Fun Stuff to Watch
Aug. 3rd, 2014 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oritsu_luvI just watched a wonderful newish (2012, I believe) BBC Documentary on Clara Bow, called Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess. It included a ton of new footage I'd never seen before, includng a lot of clips from her talkies, and a clip from the newly discovered Red Hair, which is her only picture in color. I was surprised to hear that she actually sounds just like any other actress from the period. She slipped up on a few words here and there in the beginning, but that Hollywood accent was so much stronger than any hint of Brooklyn. I'm not sure why it surprised me so much - I guess I'd just gotten the idea that she couldn't transition into talkies. But the documentary reminded me that it was really more about all the scandals and personal betrayals along with the fear of microphones that led to her leaving pictures. And as far as mic phobia goes, so many actors and actresses had during the period, because movies were changing forever and you couldn't even act the same way anymore since a director couldn't talk you though an scene with microphones on set. Not only that, but usual, Clara got screwed over by Paramount - Greta Garbo got 2 YEARS to get rid of her accent, Clara got 2 WEEKS. It's all a shame, because from the clips, she seemed really good in the talking roles. Just as good as she'd been in the silents.
Watching anything about Clara is always such a rollercoaster of emotions, the early part of her life was so horrific, and she was just so grateful to be acting, and she just got taken advantage of by so many people. It makes you wish she'd had someone there to show her the ropes and protect her from all the greedy backstabbing people. But she was just so trusting and loving. I think that's one of the things that made her shine on screen though - she was so natural, and she had such a vivacity and a joy for life, and it really comes across.
Other than that, there's a bunch of other things I'm looking forward to watching - Jamie's Great Britain show, a BBC show on the Regency Period, more of Jamie's 30 minute meals which I've been loving, etc etc...
EDIT: Now I'm watching the episode on Clara Bow from the Silent Film mini series from 1980. The scenes of her in Mantrap are just brilliant. And what a treat it is to hear Louise Brooks talk about Clara. It's so fascinating to get her take on Clara, and there's something so heartwarming about her passionate defense of Clara as the best movie actress of the 1920s. (Remember that Kenneth Brown is only including Clara in this docu to rectify an earlier omission in his book on silent films after a FURIOUS letter from Louise.) What I would give to have been a fly on the wall during the voice test with Clara and Louise together! Wow! Speaking of voices, I love Louise's voice - of course she's an very old woman in this documentary, but I think her voice fits her perfectly! Arch and cultured and lovely.
Watching anything about Clara is always such a rollercoaster of emotions, the early part of her life was so horrific, and she was just so grateful to be acting, and she just got taken advantage of by so many people. It makes you wish she'd had someone there to show her the ropes and protect her from all the greedy backstabbing people. But she was just so trusting and loving. I think that's one of the things that made her shine on screen though - she was so natural, and she had such a vivacity and a joy for life, and it really comes across.
Other than that, there's a bunch of other things I'm looking forward to watching - Jamie's Great Britain show, a BBC show on the Regency Period, more of Jamie's 30 minute meals which I've been loving, etc etc...
EDIT: Now I'm watching the episode on Clara Bow from the Silent Film mini series from 1980. The scenes of her in Mantrap are just brilliant. And what a treat it is to hear Louise Brooks talk about Clara. It's so fascinating to get her take on Clara, and there's something so heartwarming about her passionate defense of Clara as the best movie actress of the 1920s. (Remember that Kenneth Brown is only including Clara in this docu to rectify an earlier omission in his book on silent films after a FURIOUS letter from Louise.) What I would give to have been a fly on the wall during the voice test with Clara and Louise together! Wow! Speaking of voices, I love Louise's voice - of course she's an very old woman in this documentary, but I think her voice fits her perfectly! Arch and cultured and lovely.
