Silvervelvetsky’s 40 party guests

I’ve seen this kind of posts in many blogs, where you make a list of 40 (or fifty, twenty-five, eighty) people -dead or alive, from any century or decade- you would invite to a completely fabulous and ridiculous party. I made mine about two days ago or so, and it contains all sorts of artists from absolutely different backgrounds, ages, fields and so on. There are lots and lots of persons I admire and love that I didn’t include, such as photographers, painters or even some of my absolute favourite actors. I don’t know why I picked these people, I have no idea, because it’s not really a list of the people I look up to the most, or anything like that at all, I simply sat down and wrote forty names of people I consider to be interesting, talented, smart or just incredibly nice.

If someone is not in this list, it doesn’t mean I don’t fancy that person, not even a bit, since I adore hundreds and thousands of famous artists from different times. If you’ve got any questions, you can always ask me, and I’d also love to see your lists, so if you’ve made your own or if you have any doubts, leave a comment and I’ll gladly reply.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Woody Allen

Liza Minnelli

Tennessee Williams

Carole Lombard

Jean-Luc Godard

Jane Fonda

Bette Davis

Sidney Poitier

Paul Newman

Bob Fosse

Charles Chaplin

John Cassavetes

Al Pacino

Ingrid Bergman

Cary Grant

Yves Montand

Barbara Stanwyck

Fred Astaire

Ava Gardner

Peter Bogdanovich

Humphrey Bogart

Truman Capote

Audrey Hepburn

David Bowie

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Dean Martin

Elizabeth Taylor

Frank Sinatra

Jack Nicholson

James Stewart

Julie Christie

Marilyn Monroe

Meryl Streep

Mick Jagger

Orson Welles

Paul McCartney

Robert Downey, Jr.

Shirley MacLaine

Goldie Hawn

“She was about nineteen, slender and supple, with a spoiled alluring mouth and quick gray eyes full of a radiant curiosity.”

Quote from The Offshore Pirate, written by the great F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Film stills: Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Rosemary’s Baby is a 1968 American horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling 1967 novel Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. The cast includes Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Maurice Evans, Sidney Blackmer, and Charles Grodin.
Farrow plays a pregnant woman who fears that her husband may have made a pact with their eccentric neighbours, believing he may have promised them the child to be used as a human sacrifice in their occult rituals in exchange for success in his acting career. The film was an enormous commercial success, earning over $33 million in the US on a modest budget of $2.3 million.

Rosemary’s Baby is my favourite horror movie, I love it. I think Polanski is a really great director, and this is definitely one of his best, next to Chinatown (1974). Given the fact that I’m a huge Woody Allen fan, I like Mia Farrow, I don’t love her like I love Diane Keaton, but I do like her, she’s alright, especially as Rosemary. I’m a rather big fan of John Cassavetes as well, so I truly enjoy his performance in the film. Ruth Gordon is fantastic as usual. Anyway, to me, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s perfect and if you don’t like it, it’s because you were either expecting something too serious or something gory.

Film stills: Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman (who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film). Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known to history as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the “Sundance Kid” (Robert Redford) as they migrate to Bolivia while on the run from the law in search of a more successful criminal career. In 2003, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

This is another one of my favourite films, cinematography-wise. It’s definitely a beautiful piece of work and a brilliant movie, besides I’m not a big fan of Westerns, so Butch Cassidy… is probably the only one I like. I love Paul Newman and Robert Redford, although I do prefer The Sting (1973), but they have so much chemistry and it’s great fun to watch them together. I’ve only seen Katharine Ross three times (The Graduate, Butch Cassidy… and The Stepford Wives), but I like her, she’s very beautiful and quite a decent actress. George Roy Hill’s a wonderful director, and I think everyone should take a look at Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. Oh, by the way, the entire bicycle scene is my favourite scene from any film, I adore watching it.

Film stills: Pierrot Le Fou (1965)

Pierrot le fou is a 1965 French film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo. The film is based onObsession, a novel by Lionel White. It was Jean-Luc Godard’s tenth feature film, released between Alphaville and Masculin, féminin. The title translates as Pete the Madman or Crazy Pete, but the film is usually released under its French title internationally.

I love Godard, I’m a huge fan of his, and Pierrot Le Fou is my favourite of all his films. The cinematography in it is beyond beautiful, all those vivid colors and wonderful places, the sea. Anna Karina is amazing, it’s always a pleasure to see her, besides, her outfits are absolutely incredible. Jean-Paul Belmondo is one of the greatest French actors, at least in my opinion, and I’m glad he did a few movies with Godard, especially this one. Take a look at these film stills and you’ll see how terribly pretty it is, I highly recommend it.

I’ll be doing quite a few more posts like this one, about other movies with beautiful cinematography.

Everyone wants to be found

I know most of my posts are about classic hollywood or even the 1970’s cinema, which I love, and I’m not truly a fan of the movies that have been made since 2000, but there are a few that occupy a place in my must-watch list. Lost In Translation (2003), directed by Sofia Coppola, is not only one of those few, it’s one of my favourite films ever.
Yesterday, I watched it for the third time, and I loved it just as much as the first, or even more. To me, there’s something magical about this film and its atmosphere, it’s beautiful and captivating, dreamy and yet so human. I’m not very good when it comes to reviewing movies, my reviews always end up being rather mediocre, but however, I felt the need to express my love for Lost In Translation and also share quite a bunch of nice captures I saved.

I like Sofia Coppola, but when I tried to watch The Virgin Suicides or Marie Antoinette, all I could think of was: the cinematography is beautiful. Nothing else. With Lost In Translation, I can say much more than that! It’s a film that moves me and makes me feel good whenever I’m feeling bored or sad, and it definitely is one of my biggest sources of inspiration. I’ve fallen in love with Scarlett Johansson since the day I discovered this movie, she’s become one of my muses, and although I don’t think she’s such a great actress, I do like her a lot; she’s quite good as Charlotte, it works perfectly well for me.
Coppola said that she wrote the character of Bob Harris with Bill Murray in mind and she only wanted him for the part, which I think is great. I grew up watching Bill Murray on the screen, you know, The Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, so I’m very very fond of him and it’s always a pleasure to see him; he is so convincing as Bob, he’s incredible.

A lot of people constantly complain about the movie, saying nothing ever happens or how tediously slow it is. I believe it’s not an ordinary film, it might not be easy to watch for everyone, but if you see it twice or really pay attention to it, you will like it. To me, the fact that Bob and Charlotte never sleep together is amazing, I mean, I love that detail, because I think that’s one of the factors that turn Lost In Translation into a wonderful motion picture. They are attracted to each other, but they don’t need sex to connect and support each other through their respective crisis.

The cinematography and the shots of the city are incredibly pretty, and I also adore the way the colors blend together. The soundtrack is marvelous, though it isn’t particulary “my style”, anyhow, it fits perfectly alright with everything. I suppose that if you’d ask me to name my three favourite movies, I’d say Sunset Blvd (1950), directed by Billy Wilder; Cabaret (1972), directed by Bob Fosse; and definitely Lost In Translation.

Random post

Jane Birkin

Jane Mallory Birkin, (born 14 December 1946) is an English-born actress and singer who rose to fame during the late 1960’s, with help from former husband singer song-writer Serge Gainsbourg. She’s spent most of her life in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.

Dean Martin and his variety show.

I know I’ve done a Dean Martin post already, and I’m also aware that I haven’t made posts about other people I love, such as Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra or Dustin Hoffman, but last night I was extremely bored, so I began to watch a few videos of Dino’s Variety Show and a huge smile appeared all over my face. I simply adore Dean Martin, he was beyond amazing, so here you’ve got some pictures I didn’t use before and three funny videos. In case you want to see more, you can always go to YouTube and write “Dean Martin variety show” or even just “Dean Martin” and I’m sure that’ll do.

How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?

Grace Kelly

This post contains some of my favourite pictures, and it’s a truly beautiful collection. I believe I found most of the photographs on Tumblr or Google Images.

Gary Cooper & Tallulah Bankhead

Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman

James Cagney

Veronica Lake

Rita Hayworth

Gloria Swanson

Jack Nicholson

Anita Ekberg

Frank Sinatra

Jane Birkin

Ginger Rogers

Natalie Wood

Dovima

Sophia Loren

Suzy Parker

Joan Crawford

Anna Karina

Marlon Brando

Sylvia Sidney

Natalie Wood & Steven McQueen

Brigitte Bardot

Cary Grant

Ava Gardner

Dustin Hoffman

Robert De Niro

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly

Marianne Faithfull

Glenn Ford

Elizabeth Taylor

Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker

Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse

Myrna Loy & David Niven

Catherine Deneuve

Fred MacMurray & Barbara Stanwyck

Catherine James

Jean Seberg

Ewa Aulin

Audrey Hepburn & Peter O'Toole

Rita Hayworth

Godard's "Pierrot Le Fou" (1965)

Gene Tierney

Jack Nicholson

Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall

Cary Grant

Ava Gardner

Ingrid Bergman

Rita Hayworth

Andy Warhol

Michel Piccoli & Brigitte Bardot

Marcello Mastroianni

Marcello Mastroianni

Ingrid Bergman

Anjelica Huston

Jack Nicholson

Faye Dunaway & Jack Nicholson

Natalie Wood & Steve McQueen

Liza Minnelli & Bob Fosse

James Cagney

Splendor In The Grass (1961)

Glenn Ford

Norma Shearer

Eleanor Powell & Glenn Ford

Elizabeth Taylor & Montgomery Clift

Anna Karina & Jean-Paul Belmondo

Tyrone Power

George Peppard & Audrey Hepburn

Bette Davis

Natalie Wood

Ingrid Bergman

Barbara Stanwyck

Two sisters

Woody Allen

Cary Grant

Faye Dunaway

Jean-Luc Godard & Anna Karina

Gregory Peck

Sidney Poitier

Woody Allen

Marilyn Monroe

JFK

Bogart & Bacall

Jack Lemmon

Gregory Peck & Audrey Hepburn

Jack Lemmon

Stanley Kubrick & Sue Lyon

Pierrot Le Fou (1965)

Anita Ekberg

Natalie Wood

Sherilyn Fenn

Romy & Alain

Hedy Lamarr

Paulette & Chaplin

Katharine Hepburn

Ingrid Bergman

Ava Gardner

Clark Gable & Robert Taylor

Gene Tierney

June Marlowe

Ginger Rogers & her husband William Marshall

James Stewart

Ingrid Bergman

Cary Grant & Joan Fontaine

James Stewart

Linda Darnell

Ginger Rogers

Frank Sinatra

Mary Pickford

Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman

Fred Astaire

Sophia Loren

Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta

William Holden

Elizabeth Taylor

Dick Powell & June Allyson

Judy Garland & Peter Lawford

Gene Tierney

The Rat Pack

Jean Harlow & Robert Taylor

The Apartment (1960)

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Marilyn Monroe

Jean Seberg

Elvis Presley & Ann Margret

Woody Allen in Annie Hall (1977)

Warren Beatty & Faye Dunaway

Charles Chaplin

Lauren Bacall, Stephen and Humphrey Bogart

Bogie & Bette

Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946)

Sophia Loren

Frank Sinatra

Catherine Deneuve

Humphrey Bogart

Marilyn Monroe

Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh

Salvador Dali

Twin Peaks

Catherine Deneuve

Anna Karina

Kay Francis

Mike Todd & Elizabeth Taylor

Ann Margret

Lost In Translation (2003)

Marianne Faithfull

Brigitte Bardot

Marilyn Monroe

Tallulah Bankhead

Of Human Bondage (1934)

Monica Vitti

First Miss France, 1920

Debra Paget

Bugsy Malone (1976)