Here's looking at me kid

Movie Monday: Eames: The Architect and The Painter 2011

They were certainly a lot more than chair designers. And no, Charles and Ray Eames were not brothers, as Phil had always thought before we finally sat down together to watch the documentary about the famous married designers. In design school, there was not a lot said about their lives outside of the famous chairs, but Charles and Ray Eames were more than designers- they were communicators who used images rather than words.

It's not often (if ever?) that I review a documentary as part of the Movie Monday feature, but after I finally watched the Eames documentary, I thought some of my creative blog friends might enjoy watching it too!

The documentary begins by detailing the evolution of the famous Eames chair, a collaboration between Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen. I studied this in school, but it was interesting to see how the project had actually failed according to their end goal, something that isn't talked about much when highlighting the careers of Eames and Saarinen. What a comfort, knowing such successful people began their careers with failure. In any case, the project brought Charles and Ray together, who soon married and started their own design office together.

The couple's main focus in the beginning of their joint careers was creating a simple chair of molded plywood that would be mass produced and easily affordable to the public. After lots more failures, they finally achieved their goal, and continued to design various styles of chairs which were then produced and distributed by Herman Miller.

Later, the couple, in conjunction with their staff (who often receives little, if any, credit for their work on Eames projects), moved onto other projects, like arm films, documentaries, and even educational film.

The documentary is interesting if you enjoy mid century design, and it's certainly encouraging to any designer or entrepreneur, but more so than that, it allows a glimpse into the personal lives of two eccentric people who shaped the face of American design in the 20th century. Ray, being a woman, was often dismissed for her involvement in projects, because the public just didn't understand that a woman could be a successful designer too. It's interesting to see how her usefulness in the office affected their relationship at every turn.

Oh, and if you think that modern designers have boring, sterile homes- think again! I loved taking a peek at Charles and Ray's warm home that was just brimming with Ray's quirky touches. Just as awesome are their playful portraits they made as a couple and with their staff. Talk about inspirational!

In closing, I would like to share some of Charles Eames's quotes that I wrote down through the documentary. And there are even more! That guy sure was clever.

"Anything i can do she can do better." (regarding Ray's involvement in the office)

"The container for your life can be simple, but that doesn't mean your life has to be simple."

"Take your pleasure seriously."

"Never let the blood show."

Movie Monday: The Hustler 1961

Two young wanderers meet in a train station. He is running away from his failure, and she is wallowing in her own. He has suitcases, and she has a place for them in her apartment. So together they hide away from the world, with only imaginations for their past. You can call me Sarah, and I will call you Eddie.

One day a man walks through the door and they're forced to face themselves. Sarah learns Eddie is actually Fast Eddie, a no-good loser of a Hustler who constantly disapoints himself and everyone else in his life. I guess she figures it's okay, considering her own personal disapointments. So Sarah takes to the bottle for comfort, while Eddie continues to blame it for his own failures.

When Eddie takes a break from shooting pool, he and Sarah fall in love and begin to consider what life would be like if they stop sabotaging anything good that comes along. So the two of them head off on their adventure- a high stakes billiards game in Louisville, where Eddie risks more than just a shot at some fast cash.

This iconic movie features a tremendous cast, with Paul Newman as Fast Eddie, Jackie Gleason as his great opponent, Minnesota Fats, and George C. Scott dons his villainous grin once again as a fast-talking, money grubbing manager. Touted in the early '60s as an edgy story about love, lust, and gambling, The Hustler really is about more than just vice. Like dynamic character development? You'll really enjoy watching the transformation of Fast Eddie as he learns more about character, all the while playing it fast and loose. And my oh my, he looks good while doing it.

Movie Monday: The Last Time I Saw Paris 1954

Ah, I remember the last time I saw The Last Time I Saw Paris. (I've been waiting for the day I could slip that sentence into every day life, and it has yet to come.) I think it was sometime in my early, teen drama filled years of high school. I can remember feeling ridiculously moody after watching this romantic tragedy unfold on Turner Classic Movies one lonely Saturday afternoon. Yes, ridiculously moody and loving it. So as a relatively happy and level-headed 26-year-old who is now in a stable relationship, I wondered if I might have the same wonderful feelings about the movie or relate to it at all. Despite some pretty less than stellar reviews on Netflix, I gave it ago.

They met in the excitement and happiness of the liberation of Paris and shared a strangers' kiss on the street. Fate brought Helen and Charles together again that very same day, but quickly everything else in life would turn itself against them. Soon Charles is swept into the lavish life of Helen's family who lived carefree, irresponsible lives, more intent on having fun than worrying about the details. But soon, having fun all of the time begins to destroy the young married couple's happiness, and they quickly find themselves growing apart, driving each other away with each plea for affection from one another.

Based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel Babylon Revisited, this tale of romance after the great war is much less hopeful than you might expect. In fact, it's downright depressing. As a viewer, you can't help but want to physically reach into the screen and shake some sense into each character, as they continue to make decision after decision to further destroy what could have been a good life. Each character has major flaws, a quality of realism I usually enjoy in a movie, though in The Last Time I Saw Paris, it becomes pretty dark pretty quickly, without much redemption until, of course, it's too late- and then the movie ends.

Personally, I'm one who every once in a while enjoys to really soak in a sad, depressing story. Don't you ever just want to be sad while watching a movie? Perhaps on a rainy evening when you have loads of chocolate handy? If you're anything like me, then I would definitely watch The Last Time I Saw Paris. The acting is really great for the most part, even pretty good coming from Van Johnson- sort of a surprise, until you consider he was playing opposite of Elizabeth Taylor. It would be pretty difficult to screw that up, eh? Anyway, judge the acting for what you will. But The Last Time I Saw Paris is a tremendously sad and meandering film that you might actually enjoy!

Movie Monday: Sons and Lovers 1960

Just when I thought I had depleted Netflix's selection of great classic films, I stumbled on this beautiful gem of a movie, Sons and Lovers from 1960. I didn't think I recognized any of the actors*, but the movie had great reviews, and had won lots of awards in 1961. So I gave it a shot, and I'm so glad I did!

Sons and Lovers is a UK film from my favorite decade in British offerings of cinematography and screenplays. Just as expected from this genre, the screenplay was engaging and meaningful, the subject just a little daring for the time, and each pan of the camera was like a beautiful moving photograph.

Set in the early 20th century, this simple story takes place in a sleepy English mining town, where progressive thinkers like Walter Morel were quite the rarity. While his father and brother worked in the dangerous coal mines, young Walter was encouraged by his affectionate mother to foster his creative talents, and to not settle down with any of the local towngirls who just weren't women enough to eclipse her place in Walter's heart. His mother's own life was a disapointment to her, and Walter loved and pitied her too much to leave her to pursue his own dreams. So off he goes searching for love and the meaning of life with different women, all the while seeking approval from his mother most of all.

While reading about this film, I discovered it was based on a book by the same name. Much like East of Eden, the book and the movie vary especially due to the fact that the movie versions focus more on the younger generation, and their love lives. I didn't miss the whole family history that one could discover from reading the book Sons and Lovers, and as a simple movie viewer who knew nothing of the book, I was able to piece together information about each character's background, based on clues told on the actors' faces and their interactions with eachother. It's not too difficult to speculate what their past must have been like, but it was mysterious enough to give another layer of depth to the storyline.

I read some reviews that remark on the movie's falling short of D.H. Lawrence's novel, which isn't surprising considering its 1 hour 42 minutes run-time. Everyone knows you can't fit the meat of a novel into the timeframe of a movie. And this one seems to have done a good job at focusing on one aspect of the story, and really drawing in the viewer. And judging by Sons and Lovers' awards sweep in 1961, apparently the Academy agreed with me.

*I did recognize Walter's mother (seen in image two, looking towards the sky) immediately as Wendy Hiller, an actress I enjoyed in Murder on the Orient Express, and came to adore in my childhood favorite, Anne of Green Gables, as Diana Barry's feared Great Aunt.