The Apartment

Posted on 16 July, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1960.

Director: Billy Wilder.

Stars:

Jack Lemmon (C. C. Baxter).

Shirley MacLaine (Fran Kubelik).

Fred MacMurray (Jeff D. Sheldrake).

Ray Walston (Joe Dobisch).

Awards:

It won 5 Oscars for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Writing, Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing.

It also was nominated to Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Cinematography and Best Sound.

The movie got many other awards you can check in the IMDB profile page.

Curiosities:

Before The Artist (2011) this was the last Black and White movie to win an Oscar.

This is funny… Baxter is a poor accountant with no much money but curiously there are two Tiffany lamps on his appartment…

Shirley MacLaine knew about the script drop by drop since Wilder didn’t want her to know how the story was developing.

Whe the script was written Wilder had already thought of Jack Lemmon for the main character.

Rumors say that Billy Wilder put antifreeze on top of Jack Lemmon during the scene where he has to fall asleep under the rain in Central Park.

The producer wanted to have Groucho Marx for the role of Dreyfuss, but Wilder refused to do so.

The magazine Premiere voted the movie as one of the best 50 comedies of all times.

Here’s one more master piece from Wilder. His success was overwhelming by the time. In this case, a fool who was the accountant in a powerful Company gets help from his boss who allows him to go to his appartment for trysts.

However, the appearance of Shirley MacLaine in the scene changes all plans. Jack Lemmon, who used to do roles of “poor but honest men” does a brilliant performance turning over the typical lonely man role, that man who lives in a society where materialism and economic power are over people feelings.

But love finally is what turns the grey man into the bravest among the brave men.

Wilder plays once again with human emotions, laughing out loud and making us laugh out loud.

One more comedy you shouldn’t miss…

Trailer:

Images: Wikipedia y Blogdecine.com

Designing Woman

Posted on 9 July, 2014 by María López Linares

Designing Woman

Year: 1957.

Director: Vincente Minelli.

Stars:

Gregory Peck (Mike Hagen).

Lauren Bacall (Marilla Brown Hagen).

Dolores Gray (Lori Shannon).

Sam Leven (Ned Hammerstein).

Tom Helmore (Zachary Wilde).

Awards:

George Wells won 1 Oscar to Best Writing. He also was nominated to the WGA Award for the Best Written American Comedy.

3rd Place Laurel Awards for Lauren Bacall as the Top Female Comedy Performance. The movie was also nominated to the Golden Laurel as the Top Comedy.

Curiosities:

The Director initially thought of James Stewart and Grace Kelly for the protagonist couple, but when Kelly got engaged with Rainiero of Monaco, Stewart rejected the role. Years later, he regretted about it.

Helen Rose, the custom designer was who had the idea of making this movie.

It was the last film for Dolores Gray, who preferred to focus on musicals, theatres and tv rather than cinema.

Lauren Bacall wrote in her memories: “It was one of the happiest experiences in my whole career”.

Gregory Peck askes Minelli to have Lauren Bacall as his partner at the movie, and he happilly agreed.

Helen Rose did the custom design formed by 132 dresses. That means an average of over 1 dress per minute in a film of 118 minutes.

Gregory Peck was inspired by Cary Grant’s faces to performance the role of a journalist.

A smart and elegant custom designer gets married with a gullibel sport journalist who has to fight against both his past and a gang of Mafia members who want to beat him.

While Lauren Bacall, in a role that seams to be perfect for her, is surrounded by a good taste and extravagant people, Gregory Peck gets into that glamorous environment with rude fellows.

The social collision is there again, this time it’s served with a very smart touch of comedy. Situations are perfectly directed by Minelli who made a film that even nowadays has the same strength that it had back in the time.

The supporting actors do a great performance too, specially Maxi (a silly boxer) and Lori Shannon’s roles. The last one manages truly well the silliness that her former couple made.

If you are a great lover of those 50’s you just can’t miss this constant display of dream dresses. The movie, with more that 100 suits designed by Helen Rose, became one of the smartest and most glamorous MGM’s films.

Trailer Oficial:

http://youtu.be/T9er1hL6fpA

Images:

Canaltcm

Moviemovie

Leolo-eloy.blogspot.com.es

Claqueta.es

Toni Catany

Posted on 1 July, 2014 by María López Linares

June ended and I’d like to close this month with this very special post.

My photographic proyect in El Objetivo Mágico (The Magic Lens), where we have to replicate a different master of photography every month, has had Tony Catany as a protagonist. And he is my favourite artist. I chose him for this work, and the time came when I had to start digging deeply in his work art in order to try to reproduce it.

So the month for this hard job had finally arrived. Tony Catany changed the way I felt the dead nature art together with the way I used to take pictures. I don’t think there is any other master that left such a mark on me…

He was a Mallorquin (from Mallorca Island in Spain) who lived in Barcelona from 1960. As a good self-taught, he only did a short correspondence course when he was very young. He published his first photo reports in 1668 and from 1978 onwards he started being recognized all over the world. His knowledge of how to apply lights and shadows is excellent and the elegance he treats colour with is just exquisite.

His work is plenty of sensibility, armony and also melancoly. I found out about him a few months ago in a course I was doing at Encandilarte, and I fell in love with his art straight away. I liked it so much that I started looking up in the Internet all his photographies, trying to purchase one of them. I ended up with three of them over my hands thanks to Blanca de Berlin, an art gallery director in Madrid, who happened to be selling some of the Catany’s photos.

The core of his work is the still life, naked human bodies and gorgeous landscapes.

Toni Catany showed his work for the first time in 1972. Then over 200 more came after. In 2001 he won the National Photography Award by the Ministry of Culture and the National Award of the Fine Art (Catalunya). He was considered within the 100 best photographers in the world by Life Magazine.

Tony tested with the oldest developing techniques all over his career. Finally he jumped into the digital photography “because that let him treat the color in the way he was looking for” (according to his own words). He used a half professional camera for many years, exactly the Sony 828.

His art is captivating, moving and will please you for sure, due to his sensibility and elegance.

I right now am declaring myself an inconditional fan of his whole work and his way of seing beauty. I’ll never forget one of his quotes, that I from now onwards will do mine:

“To me photography is a way of showing my feelings, my mood and my emotions. I don’t photograph for others, but for myself, just for the pleasure of taking photos. I fon top of that, people like my work, the satisfaction is then amplified”.

Toni Catany

I’ve enjoyed this proyect very much. And this is the result of several sessions of Dead Nature trying to emulate the work of a great visionary.

I hope you enjoy that much with my work as well!

With J: Jewel or “Jewelry”

Posted on 27 June, 2014 by María López Linares

Today, let me talk from my own experience. To me, a jewel is a piece that given its sentimental value is worthy of being considered such, regardless of the economic price of the material the piece is made of. In addition, “jewelry” is to me the art of creating accessories in gold, silver, platinum or precious pearls.

Traditionally jewels have been used by men and women as a distinctive sign of power and social status. Although females are more likely to wear jewels, men also have many pieces to enjoy like cufflinks, rings, bracelets…

The value of a jewel is determined by the metal it has been made of, as well as the weight, the carve, the purity and the colour of the parts on it.

Within the jewelry I differentiate two categories: It’s not the same talking about an ancient hand-made jewel than talking about newest pieces that include a mechanic process in its creation.

Back in 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte ordered to Etienne Nitot the design and creation of his own coronation jewels. That was the begining of the jewelry in the 19th century, using totally different techniques. That year accentuated the line between the hand-made art and the modern jewelry. Brands like Cartier, Tiffany, Bulgari and Fabergé opened their first stores in Paris, New York, London and Moscow. It was the beginning of the most fruitful era in jewels design and fabrication.

Over the 19th century it was common working the 9, 12 and 15 carats gold. From 1850 onwards the machines appeared to help reduce costs. Years after, the Industrial Revolution changed materials and techniques, adding stainless steel, titanium, plastics, fiberglass, ceramic or wood.

Further on we’ll talk about costume jewelry and we’ll try to explain the differences between these two concepts.

The Prince and the Showgirl

Posted on 25 June, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1957.

Director: Laurence Olivier.

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe (Elsie).

Laurence Olivier (the Prince).

Sybil Thorndike (The Queen).

Richard Wattis (Northbrook).

Awards:

Nominated for 5 BAFTA Film Awards: Best British Actor, Best British Film, Best British Screenplay, Best Film, Best Foreign Actress.

David di Donatello Awards to Marilyn Monroe for her performance. She also was nominated to the Golden Laurel Award for her Top Female Comedy Performance.

Sybil Thorndike won the National Board of Review as the Best Supporting Actress.

Curiosities:

Due to her constant weigh changes, the Custome team had to have several different sizes for her dresses ready.

Laurence Olivier had already performanced the role before in theatres with his wife Vivien Leigh.

Marylin got 75% out of the total profits of the movie.

It’s said Laurence Olivier was so imppressed with Marilyn’s behaviour during the shot of the film that he didn’t direct any other movie until 1970.

This was the last movie Marilyn did our of the States.

The film was pretended to be a musical, but Arthur Miller (Marilyn’s husband) convinced her not to do it.

Vivien Leigh was called in to do the main character. She was too old though.

Once again the fight between high and lower class lets us enjoy an amazing script, where an unbreakable Prince falls in love with a showgirl.

Marilyn, who already felt the excess of her life over herself, does a splendid performance. She is the light in every scene she appears. Laurence Olivier had to deal for first time in his life with an actress he liked a lot, and almost got crazy due to her irresponsability. She used to be late at work, didn’t want to follow his instructions and never ever repeated the same sentence.

Probably because of that the movie is fluid, fresh and audience never perceives all those directing difficulties.

Laurence Olivier said years later: “You couldn’t do anything with that kind of light, it was just imposible… Maybe I was too busy directing back then, so much that I didn’t realize of the huge potential I had by my side; there are moments where she is just wonderful. I think Marilyn was unique”. And I agree. To me this movie and Some Like It Hot are the two best Marilyn’s performances.

If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss the chance of enjoying one of the funniest and most casual movies in the classic cinema!

http://youtu.be/n6lRJKWoVeA

Images:

Paramountchannel.es

Grabandoentresdosuno.blogspot.com.es

Wikipedia

Alucine.es

Yonomeaburro.blogspot.com.es

The Last Torch Song

Posted on 18 June, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1957.

Director: Juan de Orduña.

Stars:

Sara Montiel (María Luján).

Armando Calvo (Juan Contreras).

Enrique Vera (Pepe Molina).

Julia Martínez (Trini).

Matilde Muñoz Sampedro (Paca).

Awards:

CEC Award to Best Actress (Sara Montiel).

Best Film at the Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle.

Curiosities

One of the characters in the movie was called Great Duke Vladimir of Russia (acted by Alfredo Mayo) who according to the plot was a drunk aristocrat who stalks María Luján (Sara Montiel). It happened that there was a real Duke Vladimir of Russia who sued the producer because of the bad image to his name and title. It was solved by paying to the Duke an undisclosed amount of money and removing all mentions of “Vladimir of Russia”. The final cut just includes “The Great Duke”.

The censorship in Spain in the time rejected the first plot. The “pro-Franco” Spain considered the storyline inmoral for a Catholic. After a few changes, the censorship allowed them to release it.

The little girl in the beginning of the movie, Toni Fernández, is in fact Sara Montiel’s niece.

Originally, the Director thought of doubling Sara Montiel’voice in all the songs. However the double wanted to be paid before do the job and the Director fired her. Sara Montiel ended up recording all songs in just one evening. And her voice and style is now the main feature in the movie.

The Last Torch Song was the first Sara Montiel’s Spanish movie after a long time abroad. Her previous work in Hollywood includes Veracruz, Serenade and Run of the Arrow. Sara shot The Last Torch Song while being in Spain for holidays and went back to the States before the film was released.

This was a hard project. The budget was very low and it took two years to gather the minimum. That means that some of the sceneries were built in cardboard and the main character’s clothes were sometimes made in paper. Sara Montiel didn’t understand that scarcity since she’d just arrived from the opulence in Hollywood but she kept her word and made the film, with a salary of 100.000 pesetas (the old Spanish coin). Her husband always thought the film was a complete fail.

After only 38 weeks in theatres, the movie achieved 15 million pesetas, an authentic fortune in that time. It was a total success. It broke some more records like the best collection for a movie in just a weekend, the highest collection in a working day…

The Last Torch Song, a drama the sort of those women from the time loved so much. It’s nowadays one of the best Spanish classics, thanks to a few songs that became really famous: Fumando Espero or El Relicario.

Due to this success, Sara Montiel made many other films under a similar subject. Then she became a singer and started publishing many works that made her millionaire. Let me highlight this name: Juan Solano. He was a great compositor who created all songs and adapted them to Sara Montiel’s special voice.

In a time where microphones were not used to sing, and where you were asked to have a powerful high-pitched voice, Juan Solano was with no doubt the master who pushed Sara Montiel up to the glory.

Images:

filmoteca.cat

abc.es/fotos-cine

rpp.com.pe

The Garden of the Angel

Posted on 13 June, 2014 by María López Linares

Thinking of coming to Madrid soon? Then, you should come over and see the space I’m recommending today. You’ll know why in a few seconds.

I’m talking about a florist that offers much more than flowers. An elegant and quite corner within the old Madrid, in the downtown with a history behind that deserves to be told by the owners themselves.

I discovered this lovely place when I was walking around the Barrio de las Letras, during a nice Sunday morning. I’d never seen it before, or at least, I had never paid attention.

Its history has a very long tail… It’s a three centuries history actually! That long ago this little spot was the cemetery of the San Sebastian Church. The graveyard kept existing the same way until the last years of the 19th century. It was 1889 when the Martin family (owner of the site) decided to rent it to the church to make a garden center. From then onwards its walls made on glass could tell us a lot about loads of adventures and misterious stories.

It was mentioned by Benito Pérez Galdós (Spanish writer from the 20s) in his novel “Misericordia” and the place still keeps the intimacy of the old cemetery along with the essence of its great past. The business never closed its doors, not once. It was open even during the Civil War in Spain.

Nowadays is a dream place, a lovely garden where besides purchase beautiful flowersm you can enjoy arquitectura and the peace that comes out its walls. Imagine being surrounded by calm, serenity, green color and the most amazing style, in the heart of one of the most fabulous neighborhoods in town.

El jardín del Angel (The Garden of The Angel)

C/ Huertas 2

Madrid 28012

www.jardindelangel.es

Giant

Posted on 11 June, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1956.

Director: George Stevens.

Stars:

Rock Hudson (Jordan Benedict).

Elizabeth Taylor (Leslie Benedict).

James Dean (Jett Rink).

Carroll Baker (Luz Benedict).

Dennis Hopper (Jordan Benedict III).

Awards:

Oscar to the Best Director.

Nominated to Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (James Dean), Best Actor in a Leading Role (Rock Hudson), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Mercedes McCambridge), Best Writing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Music.

The movie also won many other nominations and awards you can find here: IMDB

Curiosities:

One night by mid of the shot Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson met for drinks. The following morning at 5 am they had to performance a love scene. Fortunately they didn’t have to talk much, because they both were totally drunk! During the shot a few people from the team felt very emotional because the couple was doing a perfect and emotive performance.

After James Dean’s death, Nick Adams had to get a double for the rest of the scenes left.

Carroll Baker, whose role was as Elizabeth Taylor’s daughter, was in fact older than she was. Dennis Hopper, her son, was only 4 years younger.

Ironically, James Dean made an ad about driving safety. He recommended the viewers “Drive carefully because the life you save could be my own”. Two weeks after that advertisement, he died in a car accident.

Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn were two of the options for the main female character. Rock Hudson chose Elizabeth Taylor though. The candidates for the actor in leading role were William Holden, John Wayne, Forrest Tucker and Sterling Hayden. Clarck Gable was not an option due to his age.

Alan Ladd could have been done Jett Rink’s role. His wife didn’t allow him to do it though. Robert Mitchum and Montgomery Clift were also other possibilities.

Jett Rink’s character was inspired in Glenn McCarthy’s real life, a Texan oil magnate.

The huge painting in the “rancho Benedict” is nowadays in the Hotel Menger in San Antonio, Texas.

James Dean was living his role so much that always wore Jett Rink’s clothes.

The movie was one full year in edition.

Although the first Budget was 2 million dollars, the film ended up costing up to 5. However, the movie was the biggest Warner’s success in cinemas that far.

It was the beginning of the era of big blockbusters. Cinema industry was millionaire and at last after the post-war crisis, there was money to cover all.

Jack Warner decided to produce this epic movie about power, money and the social change, everything because of the discovering of oil in Texas. From the red-neck farmer, who spent the day looking after farm animals, to the much more powerful magnates (equally red-neck guys, though)

The couple in the main role will specially grab your attention. Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor are an unusual pair with a great magnetic attraction over the screen. It’s not weird. They were very good Friends and perfectly knew each other.

This was the last movie for James Dean. He finished his leyend thanks to a role where the insolence and arrogance were his principal feature.

Unfortunately, this huge movie was adapted years later to a small-budget tv series that stole the magnificence of the initial Giant.

This is with no doubt one of the Hollywood blockbuster you cannot miss.

Trailer:

http://youtu.be/efNVpovcZv0

IMAGES:

historiaycine.com

inalonelyplaceencounterswithfilm.wordpress.com

bubblemylicorice.blogspot.com.es

fanpop.com

doctormacro.com

With “I” for “Inca”

Posted on 9 June, 2014 by María López Linares

Inca: Ancient’s inca jewelry, from the pre-Columbian era.

Indian tribes used to make this sort of jewelry with different techniques, depending of the region. The most common material they used was gold or tumbaga (name given by Spaniards to a non specific alloy of gold and copper)

They loved making pendant necklaces, accessories for the nose, ears, masks and so on.

Most of the pieces left are in the Gold Museum of Bogota. The pieces were found in archaeological excavations. Sadly, a huge amount of them were melted by the Spaniards conquerors and taken to Spain as a gift to the Royal Family.

Inca Jewelry comes from some regions in Bolivia, Ecuador and the north of Chile. Historians think it lasted from 1200 until the Spanish conquest by Francisco de Pizarro and the fall of Cuzco in 1533.

When the Inca emperor Atahualpa went in 1532 to Cajamarca to converse with Pizarro, was put in jail. Then Pizarro didn’t have enough and hid a huge amount of gold gathered by the Incas to rescue their emperor. That gold also was melted and sent to Spain in ingots.

Fortunately, a few pieces eluded the catastrophe.

This jewelry was manufactured only to be given away to gods and the emperor.

Have a look at the images to know better this pre-Columbian art.

Your dreamy vintage wedding dress… Now in our new window

Posted on 6 June, 2014 by María López Linares

We’ve just realeased a new shop window design! Since we are in the favourite time of the year for couples to get married, we’ve decided to add a touch of a vintage wedding to it, a retro wedding from the 50s.

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of a very good friend of my family, Paula Vallejo Rey del Castillo, Mrs Esteban, we have today one of the most refined and exquisite wedding dresses from the late 50s. We asked to much of her, we knew it. We were asking to show not only her lovely dress but also the memories that entails to take out such a piece. But she gladly agreed and I think her effort was really worth it. This magnificent dress deserved to be shown to the world, don’t you think so?

This piece was made back in 1957 in chantilly lace and silk tull in the sewing workshop own by Purificacion Sepulveda in Madrid. What really caught my attention was the spectacular 2 meters-long tail in chantilly lace and tull. That detail gives the dress an unusual fall and movement. It was so difficult to make it fit in our shop window!

It also was a bit tricky to take these pictures since the dress, my camera and I didn’t fit in the shop window all at once! You can imagine how superb this piece is.

We’d love to show it to you in person, and chat with you about how fashion was that time. So don’t hesitate to come and see me at C/Claudio Coello, 60 in Madrid if you plan to be around any time soon!

If you also have a vintage dress like this one and you’d love to see it in our shop window, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll be glad to show it to the world if you take part in our iniciative.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Vintage by López Linares

Pure vintage Blog

Author Archives: María López Linares

The Apartment

Designing Woman

Toni Catany

With J: Jewel or “Jewelry”

The Prince and the Showgirl

The Last Torch Song

The Garden of the Angel

Giant

With “I” for “Inca”

Your dreamy vintage wedding dress… Now in our new window