|
|
ANOTHER DIGRESSION: BEAUTY
Over and over again, I've said these stars were beautiful. I've talked about their physical gifts, but surely their beauty is the result of something infinitely deeper. These actors and actresses shape their own physical appearance with their educated brains and hearts. Beauty surrounds them and emanates from them. They walk in it, to quote Byron. If they had not expressed depth of soul in every word or gesture, their ``beauty'' would have been brittle, and not beautiful at all. I want to make this clear, because beauty is such a misused word.
I would also like to say that the beauty of the players seems to work for the audience nationwide, regardless of gender or age. The men calling my machine to voice their opinions are straight as well as gay. They are young and old. They were captivated by the spectacle. Lestat has fans among truck drivers as well as brain surgeons. They don't relate Lestat to gender or to sex necessarily.
Same with the women. They have responded wholeheartedly to what they have seen on the screen.
And even if I speak for this woman alone, allow me to say that a feast of gorgeous men is much appreciated, and rather long overdue. Women are starved for the sight of beautiful men. They are hungry for stylish and profound scenes with beautiful men. Before IWTV, I had seen precious little of the male beauty I craved. Two examples are Tom Berenger in LAST RITES when he takes off his Roman collar and makes love to the girl in the sacristy of St. Patricks. Another would be the scene where Madeline Stowe caresses Daniel Day Lewis in THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, a scene largely focusing on her and her feelings about the man in her arms.
Let me add again that straight men are in no way turned off by such scenes. Why should they be? They watch Kurt Russell, Tom Cruise, Tom Berenger, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Jeremy Irons, Aiden Quinn and all the other beautiful men for their own reasons. And why not?
But
it's a relief to have lived long enough to see movies begin to seriously
consider the erotic taste of the female audience as well as the male. Men
are highly romantic, and they crave romance and they always have. What
could be more romantic than a Ludlum novel or a James Bond thriller or
a film like BACKDRAFT? Now Hollywood seems to get it -- that this kind
of romance and JANE EYRE are really the same. Maybe we're seeing the whole
concept of the romantic film reexamined. We are seeing a renewed commitment
to emotion, to heroism, a new abandonment to passion. Again, it's about
time!
This
section last modified 11-11-99
|
