Ooowheeee I was nervous about this one. I loved it so very much when we saw it in the theater. I knew it was mostly the actors (okay, mostly Olivia Colman) but a bit the director. Then. I saw Poor Things. And I've never hated a movie as much as I hated Poor Things. Hate hate hate. And while so many people raved about Poor Things, the few people I talked to who also hated it also hated The Favourite. Which I couldn't understand! Was I wrong about The Favourite?
No, thankfully I still enjoy it. It's too long, Yorgos Lanthimos is too fond of a fish-eye lens, there are some issues of consent raised, but it's mostly charming. Almost entirely due to Olivia Colman. A good bit for Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult, too. All friends of the blog. (I'm not against Emma Stone. She always delivers. I just so rarely like her characters. No, I've never seen Easy A, before you ask. Yes, I intend to remedy that if only for Stanley Tucci.)
I'm sure I said this in the Hot Fuzz blog but I love Olivia Colman so much. I don't want to get too parasocial about anyone but I would about her. Her warmth, her vulnerability, her cheery face. All wonderful. She's dazzling in this movie. Funny but heartbreaking. Poignant but slapstick. Ugh. Perfection.
And of course the costume design by Sandy Powell is beyond compare. She does the time period justice while giving it enough of a modern edge that we, as a modern audience, can have an opinion about. It's such a difficult line to walk but she does it beautifully, every goddamn time. Her and Jenny Beavan. I wish I had their brains. I might have lasted a little longer.
I'm fascinated by what this movie has to say about power. Interpersonal power. International power. I think it's interesting that the movie behaves as though women in this time period (or any period in which western civilization was "dominant") have seemingly endless power. It's one of the problems I have with Poor Things. The convenience a man has in confusing sexual desire for a woman and a cessation of power. The worst kind of misogyny. Luckily, in The Favourite, it plays as melancholic whimsy. A fantasy that it is women pulling the strings on each other and every man who dares come near them. I wish more was said of the history of Sarah and Anne's relationship. Was (this version of) Anne always handicapped? Did (this version of) Sarah always take advantage? I highlight "version" because, of course, these were real historical figures and there is no way that any of this unfolded in this way. Lanthimos is very very smart in his use of anachronism to create a firm wall, shielding this story from being called history. But I can't help but wonder what a historical take on this story would tell.
"A man should be pretty."
Embroidery; thread, fabric, ribbon, wood, paint
Takeaways:
-First of all, it's great to be back. I got really bogged down in a lot of different things, especially some really ambitious makes for the project, and I needed to step back for awhile. I want to get back to weekly posts but I need to catch up on things and reexamine this whole project.
-This was a pretty quick idea (if lengthy execution). I wanted to incorporate Horatio the prize winning duck. I wanted to include Nicholas Hoult's indignant "Well, a man should be pretty." And I wanted to use blackwork for both the time period and Sandy Powell's incredible use of black & white prints on the costumes. And voila!
-I specifically wanted to keep the edges of the appliques rough and fraying. I'm really pleased with how they turned out and how the edges add some dimension & depth.
-That wig, y'all. I'm not fond of French knots but when they work, they work. And golly did these work. I struggle a little with consistency in my French knots and this was a fun exercise in doing them over and over and trying different approaches/techniques to see if I could get specific results. Very very happy with it.
-It isn't "proper" blackwork. If it were, it would be identical on both sides. It's silly, there's no reason for it to be proper in this piece but I still managed to beat myself up over it the whole time I was stitching that pattern.
-Even taking shortcuts, this was easily over 40 hours of work.
-I almost never treat my hoops and leave them plain but I wanted a lacquered feel to it so I did a faux treatment of black paint and gloss finish. It turned out great!
Okay, now back to Jaws 4. Hopefully I'll be back soon!
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