My 20 Fave Moments in "Tess"

(WARNING: Possible spoilers ahead.)

1. The sunrise at Stonehenge.

2. Tess and Angel (Nastassja Kinski and Peter Firth) arriving at the Stonehenge/Tess saying, "There are no stars tonight."

3. Tess' reaction after Alec (Leigh Lawson) refers to Angel as her "mule of a husband."

4. Tess' reunion with Marian (Carolyn Pickles).

Nastassja Kinski: Unforgettable (Forgotten) Actress

Nastassja. What a sexy and musical name. Kinski. Who could forget such a name? If you're a cinephile comme moi, that name is familiar. The name, Nastassja Kinski, is so unique to forget. Conversely, "Nastassja Kinski" is quite difficult to remember to pronounce, mainly because it's not an ordinary name. (I pronounce it as "nas-ta-sha.") Actually, it is pronounced as "nas-TAS-ya."

So, what comes to your mind whenever you hear the name, Nastassja Kinski? This?

Tess: A Picture of Lost Innocence and the Longing for It

There's a scene from Roman Polanski's Tess, a scene that would later be remade in subsequent screen adaptations of Thomas Hardy's novel; it is the one wherein Tess (Nastassja Kinski) is looking back as she walks away from the d'Urbervilles mansion.

Nastassja Kinski in the 1979's Tess

Polanski at His Most Romantic

TESS
Roman Polanski, 1979

Old is the tale of two well-off guys who fall for a destitute girl. So what makes Roman Polanski's Tess any different from the rest? Aside from the fact that it is Polanski's only romantic film (so far), the novel — Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d’Urbervilles — on which the film is based on is one of the first to tell the tale of two well-off guys who fall for a destitute girl. (I think it would be more appropriate to say: the tale of a destitute girl who is pursued by two well-off guys.)

The Most Handsome Actresses I've Ever Seen

Just because "handsomest actresses" sounds awkward. So yeah. Here they are, the women who (in my opinion) seduced the camera with their effortless charm and beauty.

(In alphabetical order.)


Isabelle Adjani

Isabelle in The Story of Adele H.

Silence is Golden

John Cassavetes once said that "silence means death." Cassavetes is one of the greatest filmmakers to ever walk the earth. He is also one of my favorites. (Shadows is a groundbreaking film.) But I have to disagree with him because silence is not necessarily synonymous with death. Most of the time, silence can be one's friend. It can give a person an adequate room for wisdom. We need silence in order to listen, not just hear.

I've always been fascinated with silent characters in talkies. There's usually an air of mystery attached to them. And I love mystery. They might deprive us of their voice, but they can sure leave an echo in our mind.

Here are some of my favorite silent characters. Characters that completely blew me away with their silence.

Elisabet Vogler, Persona

As Elisabet Vogler, Liv Ullmann effectively communicates with the audience through the gestures she's tremendously good at: facial expressions. Elisabet is an actress who just won't talk. Her silence attracts Alma, a nurse assigned to take care of her. For me (and probably for Alma), Elisabet's silence is both frustrating and haunting.

Most Beautiful Actresses of All Time... so far (2010 Revised Edition)

"There are no ugly people, only strange beauties."

- Anonymous

Beauty is omnipresent and perpetual. It is everywhere if you just open your eyes to it. Beauty is for everyone. All of us can be beautiful in our own distinctive ways. That's why I believe that there's no such thing as ugly people. What makes a person so different to label another person "ugly?"

Beauty is also present in cinema. Beauty is indeed ubiquitous. There are many beautiful film actresses out there. IMHO, here are some of the actresses whose beauty is just... captivating.

(In alphabetical order.)



1. Isabelle Adjani




Born: Isabelle Yasmine Adjani
Birthdate: June 27, 1955 in Paris, France

My Top Five Roman Polanski Films

"Notorious, French-Born, Polish-Educated Successor to Alfred Hitchcock" is how Filmsite describes Roman Polanski.

The following are my five favorite films by Polanski:


1. Chinatown (1974)

Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston.

Plot: Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private detective who seems to specialize in matrimonial cases. He is hired by Evelyn Mulwray when she suspects her husband Hollis Mulwray, builder of the Los Angeles' water supply system, of having an affair. Gittes does what he does best and photographs him with a young girl but in the ensuing scandal, it seems he was hired by an impersonator and not the real Mrs. Mulwray. When Hollis is found dead, Jake is plunged into a complex web of deceit involving murder, incest, and municipal corruption all related to the city's water supply.

We Are Who We Are Because of Our Past

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog. Thanks for stoppng by.

I would like to greet all the mothers in the world a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! You are an inspiration to all of us.

Since it's Mother's Day, I would like to review a film that affectionately shows the aspect of motherhood.

AN AMERICAN RHAPSODY
Éva Gárdos, 2001

Tagline: One family struggles for survival, for justice, for freedom.