With H: “Huevo de Pascua” (Easter Egg)

Posted on 26 May, 2014 by María López Linares

A “Huevo de Pascua” (Easter Egg) is a unique jewel for exhibits made by the Russian jeweller Carl Fabergé. Those eggs were made in gold, glaze and precious stones.

This artisan created 69 easter eggs between 1885 and 1917. 61 out of them are still well preserved.

By Easter in 1883, Tzar Alexander III ordered to the artisan jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé a very special egg to give away to his wife, the Tzarina Maria. The eventual gift was an egg with a Shell in platinum that had a smaller egg in it, this time in gold. This last egg had inside a hen in miniature wearing the Russian Imperial Crown. The Tzarina liked it so much that Alexander III ordered Fabergé to make a new one every Easter.

In total, Tzar Alexander gived 11 eggs to his wife. Then, his son Nicolas II kept this tradition ordering more eggs to give away to his wife and mother.

The 57 eggs made by the Fabergé House had a little gift inside: a replica of a Tzar’s belonging.

Lately a Fabergé egg made under the order of the Rothschild family reached a price of 18 million dollars in an auction in the Christie’s House in London.

The surprising anecdote heppened when an American scrap dealer bought with no knowledge one of those eggs: a jewel carved in gold and decorated with diamonds and zaphires ordered by Alexander III as a gift for his wife, the tzarina Maria Feodorovna in 1887. The merchant bought it in a street market with the purpose of selling the gold by weight. Afortunately he couldn’t do it since nobody paid as much as he did to buy the piece.

Over the years, thanks to the Internet, this man found the origin of the piece and decided to travel to London to sell the jewel for the breath-taking amount of 20 million pounds.

Here’s the link to this incredible story: Dailymail.co.uk

We have miniature replicas of this jewel. They are actually among the most liked in our space!

To Catch a Thief

Posted on 21 May, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1955.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock.

Stars:

Cary Grant (John Robie).

Grace Kelly (Frances Stevens).

Jessie Royce Landis (Jessie Stevens).

John Williams (H. H. Hughson).

Awards:

Oscar to Best Cinematography, Color.

Also nominated to the Oscar to Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color and Best Costume Design.

Nominada to the Satellite Award for Best Classic DVD in 2009.

Alfred Hitchcock was nominated to the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1955.

Nominated to the Writers Guild of America Awar to the Best Writter American Comedy in 1956.

Curiosities:

The road where the chase with Cary Grant was shot was the same where Grace Kelly died.

The actress Brigitte Auber shows off about being younger than Grace Kelly in the scene with the floating platform. The Princess was only one year and a half older.

The acress Jessie Royce Landis makes the role of mother-in-law to be. In the movie North by Northwest she plays the role of the mother.

According to the script, Cary Grant should be 35 years old. He was 50 in real life.

John Robie says in one of the scenes of the movie that he was a trapeze artista in an European Circus. That was a detail taken from Cary Grant’s real life.

The two main characters are considered the eithgth hottest couple in cinema.

The French actor Charles Vanel (Bertani) didn’t speak English. He had to be doubled.

Grace Kelly’s car in the movie is a Sunbeam-Talbot Alpine Sports Mk I roadster.

In the first scenes a black cat intentionally appear. John Robie was known as “the cat”.

Alfred Hitchcock shows himself sat in a bus close to Cary Grant

Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar. He always was ignored by Hollywood like a few other actors. He however ended up becoming into the best director in the history of Cinema.

Cary Grant is magnificent in his role of a white-glove thief. Grace Kelly was not the only one who felt in love with him in the movie because of his character. Many women from that epoque also did. No one else but the great Gentleman Cary Grant could have played the role of that lovely thief.

And also Grace Kelly seems to fit perfectly in the role of a manipulative and cold woman.

Comedy, adventures, action and intrigue… And a romance with a happy ending of course.

This is Cinema made with a very good taste.

Unforgettable scenes:

Images:

www.cinematte.com.es

www.elantepenultimomohicano.com

blogtomados.wordpress.com

Philippe Halsman

Posted on 28 April, 2014 by María López Linares

This month the protagonist has been Sylvia Pares, from El Objetivo Magico. She chose Philippe Halsman as our master to copy in the photographic proyect in April. And I’ve had again the help of Monia Giannini as my main model. To be honest, it’s because of her that this challenge has been possible to achieve. Her contribution this month has been even more enthusiastic than the past month with Sarah Moon.

Also I can’t forget to mention other contributors like the restorer Gustavo Santano, who prepared for us the bird made in cardboard that we used in the Tipi Hedren’s picture. Rodrigo, on the other hand posed in front of the camera with a young Marlon Brandon style.

Let me tell you a bit more about Philippe Halsman, our hero this month. He started his career as a Photographer in Paris back in the 30s. He loved using a innovative reflex-style camera with double lense that he designed himself. Halsman opened his own study in 1934.

When France was defeated in 1940 he had to leave the country and reached the United States thanks to Albert Einstein’s help. Over there he got started a metheoric career that took him to be the protagonist in 101 covers of the magazine Life. In addition he was required to take photos of the most relevant politicians and other celebrities in the country, like Marylin Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, The Kennedy family among others.

Halsman also cooperated with Salvador Dali for 37 years. As a result, they launched loads of unusual photos named in series like Dali Atomicus or Dali’s Mustache… I had the chance to watch a few of them in a showroom last Summer in Madrid.

By the beginning of the 50s, Halsman started asking their models to jump right in the moment of the shot. These unique and full of energy images have become in an important part of his legacy.

All my colleagues from El Objetivo Magico and myself decided by the mid of the month to take photos of people jumping. It was the funniest experience in months!

If you have a camera nearby, just try it with family and friends!

Loads of laughs are guaranteed…

Vera Cruz

Posted on 23 April, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1954.

Director: Robert Aldrich.

Stars:

Gary Cooper (Benjamin Trane).

Burt Lancaster (JoeErin).

Denise Darcel (Condesa Marie Duvarre).

Cesar Romero (Marques Henri de Labordere).

Sara Montiel (Nina).

Curiosities:

Gary Cooper always complained of working with Sara Montiel. He ensured she smelt badly and that she never washed her hair.
It was the first movie in Superscope format, the predecesor of Super 35’.
Sometimes this film has been known as “the first spaghetti western” due to the influence of Italian directors like Sergio Leone.
Clark Gable recommended to Gary Cooper not to work with Burt Lancaster. “That boy will eclipse you on screen”, he said. Ironically, Gable did work with Lancaster later in another movie.
Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson decided to go buying tobaco when they where acting, which meant they had to saddle the horse and go dressed and armed like that to the closest city. On the way a truck full of federal officers thought they were bandits and they hold them prisoners.
The visual effects team used too much explosives to make a bridge blow, so many that some pieces reached Gary Cooper who was hurt.
Although the Emperor Maximiliano was represented with an age of 54 years old in the movie, he died at 34 for real.

I’m not the kind of western fans, but when I got the list of vintage movies to review I thought I couldn’t leave aside our Spanish most well-known and international actres before Penelope Cruz.

Sara Montiel is very beautiful and really shine in her role as a young Mexican who lives thanks to little robberies. With no doubt, Sara eclipses the rest of the women stars of the movie and becomes in the true main woman character of Vera Cruz.

The film is really entertaining. I was surprised of Gary Cooper not doing a role as the good boy, although he isn’t the bad bad boy either. To be honest, I liked him better than Lancaster and he is the perfect half for Sara Montiel.

Lancaster, with his usual cynical and sarcastic style plays the role of a very common thug.

Back in the time of the release, it was a very violent movie (over the average). I’m sure it’s an icon for all western genre lovers.

Official Trailer:

By the way, I’ve been purchasing all movies I’ve been talking about along this blog, although you can find this entire one on YouTube. Here’s the link in case someone wants to see our Sara Montiel in her earlier years on cinema.

http://youtu.be/rg5KguVXIQU

Images:

Canaltcm.com

Montielprimerplano.blogspot.com

Abc

How to Marry a Millionaire

Posted on 16 April, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1953.

Director: Jean Negulesco.

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe (PolaDebovoise).

Betty Grable (Loco Dempsey).

Lauren Bacall (Schatze Page).

David Wayne (Freddie Denmark).

RoryCalhun (Eben).

Awards:

Nominated for 1 Oscar to the Best Costume Design, Color (1954)

Nominated for a Bafta to the Best Film from any Source (1955)

Nominated for the WGA (Writers Guild of America) Award to the Best Written American Comedy.

Curiosities:

When Lauren Bacall says as part of the script “I’ve always liked older men like the one in The Queen of Africa” she was refering to her husband for real, Humphrey Bogart.
This is one of the first movies shot in stereo audio format.
And the first film shot in Cinemascope, although The Robe was released first.
How To Marry a Millionaire has 254 scenes, too many of them for that time.
Lauren Bacall, who had been a model before being an actress gave a lesson on how to be models to the other two actresses.
This is the third movie where Betty Grable plays a role as a model looking for a millionaire to marry to.

A perfect movie with all ingredients to succeed in theatres: Three beautiful actresses and a very entertaining plot.

Luxury, a bunch of money, glamour and beauty along with the Cinemascope made of this movie a very “rich” one, not focusign just in how rich their masculin characters were.

The country was living a very happy time and this film shows it off. Marylin Monroe was splendid, she’s been my favourite actress in the movie. She demonstrates once again she was born to make comedy. She’s the most charming naive in the history of cinema.

Lauren Bacall and her slim body gives the group the credibility they needed. And Betty Grable “the girl whose legs worth a million dollars” adds the smart point to the perfect trio.

I can’t forget to mention the extraordinary custom design. I think I’d get any and all of the party dresses you see in the movie. The man behind this good taste was William Travilla. No wonder why he got the nomination to the Oscars.

A very funny comedy that achieved a tremendous success in theatres. Besides, I’ve loved it!

Official trailer:

Images from the Premiere:

Unforgettable scenes:

http://youtu.be/-oyJHM5RtbA

Images:

sensacine.com

cianuroespumoso-alexandra.blogspot.com

vickielester.com

listal.com

rafaelcastillejo.com

With G for “Gemelos” (Cufflinks)

Posted on 14 April, 2014 by María López Linares

Cufflink: A fastener made with two pieces linked to a little rod or through a small chain. It’s used to close the cuffs in a shirt.

The cufflinks are designed only to be used when the shirt has buttonholes in both cuffs but they don’t have actual buttons. These cufflinks can be single or double and you can wear them either one in front of the other (like kissing) or overlapped. The most preferred ones are the first kind.

These pieces of jewelry are tipycally used by men. However, women have also adapted them to their style.

According to the National Cufflink Society there is proof of use of cufflinks in ancient hieroglyphs found in the King Tut’s tomb. Nevertheless cufflinks as we know them today started being used during the 18th Century.

It was the invention of the stamping machine with vapor along with the electrometallurgy and the Guilloché’s turning machine that the kind of cufflinks we know today were able to be created. As for that moment, the process was handmade.

By the middle of the 19th Century this piece was popularize when French cuff shirts were fashionable – they still are today -. In that epoque was common to save a hair lock from a missed lover within the cufflink as a sign of shame and nostalgia.

In 1880, George Krementz registered in America a device to mass-produce buttons and cufflinks. As a consequence, from the mid 19th century onwards men in the middle and upper clases wore cufflinks. All of a sudden, most businesses in the US were ordering cufflinks for advertising purposes or as a gift for their clients.

Already in the 20th Century the fashion was to wear glazed coloured cufflinks made from gemstones. Artisans from Fabergé House travelled to America and Europe trying to teach worldwide this technique to be used in men jewelry.

If you are interested in the history of cufflinks and how they evolved over the years, don’t miss the Cufflink Museum in Conway (New Hampshire) where you’ll find over 70,000 pairs. I couldn’t find the website but if I finally do it, I’ll add it here as soon as possible.

One of the most completed collections I’ve heard of is the one belonging to the English Royal Family. There are three generations of kings in just one show of cufflinks, including the Eduardo VII, Jorge V and Eduardo VIII’s regins and their heirs. Nowadays is being extended by the current Prince of Wales.

Cufflinks are an elegant, discrete and long-lasting gift. It’s a memory for a whole life, a jewel that will pass from you to your heirs. They will live on.

Mogambo

Posted on 9 April, 2014 by María López Linares

Mogambo

Year: 1953.

Director: John Ford.

Stars:

Clark Gable (Victor Marswell).

Ava Gardner (Eloise Y. Kelly).

Grace Kelly (Linda Nordley).

Donald Sidney (Donald Nordley).

Awards:

It was nominated for two Oscars to Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly).

Grace Kelly won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Curiosities:

Grace Kelly and Clark Gable had a little romance during the shooting of the movie.

Ava Gardner had an abortion during the shooting. The father was Frank Sinatra.

Due to the Spanish censorship in that time, that didn’t allow scenes of any kind of adultery, introduced the Kelly-Sidney’s marriage like brother and sister. However, they appeared together in a bed in one of the scenes of the movie.

Maureen O´Hara was supposed to act in the role of Ava Gardner’s although Metro Goldwyn Mayer had a compromise with Ava Gardner and gave her this film. John Ford didn’t like the decision and was very rude with the actress.

Most of the film was shot in the Hollywood studios.

This is the first out of the two movies that MGM shot without soundtrack.

Love, infidelity and jelousy… The jungle makes the man wilder. With many of the greatest stars of the time, the master of masters John Ford takes us to the African jungle with a trio formed by two women and a man.

A visibly older but handsome, brave and seductive Clark Gable competes under my opinion with Ava Gardner to win attention. Ava is marvellous in her role, showing off femininity, friendliness, slyness and a lot of sexual attraction. A beautiful wild cat who becomes in the undeniable main character of the movie, opposite to the boring and naive Grace Kelly. No wonder why she was known in Hollywood as “the frozen fire” Ava eclipses the rest of the stars. She is superb in her role.

I’m pretty sure the photography that Robert Surtees catched was surprisingly amazing for that epoque. The tour he does across the African jungle left open-mouthed to many of the viewers back in the 50s.

I choose Ava, with no doubt. I really think she deserved to win an Oscar with this acting, although that year the Oscar went to Audrey Hepburn and her Roman Holyday.

Official Trailer:

Unforgettable scenes:

Images:

doctormacro.com

vanitatis.elconfidencial.com

josecarlosrincon.blogspot.com.es

www.elcriticon.es

amoviescrapbook.blogspot.com.es

Images of the main characters in the Kenyan reservation where part of the film was shot. Very interesting!

www.carrhartley.com

Roman Holiday

Posted on 2 April, 2014 by María López Linares

Year:1953

Director: William Wyler.

Stars:

Gregory Peck (Joe Bradley).

Audrey Hepburn (Princes Ann).

Eddie Albert (Irving Radovich).

Awards:

It won the Oscar for the Best Actress in a Leading Role (Audrey Hepburn), Best Writing and Best Costume Design.

The movie also got many other awards I invite you to check in the IDBM website

Curiosities:

Gregory Peck suggested that Audrey Hepburn should be over him on the credits. He knew she was going to win an Oscar.
William Wyler used to shot the same scene once and again. That didn’t happen with the “Mouth of Truth” scene though, when Gregory Peck hid his hand under his sleeve and Audrey Hepburn’s reaction was totally natural and unexpected. The scene was not repeated.
It was the first American movie entirely shot in Italy.
The scene in the Embassy took real Italian nobles who donated their salaries to charity. The last scene about the press conference, the journalists are also real ones.
Wyler was about to cancel the project because he just wanted Jean Simmons but she was not available.
It’s the forth film out of the 10 best romántica comedies of all times, according to the American Film Institute.
Cary Grant was one of the options for the main character, although he was already too old for the role. Years later he worked with Audrey Hepburn in Charade and the became close friends.

Roman Holiday is a seductive and elegant romantic comedy that pushed its main character and the city up to the icons of Hollywood.

The movie was thought to be shot in Hollywood and starred by a first level actress, such as Elizabeth Taylor, among others. But Wyler insisted on making it in Roma, since the expenses would be lower if they shot in black and White and hired a totally stranger.

To being the first film where the young and charming Audrey Hepburn was main character, it was a complete success for critics, public and the Academy. She played her role like if it perfectly fitted her: an European Princess who join a journalist to go in search of adventures across the city. Of course the journalist ended up totally in love with her.

We can’t forget those fabulous scenes over the Vespa or the funny scene in the Mouth of Truth. The movie is like a beautiful fairy tail adapted to reality.

Audrey’s true innocence was legendary and the reason public would adore her forever.

With an impeccable photography, the film walk through the city of Rome and show us some of its most popular places. The scene where both characters cross the city on a Vespa caused the worldwide interest in that vehicle.

It’s one of the most touching ends I’ve seen so far…

In the image:

Audrey wears a wedding dress that never used eventually. While she was acting for Roman Holiday she was about to get marry with James Hanson, a playboy from London. However they broke up just a couple of weeks before the wedding.

Audrey asked one of the designers (Zoe Fontana) to give her wedding dress to other girl who cannot afford herself a dress like that. The fortunate was Amabile Altobello, a 20 years-old girl who lived right outside Rome. The dress was in auction in 2009 and was sold for 16,000 euros.

Source: Smoda.elpais.com

Unforgettable scenes:

http://youtu.be/K3qYbzIZJEc

Audrey while receiving the Oscar:

Images:

Stripdancing.es

Filmarinar

Elpatiodebutacas.blogspot.com.es

Contraquerencia.blogspot.com.

Smoda.elpais.com

Sala66.tumblr.com

Sarah Moon

Posted on 24 March, 2014 by María López Linares

I guess you’ve never heard of her before but let me give you a few spots, show you some of her photos and you’ll soon realize you did know her work. You’ll feel you do know her.

Sarah Moon is the photographer who was behind the Anais-Anais from Cacharel launch campaign. Do you remember those romantic images that appeared together with the parfum? Those images that quickly became an icon back in the 80s? Well, all of them were shot by her.

She, Sarah, is an artist with a very special personality and her photos are unmistakable. She’s got international fame thanks to her rich, refined, smart and unique style.

The use of Polaroid films and the personal treatment she stamps over the negatives end in pictures that seem to be withdrawn from the past: black and white shots without actual white to dress all kind of scenerios and techniques like vignettes, out-of-focus photos, close eyes, blurry faces and rooms but overall, elegance, a bunch of elegance.

“Very often I envy those who know how to take shots of the life. I refuse it. I start from nothing, don’t testify about nothing. I make up a story that don’t tell about. I imagine a situation that doesn’t exist. I create a place and remove other. I move the light, unmake and then, try again…” Sarah Moon.

And now that you already know a bit more about Sarah Moon, let me tell you my story with her and her work over the past month.

I fall in love with her work from the very first second I knew about it, with all her photos. Then I started gathering in a folder those I wanted to reproduce, but that folder was getting heavier and heavier… I realized I needed a model, someone that let me catch Sarah’s essence, the beauty of her images, her serenity and hypersensitivity. So I called my friend Monica Gianninni. I told her my plan and she didn’t hesitate. She just accepted.

I was excited and truly nervous I have to admit. I went to her place with all my stuff: fabrics, head-dresses, powder compacts, scarves… The session took us over four hours out in her balcony. Monica is not only very pretty in the outside, as you can see in the photos, but also is very sensible and a has a special way to express and show beauty. That helped me a lot and made my work much easier.

Every time we meet we laugh out of loud but that evening we were very tired. According to Monica, the work of a model is very hard, and she is right. She got the essence of any of the roles she had to perform and played it brilliantly. A thousand thanks to Monica. Without her this project would not have been this good.

I shot the second half of the photos with Carola at home: I just needed a white sheet, a little spotlight at the background and my flash. I loved this session for the delicate style. Sarah Moon did this work for the Vogue magazine a few years ago.

Then, I spent many hours editing with my Friends of adventures. The group in Facebook has been very active over the last weeks. Everyone wants to recommend something, suggest beautiful ideas… The work that my colleagues have done is just breathtaking. I’m talking here from my heart, don’t miss the photos of the rest of the group because they’re really worth it.

Here’s the link to Verónica´s blog, also to Araceli and Eva. Have also a look at the Beatriz , Iratxe, Sylvia and Sara´s Flickr profile, and enjoy their wonderful work.

And of course, our joint blog: El Objetivo Mágico.

Another incredible month…

Special thanks to Mima Molina who taught be about Sarah Moon. She is her photographer but unfortunately Mima couldn’t take part this month in our project for a personal reason.

Also thank you very much to each of you that follow this exciting project every day.

Singin in the Rain

Posted on 22 March, 2014 by María López Linares

Year: 1952.

Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly.

Stars:

Gene Kelly (Don Lockwood).

Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Selden).

Donald O´Connor (Cosmo Brown).

Jean Hagen (Lina Lamont).

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars in 1953: Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Golden Globe in 1953 to Donald O’Connor as Best Motion Picture Actor in a Musical/Comedy.

The movie also won many other awards that you can check in the IDBM website.

Curiosities:

Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds because, according to his criteria, she apparently didn’t know how to dance. Fred Astaire found her crying in the study and tried to help her.

The mytic scene from Singin’ In The Rain took a whole day to get it ready. Despite Gene Kelly had temperatura, the sequence was taken in just one shot, which is exactly what you can see in the film.

After performing the scene “Makeemlaugh”, Donald O´Connor was hospitalized because of exhaustion. He used to smoke 4 packs of cigarettes per day.

Donald O´Connor recognized he didn’t like to work together with Gene Kelly, since he found him very tyrant.

After the “Good Morning” show, Debbie Reynolds had to be taken to her dressing room with blood in her feet. However, Gene Kelly forced her to repeat the tap dancing sounds.

Debbie Reynolds was only 19 years old, living still with her parents. She used to woke up at 4 am to go to the study after a long way (she had to take 3 buses). Sometimes she even prefered to stay in the study overnight.

The original film was burnt in a fire.

Cyd Charisse has to learn how to smoke to act in the scene together with Gene Kelly.

This movie is the fith in the Rank of best films of the History, according to The American Film Institute, and in the 10th position according to Entertainment Weekly. However both companies agree that it is the best musical ever.

The Directors actually thought first of Judy Garland, June Allyson and Ann Miller for the role of Kathy Selden, buta ll of them were too old. They also thought in Jane Powell and Leslie Caron.

Debbie Reynolds had to use onion in the last scene whe she had to cry.

It’s the best musical comedy of all times. Period. Gene Kelly is sensational. He was perfectionist and demanding both with himself and the rest of the crew. That way he reached the highest level on the cast performance.

He also was much more atlethic than Fred Astaire, and his scenes are just spectacular. It’s also worth the mention of the amazing cast that joined Gene Kelly: Donald O’Connor makes an excellent performance making us laugh out of loud and the very young Debbie Reynolds perfectly knew how to accomplish the hard role she had to perform.

Some musical scenes you can’t miss: “Makeemlaugh”, “Mosessupposses”, “GoodMorning”, the spectacular legs of Cyd Charisse and of course, the show star in the movie: “Singin’ in the rain”.

Unforgettable…

Memorable scenes:

Images::

http://www.mubis.es

http://www.cinemaseries.es

http://cinemafilmesclub.blogspot.com.es

Vintage by López Linares

Pure vintage Blog

Tag Archives: vintage

With H: “Huevo de Pascua” (Easter Egg)

To Catch a Thief

Philippe Halsman

Vera Cruz

How to Marry a Millionaire

With G for “Gemelos” (Cufflinks)

Mogambo

Roman Holiday

Sarah Moon

Singin in the Rain