Dedications: My four late friends Rory, Stan, Bryan, Jeff - shine on you crazy diamonds, they would have blogged too. Then theres Garry from Brisbane, Franco in Milan, Mike now in S.F. / my '60s-'80s gang: Ned & Joseph in Ireland; in England: Frank, Des, Guy, Clive, Joe & Joe, Ian, Ivan, Nick, David, Les, Stewart, the 3 Michaels / Catriona, Sally, Monica, Jean, Ella, Anne, Candie / and now: Daryl in N.Y., Jerry, John, Colin, Martin and Donal.

Friday 8 October 2010

Funny Face - more 1957 chic. S'Wonderful



Plus of course "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "Think Pink"! and Paris ... Quite a few stylish musicals were made in 1957, not only FUNNY FACE but also LES GIRLS and SILK STOCKINGS (both also set, if not filmed, in Paris) as well as DESIGNING WOMAN (well, Dolores Gray sings), PAL JOEY and THE PYJAMA GAME. Other film-makers in Paris then included Billy Wilder (and Hepburn again) for LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON and that Fox production, headed by Tyrone Power and Ava Gardner, of Hemingway's THE SUN ALSO RISES. A busy year in Paris then. Does anything though beat the sheer elegance and pizazz of Stanley Donen's very '50s fashion show that is FUNNY FACE? - Fred may be too old for Audrey but it doesn't matter here (whereas for me it does in DADDY LONG LEGS with Leslie Caron), add in Kay Thompson delivering "Think Pink" and that send-up of the beat scene and some classic numbers and delirious moments like Audrey descending the steps in the Louvre saying "shoot the picture shoot the picture" as we sit entranced.

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