, he soon meets a group of Bohemians who tell him that he should write a musical show for them to be performed at the Moulin Rouge, the most famous underworld night club in Paris. The night they arrive at the Moulin Rouge, Christian meets Satine, the club's star and a beautiful courtesan. He falls head-over-heels in love with her and though it takes a bit of convincing, she falls for him as well. Meanwhile, the club's owner, Harold Zidler, invests in a wealthy Duke to help pay for the club, however, the duke will only pay if Satine is his. This crazy love triangle twists and turns. And little does Satine know that she has a deadly secret that could end everything. (from IMDB)

Find videos to some of the songs from the movie found here:

Link to Music Playlist:
with trailer


Nicole Kidman - Satine

Ewan McGregor - Christian

One of the opening shots - I loved the cinematography of this film.

Jim Broadbent (centre) as the eccentric but kind Zigler.

This shot of the Duke makes me laugh every time.
I'm a new fan of Richard Roxburgh.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design

The final sequence - just a simple, little song put together by Baz Luhrmann.

Hindi Sad Diamonds song found here

Publicity shot

Thanks to Jenn at Period Movie Review for some of the pics


visit Eras of Elegance - for more images and trivia

The Mission

In South America in the 17th and 18th centuries, various religious orders established missions to convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity, to "civilize" them, and to provide a sanctuary from slavery. The most successful of these missions were run by the Jesuits for the Guaraní Indians. In about 1752, the Church and the Spanish Crown ordered the missions disbanded. The Guaraní, led by dissident Jesuits, refused to abide by the order and rose in a short lived rebellion. This film tells a fictional story of the revolt.

1986 nominated for Best Picture
(Academy awards, BAFTA and Golden Globes)

Winner of 1986 Palm D'or at the Cannes Film Festival


Starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons

See the trailer on Youtube

check out the award winning soundtrack

Christy

Based on the bestseller by Catherine Marshall, Christy tells the story of an idealistic nineteen year old who leaves the comforts of her city home to teach school in the impoverished Appalachian community of Cutter Gap, Tennessee in 1912. Strength, determination, and faith guide young Christy Huddleston through unforeseen difficulties, help her to gain understanding of the proud mountain people, and win her mentorship, friendship, and the love of two men. (IMDB)

Read the book...First released in 1967,
Christy is based on the life of author Catherine Marshall's mother
and was the inspiration for the recent television series of the same name.

From left to right: Fairlight Spencer (Tess Harper), Christy Huddleston (Kellie Martin),
David Grantland (Randall Bantinkoff), Alice Henderson (Tyne Daly),
Dr. Neil MacNeill (Stewart Finlay-McLennan), Ruby Mae (Emily Schulman)

The Smoky Mountains of Tennessee

visit the fan site NeilandChristy.com

see more images at Eras of Elegance

Marie Antoinette

At 15 she became a bride.
At 19 she became a queen.
By 20 she was a legend.

Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen, was the archduchess of Austria and later the queen of France...her short life would become the legend of a reign obsessed with decadence.

Kirsten Dunst stars in this adaptation directed by Sophia Coppola with a modern interpretation. I didn't think Kirsten was suited to the role but I include this movie solely because I love historical films and I enjoyed the costumes.

The Royal Diaries
by Kathryn Lansky

Picture gallery
IMDB link
Wikipedia article
Sony Pictures official site

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

Set in 1939 London, Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand), a middle-aged London governess, finds herself unfairly dismissed from her job. An attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams).

Based on novel by Winifred Watson.

Also starring:
Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies)
Ciarin Hinds (Persuasion)
Shirley Henderson (The Way We Live Now)
Mark Strong (Emma with Kate Beckinsale)
Christina Cole (He Knew He was Right)

>>>>see video at IMDB link

Lee Pace talks about working with Amy and Frances:
Frances-- I've admired her work for years, I think she's so good. But to get to work with her is amazing. She understands acting for film possibly better than anyone I've ever met. She understands what she needs to do to tell the story in it. There's no actress nonsense with Frances McDormand. She's really good. If every you're unclear about what you're meant to be doing on set, you look to her and she knows what she's doing. Then there's Amy, Amy “Can Do No Wrong” Adams, who's just got these golden instincts. I'm convinced the girl can do anything. She can do anything. She's lively and smart and funny and beautiful. All I really had to do in the movie, aside from the accent and learning how to play the piano, was fall in love with her. Pretty easy job.

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