** I was aware of Vanessa Redgrave's controversial history but purposely stayed clear of it; I wanted to comment on her beauty in 1967 and the original image that appears on the "Isadora" poster that Bruce is selling tonight on his website. Using the Oscars to push a cause on a world stage took hold after Brando and "The Godfather" and has remained ever since. Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky was sick of this "trend" -- and after winning a Best Screenplay award for "Network" at the 1978 Oscars -- after Vanessa had won her award for Best Supporting Actress for "Julia" -- he famously told the audience, "I would like to say that I'm sick and tired of people exploiting the Academy Awards for the propagation of their own personal propaganda. I would like to suggest to Miss Redgrave that her winning an Academy Award is not a pivotal moment in history, does not require a proclamation and a simple ‘Thank you' would have sufficed."
** As Channing noted earlier, Redgrave, now 72, has long since toned down mixing her work with art; she has repeatedly clarified her remarks from 30 years ago and has been honored by UNICEF, GLAAD and other groups for her work on behalf of freeing Soviet Jews and anything aimed at promoting human rights. ** The thing I find striking about Redgrave is her lack of vanity -- she, like the once beautiful Jeanne Moreau -- has aged gracefully without surgery or excessive makeup -- thus avoiding mean-spirited comparisons foisted upon stars better known for beauty than talent, e.g., Brigitte Bardot and the like. ** Earlier there was a discussion of type-casting -- and the first person that popped into my head is Woody Allen, who will never escape the nebbish image he's carried for more than 40 years. But in some circles, will be better known for marrying Mia Farrow's adopted daughter. But I like his work anyway, esp. from 1975-1989. I try to separate what people do off-screen -- from their work on-screen. (It's more difficult when pondering anti-Semitic clowns like Mel Gibson, but I try.) During the 1960s and 1970s, actresses like Jane Fonda and Redgrave were transformative chameleons on screen, and I didn't care what they did off-screen. I saw every picture Fonda did from "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" to "The China Syndrome" -- and thought she was gold. ** Meanwhile -- again, I am not posting attachments to the MoPo list. They are not allowed. They are low-resolution web-hosted images, permitted by Scott. ** And finally, my vote for the funniest parent is my Dad. He used to threaten us with a belt during a time when it wasn't considered child abuse to spank your kids. He used to exaggerate and say, "if you kids don't behave I'll hit you so hard that you won't be able to stand up." (He never did.) He swore like a sailor and used to crack us up by timing his bursts of intestinal gas to amplify a point, e.g., "I'm not telling you kids again -- get your rooms cleaned up right -- (fart) -- NOW! It was easy to comply when you're laughing your a**es off. It was crude, but when you're a kid, sophisticated humor is for the birds. Runner-up funniest parent would be Eugene Levy in those American Pie movies. Levy has remarked with satisfaction that he's more admired and recognized -- and constantly mobbed by kids for that role -- than for all of his previous work combined. He doesn't have to say anything in those movies; just his expressions and discomfort have me in stitches. -kuz. -----Original Message----- Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:24:16 -0500 From: [email protected] Subject: Re: Vanessa Redgrave's controversy at the Oscars-- a link to the story To: [email protected] I think Vanessa was not someone I would have liked to know personally. As the story says, "She was once married to director Tony Richardson who once said about her, 'Vanessa Redgrave is controversial, her enemies hate her, and her friends dislike her.' That is reminscent of the great line in "Inherit the Wind" where the H.L. Mencken facsimile character says about the William Jennings Bryan facsimile character "He doesn't have an enemy in the world; only his friends hate him"! Bruce On Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 11:52 AM, Joseph Bonelli <[email protected]> wrote: Hi, Andrea, et. al., from Joe B in NOLA As you've brought up the most controversial moment from Vanessa Redgrave's career, I think that the story needs to be posted. Here's the story-- albeit in a not-completely-objective article: http://www.super70s.com/super70s/Movies/1977/Redgrave_Zionism_Speech.asp Whether or not one agrees with Redgrave's politics on the matter of a Palestinian homeland, the facts are clear: Vanessa did not make a "nasty comment about Jews." She decried the demonstrations outside. I remember the show vividly and the story, though not objectively, reports what was said accurately. Joe PS-- Once again, I repeat Toochis' admonishment to drop political discussions on MOPO. I agree and only posted this to get the facts down in reference to the Redgrave Oscar speech. Joe --- On Wed, 3/25/09, Andrea Kanter <[email protected]> wrote: From: ANDREA KANTER <[email protected]> Date: March 25, 2009 8:17:20 AM EDT To: David Kusumoto <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] OT: The Ravishing/Stunning Vanessa Redgrave I worked the Academy Awards 'satellite' at Studio 54 in the late 70's. The awards were simulcast there. One of the Redgrave sisters made a nasty remark about Jews during her camera-time that silenced Studio 54 and, I assume, the room she was in in Hollywood. After that, I rarely saw her. I believe it was Vanessa. Does anyone know? Andrea On Mar 25, 2009, at 5:08 AM, David Kusumoto wrote: ** Every once in awhile, I'll read a news story that sends me off looking in wildly different directions, researching names and back-stories, etc. ** Well, the other day, in the aftermath of the tragic death of Natasha Richardson, I started thinking of her mother, Vanessa Redgrave. The day before Natasha died, we coincidentally sat down to re-watch Vanessa's 2007 performance in "Atonement," the wonderful film adaptation of Ian McEwan's 2001 British novel that covers the impact of a childhood lie on three people from its beginnings in 1935 -- to the present day. She's only in the last 10 minutes, but she steals the picture with her horrifying confession. ** Most Generation X'ers, Y'ers and New Millennials know little to nothing about Vanessa Redgrave -- who since the 1970s, has been relegated to supporting character roles in films -- occasionally broken up by a lead role on stage, e.g., her recent appearance in the short-run Broadway adaptation of Joan Didion's "The Year of Magical Thinking," a memoir which won the National Book Award that covers Didion's clinical observations and detachment -- dealing with the sudden loss of husband John Gregory Dunne and the impending loss of her daughter Quintana -- in a horrific span of about 18 months. ** Paging through Vanessa's life, I was reminded what a ravishing beauty she was, a stunning actress who made a big splash in art films like "Blow-Up," "Morgan!" and "Isadora" -- the latter two for which she received Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. But the image of Vanessa that sticks in my head is NOT the one more commonly seen in Antonioni's "Blow Up." No, it's the image of a naked Vanessa on the very affordable one-sheet from from the lesser-known film directed by Karel Reisz, "Isadora," later edited and re-titled, "The Loves of Isadora," the bio-pic about dancer Isadora Duncan. (Which almost eerily -- and coincidentally -- also offered this week by Bruce Hershenson, closing later tonight on his website.) ** I've always been curious about the origin of the photo used on that poster because it's not in the film (though the free-love sexual behavior of her character is on full display). Well, yesterday, I read an AP story about a photo to be auctioned March 30th by Sotheby's purporting to be the earliest known image of lower Manhattan. The photo is dull and unremarkable. But while browsing the sale, I came across the same PHOTO of Vanessa Redgrave (age 30) that was used on the "Isadora" one-sheet -- struck from the original 1967 negative shot by photographer Victor Skrebneski. ** Below is the web-hosted image of the poster on Bruce's website. Below that -- is the absolutely stunning (to me) original black-and-white image of Vanessa being offered by Sotheby's. Equally stunning? Sotheby's has tagged a pre-sale estimate on this photo of $8,000-$12,000. http://auctions.emovieposter.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1353787 Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
