the radiance of an old film

by the time i was ten or even younger, i could memorize the full names of her husbands up to burton. as a child left to my own devices, my mom's old mags, meticulously binded and lined up in a dilapidated shelf, weren't spared from my exploring grasps. i always gobble up history. pop culture history. elizabeth taylor's history. my friend joy described her ten years ago as the embodiment of decadence. for me liz taylor is the face behind the saying that beauty is skin deep. the erstwhile movie star might not have been able to preserve the optical illusion that had catapulted her to the role of cleopatra, one of the greatest flops of all time. but i relish watching her films -- from cat on a hot tin roof to giant, father of the bride even national velvet.

a soap sud at my most melodramatic, rhapsody (1954) is a favorite. i enjoy the simulation of rachmaninoff concerto no. 2 and the john ericson character's ultimate sacrifice for love. i know there's a profound daftness in following the rigors of these romantic stories, but at the end of the day, when one's energy level has been depleted by the exigent aspects of running errands for the genial, watching thought provoking dramas is more draining than work itself. as it's quite a challenge to acquire a dvd copy of this feature, i just content myself in clicking my TCM eclectic mixes.