Thursday Movie Picks #2 – Fashion World

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Welcome back to Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wandering through the Shelves! . The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week, pick three to five movies and share the reason. Should anyone be interested in joining in, feel free to visit the main page here.
This week’s theme is Fashion World. Same as Legal Thrillers last week, this theme isn’t my favorite spot. The reason is similar: too many jargons and names (of people, of brand) I barely knew before. Yet, I can still manage to pick three films about Fashion World (that I watched and found a little liking in them).
 
01. Zoolander (2001)
Ben Stiller – Zoolander (2001)
Until now, I can’t really decide whether Zoolander is a hilarious satire or a total, direct mockery to fashion world. Ben Stiller directs and stars in as a quirky super model, Derek Zoolander, who makes modelling look like ‘Dumb and Dumber’ of fashion industry. It is dumb but candidly fun and exhilarating; most importantly, it reassures me that fashion industry is a weird, cruel world not to be understandable for common  eyes.
02. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Meryl Streep & Anne Hathaway – The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
The Devil Wears Prada is possibly the most obvious and popular pick for a film about fashion world, hence picking this makes a total cliche. However, I must admit that David Frankel’s adaptation of Laura Weisberger’s best-selling novel is terrific in portraying how cruel the industry has always been. How Anne Hathaway, a rock bottom to this industry, survives the ruthlessness and tyranny of fashion industry is downright admirable and sympathetic. Yet, who owns the film is the one and the only Meryl Streep as an Anna Wintour-esque figure, Miranda Priestly. Yes, fashion industry is alienating and cruel.
03. Saint Laurent (2014)
Gaspard Ulliel – Saint Laurent (2014)
Prodigal son of fashion industry, Yves Saint Laurent, got another biopic with Hannibal Rising’s star, Gaspard Ulliel to portray him. Saint Laurent isn’t actually a kind of film I would like. It is frontal and somehow depressing, but it never depicts fashion industry as an irony, but rather a one-dimensional depressing world. The only thing that gets me attached is Gaspard Ulliel, who emanates the persona of the titular figure in a queer, “French” way.


Afterwords: Fashion world is indeed a cruel, weird and alienating industry; and some films are able to capture that sense, but I am still one of the alienated viewer.

11 responses

  1. Zoolander is a great choice. I almost went with that myself. I did chose The Devil Wears Prada though. I haven’t seen Saint Laurent.

    1. I loved Zoolander! It’s the non-serious one I’m pretty sure.
      Well, Saint Laurent isn’t even a decent film, if not for Gaspard Ulliel

  2. Zoolander is a great film. Surprised I haven’t seen it more often. The best is…”buy why male models”…?

    1. Yeah, true that! Unfortunately, Zoolander 2 is kinda substance-less

  3. Zoolander is a fun puffy bit of nonsense that Ben Stiller approached in the right way and he obviously had fun doing it.
    Devil Wears Prada is just as you say and Hathaway didn’t thrill me in the lead but she’s incidental compared to Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep who are both tremendous.
    Haven’t seen or even heard of Saint Laurent, it doesn’t sound like you cared much for it so doesn’t sound like the urgency to see it is too great.
    I tried for some more offbeat choices though the doc is of very recent vintage.
    Women He Undressed (2015)-Mix of documentary and reenactments tells the story of Australian born Hollywood wardrobe designer Orry-Kelly. THE major Warner Brothers designer throughout much of the Golden Age and a favorite of Bette Davis among others he also designed for films ranging from Some Like it Hot to Les Girls and Casablanca. Covers his often rocky early life-he was seriously involved with Cary Grant before either were famous, working in mob controlled nightclubs etc. though his successes and later struggles with alcohol laced throughout with interviews with those who knew and worked with him including Jane Fonda and Angela Lansbury. Directed by Gillian Armstrong.
    The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)-High fashion photography Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway) is much in demand for her provocative layouts that have a violent often blood splattered tinge. She is climbing ever higher until she suddenly starts seeing actual murders through the eyes of the killer and he seems to be moving closer and closer to her. Stylish, with a theme song sung by Barbra Streisand, but rather sick this provided an early spotlight role for Tommy Lee Jones.
    Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975)-Italian giallo film of a leather clad and motorcycle helmeted killer who is wreaking havoc within the Albatross modeling agency systemically knocking off nearly everyone associated with it. Unsurprisingly based on the title full to the brim with nudity both female and to a lesser degree male as well grisly knife killings all in gaudily lit 70’s colors. A definite precursor to the slasher film craze that swept American films a few years later this bloodbath is set to a striking jazz score.

    1. Yeah agree about Zoolander and TDWP. True about Saint Laurent, too, if not for Gaspard Ulliel, I wouldn’t want to recommend it. Even so, it’s still segmented.
      Anyway, your recommendations seem fantastic! Women He Undressed sounds cool since I’ve just started to admire Golden Age. The other two are intriguing too as they seem to take the industry too far. Kinda curious.

  4. Zoolander is so silly but fun. Devil Wears Prada is quite good and does show the horrible aspects and how cutthroat tha world is. I haven’t seen the last film but sounds like one I would like to see.

    1. Zoolander is downright silly! I can’t even decide if it’s all a joke or a clever satire.
      In some post, I must agree that TDWP is the icon of modern fashion world in cinema… for Meryl Streep alone.
      I wouldn’t recommend Saint Laurent much if you’re not up for cute guys. Lol.

  5. Zoolander was so much fun!

  6. Aha! I picked Zoolander too, great comedy fun. Not a fan of Devil Wears Prada, but I see it is popular today. Yves Saint Laurent biopics look interesting, mostly because i know nothing about the designer.

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