Catching Up With The Kennedys

I know, I'm kinda slow about these things but I finally got around to watching The Kennedys miniseries.
Have you seen it?
I thought that the production value was excellent and that the acting was superb. 


I was particularly impressed with Tom Wilkinson as Joe Kennedy Sr. and Barry Pepper as Bobby Kennedy.
And who knew that Katie Holmes would make such a great Jackie.


Appreciate the Kennedys as a political dynasty or not
you can't help but be impressed with Jackie.
That woman was a study in grace under pressure.
In spite of putting up with a lot of tawdry nonsense from her husband,
she always kept up appearances and was an excellent First Lady.

It's no wonder that 50 years after Camelot, Jackie remains a style icon.

And on the topic of tawdry
I rather enjoy these Marilyn vs Jackie videos

Jewelry In Film - My Cousin Rachel

Last night I dreamed of Manderley
no not really
But I did watch the film of the other great Daphne du Maurier tale
My Cousin Rachel
which stared a young Richard Burton and the verly lovely Olivia de Havilliand

If you haven't read the book or seen the film, the story revolves around a young man, Philip Ashley, who is on the verge of inheriting the coastal country estate of his late uncle.   He becomes romantically obsessed with his uncle's widow, Rachel, while simultaneously suspecting her of murdering his uncle.

Yeah, drama ensues.

Because of his obsession with Rachel he presents her with a magnificent pearl necklace that is entailed to the estate and then more drama ensues.

The entailed jewelry and how it is treated by Rachel plays an important part in the story and leads to Philip's final understanding of his cousin and her motives.

So, if you like classic films, Richard Burton and Daphne du Maurier

My Cousin Rachel is for you.

Jewelry in Film: The Affair of the Necklace

Like Faux Fuchsia, at times I must listen to the commands of the universe.
Where FF is directed by the cosmos to bake
I am directed to watch movies.
Lately the black dog has been scratching at the door and I've keep it at bay by settling down on the sofa with netflix or amazon prime.
For several years I've wanted to delve into a series of posts on films where jewelry is an important element of the story,
and where better to start, as I am still in 18th Century Mode, than with The Affair of the Necklace

The film, based on the true story of an extortion plot aimed at Marie Antoinette, is told from the point of view of the con artist or should I say conne artist Jeanne de la Motte played by Hilary Swank. In the film, she is Jeanne de Saint-Remy de Valois, a woman of noble birth, who is forced into her role because she can't get the attention of the queen for restitution of her family estates.  De la Motte / Valois claims to have favor and influence with the Queen in order to solicit patronage by the out of favor Count de Rohan, played by Jonathon Pryce.

Here is the history from Wikipedia.

and a reconstruction of the infamous Collier Reine Breteuil

Considering the historical importance of the actual Affair of the Necklace in terms of undermining Marie Antoinette and the Royal Family, I thought that this would be an excellent film.
I was wrong.
This film was bad on so many levels I won't name them all.
But it needs to be said that casting Hilary Swank in the role of de la Motte was a mistake.
And, seeing the many historical inaccuracies, large and small, such as watching Swank saunter around Versailles with unpowdered hair was so annoying.

For me, the highlight of the film was the closing credits because of the Lisa Gerrard/Brendan Perry song "Ariadne".