đď¸
I've long loved learning about old Hollywood, but admittedly haven't watched many films from the time in full.
But now im amending that and these 2 are just so darn charming it's crazy!
Because they starred in movies of the 30s 40s etc their characters can really be such awful fucking guys, (and ones the audience is still supposed to root for somehow) and yet! Everytime I'll still find myself enjoying their performances!
I like how rhythm, timing and gesture are so fundamental to their style of acting. It's incredibly fun to watch them use their bodies so purposefully. Such obvious attention to detail/the musicality of movement is completely absent from our naturalism-obsessed age.
(s/o to Willem Defoe for going against this grain! Also to any actors who aren't waspy, and tho also following naturalism, still gesticulate like most people actually do irl lol)
Mar 27, 2025
Related Recs
đ
Every time I watch it, I am more surprised by it, by its darkness, by its humor, by cary grantâs facial expressions and comedic timing.
May 4, 2024
đ
Itâs rare for men to have je ne sais quoi, and I am obsessive about the ones who I think do. The depraved, roguish charm of Serge Gainsbourg has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and so has Rod Serlingâs ability to careen between sinister and comforting. I already regret saying this in a public forum, but when I interviewed Larry Gagosian, I detected a lot of that nameless quality in himâprobably from his ability to self-efface freely with a fox-in-the-henhouse twinkle in his eye. Most recently, Iâve become completely enraptured by Gene Wilderâs peculiar energy, which ping-pongs irrationally between mellow yellow to tempestuous. The âPuttinâ On The Ritzâ scene in Young Frankenstein makes my heart swellâimagine that man, with those watery, cornflower blue eyes, describing you as âWhat was once an inarticulate mass of lifeless tissues, [who is now] a cultured, sophisticated, man about townâ...?
Aug 9, 2022
ok to be honest he is in a lot of bad movies including like literal war propaganda but this guyâs vibe always brings me immense joy often to the point of tears. and anything in technicolor is worth watching imo. best movies of his are An American in Paris and Singin in the Rain. oh and The Young Girls of Rochefort heâs just like a cameo but itâs a great one
Nov 8, 2024
Top Recs from @greenstar
Mar 12, 2025
Feb 8, 2025
Lately I've been spending too much time scouring every corner of eBay I can for the cheapest and most delightful soviet era porcelain figurines available
I didn't even realize it until diving head first into this rabbit hole, but I have had soviet era porcelain figurines my whole life (a bunny and a bull for those curious), so I guess I was always destined to develop a fondness for the form, and eventually dig a little deeper into it.
There is something so incredibly charming and also incredibly interesting about these porcelain pieces! These little guys!
There's a lot of history to dig into that I've barely scratched the surface of AT ALL, but I'm fascinated by how porcelain reflected the common sentiments* of the times, the economic conditions, the artistic movements and ideas of the day, and also the ability (or lack thereof) of people to stay in one place and hold onto something so "useless" and easily broken.
I have very, very few things from any of my ancestors. Figurines like these make me think about the way history and art are passed down to us, forgotten, broken, left behind, sold in thrift stores and online, if they survive at all.
Figurine collections are kind of a barometer of safety and stability, or at least how dedicated to the illusion of it you might be.
They also make me think about how useful "useless" things can be. How even art that is purely decorative can be thought-provoking (by for example valorizing "folks"), or just make you happy (via being very cute! Or expert use of color and form!).
Grannies collect this shit for many good reasons and I'm starting to catch on.
__________________________
* Notably the $$$ collectors type ones are the ethnographic figurines, something I NEED to read an academic paper about.
Especially, because Ive noticed some of these figurines depicting "ethnic types" are inaccurate copies of earlier prints, which themselves should be placed under immense scrutiny! This is all extra interesting in the context of the porcelain industry transitioning from imperial rule to the soviet era. The ways of talking about ethnicity changed, (in addition obviously to y'know, everything!) but the products produced largely remained the same. Lots to think about!!!
Jan 31, 2025