"Will you still love me, when I'm no longer young or beautiful" has been playing on a loop in my head over the last 24 hours. The song, sung by the irreverent Lana del Rey, features on the achingly on-trend soundtrack of The Great Gatsby, and essentially provides the theme tune for the entire film. A lot of people have a problem with the likes of such contemporary heavyweights (Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Florence & The Machine, et al) providing the accompaniment for a film set nearly a century ago. But this is a film by Baz Luhrman. The man who set Romeo & Juliet in a Latino suburb of Miami. Who had a turn-of-the-century prostitute singing Marilyn's Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend whilst gyrating on a swing. His whole style is about mixing the old with the new; breathing new life into familiar narratives. In this way, Gatsby has two feet firmly planted nearly a century apart: it captures in appearance and essence the spirit of the 'roaring 20s', whilst emphasising the fact that this is a 21st century film through the soundtrack and cinematography (most noticeably the now-seemingly customary release of films in 3D).
In terms of whether the film stays true to F Scott Fitzgerald's venerated novel, I have something to confess: I've never read the book. Boo, Hiss, I know. It's on my to-do list. From what reviews I've read, the page-to-screen adaptation is pretty faithful, as far as plot lines go. Character-wise, people have problems. The choice of Carey Mulligan to play Daisy was criticised, claiming she was not as pretty as readers had imagined. DiCaprio's performance was "as deep as spilt champagne", according to one critic, "forgettable" by another. Certainly, Gatsby is no Blood Diamond, Revolutionary Road, or other DiCaprio films that required a high degree of 'serious acting'. This is not some kind of gritty drama. Gatsby, like the 20s itself, was all glitz and glamour; a world of appearance and illusion, of deception and duplicity. It wasn't serious because it refused to be so. It was a time of rebellious freedom, a decade that rejected the disillusionment of the post-War hangover, and the austerity of pre-War social customs, to create a dreamlike bubble of denial. Daisy is the epitome of the shallow woman: vacuous and self-centred, incapable of taking responsibility for her actions, a coward to the extreme. Mulligan's watery, wide-eyed beauty is certainly easy on the eye, but you are left questioning what on earth Gatsby saw in her. Perhaps we live in a different age. Perhaps strength and independence are now more celebrated qualities for women compared with those of the 20s. For me, it wasn't the casting of Carey Mulligan as Daisy that was the problem. Nor the choice of Toby Macguire as the narrator Nick Carraway - an actor who divides opinion, to say the least. I felt DiCaprio was all wrong. He is just too good an actor. It was like you could see him struggling to play what is, essentially, the attitude of a love-sick adolescent in the puffed-up body of a corporate pretender. He's also too old. Gone is the sparkle of youth, the un-lined face, the slim build of man who has just popped out of his twenties. As an older actor, the one thing he does nail is the confidence and self-assurity of Gatsby. What Nick Carraway describes as that "extraordinary gift for hope" - that everything will be, has to be, alright in the end.
Everyone wishes they knew a Noah in The Notebook. A man who loves you so much that he'd build your dream house for you. A man you can respect. Gatsby essentially does the same, yet we feel only pity and contempt towards his pathetic attempts to woo another man's wilted flower through his parties at his grand house situated just across the bay from hers. Why is that? Is it because we feel he's being whipped by this superficial sissy? Is it all just a bit, well, sad? Perhaps the difference between these two romances is that we all know a Gatsby-type. [Usually] young lads who develop acute tunnel-vision for a nice-but-not-interested girl, and subsequently devote every waking hour to her comfort and happiness. Certainly, this seems to be something of a rite of passage for men - but to see it happening to a man in his 30s is not cute, it's tragic (and not in a Shakespearean way).
So the question still stands: "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?" Will you still love Gatsby when the music is dated, and the scenes look tacky? Probably not. But fuck, it sure looks good now.
Ever since I can remember, I've been listening to music. Whether through a Sony Walkman, a portable CD player (the first thing I ever saved up for), or an 1st Gen iPod, music has been a huge part of my life. Every milestone has been accompanied by an artist or album. It's got me through the bad times, provided a soundtrack for the good times, and been a constant where friends and boyfriends have not. So, after trawling through my iTunes for the best part of a week, I have finally compiled my list of the best albums since the millennium. I'm not saying this is the definitive list, by any means, but all these albums have been a part of special moments in my life - and I thought it only fair to share them with you. In general, we've got a pretty strong Indie theme going on here, but I hope you'll all be able to look back at these and they'll strike some sort of chord (pun intended). Even though these are my memories, this post is all about getting involved, so please do comment - if you haven't already - about the albums you like to reminisce over. As my boy Shakespeare once said, "If music be the food of love, play on", so I give you: La Belle et La Bête's Top Albums of the 21st Century.
2000
Coldplay - 'Parachutes'
Far more raw than their later album 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head', this album came out around the time I moved to England from Australia. I'd never even heard of Coldplay, but I listened to the album in my friend's Dad's car just before we left, and she gave it to me as a parting present. I remember unpacking all my things from my room in Sydney in this strange environment, wondering if I'd ever manage to make this country my home. Although Yellow is arguably the most famous track from the album, I like Don't Panic and We Never Change.
2001
The Strokes - 'Is This It'
Now I know I featured a song from this album in a post back in January, but it's just too good to leave out. Although Last Night was the first song I remember dancing around to (not really understanding the words), every year I go back and revisit it and find something new and different to appreciate. I know it's a cliché, but it's true: this album is timeless. Here's my favourite track of the moment, Is This It:
2002
Christina Aguilera - 'Stripped'
Apart from being the biggest reinvention EVER, this album marked a new departure for pop. Granted, Christina might have taken her image of a 'bad girl' to a whole new, chlamydia-ridden level, but it signalled the death of the 'bubblegum' girls of pop. Xtina was the first of the 'independent women' (P!nk back in the 90's being a notable exception), who gave out the message that being a slag is A-Ok. And as impressionable 11-year olds, who read the Cosmopolitan sex pages with a flashlight under the duvets at night, we totally lapped it up. At this time, I was out at our sister school in France for a term. 'Stripped' was the soundtrack to the gruelling workouts many of the girls did at stupid-o'clock in the morning, before jumping in a cold shower (apparently they'd read in Glamour/Cosmo/Elle that it was good for muscle tone) and surreptitiously eyeing each other up afterwards. For many of us, this album heralded the start of womanhood, and what a great example Christina gave... Here she is, with the unforgettable video for Dirrty:
2003
Beyoncé - 'Dangerously in Love'
Dido - 'Life for Rent'
2004
Arcade Fire - 'Funeral'
2004 was the year I started to really take charge over what I listened to. I got given a 1st Gen iPod for Christmas, and, whenever I was home, I spent all my time on the iTunes store looking for new music (and chatting to people on MSN messenger, obviously...). Power Out was the first track I got off the album, but I later returned and bought the whole thing. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Here's Rebellion (Lies):
Gavin DeGraw - 'Chariot'
It's 2004 and the battle between The OC and One Tree Hill is raging. Personally, I was always an OC girl, but I have to admit that Gavin DeGraw (who's song, I Don't Wanna Be was (is?) the opening track for each episode) just beat his OC equivalent, Phantom Planet, in the album stakes. Largely through the influence of these series, a lot of my friends started to take an interest in songs that weren't necessarily top of the charts. 'Chariot' was an album that did the rounds of the dormitories at boarding school, and soon nearly everyone in our year knew the words to every track. When I was compiling this list, I decided for quality's control, I should probably give it another listen after all these years. I was pleasantly surprised that it's stood the test of time - and I can confirm I still know all the words.
Interpol - 'Antics'
I distinctly remember feeling pretty fucking cool when I bought this album. As a pent-up teenager, who was angry at the world/nothing in particular, Interpol provided the gritty emotion that I thought I was capable of feeling. Whatever I believed I was going through, there's no doubting that this album is REALLY GOOD. Although they followed with at least two more over the next 5 or so years, in my opinion, none were as rawly charged as the first. Here's what I'm talking about:
Keane - 'Hopes and Fears'
2005
Bloc Party - 'Silent Alarm'
Brendan Benson - 'Alternative to Love'
The Guillemots - 'Through the Windowpane'
2005 was the year I got what I'd been wishing for through listening to music: a real life boyfriend and relationship. After nearly a year of drama, teenage declarations of love, and mountainous phone bills for both parties' parents, we went on holiday to France (with the whole family, obviously, Easyjet don't do unaccompanied minors...). 'Through the Windowpane' was my then-boyfriend's choice of car listening material, and was the soundtrack to a Summer of inappropriate behaviour and acting as terrible influences on his little sister. We're Here was the sound of sunshine and freedom, and still puts a smile on my face nearly 8 years later.
Jack Johnson - 'In Between Dreams'
This summer was also the summer I discovered photography. With not much to do, I wondered around my area of London taking shots of church spires and gates before hurrying home and photoshopping them to death. I thought I was being pretty 'arty', but I've since come across them and they are utterly terrible. I remember I entitled one of my pretentious shots Sitting, Waiting, Wishing - a tribute to a track on Jack Johnson's album, which was on repeat during the tedious editing process. Although I cringe at the photos, I still listen to the album and remember how utterly naive I was but didn't want to admit it.
2006
Akala - 'It's Not A Rumour'
Welcome to 2006, where UK Hip Hop is beginning to take over music and fashion. Every boy I know (who, by the way, all attended prestigious public schools) dresses in adidas tracksuits, and the girls in Jack Wills 'trackie-bums' slung low across their hips. Everybody smoked, drank, and pretended that life at their Hampshire home was, like, so hard. It was also around this time that the film Kidulthood was released, and our generation - especially the down-trodden teenagers at public schools - totally related to it. Naturally, our soundtrack mirrored that of the film, full of British rappers spouting about AK-47's, running from the feds, and being black on white council estates. We were all over it.
Justin Timberlake - 'FutureSex/LoveSounds'
2006 was also the year we discovered fake ID's. Although not much better than a card with 'I am 18' written on it in felt tip, it seemed to be sufficient for most supermarkets, clubs and pubs. House parties became a thing of the past - it was all about hitting the off-licenses before going out in Soho. Us girls, who could pile on the makeup and age ourselves about 10 years, didn't have as much trouble as the pre-pubescent boys, whose "photocopied passports" didn't always cut it with the bouncers - even at the most seedy of establishments. If we managed to get in at all, all I can remember playing on the sweaty pit of a dancefloor was Justin Timberlake. I think this one deserves a video...
The Kooks - 'Inside In Inside Out'
2007
Timbaland - 'Shock Value'
Pendulum - 'Hold Your Colour'
Bored of the 'tame' music they were playing in the Soho clubs, we eventually branched out into Drum n Bass, which we listened to in public gardens while swigging from a £5 bottle of wine bought from the offie. Mainstream was so last year - Drum n Bass was where it was at. We were lucky to get away without an ASBO. I would have wanted to punch me in the face. Hold Your Colour represented a complete disregard for ourselves and each other, as we tried to figure out who we were and where we fitted in.
2008
Crystal Casltes - 'Crystal Castles'
2008 was a year of two halves for me; the first represented in the absolute anarchy that was the music of Crystal Castles. For the first 6 months of this year, I was a complete mess. I'd spent so many years being somebody else, that I couldn't remember who I really was. Queue endless weekends that I can't remember much of, bad decisions both academically and romantically, and parents who were pretty sure I was losing it. The music of Crystal Castles - disjointed, angry, jarring - reflected how I felt inside.
Fleet Foxes - 'Fleet Foxes'
Thankfully Summer came, and provided me the headspace to reevaluate myself and who I was. It was once I'd done that, that I met a guy at a festival who subsequently became my boyfriend of three years. Fleet Foxes was the album I gave to him that Christmas, and marked a whole new, much calmer chapter of my life - one away from the late nights and underage parties. Their voices - almost monastical in their sound - were like nothing I'd ever heard from a contemporary band. It totally blew my mind. If you haven't heard them, have a listen to this:
2009
White Lies - 'To Lose My Life'
Still one of my favourite albums of all time, White Lies managed to achieve what few bands can - amazing lyrics with incredible music. On top of that, Harry McVeigh, the lead vocalist, has one of the sexiest voices ever. I'm pretty sure this album remained on repeat throughout 2009. Here are two of favourite songs off the album (although I'd argue that the whole thing is worth a listen...):
Marina & The Diamonds - 'The Family Jewels'
Although the album wasn't technically released until 2010, I'm pretty sure I had at least an EP of Marina and her Diamonds in 2009. After years of all-male bands, it was amazing to hear someone as fresh as Marina wading into the mix. It might sound sad, but to me she embodied the strong woman I was dying to be, which school was preventing me from becoming. I remember listening to her after I'd just finished, not knowing what to do with myself after 7 years of boarding school came to an end. I have a feeling I'll be returning to Marina in a couple of months, when I finally graduate from university...
2010
Ellie Goulding - 'Lights'
After school had finished, I decided to take a year out. Trying to figure out what I was passionate about was a grueling mission, and so I decided to take a job in America for a while. Ellie Goulding’s album had just been released and not only accompanied my commute to work, but also allowed me to figure out how I was feeling about the relationship I’d taken a break from. I didn’t like America. I felt more lost and alone than ever. Wish I Stayed gave a voice to what I couldn’t say to my employers and family friends. Needless to say, I was happy to return home.
Fyfe Dangerfield - 'Fly Yellow Moon'
Coming back to the UK wasn’t much better than the USA. It seemed that everyone I’d ever known had fled the country to go party on a beach in Thailand, help orphans in Africa, or hike mountains in India (delete as appropriate). Having quite literally missed the boat on organizing an exotic Gap Year, I decided to make the most of a bad situation, and, within a matter of weeks, had mapped out a route around Italy and Greece that I would journey solo. Italy allowed me some headspace to reflect on myself and the people in my life; re-evaluate what was important to me, and reignite a passion for art that had long since dwindled. One of the most important developments was reconnecting with the boyfriend I’d taken a break from before America. I downloaded Fyfe Dangerfield's cover of Billy Joel's She’s Always a Woman on my way from Bologna to Florence. Walking to catch the train, dragging my suitcase behind me, I listened to the lyrics: “she only reveals what she wants you to see; she hides like a child, but she’s always a woman to me”. It was the first time I'd thought about my part in how the relationship had ended. Almost like magic, I stepped off the train in Florence, and saw that I had received a voicemail. On the walk to the hostel, I heard my ex's voice for the first time in months, ringing from an Indian payphone. For me, this song will always symbolize second chances and new beginnings.
The Jezabels - 'She's So Hard EP'
Unfortunately, our story wasn’t plucked from a Nicholas Sparks novel; there was no house building by Ryan Gosling, or broken-off engagements, not even a happy ending. University finally rolled round, and we found our ties being tested again. I baulked, calling it off a second time, and finally a third time. The Jezebels provided an outlet for my anguish, confusion, and disorientation, as I once again tried to re-establish myself as a whole person - when really, I felt like half of me was missing. Hurt Me and Mace Spray are the two songs that remind me of that first year of university: the ups and downs, the friends and the exes, the happiness at being accepted, and the sadness of losing what had, up until now, been everything.
2011
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX - 'We're New Here'
6 months later and I had finally settled into university life; which, predictably, included going out. But not the going out I remembered - no one wore heels, ‘makeup’ was what you slept in last night, and the look you were generally aiming for was an educated crackhead. I had gone to see a friend in Nottingham, and had been persuaded to buy a ticket to see Jamie XX. It was the first time I’d ever been to see a live DJ. I spent the next month listening to this album on repeat, mentally transporting myself back to that night, which also marked the beginning of my second serious relationship. NY Is Killing Me was the first song of his set.
Beirut - 'The Rip Tide'
Ben Howard - 'Every Kingdom'
2012
Keaton Henson - 'Dear'
2012 was, as you might have gathered from my 'Rant' posts, a year of devastating heartbreak. My relationship with my oldest friend ended as suddenly as it had begun the previous summer, and I was left totally bereft. Keaton Henson's album spoke to me because it was inspired by the deterioration and death of a relationship of his. The albums of this year, along with patient and understanding friends and family, got me through probably the lowest months of my life, and out the other side. Small Hands describes the little things you miss of a person that is gone, sung in Keaton's beautifully broken voice.
Ed Sheeran - '+'
Lana del Rey - 'Born to Die'
2013
Active Child - 'You Are All I See'
Last year, the songs that spoke to me were those with lyrics of heartache and pain. This year I'm pleased to say I'm much more upbeat and positive, which is reflected (I hope) in the music that I've been listening to. Recently, I've been really getting into unusual and powerful vocals - and these three artists definitely deliver on sound. Active Child is someone that I discovered at the beginning of this year, and his vocals absolutely floored me. I featured Johnny Belinda and Hanging On in previous Tune Tapes, so I thought I'd showcase another incredible song off the album, High Priestess...
Daughter - 'If You Leave'
Woodkid - 'The Golden Age'
Now, I'm happy to say, it is over to you guys: What has been your favourite album of this century?
Hannah, 22: Busted - 'Thunderbirds Are Go' (yep. seriously.)
Nat, 22: Blink 182 - 'Take Off Your Pants and Jacket'
Rosie, 22: Ellie Goulding - 'Lights'
(Rosie's Housemate): Bruno Mars - 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans'
Iona, 22: Cypress Hill - 'Black Sunday' (not technically this century, but I'll give it to her because it's an epic album)
Please do post a comment about your most-loved album of the 21st Century!
Back in the Christmas holidays, my mum and I watched the BBC film The Girl, starring Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren - the actress plucked from obscurity by Alfred Hitchcock to play the lead in his iconic film The Birds. In this film, which focuses on what we would now recognise as sexual harassment from Hitchcock (played by Toby Jones) to most girls under his directorial jurisdiction, we are given a glimpse of the flip-side to the 'glamour' of 50s' Hollywood. The Girl centres around the filming of the 1963 film The Birds, whereas the forthcoming film Hitchcock is concerned with the story behind Psycho (1960). This week, I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of the latter - which is due out in cinemas in the UK next Friday. Inspired by The Girl and Hitchcock respectively, I decided to watch the infamous Psychoa few days later - which ticks off another movie I hadn't seen on IMDB's Top 100. Here's what I thought of them...
Hitchcock (in cinemas February 8th)
IMDB Rating: 7/10 My Rating: 6/10 Set in the last few months of the 1950's, Alfred Hitchcock (played by Anthony Hopkins) is already renowned for being 'The Master of Suspense'; a cinematic genius with the respect and adoration of Hollywood. As we know, 'behind every great man, there's a great woman' - in Hitchcock's case, this is his steadfast wife, Alma (Helen Mirren). From the beginning, we are made aware that marital relations between the pair aren't exactly conventional - especially for the period. It's essentially a working relationship - Alma jokes about Hitch's wandering eye whilst proof-reading potential scripts for upcoming projects, Hitch hides wine in the magazine rack...it's the stuff of comedic duos. Which is one of my many problems with the film - it's all a bit too slapstick. Hitchcock waddles across the screen; his bloated-bellied silhouette more like a cartoon character than a real person, and the accent Hopkins has employed is over-the-top and laughable. Rather than having any real 'stage presence' (as the real Hitchcock and Toby Jones's depiction do have), Hopkins pouts his way through the film in an over-inflated fat suit, whilst licking his lips at the pretty young things that totter by. He's a sneaky fat pervert - but more Michelin man than Jimmy Saville. This portrayal of Hitchcock - especially vis-a-vis his penchant for blondes - is in total contrast to the dark, menacing figure we see in The Girl. It's comparing a predator to a pest, and I think that is dangerous. This having been said, both films put Hitchcock in a fairly bad light. Neither one doubts his genius, but both show a darker side - varying from 'spoilt brat' (Hitchcock) to 'merciless sexual harasser' (The Birds). Whilst Hopkins's performance falls a bit flat, Helen Mirren gives a great portrayal of Hitchcock's long-suffering wife, Alma. Obviously a genius in her own right, she is forever eclipsed by her husband and his voracious ego. She is the thankless understudy that never gets to play the part. The main problem with Hitchcock is its lack of focus. The film tries to split your emotions and interest between two storylines; that of Alma and her laborious marriage to the director, and the story behind Psycho. Unfortunately it doesn't do either of these well enough for you to really care. Hitchcock's 'visits' from the real-life psycho Ed Gein (upon whom the adapted book and subsequent film is based on) are out of kilter with the rest of the film; desperately trying to clutch hold of some straws to hammer home the point of 'art mirroring life'. While the film touches upon some interesting ideas and situations, that's all it really does - touch upon them. All in all, it's an enjoyable, but blasé, look into the life of Alfred Hitchcock c.1960 with a vague background to the making of Psycho. Speaking of which...
Psycho (1960) IMDB Rating: 8.6/10 My Rating: 8.5/10 Psycho was the first movie to take the Horror genre out of the gutter of 'B' movies and elevate it into a cinematic artwork. There was only one director who was capable of turning such a 'low-brow' form of entertainment into a sophisticated classic: Alfred Hitchcock. Based on the true-life events of a serial killer in the 1950's, Psycho centres around the disappearance of Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh), and the hunt to find out the truth surrounding her vanishing. Psycho, however, refers not just to the deranged murderer responsible, but also to the film's defining aspect - it's psychological. From the first scenes of the film, the viewer is made to feel like a voyeur - like we are spying on the main characters, rather than them being 'shown' to us. It's almost like we don't have permission - which is a pretty unnerving feeling. Yet we can't look away. It's only in hindsight that we realise Hitchcock has given us the perspective of the psycho - Norman Bates, owner of the sinister off-road 'Bates Motel' - who looks through his peep-hole at Marion Crane, and is 'watching, always watching'. Bates, who looks more like a frat boy than a serial killer, is given a extra dose of disturbance through the film's dramatic use of shadows. The high contrast between light and dark (which changes after the 'shower incident') emphasises not just the physical, but also the mental, characteristics of the 'psycho'. Even more than 50 years on, Psycho still manages to make you jump. You also realise just how influential this film has been. Just a few references I noted were horror films centred around deserted motels (eg.Vacancy), cross-dressing psychopaths (eg.Silence of the Lambs), and South Park's City Sushi episode, which I watched last night and realise they copy the end scene of Psycho. Not to mention the use of atmospheric music signalling when to hide behind your popcorn. I have a feeling Psycho's one of those films that keeps giving - that every time you watch it, you see something new, or pick up on something different. It's truly timeless, and that's what makes a film a classic. Just don't take a shower afterwards.
