Gender Bender Week

During the week, I watched Orlando. It came out in 1992 and is brilliant! Since it's been around awhile, y'all have probably already seen it. Wow. Sparse dialogue, visually stunning, clever, strange, all at once. It's based on the Virginia Woolf book. It's one of those movies that makes me want to go read the book. (I usually do that the other way around.) It makes me wonder, however, would the book be more confusing then the movie or make the movie more clear? I had that problem with Naked Lunch. Like Orlando, I saw the movie before I knew it was a book. LOVED IT! Went and bought the book. Hated it. Couldn't understand what the hell was going on and then read the intro where it explains how the author was in an opium-induced daze the entire time he was writing the book. It's one of the few books I've ever just given up on.

The story of Orlando is about a man, apparently immortal, who goes through a series of events and then he's a woman (or was she one all along?). It starts in the 1600's (the person playing Queen Elizabeth is a man), somewhere around the late 1700's is when Orlando is a woman and she has a brief thing with a man played by Billy Zane. (God, I'd forgotten how beautiful he is when he's not being weird, creepy, or cruel.) Every now and then the director has Orlando just look into the camera and his/her expression says it all as pertaining to the current situation. Orlando is played by Tilda Swinton. Excellent casting. Her androgynous face, dark red hair, flawless skin and expressive eyes are so captivating. (Most of you may recognize her as the White Witch from the recent Chronicles of Narnia movie.)

Then, last night, I took the boys to a library event. Stage to Page The Emperor's New Clothes. It was a small, 3 person play, based on the classic story but set in the old west. 3 actors (one female, 2 male) played a plethora of charcters both male and female switchin' and dippin' and a good time was played by all. Reminded me of the fact that originally all actors were male and had to play all parts equally well.

Today, I'm planning on watching TransAmerica. This movie, starring Felicity Huffman is about a man, going through gender reassignment, who discovers he/she has a son. I've heard great things about it and am looking forward to watching it. If you click on the IMDB link to the movie and scroll down to the cast list, I find it interesting that the voice coach got first billing!

I'm glad I have you people to share with. I can't talk to Dave about the movies I watch during the day. He busts his ass for 12 hours a day or more and gets a little irritated when I talk about sitting on mine while watching movies. (Understandably so.) It's not like I sit there doing nothing, though. I only watch when the boys are down for a nap. Then while I'm watching, I'm folding laundry, working on patterns for my book or working on mailings for our other business. Plus, he'd never watch half the movies I like. He hates "period pieces" and gender bender things make him uncomfortable. (Not that those are the only types I watch when he's not here, just recently so.)

Sorry, no reward pic's for making it this far today. But! On Monday, a contest announcement....

Off to do more laundry, Ruth!