Mildred Pierce

Posted on 22 January, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1945

Director: Michael Curtiz

Cast:

Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce)

Jack Carson (Wally Fay)

Zachary Scott (Monte Beragon)

Eve Arden (Ida Corwin)

Ann Blyth (Veda Pierce)

Awards:

Oscar in 1945 for the best actress (Joan Crawford). Nominated for the best film, best supporting actress (Ann Blyth and Eve Arden), best script and best photography.
Awarded by the National Board of Review in 1945 for the best actress. (Joan Crawford).
Second award for the best actress in 1946 to Joan Crawford by the National Film Critics Circle Awards.

Curious Facts:

However strange it may sound with the film career she already had, Joan Crawford had to make several screen tests in order to do the film.

Shirley Temple and Virginia Wedler were considered for the part of Vera Pierce.

The House of Monte was owned by Michael Curtiz.

Michael Curtiz did not want to work with Joan Crawford because of her reputation as a difficult actress. Due to the actress’s hard work and dedication, it did not take him long to realize his mistake.

Before she became an actress, Joan Crawford was a waitress and sales assistant.

Warner did not want to work with Ann Blyth, who had a contract with Universal. However, Joan Crawford insisted, and showed Ann in her previous screen tests so that they would contract her.

Joan Crawford, who won an Oscar for best actress, did not attend the ceremony because of a supposed case of pneumonia. Some people say this was not true as the actress just did not want to feel humiliated at not winning the award. When she found out, she jumped out of bed and got ready to receive the press.

I had not seen this film before. I think it’s one of the few titles from the list of 52 films I have prepared of which I had no reference whatsoever.

I have read in numerous specialized blogs that this is Joan Crawford’s best film, her best interpretation and the climax of her acting career, without belittling her other titles such as, A Woman’s Face or Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. I think they have a point. It is certainly my favorite Joan Crawford performance until now. It is, therefore, with good reason that she was awarded the Oscar from the Hollywood Academy.

The film is a profound reflection of how bad family upbringing can affect a person’s formation, destroy them for life and make them a miserable human being. The interpretive duel between a mature Crawford and her perverse young daughter, played by Ann Blyth, is impressive. Theirs is a destructive relationship between a suffering mother and her devouring, selfish and blood-sucking young girl.

Ann Blyth gives life to a beautiful but hateful young girl, and her interpretation is so fabulous that on more than one occasion you feel like going through the screen and punching her, something which her mother fails to do.

The film tells us a tale of women, and of their lonely struggle to move forward after a divorce. It also shows their tireless fight alone, and their quest to push their children through any hardship whilst ensuring they have everything they need. The women forever think about their children both before and after they think about themselves.

This is a film, like no other, that represents the hard sacrifice forced upon the majority of American women in a time in which the war took, and in many cases never returned, their husbands, thus loading them with all the responsibilities of taking care of the whole family’s survival. A very well-deserved Oscar.

Mildred Pierce is a film which stops you and makes you think about how we are raising our children…

SCENES:

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/316587/Mildred-Pierce-Movie-Clip-Take-A-Swim.html

IMAGES:

True Classic, Cornel1801.com, Film Actually. com, Felicelog. Blogspot.com, Acertain Cinema.com

With A: Aderezo (Jewelry Suite)

Posted on 16 January, 2014 by María López Linares

“My Vintage Dictionary”

Aderezo: a harmonious set made up of various pieces, normally containing a necklace, ring, bracelets and earrings.

In France, two types of jewelry suites can be distinguished: “Grande Parure”, consisting of a tiara, brooch or jewel for the breast area, earrings, necklace and two identical bracelets; and the “Petit Parure”, consisting of a necklace, earrings and brooch.

We call any matching jewelry combination a suite, which would usually be made up of a necklace, earrings, a bracelet and a ring.

They are sets on which more work is invested than usual, seeing as gems must be found that coordinate in both color and texture.

It is more common to talk of jewelry suites for the female gender, however, we can also find masculine ones consisting of cufflinks, a tie clip, and key ring or pendant.

The last reproduction we did of a Baroque style suite consists of a necklace, bracelet and earrings. This suite is made from brass and semi-precious stones, and entirely handmade by our expert goldsmiths.

Images: @María Vintage Photography

To be, or not to be

Posted on 15 January, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1942

Director: Ernst Lubitsch.

Cast:

Carole Lombard (Maria Tura).

Jack Benny (Joseph Tura).

Robert Stack (Teniente Sobinski).

Awards:

Nominated an Oscar for the best soundtrack (1942).

Curious Facts:

It was Carole Lombard’s last film. Due to the fact that she died in a plane crash, the phrase “what can happen on a plane?” was eliminated.
Miriam Hopkins was chosen for the role of Maria Tura, but she turned it down as she thought the part wasn’t funny.
Premiere magazine qualified it as one of the 50 best comedies of all time in 2006.
Clark Gable didn’t want his wife to play the part of Maria Tura. Carole Lombard said that she had never felt so happy in her life.

Together with Chaplin’s The Dictator, nobody had dared to parody the most ruthless dictator in the history of humanity. In this case, Lubitsch, with all his usual elegance, ridicules the man that did so much harm to mankind. He makes the theatre company venture into the lion’s den, collaborating with the resistance to help fight against the Nazis.

As always Carole Lombard plays a part that fits her like a glove. There are many extremely fun and enjoyable scenes, especially the one which is repeated at the beginning and end of the film when Robert Stack gets up from his seat and starts his Shakespeare monologue. It is a memorable scene which I hope to find for you on Youtube.

It is a very daring comedy for the period. It was released in February 1942 in the middle of the Second World War, and was instantly a huge success with both the critics and the public.

It was Carole Lombard’s last film as she died on the 16th January 1942 when she returned from Indiana, her home state, where she had gone to support the military actions against the Nazi army and sell warbonds. Carole lost her life together with her mother, her attorney and 20 others in a plane crash.

She was 33 years old and left behind a desolate and widowed Clark Gable, who would soon join the American troops deployed in Europe.

President Roosevelt stated that she was the first woman to fall in the Second World War, and they awarded her with the Medal of Freedom. This fact meant that some of the dialogues were changed, in post-production, when she asked: What can happen on a plane?

I can assure you that you will enjoy your time with her.

Memorable scenes from the film:

http://youtu.be/q6Bt4xHwFOQ

http://youtu.be/P7sioGWq4bY

Images:

Bandeja de Plata, Josito Montez Blogspot , Es Globedia , Wikipedia

In Forcall, two surprising things happened to me

Posted on 13 January, 2014 by María López Linares

In Forcall, two surprising things happened to me. The first was meeting Pep Orti. Pep stopped me in the street, it was 9:00am and I had been taking shots of the small treasures I was discovering around the town. His invitation was direct: “if you like photography, perhaps you would like to photograph my museum”. After passing by the hotel for breakfast I quickly returned, I soon found myself inside a small premise on the street of with traditional town houses of this area.

Pep’s small museum had been created upon his father’s (Florenci Orti) initiative. A wide space with very high ceilings, and a dim and subtle light that encased each piece, different tools of all types and periods including traditional farming tools, which Florencio had been collecting and restoring throughout his entire life. Pep told me how the majority of the pieces exhibited there had arrived in his hands; through small exchanges and bartering with the neighbors in the area. A lifetime of compiling and restoring all sorts of tools traditionally used for slaughters, grapevine cultivation, transport, shoemaking, farming…

Florenci, now retired, is an espadrille expert as was his wife and parents. All of them created the traditional “espardeñas” (– a traditional canvas shoe with a hemp or jute sole secured to the foot by straps). These shoes, worn by all in Forcall and the rest of the region, were used for both parties and work. Pep continues and maintains this tradition, sporadically doing workshops for those interested in this shoemaking craft. That exact same weekend he had planned to do one, and had prepared all the material ready to receive his students who were each going to leave with a beautiful pair of espadrilles handcrafted by them.

The top part of the premises accommodates a very complete exhibition of tools used to treat the fibers and all other tasks carried out by an espadrille maker. Pep’s father’s, mother’s and grandmother’s work seats are all exhibited there, like a small display of espadrilles from different periods.

I left with a fantastic feeling, excited to see how someone had had the sensitivity to select, compile, and classify all those elements that had formed part of the work, culture and life of the town with so much care and attention. It is these little stories that are able to make me happy and give sense not only to one day but to a whole trip. These small stories are the ones that reach me deep inside and it also excites me to hear about the main characters in them.

I leave you with some images that I captured while Pep explained to me, in full detail, the history of each and every piece displayed there upon his father, Florenci’s, initiative.

Many thanks to Florenci for compiling and ordering all these small testimonies of the life and work of his region, and also to Pep for maintaining, caring for, and spreading his legacy with so much careful attention.

My Vintage Dictionary

Posted on 9 January, 2014 by María López Linares

We are starting 2014 off with a project about which I am extremely excited. Since last summer, I have been going round in circles trying to think of a way to unite my passion for photography with the my passion for the world of Vintage.

For me, Vintage is a synonym for exclusivity, quality, good materials and, of course, craftsmanship. Vintage is the synonym for something well made in the past.

If I think about lace, velvet ribbons, wild flowers, old books, black and white photographs, hidden treasures in a chest, and furniture in an old attic, I am thinking about Vintage.

Vintage photography is a contagious fever. Editing in black and white, sepia or with textures is a whole art form, which takes us back to the beginning of photography when each photo was revealed without really knowing what was going to be found.

It was this passion for photography that lead me to create “My Vintage Dictionary”, a dictionary illustrated with photographs that try to recover the essence of antique, well-made pieces of jewelry.

The project will continue for a while. The idea is to create a series of photographs for each entry, special photographs with that retro air that I so love to give them, also to include a brief description which will help you understand better the origins and essence of each of the terms.

The manual work, well-made things, taste for details, and perfect finishes… these are the essences of Vintage and what I am going to try and transmit through “My Vintage Dictionary”.

I hope it will help in understanding a little more why I am so in love with this style, and also that you can join me in enjoying the magic that it transmits.

I await you all with “A” for “Aderezo” (Suite of jewelry)…

Casablanca

Posted on 8 January, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1942

Director: Michael Curtiz

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart: Rick Blane

Ingrid Bergman: Ilsa Lund

Paul Henreid: Victor Laszlo

Claude Rains: Captain Louis Renault

Conrad Veidt: Mayor Heinrish Strasser

Casablanca is considered by many to be one of the best films of all times, despite its slightly bland script, a plot hard to believe, the highly sentimental almost corny love story, and some very corrupted characters (the French captain who gambles despite it being illegal, the club owner who allows gambling and controls who wins, and the club’s atmosphere where everything is bought and sold to the highest bidder.

Casablanca is, without a doubt, a film with a twisting plot. The speed with which these twists occur have perhaps succeeded in making this film the classic that it is.

When it seems as though nothing else is going to happen, something unexpected occurs. Not in vain, the script used to change every day, it took an excessively long time and amount of money, which resulted in a never-ending film. The actors arrived and even they did not know what they were going to do on the day. Without a doubt, the cynical Humphrey Bogart becomes the absolute star of this film. Only he could have played Rick, and only he could have managed the situation, solved the problem and left the case blamelessly. Only Humphrey Bogart could leave a girl after her having previously left him tossed aside like a cigarette end, and still he comes across as an authentic gentleman.

It was very difficult for me to choose only one most memorable scene from the film. However, I finally decided upon the most exciting sequence, at least for me:

It is impossible not to become emotional when Gestapo sings the Nazi hymn in front of a group of officials in “Rick’s Cafe”, Laszlo and the rest of the French clients stand up and begin to sing “The Marseillaise” until they manage to reduce the German’s voices to a mere whisper. I never thought that hearing the French anthem would make me so emotional, but I can tell you that it gave me nots in my stomach along with the odd tear.

The movie contains a script that has the perfect mix of suspense, love and humour. The director, Michael Curtiz, doesn’t lose the rhythm for a single second in a story where the chemistry between the two protagonists does away with everything. In more than 100 years of cinema, one can say that no one has looked at someone with the same passion as Ingrid Bergman shows each time her eyes cross with the strong yet vulnerable Humphrey Bogart.

Bergman enters “Rick’s Cafe”, dressed in white with a beautiful rhinestone brooch with matching gleaming earrings that make her shine even more, if possible. She is like a shining star here, glamorous, elegant and simply perfect.

Claude Rains’ part as the ambiguous and cynical inspector of the policeman Louis Renault is also unforgettable.

A perfect film to share on a quiet Sunday afternoon, if in company – even better…

Awards:

Oscars (1942): Best director, best film, best script.

Nominations: Best actor (Bogart), best supporting actor (Claude Rains), best photography, best editing, best soundtrack.

Memorable scenes from the film:

http://youtu.be/kc02Y4xHWys

Trailer Oficial:

http://youtu.be/TLU41jUnWM4

Images:

Ciclos-decine Blogspost, Dr.Macro, Fila siete.com , Fan-Pop.com, Cineweekly.com

Shakespeare and Company By Claudia Redondo

Posted on 7 January, 2014 by María López Linares

On the banks of the Seine in front of Notre Dame, at number 37 on la rue de la Bucherie: “Shakespeare and Company” is one of the most emblematic places in Paris, and the most famous bookstore in the world. It is also the meeting point for all lovers of literature and bohemian atmospheres.

It is a small bookshop. Two floors with low ceilings, a “small terrace” with two benches and a window display that measures no more than a couple of meters. It is disordered, but it is a cosy type of disorder. The fact of having to walk with care so as not to trip on any books, the worn wooden shelves, the smell of old books, the sliding stairs, and its untidy look distinguish it from a common bookshop to a homely place obligatory to visit when in Paris.

There are books in every corner. There isn’t a single free space. They are in all the window sills, on all the steps, piled on the floor, in wooden boxes and even outside on the street. There are books from all periods: incunables, new and second hand. Also, children’s story books, novels and essays. All in English. Many are sold at very reasonable prices due to the lack of space.

All the time you fancy

A narrow wooden staircase takes you up to the second floor. It isn’t only a bookshop but also a library. “From here, the books are not for sale, they are at your disposition for taking and reading for as long as you want” indicates a sign, right next to a space filled with cushions. On wooden stools, on an old green sofa, or standing against a bookshelf.

It is a space totally free for enjoying a book whilst listening to the keyboard of the typewriter or the sound of piano playing, which all complete the peaceful atmosphere. “It’s marvellous, you feel as if you have been transported back in time as soon as you enter”, states Marta, a Spanish tourist who loves her discovery.

There is only one shop assistant who barely moves from the counter. She doesn’t ask if you need help, if you’re looking for something in particular, or if she can show you to the reading section. After a friendly “Bonjour”, the clients are left on their own free will, making you feel even more at home. Perhaps this has something to do with the other surprising sign in the bookshop: “Do not be rude to the visitors, it may be that they are angels in disguise”, a phrase thought up by the creator.

From the Lost Generation to the “Beat”

The charm of ‘Shakespeare & Co.’ is George Whitman’s work, who had a clear idea from the beginning that the shop would have a cosy rather than commercial attitude. However, its origins belong to the Twenties, when Sylvia Beach was the owner. During this period, writers from the Lost Generation, such as , Hemingway, Fitzgerald or James Joyce frequently visited the bookshop.

Due to the explosion of the Second World War, and, according to what they say, Sylvia Beach did not want to sell Joyce’s last book to a German official, consequently, the bookshop was closed. In 1951, by the hands of Whitman it resurfaced as a cultural literary centre. It accommodated writers from the “Beat Generation”, the “hippies” of the Fifties.

Its biographers can assure that 40,000 young writers have slept within the walls of what can be considered a literary museum. Sixty two years later, it is a great symbol of Bohemian Parisian Life, and, of course, literature.

Article written for our Blog by Claudia Redondo Pérez, a fourth year journalism student at the University of Villanueva and our “Vintage Blogger” of this month.

Many thanks for the collaboration.

Images: @Claudia Redondo

We celebrate Reyes with a very simple contest

Posted on 2 January, 2014 by María López Linares

Follow these steps and participate in the draw to win these beautiful earrings:

Join our Facebook community on this page: Facebook Vintage By López-Linares.

Leave a comment on the photo of the earrings and tell us which of our online shop’s jewels you’d love to wear on New Year’s Eve?

If you want you can share the Facebook post with your friends, we will apreciate it very much.

Easy, fast and…one of the most directly indirect ways to your Christmas surprises!

You have until Sunday 5th at 12am to participate.

The winner will be chosen by the Internet platform Woobox, and will be announced on Facebook on Tuesday December 31th.

Many thanks for participating and wishing the best of luck to all!!

Ball of Fire

Posted on 1 January, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1941

Director: Howard Hawks

Cast:

Gary Cooper (Professor Bertram Potts)

Barbara Stanwyck (Sugarpuss O´Shea)

Oscar Homolka (Professor Gurkakoff)

Henry Travers (Professor Jerome)

S. Z. Sakall (Professor Magenbruch)

Tully Marshall (Professor Robinson)

Leonid Kinskey (Professor Quintana)

Richard Haydn (Professor Oddly)

Aubrey Mather (Professor Peagram)

Barbara Stanwyck, the best actress never to win an Oscar, as she alone defined herself. However, she did win an Honorary Award from the Academy in 1982.

With a chameleonic capacity, Stanwyck once more showed that she could play all sorts of parts, from the most dramatic, in this case, to the craziest comedies.

Gary Cooper, in his role as a good person which gave him so much success, shows once again that he will be sure to triumph in any film that crosses his path. Both actors are magnificent. Stanwyck in the uneducated, ordinary and sexually liberated role of a chorus girl, in the hands of a mafia man who believes her to be part of his property, and Cooper as the shy Professor Potts, totally absorbed by the vulgar charms of Sugarpuss, and ready to follow her to the end of the world.

It is a beautiful film, keeping in line with the master Hawks’ mad comedies. The “yum, yum” scene, in which Stanwyck has to climb upon a stool (Barbara Stanwyck measures 1m 65cm, whilst Cooper reaches 1m 90cm) is absolutely charming.

The entire team’s roles of obsolete and charming professors who accompany Gary Cooper in the making of the encyclopedia is masterly.

It is a perfect film to watch at home on a Sunday afternoon…

Awards:

Nominated in the 1942 Oscars for:

Best actress

Best original script.

Best sound.

Best soundtrack.

Curious Facts:

The punch that Barbara Stanwyck threw at Kathleen Howard was real. Barbara Stanwyck broke her jaw.

The script was written by Billy Wilder whilst he was in Germany. When he emigrated to the United States he sold it to Samuel Goldwyn, who promised him a $10,000 cheque if the film was successful. So it happened and Goldwyn refused to give him the said sum of money (“I never said such thing!”). Later on, he recognised his error and gave Wilder a cheque for… $5000.

Apart from Gary Cooper, the script for the seven professors was inspired by Walt Disney’s Seven Dwarfs.

Ginger Rogers and Carole Lombard turned down the role of Sugarpuss. Lucille Ball wanted to do it, however, Goldwyn preferred Barbara Stanwyck for the part.

Memorable scenes from the film: