A is for Amazing Beauty: Almost Perfect

Can’t believe I’m doing this again. Lol. It’s been a year already? Time flies sooo fast!

Joan Crawford is, undoubtedly, one of Hollywood’s greatest treasures. Known for her iconic roles in Mildred Pierce (1945), Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and The Women (1939), she epitomized the very image of a true Hollywood queen.

Aside from her extraordinary talent and the outstanding legacy she left behind, Joan is also celebrated for her physical appearance— especially her almost-perfect face.

George Cukor directed some of Joan’s movies (No More Ladies (1935), The Women (1939), Susan and God (1940) and A Woman’s Face (1941)), and she referred to him as the “last of my father-figures at Metro.”

(Joan and director George Cukor on the set of Susan and God (1940))

When she died in 1977, Cukor delivered a eulogy in her funeral. Parts of his eulogy were dedicated to the unbelievably perfect face that she had:

She was the perfect image of the movie star and, as such, largely the creation of her own indomitable will. She had, of course, very remarkable material to work with: a quick native intelligence, tremendous animal vitality, a lovely figure and, above all, her face, that extraordinary sculptural construction of lines and planes, finely chiseled like the mask of some classical divinity from fifth-century Greece. It caught the light superbly, so that you could photograph her from any angle, and the face moved beautifully.

Including her love affair with the camera. In the days before zoom lenses and advanced electronics, cameras often had to be mounted on great cumbersome cranes, maneuvered by as many as twelve men, and close-ups might well require all this to be pushed from extreme long shots to within a few inches of an actor’s face. Many found it difficult to overcome some understandable nervousness as this juggernaut ground closer and closer. Not Joan Crawford. The nearer the camera, the more tender and yielding she became—her eyes glistening, her lips avid in ecstatic acceptance. The camera saw, I suspect, a side of her that no flesh-and-blood lover ever saw.

Looking at her pictures, no one can deny that Joan really had the face. But with that beautiful exterior comes a superb talent that nobody should ever overlook. She should be remembered not only for her looks, but also for her contribution to the motion picture industry.

Here’s to you, my beautiful angel! *cheers*

Happy blogging (and fangirling!)

(PS: All photos are from Joan Crawford Best)

Joan Crawford: A Tainted Image

Joan Crawford may have passed away 37 years ago, but her legacy still lives on today.

Unfortunately, it’s not the good one.

(Photo: quoteko.com)

Upon the release of Christina Crawford’s (her first adopted daughter) book, Mommie Dearest, Joan’s image drastically changed— from a strong woman who dazzled the silver screen to a horrible, abusive mother. She may have ended her struggles in life when she died, but this is one battle that she’ll have to fight forever… even though she can’t defend herself anymore.

(Photo: pleasurephotoroom.wordpress.com)

(Photo: fineartamerica.com)

I feel sorry for Joan (or Lucille LeSueur, her real name). Whenever I watch her videos on Youtube, I always see the comment section flooded with opinions about her being a terrifying mother. It’s always “No more wire hangers,” “Mommie Dearest,” and almost all offending adjectives that anyone could ever use to describe a person. Only few people recognize her worth, talent, and the legacy she left for future generations. For most people, she is “Joan Crawford the Beast” rather than “Joan Crawford the Actress.”

(Photo: www.spellboundbymovies.com)

(Photo: acertaincinema.com)

(Photo: www.joancrawfordbest.com)

(Photo: www.liveauctioneers.com)

I feel bad for her not just because I’m one of her adoring fans, but because the world’s being so unfair to her. She’s already resting, yet people still point out her bad qualities over the good ones. Christina’s still talking about “surviving her mommie dearest.” It’s been ages; why don’t we just give the lady the respect she deserve for bringing joy and entertainment to us, right? I always think, “Can we forget Mommie Dearest for a while and not bring it up whenever there’s a video or article about her? Can we just recognize her for being a professional actress who didn’t give less for her fans?” After all, it’s none of our business if she was, as they say, an abusive mother. We shouldn’t judge her for her personal shortcomings. We weren’t there when she was “beating” her children, so how should we know, right?

(Photo: thelastdrivein.com)

If only people could set that book aside for a moment and really look into the Joan Crawford that we (her fans) know: the angelic-faced star who delighted audiences for almost half a century; the actress who is best known for her hit films such as Mildred Pierce, Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, Our Dancing Daughters, and more; the 5 foot 3 inches-tall movie goddess who stood taller than anyone else, with her trademark broad shoulders, thick eyebrows and full lips. The Joan Crawford who gave us some of the best films in Hollywood history.

(Photo: pictify.com)

Joan, may you rest in peace, knowing that there are still people who see you for your wonderful contribution to the film industry, not for your personal problems. We love you, Joanie!

(Photo: www.thesundaytimes.co.uk)

Happy blogging (and “fangirling”)!
Jane

D is for (All I Do Is) Dream of You

Trivia: My original idea for this day’s A-Z Blogging Challenge post is “Post Breakup Dos and Donts.” But since I don’t have enough time to ponder and write about that, I’ve decided to share this one instead. That’s all. LOL.

Singing in the Rain is one of my all-time favorite movies. I’m a sucker for classic old films (I think I have more black-and-white movies in my laptop than colored ones lol), and I adore the Roaring Twenties (if I could live again in another era, I’d definitely pick the 1920s– no doubt!), so this movie is, like, the greatest of all the great films for me.

And, well, this scene is one of my favorites:

Actually, I love all the scenes in this movie, but this one always cheers me up. I like its very upbeat vibe, plus the song’s really cool. One more thing: Debbie Reynolds and the girls are excellent dancers! I really wish I was born in the 20s.

(Photo: metatalk.metafilter.com)

Another reason why this scene is my favorite: Lina Lamont’s “caked” face. Haha. She deserves that epic accident, really.

(Photo: chickflicksmusicals.blogspot.com)

And oh, I found another rendition of the song:

I’ve watched this movie more than ten times, but I still get excited every time the thought of watching it again crosses my mind. Haven’t seen it yet? No! Don’t waste another half of your life (LOL). Watch this 50s classic now!

(Singing in the Rain official MGM trailer… yes, 4 minutes. I think movie trailers are that long in the “before time” lol)

Happy blogging (and watching)!
Jane