An evening with Bing and Fred

I came home for the weekend for a little R&R after a tough semester. While my parents went to a Christmas party, I kept the home fires burning (real wood fireplaces are the only way to go) and settled down to watch a festive movie. I looked through my family's wide selection and settled on the recently re-released Holiday Inn starring my good friends Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. When I opened the case I was faced with 3 different discs, one a CD and two DVDS. I naturally assumed that one disc contained the feature presentation, while the other had the bonus features. But I was wrong. One disc was the Black and White version, and the other was a colour version of the film. A COLOUR VERSION?

In my opinion, films that were released as black and white should remain so, colour should not arbitrarily be imposed. Black and white films have a sense of timelessness and it helps to justify them as "classics" that can be watched over and over again. Adding colour completely changed the tone and atmosphere of a movie. Most movie musicals made in the "Golden Age of Hollywood" had a certain amount of "cheese" and I think adding colour digitally just enhances the cheese factor. To be fair, I haven't watched the colour version of the movie yet to prove this point, but I don't think I will. I like black and white movies.

Just imagine if someone decided it would be a good idea to add colour to Casablanca", which was released in the same year as Holiday Inn, 1942. In an effort to attract the youth of today, they make Bogart's tux powder blue, and his classic trench coat leopard print, this would absolutely ruin the movie.

Consider another favourite B&W movie of mine, Roman Holiday. Just imagine what digitally adding colour could do to this classic film! "Audrey is looking a little pale, let's give her more of tan! And Bogart's leopard print trench was so popular, let's give her a neon green skirt!" The same costume designer created the dresses for Holiday Inn and Roman Holiday, Edith Head, who is, in my opinion, one of the most successful women in the film industry. Knowing that the dresses would be in B&W films, she probably specifically designed dresses so that they would stand out without needing to be in technicolour. In my opinion the dresses are even more elegant in black, white, and shades of grey. Head also used a lot of sparkly fabrics, and who doesn't love sparkly things?

All in all, Holiday Inn was a pretty good holiday movie. There was singing, dancing, a love triangle, and a fairly accurate portrayal of farm life. The nod to the American army, air force, and naval forces was a nice touch for the troops fighting in World War II, but the scene celebrating Lincoln was a little disturbing and very politically incorrect for the 21st century. I just hope that digitally adding colour to B&W movies doesn't become a new trend for studios looking to make a little more money.

*pictures courtesy of imdb.com

Are bookshelves and bookends becoming endangered species?

A few weeks ago, while listening to CBC Radio 3 online, I came across a blog written by Lana Gay, one of the DJ's. She was talking about an episode of Oprah she saw about e-readers and digital books.

In the comments section below, a lot of people brought up things mentioned in Digital History class when we had our own debate on book digitization and e-readers. The smell, the look of books, the way they feel, and most importantly the price are all factors in why some people said they would choose a good old fashioned paperback over a fancy e-reader. One commenter mentioned how it's much nicer to curl up with a book rather than a miniature computer screen.

Some people defended e-readers and the digitization of books by claiming they were better for the environment. Books kill millions of trees, however, unlike paper, a discarded e-reader (with its metal and plastic) will sit in a landfill forever. People like keeping old books on shelves so they can be re-read or shared with friends and family. Once a new and improved e-reader is introduced the old one will go straight into the garbage.

I believe that bookshelves are an integral part of any house. By examining someone's bookshelf you can immediately deduce what their interests, pastimes, and even hobbies. My dad has a room full of books about science fiction, horses, law, and Canadian History (to name a few genres). A few titles on my sister's bookshelf, including: A Life in Full: Richard Nixon by Conrad Black, My Life by Bill Clinton, and The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan, reveal her interest in American politics and history. A bookshelf also has the ability to make you appear intelligent to others (but my sister is actually pretty smart). If all your books are on an e-reader, no one will be able to physcially see that you have excellent taste in literature.

And don't forget about the cool bookends.

In the news today...

I read an article this morning on CBC.ca regarding plans to create a National Portrait Gallery. Apparently various cities across Canada were submitting plans and competing to have the National Portrait Gallery but the competition has since been canceled by the Harper government. As of right now, the paintings are being kept in the Library and Archives Canada, and although it appears LAC has put forth a concentrated effort to make some parts of the collection available online, in my opinion, like books, some things are just better seen in person. The enormity and details of paintings cannot be adequately expressed on a computer screen. Paintings are also meant to be seen, not hidden away in a storage facility, only to be occassionally displayed in an exhibition. The cancellation of the National Portrait Gallery is a grime foreshadowing of what will happen to arts, culture, and heritage under the Harper government.

A rope isn't going to hold me back...

This past Sunday I took part in Eldon House Behind the Ropes program. I found out about this program during Doors Open London. It gives members of the public the opportunity to literally go behind the ropes, venture up to the attic, and creep around the basement. There was only seven us in my group with one tour guide making it a very intimate affair.

The first room where we went beyond the rope was the library. There we could peer into the elaborate cabinet inherited by Lucy Reynolds (who married George Harris) from her very wealthy grandmother. Inside the cabinet were botanical books, filled with hand drawn pictures. Also found in the cabinet were little figurines collected by members of the Harris family on their travels to places like Egypt, India, and Turkey.

Our little group made it through the rest of the first floor, hearing stories and learning secrets about various pieces of furniture and other artifacts. We then made our way upstairs to explore the elegant bedrooms. The rooms are named for the colour which dominates the decor. We entered through the Pink Room and exited through the Blue Room. In the Blue Room features like the praying chair were pointed out, as well as a hidden place to go to the bathroom in the middle of night.

When then ventured up the narrow stairs to the attic. It is now used mainly for the storage of the Harris family's trunks which they took on their travels. Our excellent guide mentioned that she often wondered what kinds of wonderful treasures once inhabited those trunks. Spare bits of wallpaper dating back to the 1800's are also kept in the attic.

From the bright, spacious attic we went to the dank, crowded basement. Being carefully to duck, we were led around, and saw the foundation and original wooden logs that support the house. Also pointed out were the recent upgrades made to the foundation by the City of London to maintain the integrity of the structure.

After the tour was completed (it took about an hour), I had the opportunity to talk about the Harris family with my tour guide. She was extremely helpful, and answered all my questions about how much staff was required to run the household, staff turnover, and regarding the relationship between Lucy Reynolds and various members of the Harris family.

I think that programs like Behind the Ropes are essential to museum institutions. Allowing people to see parts of a museum that are usually hidden encourages repeat visitations. Many museums cannot afford to frequently rotate exhibits, discouraging patrons from coming back as they believe they have "already seen it all." Opening storage or rooms that are usually closed adds something new to see.

I had the privilege of working at the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre in Collections. Every Friday afternoon, myself and the other "Collections girls" opened up Artifact Storage. Visitors enjoyed being able to see where artifacts were kept when they were not on display. We answered questions about artifact preservation and what comprised the museums collection. Some people were shocked when they saw familar looking artifacts on the shelves, "I remember playing/using/having something like that and now it's in a museum!"

I believe that is especially important for museums like Eldon House to dismantle the ropes because of all the nooks and crannies, which are filled with Harris family treasures that were collected from around the world. The details of a cabinet or a fireplace can be even more breathtaking when one can take a closer look at the workmanship that went into its creation.

All the world's a stage...

This afternoon I had the unique opportunity to attend a taping of Caesar and Cleopatra for free at the Stratford Festival. Of course, I did not get to see the whole play, only select scenes were filmed. From my understanding, the Friday night show was taped in its entirety, while this morning and afternoon select scenes were chosen to re-shoot in order to get closeups and different camera angles. There was less than one hundred people in the theatre this afternoon, and some groups of people were moved around the theatre to make it appear the actors were playing to a full house. Luckily, I was not one of those people who have to get up between select scenes. My sister and I were seated in the second row right in front of the stage. Not only did we have an incredible view we could listen to the actors and production team in between takes, occasionally joining in on the conversation (and sometimes interrupting scenes because blackout sheets were catching on fire). Esteemed Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, playing the role of Caesar, and current Stratford artistic director and director of the play Des McAnuff were there. Between takes members of the company cracked jokes, reblocked scene, and occassionally swore when a line was messed up. What was remarkable was everybodies ability to just start in the middle of a scence or speech with complete concentration and professionalism despite numerous takes and interruptions, making it a memorable afternoon at the theatre unlike any other I have ever experienced. It gave one a sense of all the hard, frustrating work it must take to "put on a show."

My family tries to attend the Stratford Festival every season. Some of my favourite plays have been Alice Through the Looking Glass (which starred Sarah Polley), Anne Frank, Sound of Music, Macbeth, and King Lear (which also featured Christopher Plummer in the title role). So many notable actors, Canadian or otherwise, have appeared over the years in Stratford productions. It is incredible to think that this institution, which now consists of four theatres, had its beginnings in a large tent. I feel that the Festival has done an excellent job of showcasing its incredible history.

In the Festival Theatre, there were numerous displays documenting costumes and costume design. On one wall there were costume sketches from various productions staged over the years. Some of my favourites featured costumes from Caberet, My Fair Lady, and Hamlet. Decorating the staircase that led to the balcony were actual costumes worn by mannequins. Behind the costumes were pictures of them worn in productions. Some might find the sets of Stratford productions sparse, but no one can deny that no expense is spared when creating elaborate costumes. Sitting so close to the stage, I definitely noticed the detailed and spectacular costumes that are in Caesar and Cleopatra. From what I have seen, I think Cleopatra had a different costume and wig for every scene that was shot this afternoon.

I do not know this, but I hope that the Festival has other artifacts and archival material displayed in their other theatres. It is a wonderful way to show the history of the theatre (and probably frees up room in storage). It also helps to show how much thought and work is put into each production.

In case you are interested, we were told that Caesar and Cleopatra will be shown in Cineplex theatres, and hopefully in March on Bravo. You might see a familiar face in the audience (psst, I was wearing a red t-shirt and glasses).

For more information about the history of the Stratford Festival click here. The CBC archive has some great radio and video clips, some even featuring Mr. Plummer.

*picture courtesy of www.stratfordfestival.ca

There's No Business Like Show Business....

Every Canada Day weekend, my local library has a book sale and there is usually a large selection of books to choose from for my summer reading. The books I most enjoy finding (this often requires going through piles of books on tables and in boxes) are celebrity biographies and autobiographies. I'm not talking about the latest rag on Britney, Tom Cruise, and the cast of Gossip Girl, but those stars who had their hay day back in the golden age of the cinema. Films were black and white, dark handsome men wore trench coats, femme fatales had curves and long eye lashes, stars turned out a movie a week, musicals were popular, and there was no television to provide competition.
These biographies and autobiographies are not only chock full of gossip about on-set romances and drugs, but they also show the evolution of the movie industry. Mary Astor's autobiography, A Life on Film, discusses the evolution of movies, from silent films to Technicolor.
A Judy Garland biography by Gerold Frank entitled Judy describes the star's progression from vaudeville to The Wizard of Oz, and beyond. It also includes interesting tidbits about the Kennedy family and other notable historical figures.
Child Star by Shirley Temple Black is one of my favourite autobiographies because Ms. Temple Black does such an excellent job of describing how the movie business operated back in the day.
Last summer I picked up Norman Mailer's biography about Marilyn Monroe. It was a difficult read, but I did learn more about Marilyn; how she wanted more challenging roles, and that she enjoyed reading and agreed with Freud's theories. This summer at the library sale I found another Marilyn biography by Susan Strasberg called Marilyn and Me: Sisters, Rivals, Friends.
What compelled me to write this blog was the recent discovery of Marilyn Monroe's archive: all her personal papers and some belongings that she kept in two filing cabinets. A description of the archive is found in the October 2008 edition of Vanity Fair. Found in the archive were personal letters, receipts, pictures, telegrams, clothing, and accessories. Not found in the archive are love letters from Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn's second husband, or evidence of the rumoured correspondence between Ms. Monroe and the Kennedy clan, which could a whole new perspective to the Kennedy's historical legacy. The entire collection was photographed, cataloged, and the paper documents encapsulated in Mylar by photographer Mark Anderson and USC professor Lois Banner.
The plan is to turn these documents into some sort of book. After this process was finished the filing cabinets were sent to sit in a guarded bank vault, away from the public. While I am thankful that someone took the time to record and conserve the Marilyn Collection, would it not be beneficial to film and gender study historicans and those wishing to learn more about this iconic women for it to be made into a digital archive? It would especially add a new dimension and perspective to those who are writing Monroe, DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, and even Kennedy biographies.
One of Marilyn's greatest struggles in life was to prove to people that she was not like the dumb blonde characters she played in movies. She cared about current events, literature, her loved ones, and wanted to become known as a serious actor. If her collection was digitized, people would be able to see another part of Marilyn that does not come across in the sexy pictures found on t-shirts, mugs, and posters.

A Google search result without a link to Wikipedia?

Yes, it is possible. If only for a little while. Try Google 2001".

Just for kicks, I search the War of 1812. Here is what Google 2001 gave me. Not entirely surprising, it's mostly American sources that appear on the first page. In order to find an obviously Canadian source, you have to go to the second page. And out of the 232,000 results, how many of those present a Canadian perspective? What was a Canadian Historian to do? Wait until 2008, and use Google Canada and get 3,010,000 results with most web pages on the first page ending in .ca. [Note that Wikipedia gets the number one position].

Google may achieve world domination but at least they are starting to acknowledge the importance of Canadian websites and that the most important and pertinent information isn't found in a web page that ends in .com.