Thursday, January 13, 2005
Marty, You Raging Bull, You...
OK, so I'm a nerd, but hear me out anyway. There is a scene in "The Aviator" (good movie, follows all the good movie rules, beautiful colour, 1920s Hollywood glamour galore, Jude Law as the best Errol Flynn since "Robin Hood" -- yet, something about it doesn't really say "Best Picture" to me... for that, see "Million Dollar Baby") where Howard Hughes is beginning his descent into madness. He's unshaven, his hair is not cut and neither are his fingernails. His house is a mess in trying to keep the germs out. Ava Gardner, his former lover and arm candy, shows up and cleans him up for a court appearance. For this scene, Artie Shaw's "Nightmare" blares.
Reading my book club's latest selection, "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides (great choice, Jitty), there is a scene when a character is wooing his chick by imitating Artie Shaw's "Begin the Beguine" on his clarinet. Inspired, I put on the CD and the first track is "Nightmare." I recognized it as the song from that scene in "The Aviator." Earlier in the week, I had read a Shaw obituary that he was once married to Ava Gardner. It hit me like the gusto of a swing band at the Cocoanut Grove, the irony of Marty Scorcese's soundtrack selection! God almighty, Marty is amazing.
Reading my book club's latest selection, "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides (great choice, Jitty), there is a scene when a character is wooing his chick by imitating Artie Shaw's "Begin the Beguine" on his clarinet. Inspired, I put on the CD and the first track is "Nightmare." I recognized it as the song from that scene in "The Aviator." Earlier in the week, I had read a Shaw obituary that he was once married to Ava Gardner. It hit me like the gusto of a swing band at the Cocoanut Grove, the irony of Marty Scorcese's soundtrack selection! God almighty, Marty is amazing.
// posted by Desiree @ 11:34 PM 
