Art Journal Entry #21

Shirley Valentine is an Academy Award nominated film from 1989 that was highly recommended to me by Di.  She'd brought her personal copy over to my house, but we were unable to play it on my American DVD player.  When I logged on to Netflix one day, it was under the list of recommendations for me as well, so I figured when both my best mate in Belgium and my DVD provider recommend a movie, I really should watch it.

What can I say--I loved it from the opening song and pencil drawings in the introduction to the final scene and the rolling credits. It had more quotable lines than any movie I've seen in recent history. Time after time, the main character, Shirley Valentine, delivered zingers that I knew I'd never forget.

Shirley Valentine is a woman who reclaims herself and her dreams and dares to believe in fresh starts and a different future.  After 20 some years of doing what she should instead of what she wanted, she challenges everyone's expectations of what her life should be like and blazes a new trail, learning not only to silence the critical voices of her family and friends but her own nagging doubts about who she is and what she's capable of.

Y'all can see why I needed to see this movie. I highly recommend it, especially to women over 40, but hey even old guys like E might find it entertaining. 

Initially E was put off by the official description of the movie, which said it was the story of "a housewife who decides in her middle age that there's more to life than stifling domesticity. An unplanned trip to Greece with a friend expands her horizons in ways she could never have predicted, allowing her to fall in love again beyond the bounds of marriage, find herself, and grab the reins of her future."

Yes, I guess I could understand why he might find that a bit threatening  inappropriate and why he was a bit concerned when I watched the film alone and gave it an enthusiastic review, foolishly saying how well I related to it. That would probably explain why he asked me if I'd like to watch it again--with him this time. OOOOOKKKKK. (Head upstairs with fingers crossed that he'll appreciate its delicious mix of humor and drama, the fine tuned performances, and the way the writers made Shirley Valentine both larger than life and incredibly real and down to earth. Hoping he won't get That Look on his face. Married people know all about That Look. Every couple has their own version of it.)

To my delight, he did like it. He liked it a lot. AND he got Shirley's humor, including my favorite line (quoted roughly from memory): "This isn't about what's reasonable. This is about marriage. There's nothing logical about it. Marriage is like the Middle East. There is no solution."

When he completely cracked up over that, I knew we'd be fine for the rest of the movie, and hey, maybe even fine for the rest of our lives, you can never tell.

December 2, 2007

Comments

[Di]

Huge smiles from over here - from the art through to the review and how E liked it :)

[Claudia]

Adding it to my Netflix list now. :) LOVE the art - THAT makes me SO happy (and semi-envious for being SO art untalented).

:)

Kisses! ( and o's)
C.

[wf]

Didn't a previous post say you couldn't get any good movies there????

I'm glad you said you needed this movie...fresh starts and a different future...from the woman who has trouble dealing with the differences between US and European living....

[impy]

I'm just so damn confused. I don't know why some things are. I mean, I'm left literally thinking I'm drowning in crumbled fruitcakes, and someone has stolen all the Reeses Pieces.Which leaves me sounding no better really. V, lets go out for fettucine k? And a glass of wine. And some cheese to go with the other whine.

[V-Grrrl]

Ah, Impy, the fruitcake problem...Ever notice how candied citron is so bitter? One bite of that ruins the whole cake. And you know all about the nuts--the bigger they are, the more likely things are to fall apart.

[stuckheretoo]

How do you get Netflix movies in Belgium?

[V-Grrrl]

I have access to a military mail address so we can get Netflix movies shipped from the U.S. The only downside is that it takes weeks to turn the movies around.

We have an American TV and DVD player, so we can't rent or buy movies here--they're digitally coded to play only on European electronics.

[impy]

Patience is a virtue, or so they say. I'm awful at it personally. Think of the veritable feast of films you will find available to you upon your return. I have found I like very much to watch films alone sometimes. As a mother, I care if everyone else is enjoying themselves. My happiness is tied to others. On Sunday mornings often, I find myself awake, having let out the dogs early, folding freshly dried towels and watching a film alone. With that freedom comes the surprising discovery of how much I can laugh and cry, and I do. A LOT.

[furiousBall]

I'll need to add that to my library list (works just like Netflix, but it's free!!!)

I really dig art that is inspired from different mediums - a lá tone poems, etc.

[Peter]

Reading that E completely cracked up on the "Marriage is like the Middle East.There is no solution" quote really put a smile on my face.

Invisible bonds that have grown through the years are often much stronger than the differences that are visible on the surface.

And although I'm not married, I know all about 'that look' - trust me ;-)

[vaninnie]

"... maybe even fine for the rest of our lives ..."

Oh, I hope so. I really, really hope so.