You asked for my review of "The Eye Has To Travel," so here it is.
The documentary is quite well produced, with the quality of the images sharp and the selection of the images from archive appropriate to support the discussion of the subject. The interviews with people associated with Diana Vreeland were nicely excerpted and, I would presume, well done in each one's entirety. Similarly, they supported the historical report well.
Judging from the bibliography, this documentary was thoroughly researched and likely that was quite expensive to do.
Diana Vreeland is a woman who had to grow into her best face. The first images we see of her are of the very mature Diana Vreeland, and my initial reaction was, "what a beautiful lady." It is sad to learn that her mother called her ugly as a child. The photographs I saw of her at ages earlier than thirty showed a somewhat unmemorable, but not ugly, face. There were intelligent things going on behind that face, as was proven by her ability and determination to rise to the occasion when life thrust her into the sudden necessity of earning her own living. She did not whine; she looked around and pursued remunerative work.
. After enduring the emotional abrasions of having to "suck it up" doing entry-level jobs, she displayed her talent for attention-grabbing photo-journalism to the right person and got hired into a position of influential writing, from which she launched into the photographic creativity that defined her ultimately. She was fortunate to ride the rising tide of United States quasi adolescent exuberance after its emergence as the only fully functioning industrialized economy after World War II, when we in North America (including Canada somewhat) were buying it up, burning it up, roaring it up consuming, consuming, consuming. In our urban centers the forces that made money slosh from one place to another were pursuing success via excess, and Diana Vreeland had the mind to compete in that environment with images that jumped off the page at the reader.
. In the documentary we see Diana Vreeland almost invariably dressed in lovely garments of the highest quality fabrics tailored beautifully to drape just right and allow her the freedom of motion to do her work; while she turned the women who appeared on her pages in "Vogue" into the most hideous specters of ugliness I would rather not imagine. Indeed, a slashed-open corpse could not be any uglier than those women after the Diana Vreeland treatment. She got paid well for it, and so laughed all the way to the bank, I suppose. It is not surprising that the documentary ends with Diana Vreeland's curatorial work on the 18th century rich women's high fashion, notable for its preposterous daring and shameful abuse of women's bodies.
It is good that Diana Vreeland was picked up from her devastation at being terminated from employment in journalism, and employed honorably as a curator and presenter of women's clothing history. She was self-reliant and heroic. Her strength and bravery are rightly chronicled in this documentary.
Oh no...I'm sorry the plumbing problems are contagious. After nearly a month--off and on due to schedules and weather--my plumbers are finally down redoing all of my wastewater repiping. Thank God my landlord is footing the bill...cuz what a bill. And I've heard from other homeowners they gave us an amazing deal!
I am sure my plumbing did not catch anything from yours. We have used
scrupulous hygienic protection in our intellectual intercourse, most enjoyable. My cast iron was a hundred and ten years old, so it succumbed to the disease of old age, and it was expected.
. My plumber and his helper are both wonderfully skilled and diligent men who accomplished the bone-shaking job of replacing what was necessary with top quality PVC-40 expertly installed. Their earned money passed from my account to theirs easily and gave me joy in so doing.
110 years? That cast iron did its job and deserves retirement. My galvanized steel pipes only last 70ish years. Go iron! Cheers to you and your plumbing team. Cheers, Sam.
Dear Clint,
You asked for my review of "The Eye Has To Travel," so here it is.
The documentary is quite well produced, with the quality of the images sharp and the selection of the images from archive appropriate to support the discussion of the subject. The interviews with people associated with Diana Vreeland were nicely excerpted and, I would presume, well done in each one's entirety. Similarly, they supported the historical report well.
Judging from the bibliography, this documentary was thoroughly researched and likely that was quite expensive to do.
Diana Vreeland is a woman who had to grow into her best face. The first images we see of her are of the very mature Diana Vreeland, and my initial reaction was, "what a beautiful lady." It is sad to learn that her mother called her ugly as a child. The photographs I saw of her at ages earlier than thirty showed a somewhat unmemorable, but not ugly, face. There were intelligent things going on behind that face, as was proven by her ability and determination to rise to the occasion when life thrust her into the sudden necessity of earning her own living. She did not whine; she looked around and pursued remunerative work.
. After enduring the emotional abrasions of having to "suck it up" doing entry-level jobs, she displayed her talent for attention-grabbing photo-journalism to the right person and got hired into a position of influential writing, from which she launched into the photographic creativity that defined her ultimately. She was fortunate to ride the rising tide of United States quasi adolescent exuberance after its emergence as the only fully functioning industrialized economy after World War II, when we in North America (including Canada somewhat) were buying it up, burning it up, roaring it up consuming, consuming, consuming. In our urban centers the forces that made money slosh from one place to another were pursuing success via excess, and Diana Vreeland had the mind to compete in that environment with images that jumped off the page at the reader.
. In the documentary we see Diana Vreeland almost invariably dressed in lovely garments of the highest quality fabrics tailored beautifully to drape just right and allow her the freedom of motion to do her work; while she turned the women who appeared on her pages in "Vogue" into the most hideous specters of ugliness I would rather not imagine. Indeed, a slashed-open corpse could not be any uglier than those women after the Diana Vreeland treatment. She got paid well for it, and so laughed all the way to the bank, I suppose. It is not surprising that the documentary ends with Diana Vreeland's curatorial work on the 18th century rich women's high fashion, notable for its preposterous daring and shameful abuse of women's bodies.
It is good that Diana Vreeland was picked up from her devastation at being terminated from employment in journalism, and employed honorably as a curator and presenter of women's clothing history. She was self-reliant and heroic. Her strength and bravery are rightly chronicled in this documentary.
. - Sam
Thanks Clint, for the Murray Bartlett of the day. He was on The Guiding Light for the last 2 of its 57 years.
Oh, land sakes, I have a lot of work to do; and I'm gonna do it, too, just as soon as my
story goes off.
. Soap operas. Addictive and downright blue in their latter years. (*sigh*)
I'd love to hear your review, Sam!
Of the Diana Vreeland movie? I will make time to watch it.
Sorry for taking days to respond. It is my time in life to handle a sewerage
problem. I have superior help, thank God.
Oh no...I'm sorry the plumbing problems are contagious. After nearly a month--off and on due to schedules and weather--my plumbers are finally down redoing all of my wastewater repiping. Thank God my landlord is footing the bill...cuz what a bill. And I've heard from other homeowners they gave us an amazing deal!
I am sure my plumbing did not catch anything from yours. We have used
scrupulous hygienic protection in our intellectual intercourse, most enjoyable. My cast iron was a hundred and ten years old, so it succumbed to the disease of old age, and it was expected.
. My plumber and his helper are both wonderfully skilled and diligent men who accomplished the bone-shaking job of replacing what was necessary with top quality PVC-40 expertly installed. Their earned money passed from my account to theirs easily and gave me joy in so doing.
110 years? That cast iron did its job and deserves retirement. My galvanized steel pipes only last 70ish years. Go iron! Cheers to you and your plumbing team. Cheers, Sam.
Really? Had no idea he was on that. Wow! Such a handsome, talented devil.