Okay... But It Probably Speaks More to My Feelings About Joan Collins as Alexis

I am truly blushing at the latest link from James Wolcott:

Inspired by the Siren's Joan Crawford birthday wishes, NYCweboy unveils his shrine to Cukor's The Women, where Crawford and Shearer had their memorable slag match over some dope named Steve.

I can't say The Women (based on the Clare Booth Luce play that she apparently batted out in a blink) is one of my film faves. The clackity-clack of the gossip and wisecracks I find wearing, and Rosalind Russell's peacock hen performance is an endurance test that I can never quite pass. Though it's still worth its weight in platinum compared to the recent stage edition starring Cynthia Nixon as Mary the betrayed wife (Shearer) and a shrilly miscast Jennifer Tilly as Crystal (the Joan Crawford role). Crystal, as her name indicates, should be a cutting, bright schemer with ratlike cunning, not a breathy honey pot of a bimbo.

Reading NYCweboy's terrific take on the Crawford-Shearer showdown scene makes one realize that what he admires in Crawford ("the unapologetic nature of her work--tough, uncompromising, sexual") speaks to his support of Hillary Clinton.

I actually saw the Cynthia Nixon version on Broadway - and, like Shearer, I'm not sure Nixon was right for Mary Haines; she's smarter than that, and it showed. And I can see Wolcott's point about Jennifer Tilly, though I found her kind of inspired - she handled the famous "bubble bath" sequence with Mary's daughter with some aplomb, I thought (Crawford, in what I think may be her only work with Virginia Weidler - MGM's precocious  "little rich girl" of 1939 in The Women and The Philadelphia Story - was hard as nails). And Tilly's no bimbo, which I thought came through in her work, but maybe not. See? I could go on and on... and thanks to the Self Styled Siren herself for her kind, and illuminating comments (and may I recommend her in depth follow up on Joan's work in A Woman's Face, which I've seen once, but long ago).

Now, about Hillary Clinton: I can see Wolcott's point, an observation that didn't occur to me until he pointed it out. And in thinking about it, I'll say this: I do admire strong, assertive women. RedStar, Jennifer (indeed, many of the women Jennifer and I worked with, and she still does)... my female friends are women who I appreciate for their confidence, their smarts, and their strength. I think women can do anything; and I like the women who try. So yeah, what I said then about Hillary Clinton and Feminism -

...what I know is that Hillary Clinton represents one of the most qualified people, male or female, to run for the office of President. And in the end, the feminist my mother raised me to be is a man who has to take the opportunity to vote for a woman when it's presented.  And I don't know that we'll be presented with a woman with the strengths of Hillary Clinton again for a long, long time.

- had everything to do with seeing her as unapologetic, tough and uncompromising.  Sexual? Probably not.  :) But how nice to have someone - especially someone I consider as insightful as Wolcott - analyze my work and see something I didn't necessarily see myself. But just wait til I get around to writing that post on Dynasty that I've been wanting to write for, oh, twenty years... broad shoulders, tough, sexual, and she's named Joan. You know what I mean...? :)

(Oh, and PS, Mr. Wolcott - I know what you mean about "clackity clack" - it took me years until I could watch The Women and fully understand what they were saying - Cukor directed them to talk fast, and the speed for much of it is breakneck - the bantering between Roz Russell and Phyllis Povah in their first sequence for instance - "Cheap Chinese Embroidery? I bet Peggy gave her these" - I had no idea what they were saying, for a long time; once you do, it unlocks lots of insight into their shallow natures. It's helpful to read Luce's script, I think; Luce herself pack a lot into the dialogue, and dripped acid over these women she clearly detested, up close.)

Comments

[jinbaltimore]

woo-hoo! congrats, weboy!

but Clinton sexual? what am I missing?

[Leigh]

Oh you are so blogging for Vanity Fair soon!!!!