"I hate this nightgown. I hate all my nightgowns... and I hate all my underwear too!!!"
So last night I finally saw Roman Holiday . My friend got us tickets to see "Flicks on the Bricks" at the Atheneum; they sit you outside, this particular night with a Bellini in hand, and you get to watch classic movies thrown up on a big white wall out in the summer air.
I loved the movie, to pieces. The script was impeccable, the acting was fabulous, and Gregory Peck was oh so easy on the eyes. Which brings me to the evergreen question : Why do movies suck these days? Dinner With Schmucks, I'm talking to you.
The movie is awesome for a number of reasons:
1) Audrey Hepburn's impulsive haircut. This moment rings in the hearts of women worldwide, I assure you.
2) The script was impeccable.
Princess Ann: I've never been alone with a man before, even with my dress on... With my dress off, it's MOST unusual.
3) You can take a moment to envision what it would be like to be royalty. I can't be the only person who sat there imagining if I could get away with telling my friends things like "You may be seated." I'm halfway there though, I leave the house without my wallet all the time.
4) Classic men.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, but classic leading men are something else. I was raised on the likes of Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant. I would love to be a fly on the wall when any of them were sent the Twilight script. Mad Men is trying to bring back the classic leading man, but they still have to make him a little bit scuzzy to compete with Jersey Shore and other fine television fare. So as for revising the classic man, it just can't be done.
On a related note, let's be clear, we're being misled on some of this movie: I just got back from Rome in June and I didn't meet anyone looking even vaguely like Gregory Peck. I didn't even see anyone who looked like that if I drank fast and squinted my eyes. Looks aside, the charm was lacking too - the closest I've come in Italy was meeting some googly-eyed Italian guys who told me I looked like a famous actress... then clarified for me that they meant "the comedian! Whoopi Goldberg!"
For those of you who don't know me, I'm not black. Also, I have eyebrows.
As for last night, I left with a mixed feeling of happiness (because I'd had such a fun night) and complete dread (at the cultural wasteland that surrounds me). But to be fair, I realize that I play a part in this machine, refreshing my "US Weekly Blog" screen as regularly as I do.
Escaping is nice. I'm sure you got the same takeaway I did - May we all pass out on a bench in a strange city and hope for the best!
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