Saturday, April 24, 2010

A Tale of Two Crowns


Sequels and remakes seem to be the order of the day in Hollywood as filmmakers continually try to improve on a classic and practice the old adage "imitation is the sincerest for of flattery." Most of the time they miss the mark and should leave well enough alone. And often the remake provides a fresh new take on a classic. Thomas Crown Affair is a perfect case in point of the latter.

I was watching a Tonight Show interview with Pierce Brosnan the other night and the discussion of a possible sequel to his remake of Thomas Crown Affair came up. Apparently no script has been decided
as of yet but hope springs eternal. Both films captured the style and glamour of an era and tell the tale of a cat and mouse caper with a multi millionaire protagonist  and his sophisticated suitor.

The original stars Steve McQueen (who goes against type) as a bored playboy/corporate titan who decides to pull off a bank heist in Boston. Chased by insurance investigator Vicky Anderson (Faye Dunaway), the elegant stylish film is filled with polo, art auctions, dune buggys at the beach and a memorable soundtrack. The film is said to be McQueen's favorite and the part was originally offered to Sean Connery (who would have made an equally wonderful Crown).





The remake stars Pierce Brosnan as the billionaire Crown and Rene Russo as Catherine Banning as the insurance investigator. Similar plot lines but this time the heist is a Monet at the Met and the playground extends from Manhattan to Martinique and racing on the beach is replaced with a flight on a glider and polo is replaced by crashing a catamaran.




Dune buggy scene shot on the beach in Ipswitch



The two seat German glider scene was actually filmed in the studio


Dunaway's wardrobe was designed by Theodora Van Runkle. Faye Dunaway noted in the book Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design (Harper Collins) "It was the age of the mini, just as it was starting to happen. I said to Thea, 'Let's go very short, this woman doesn't do anything by half measures.' And the micro-mini was born."




Both Dunaway's updo and Russo's hairstyle caused a sensation  and were highly requested and copied....



as were the use of oversize hats in both films....







Production designer Bruno Rubeo and set decorator Leslie Rollins were not allowed to shoot in the Metropolitan so they developed ingenious sets that were identical to the portrait galleries. The interior of the New York public library was used as well as a soundstage.








Crown's to die for townhouse was also shot on a soundstage. Shown below are designs for the entrance hall and study.




































Here's hoping for Thomas Crown Part Three....




Photo Credits: MGM, Leslie Rollins, IMDB

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

There is Style in Giving Back: The Genesis Awards



The old saying "every dog gets his day" came true last week at the Humane Society of the United States 24th annual Genesis Awards - think of it as Oscar night for the animal kingdom.  The star studded awards show celebrates individuals and the media who make a difference on behalf of animals.

Celebrity presenters such as Keely Shaye and Pierce Brosnan, Antonio Banderas, Big Love's Ginnifer Goodwin and Teri Hatcher gave awards to shows such as the Academy Award winning Up and The Cove to the Ellen Degeneres Show, Family Guy and Whale Wars.


Mr. and Mrs. Brosnan


Ginnifer Goodwin


Teri Hatcher

Melanie Griffith presented her mother Tippi Hedren (many will remember her in Hitchcock's The Birds and Marnie) with the Genesis Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her work for the preservation of big cats. For over forty years she has worked tirelessly in raising awareness and on legislation to ban the breeding and trade of exotic cats. Hedren's Shambala Reserve is a loving home to 70 discarded big cats -- leopards, servals, tigers, panthers, bobcats and lynxes to name a few. The reserve is forty miles outside of Los Angeles and open to the public. Congratulations Tippi!

Tippi Hedren


Hedren with daughter Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas


Jazzy the bobcat


Rowdy the Lion


The show will air on Animal Planet April 24th at noon and April 25th at 1:00 PM Eastern time.
To read more about the Genesis Awards, see their website. For the Humane Society, go here.



Photo Credits: Courtesy of the Humane Society and Tim Long/Long Photography and Shambala Reserve. The Birds courtesy of Universal Pictures.