the notorious betty page (2005), directed by mary harron & copying beethoven (2006), directed by agnieszka holland.

i wouldnt call myself a tv addict. i hardly watch it. i go out to work too early in the morning and come home exhausted like a train wreck. thus i savour every bit of pleasure from having any free time doing absolutely meaningless things. and tv is one of them. and sometimes the things shown on telly, can be interesting to write about.

1. the notorious betty page (2005). directed by mary harron.

i managed to catch it like the last 15 minutes. however i was taken with the righteous attitudes of the 50's. page was famous as the first bondage model in the era where what constitutes pornography could now be easily be found, say, in GQ managize or anything equally mainstream. well i came across it a few years ago and still didnt find it appealing or that shocking for that matter. what is more interesting was page's view on the whole thing, quoted from an interview:

I never thought it was shameful. I felt normal. It's just that it was much better than pounding a typewriter eight hours a day, which gets monotonous.

sourced from wikipedia

page as a model in a budding porn industry of the 50's was iconic; the film was excellent in its technicality and history. you would expect more sting from a film like this, but no, it is tame and too thin in its story telling, as if it is not significant to be told. mary harron of american psycho (2000) fame directed this film, i too was surprised at how short the material became in her hands.

2. copying beethoven (2006). directed by agnieszka holland.

beethoven was larger than life as a person. so to be beethoven resembles a burden, not a task. i didnt know ed harris had a beethoven project. i mean, ed harris, of all persons, someone who tends to be larger than life in the movies than what is required; this beethoven thing is going to be a double dose. the story was a fictional account of the two last years of the great composer's life and of his relationship with a budding female amateur composer, anna holtz. this beethoven guy, suffice to say, wasnt easy to live with. he purposely made life difficult for others. he was deaf before the age of 30 and it tortured him as a composer. thank goodness there was not channel e back then else it would have driven him mad. another movie based on him called immortal beloved (1994) in which gary oldman starred as beethoven, suggested the same mental state beethoven might have had towards the end of his life. that he became mellowed, felt he understood the tortures he had to bear throughout his life as a price to his talents. that he wouldnt achieved greatness if not for all that.

he was an annoying neighbour. he showered in the middle of the room and water runs directly to the floor below.