Notes for Radical Living by Tilda Swinton

Notes for Radical Living by Tilda Swinton

Make friends with chaos
Hold a calm mind
Let things shake
Forgive human frailty
Champion second chances
Defy kindness
Reverence fellowship
Listen to the quiet
Respect the young
Seek growth
Trust in change
Treasure learning
Inspire faith in evolution
Reach beyond the binary
Be wary of the doubtless
Honor the bright headed
Grow plants
Attend to the weather
Be electric
Cherish language
Celebrate silence
Dance daily
Bless the handmade
Sing into pain
Challenge assumptions
Follow the wind
Look upwards
Swoon under clouds
Feel your courage
Face forward
Read history
Open your ears
Drop your shoulders
Bend your knees
Raise the roof
Keep breathing
Be trustworthy
Take care of yourself
Believe in goodness
Head for the light

--from Tilda Swinton’s 2025 book “Ongoing”

https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780847860517/

Just watched...

...Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive," which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Vampires have been filmed ad nauseum yet our collective fascination with them continues. And Jarmusch has added a very nice, thoughtful entry into the genre with his "Only Lovers Left Alive" starring the ethereal and outrageously talented Tilda Swinton and charismatic Tom Hiddleston, both perfectly cast.

Eve and Adam are married vampires, centuries old, and living apart...he in Detroit and she in Tangier. We get the sense that they are not living apart from any kind of strife but more from a kind of wandering, and when one is centuries old, what is a little separation of a decade or few? It might seem more like a few weeks. A sense of time would certainly have to be altered if one were a vampire. But these two still love each other, tremendously. One has the feeling that, yes, they might be the only true lovers left on the planet.

Indeed, there are a lot of interesting and thought-provoking ideas in this film. I do like the vampire genre and have read all the requisite books and seen all the films, but I don't think I have ever encountered such a portrayal of vampires or pondered these particular ideas presented in this film. Generally, vampires are portrayed as powerful creatures, but although Eve and Adam may be able to move much faster than humanly possible (indicating some form of superior strength) they are shown to be anything but powerful. They are trapped in a prison--not able to be in the sun, of course (an established fact of vampire lore), and not only trapped in time (unable to age, and therefore unable to move through life, as we have seen in many vampire stories in the past), but (and this one is a new idea) trapped in a kind of cultural/social exile. What if all one wanted to do was to write plays or symphonies, or invent new engines and machinery...and what if one were very good at it...and what if, because of one's centuries of accrued knowledge, one was actually quite brilliant--a genius? How could one possibly publish or perform or patent being a vampire afraid of discovery? What if the thing that fueled your soul and drove your creativity prevented any kind of recognition for or sharing of that thing? It is a supremely sad, isolating idea to ponder.

But back to this idea of immortality and time sluicing through this world like a flood, dragging everyone along with it but you, if you were a vampire: it is a wonderful metaphoric touch that Jarmusch chose Tangier and Detroit as the cities in which his vampires live. Tangier is ancient and bears the marks of time and civilizations as it is swallowed up by shifting sands. And it is no accident that Adam lives--or hides--in Detroit, a city that is all but destroyed at the start of our twenty-first century...a dead city, a place that time and people have used up, a shadow, an empty echo. And this sums up the feel of the entire film. Adam and Eve are lonely vampires, full of centuries of literature, music, art, culture, weary from the ability to see cultures and societies come and go...to be forced to witness the destruction of these things by time as well as the destruction of the planet and humankind by our own hand. What is the helplessness, the resignation--you can't stop it, you can't prevent it, you can't change it--that would come from being witness to all this? In the film, it adds up to a melancholy, bittersweet tone poem, the kind written by the French Symbolists. Or as Sting so poignantly noted, "When the world is running down/ You make the best of what's still around." Maybe it is not so different from being a human being witnessing it all...

Recommend? Yes. But be warned: Not much happens in this film, but it doesn't have to. It is an exploration of a mood, a feeling, a situation, a texture. And it is quietly lovely.

http://onlyloversleftalivefilm.tumblr.com/

Just watched...

...this summer's (2014) film "Snowpiercer."

As some of you may have heard me say before, this time of year is great for hacking away at the ever-growing Netflix queue. The downtime around the holidays is spent at my house catching up on films whether on DVD, Blu-Ray, or on the ol' TiVo (we're always catching something that needs to be seen, but never enough time to see them all). This one arrived from Netflix the other day...and since we had our first freeze of the season here in Northern California, it seemed like a good time to watch this film about a future Ice Age.

Directed by Korean director Bong Joon-ho, this story of a dystopian future revolves around a failed cure for climate change--a substance was released into the atmosphere to reverse greenhouse gases but something went wrong and a second Ice Age was created. All life, according to the film, perished, except for a few thousand people on a speeding, closed-eco-system train that circles the globe. Now, I am a fan of dystopian future and sci-fi films, but I was a bit lost on the premise with this one. Why did it have to be a train? What a waste of resources. Wouldn't it have been smarter to burrow below ground and create a subterranean world away from the ice above? And of course, there has to be a societal hierarchy for there to be a dystopian future: the haves vs. the have-nots. And this takes the form of all the wealthy people in the "front" of the train who live like pampered royalty, against the ones who are not lucky enough to possess great wealth. These unlucky survivors live on "protein bars," a disgusting jelly-like substance, and wear filthy rags while a set of armed guards keep them in the "tail" of the train. I got it, and I understand and appreciate an end-of-the-world/ rebellion-against-the-overlords story...but none of it made sense to begin with. I am stuck on "Why a train?" and if you are going to keep a handful of humanity alive to start again, wouldn't it be smarter and more successful to choose people who could contribute to the future instead of the idle rich and their addled, empty-headed children? Just a thought...

I have since learned that the film is based on a French graphic novel series called "Le Transperceneige," and it seems there is a bit more explanation in the printed form of the story. As usual, it is possible that the book is better than the film. But Chris Evans did a fine job in the lead role. He has proven that he has acting chops to carry off more subtle and sensitive moments that he does not get while playing Captain America. Tilda Swinton is marvelous, as always, in a bizarre role that borders on caricature with a hideous wig and fake teeth. Looking frighteningly like Ayn Rand (the costume designer claims this was unintentional), Swinton's presence and talent rescue the character from being too over the top, and her masterful control adds a bit of extra-dark comedy here and there. John Hurt and Ed Harris show up to play too...

Not a bad film, but not an altogether convincing film either. Like I said, I am down with the whole sci-fi/social fiction-possible dystopian genre (I adore Margaret Atwood's books), but the off-kilter dream logic (not in a good way) of the premise kept me from stepping all the way into this film.

Recommend? I guess if there is nothing else on, give it a whirl. But don't go out of your way. Oh, except if you are a Tilda Swinton fan like I am. THEN you should see it. (Hi Tilda!)

http://snowpiercer-film.com/

Just watched...

..."We Need To Talk About Kevin" with the divine Tilda Swinton.

Released in 2011, this absolutely harrowing film, based on Lionel Shriver's 2003 award-winning novel of the same name, deals with a mother (Swinton) and her uncontrollable, sociopathic son (played with chilling effectiveness by Ezra Miller). And this film is harrowing precisely because the horrific events in it are not only within the realm of possibility, but have already happened in many forms. This is definitely one of those films that requires viewing without much information or plot points so I feel I need to honor that and keep this review brief, without spilling too much. I will say however, that it begs the question--and this is something that you could keep in mind going into it-- how much is a parent responsible for the behavior of their children?

Tilda skillfully plays the mother with a sickening sense of restrained helplessness. And all three of the actors who play her son Kevin at various ages do a marvelous job. It may be Tilda's film, but it depends heavily on the interaction between her and those three actors.

Recommend? Yes. But be aware it is a penetrating psychological study. Hang on.

http://kevin.oscilloscope.net/

Defiant Tilda!

A photograph of Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton defending Russia's beleaguered lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community by holding a rainbow flag in front of Moscow's Kremlin is going viral in the blogosphere.

The star, who nabbed an Oscar for "Michael Clayton" in 2007, reportedly released the following statement on the photograph via her spokesperson: "In solidarity. From Russia with love."

Swinton's bold move comes at a particularly critical time for Russia's LGBT residents. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a so-called "gay propaganda" bill into law which imposes large fines on residents who "provide information" about the LGBT community to minors, according to The Guardian. Similar laws had already taken effect in St. Petersburg and other cities.

Meanwhile, Putin also signed a law banning same-sex couples in foreign countries from adopting Russian children on July 3.

(original article from HuffPo, here)

THANK YOU TILDA!

Tilda at Las Pozas

For the May 2013 issue of W magazine, Tilda Swinton traveled to the legendary Mexican estate of Las Pozas to model couture by some of the most talented designers currently working. In 1945, the estate was created by Edward James (he was the American-British son of William James, heir to the 8,000 acre James family estate of West Dean House in Sussex, and an openly bisexual poet) more than 2,000 feet above sea level, in a subtropical rainforest in the mountains of Mexico just outside the town of Xilitla. James was a patron of surrealist art and artists which included Salvador Dali whom he supported for all of 1938! His surrealist art collection included pieces by Giorgio de Chirico, Paul Klee, Leonora Carrington, Pavel Tchelitchew, Pablo Picasso, Giacometti, and Max Ernst among others; James was painted not once but twice by René Magritte, and photographed by Man Ray! In this spirit, he created, on some 80 acres, a surrealist fantasy of strange structures up to four stories tall, turrets, steps/ ramps/ walkways and footbridges with fanciful curlicues, and buildings (with hidden rooms and staircases that go nowhere) with names like the House on Three Floors Which Will in Fact Have Five or Four or Six, the House with a Roof like a Whale, and the Staircase to Heaven. After James' death in 1984, the estate fell into ruins but in 2007, the Fondo Xilitla, a foundation that will oversee the preservation and restoration of the site, acquired the property. Thankfully, James' unique vision will continue to live.

Also in this spirit of surreality, photographer extraordinaire Tim Walker (previously here) teamed up with stylist Jacob K and the lovely, ethereal, and talented Tilda Swinton to recreate several surrealist masterpieces in and around Las Pozas. I am sure James would approve.

http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2013/05/tilda-swinton-tim-walker-las-pozas-cover-story-ss#slide=1

"The Maybe" by Tilda Swinton at MoMA

The Gothamist reports:

As if starring in David Bowie music videos wasn't already the coolest, Tilda Swinton has currently taken up residency sleeping at MoMA. It's part of an unannounced, surprise performance piece called "The Maybe" that will be taking place on random days all year. A MoMA source told us, "Museum staff doesn't know she's coming until the day of, but she's here today. She'll be there the whole day. All that's in the box is cushions and a water jug."

"Tilda Swinton will be doing unannounced, random performance art pieces sleeping in a glass box in the museum," the source added. "Today [March 23, 2013] is the first performance. Each performance lasts the whole day the museum is open." Swinton and her box are located near the ticket collectors today, but the box may be in different locations at other performances.

"The Maybe" was first performed in London in 1995 at the Serpentine Gallery; Swinton conceived the performance piece, and asked artist Cornelia Parker to collaborate on the installation. Swinton later re-performed the piece in the Museo Barracco in Rome. Here's what the museum has to say about the piece: "An integral part of The Maybe's incarnation at MoMA in 2013 is that there is no published schedule for its appearance, no artist's statement released, no museum statement beyond this brief context, no public profile or image issued. Those who find it chance upon it for themselves, live and in real—shared—time: now we see it, now we don't."

via The Gotahmist
http://gothamist.com/2013/03/23/photos_tilda_swinton_is_sleeping_in.php

http://www.moma.org/
http://tildaswinton.net/

Paris Fashion Week 2012

As regular readers know, I usually only post about men's fashion, but I will make exceptions on occasion and this is certainly one of them. At Paris Fashion Week, which concluded today, there were some stand out collections that need to be seen.

I am not a rabid follower of Marc Jacobs' work, but his SS '13 collection for Vuitton was pretty special. Rather, I should say that the clothing was interesting enough (a fun, and ultimately elegant pop-art homage that felt a tad Rudi Gernreich) but it was the set that did it for me. ESCALATORS? Seriously? How incredible and fantastic is that?

And my beloved McQueen showed a gorgeous collection all based on apiculture. Sarah Burton put models in hats reminiscent of bee keeper hats with veils, while honeycomb patterns and bodices, hip rolls, straps, and jewelry made of what looked like hardened, dark, raw honey embellished with tiny jeweled bees appeared throughout. Sumptuous hoop skirts covered in the kind of flowers that bees pollinate (and of course, from which they make honey) rocked to and fro down the runway, while filmed bees swarmed on the giant screen at the rear of the stage. *swoon*

http://www.louisvuitton.com
http://www.alexandermcqueen.com/alexandermcqueen/en_US

But the most extraordinary show was not showcasing any current collection. It was "The Impossible Wardrobe," a one-of-a-kind, one-woman performance art piece conceived by Olivier Saillard, director of the Musée Galliera, a museum of fashion and fashion history in Paris, and über-talented actress Tilda Swinton. For forty minutes, Swinton, dressed in a plain white shift, walked treasured pieces of fashion history culled from the Musée Galliera's archives down a runway, to a waiting mirror. Due to the Musée's strict "no-wear" policy, she held each piece in her white-gloved hands (acid from skin causes damage to precious, ancient fabric) and posed in front of the mirror, imagining what she would look like in each piece. As she walked, she made pieces dance. She danced with pieces. She made each garment come to life. Using her marvelous emotive powers, Swinton embodied a certain sense associated with each garment, whether it was an evening collar that belonged to Sarah Bernhardt, a tailcoat covered in gold bullion worn by Napoleon (yes, the Napoleon; she sniffed the collar, searching for a trace or a leftover pheromone of its owner, inhaling history itself), a Yohji Yamamoto headdress from 1993, a 1968 Paco Rabanne dress worn by Brigitte Bardot, or a pair of Elsa Schiaparelli-designed gloves with built-in gold talons from 1936.

Swinton holding Napoleon's tailcoat, circa 1805 - 1815.

Swinton holding Sarah Bernhardt's evening collar, circa 1900.

Just watched...

..."I Am Love" starring Tilda Swinton.

Years in the making (eleven, according to star Swinton), this 2009 collaboration between director Luca Guadagnino and Tilda is something of a marvelous enigma. At once a melodramatic soap opera/ love story and a political treatise about class distinction and freedom, "I Am Love" is multi-layered, complex. Nothing is explained; the film infers. And thus it depends upon the interpretive powers of the viewer, something I truly appreciate in a cinematic experience.

We follow Emma Recchi, wife of Tancredi Recchi, a very wealthy heir to a textile empire in Milan. They have three children: emotional and idealistic Edoardo, inexperienced Gianluca, and budding lesbian Elisabetta. But Emma is not her real name: she can no longer recall what her real name was, before her rich husband plucked her out of Russia and brought her back to Italy, where she apparently let go of everything in her old life to “become Italian” (Swinton miraculously speaks Italian with a Russian accent!). Their home is a Fascistic Art Deco wonder (the real-life Villa Necchi Campiglio, an architecturally important home in Milan, now a museum open to the public) full of a mix of early twentieth-century and Beaux Arts furnishings and art. Emma herself is polished to a translucent gleam, coiffed, and outfitted in the most sleek, classic clothing (by Raf Simons at Jil Sander) which quietly asserts her wealth and position.

But as she begins an affair with a young chef, we see her and her world fall apart, presumably to be replaced with her old self and a world she once knew but forfeited. Synchronistically, the family textile empire is under scrutiny, pressured to change or sell to accommodate a new global economy. The old class and wealth no longer matter—it is seen for what it was all along: an illusion that can crumble at any moment.

The film itself is gorgeous. As mentioned above, the Recchi home is stunning, everyone is lovely (including Marisa Berenson, as Emma’s mother-in-law, dignified and gorgeous as she ages without having any “work” done to mar herself), and the San Remo countryside is vivid and organic. Even the magnificent dishes created by Antonio the chef are lovingly presented and captured. The film’s pace is deliberate and in places, reminds me a bit of Tarkovsky’s work, with the camera lingering on a weed or an insect on a stalk. At times the camera work (a specific pan here or pull there) also reminded me of Fellini… although there is nothing surreal about "I Am Love." The soundtrack is culled mostly from pre-existing pieces by the contemporary composer John Adams ("Nixon In China"). There were times when the grand sound of Adams seemed to fit well with the story and there were scenes where the assertive sound of Adams seemed a bit out of place. That is a small quibble though.

I have read some criticisms that the film is too pretentious, too histrionic. I say that is a bit of projection and an inability to understand that the film is stylized, and references things that are larger than what is being shown.

Recommend? Yes. The usual caveats apply though: this is an Italian-language film with subtitles, it moves slower than whatever is playing at your local multiplex, and it requires attention and some deconstruction after viewing. If you’re not up for any of that, don’t do it. Otherwise, dig in and enjoy.

Trailer at the official website:
http://www.iamlovemovie.com/

Pringle and Tilda

"Dig deep where you are.
Don't slip off elsewhere."
http://www.pringlescotland.com/