Alaskan photographer, Phil Ackley has inspired me to put a Wratten 89B filter on my digital camera. Wow - this is even better than HIE film.
Here's another photo from my backyard.
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| Rock and Mrs. Reagan in a scene from Doug Sirk's All that Heaven Allows. |
In 1957 I was four and lived in a magic town with absolutely no problems. As winter approached, one of my earliest memories was of the trees and their magnificent color that only the north can provide. I have since studied history and know of the behind the scenes violence: the nuclear build-up, intense racism and rigidly intolerant social mores.
Some people, notably young idealists and intolerant social conservatives believe that the 1950's would be a good place for our nation to be. In Todd Haynes Far from Heaven the truth is illuminated to Cathy Wellington, a thirtysomething woman, blissfully married to successful advertising executive, Frank. I've never seen Julianne Moore before - she seemed to be built for the role, but it was several scenes before I recognized Dennis Quaid 'cause he looked just like an old boss.
Needless to say the movie popped all the bubbles, I mean damn! For the first forty five minutes, I thought I was back on Northlockwood Drive, mom was attending a modern art show and Elmer Bernstein's music was on the TV - the rest of it just fit right in. The first time I heard my dad say "fuck" it was about the electric bill, but the effect was the same: my sisters spontaneously burst into tears and the world wasn't ever as nice as it had been before.
If you've seen the preview, they've disinformed you that the movie is rather dull: it appears to be about a woman catching an unfaithful husband, but it's not about that at all. It flows seamlessly from scene to scene, the characters DO live in 1957. It is about Joan Miro, it's about saying "jeez", it's about living a guarded life and being different. But it's especially about knowing who you are, where you are going, what you want, then realizing that you can't have that.
