When the final season of The Borgias began airing, I had to find a way to spend more time in my den. Fortunately, the show’s stunning visuals and incredible characters made the time fly by. Now that the series is over, the only thing I want to do is re-live those precious memories through re-watching the episodes—something I find more difficult to do now that the seasons have changed. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve spent far more time in my den than usual. It seems the entire world has been swept up in a pandora’s box of romantic intrigues and Machiavellian power plays, and I’ve been happily distracted from the daily grind.
But now that the world has moved on somewhat from the pandora’s box—at least, the international media—I find myself longing to dive back in and immerse myself in the drama. There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding the alleged split between Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs (their alleged engagement has been called off, to the joy of fans, but their split has not); and while I wouldn’t necessarily classify the actor-musician as a part of the Romantic Revival, he has been a prominent figure in the movement’s media coverage. As a result, I’ve started seeing if there are any films or TV shows that I missed out on that he might appear in—just in case I have an opportunity to watch him sing and act again!
Festival World Tour
One of the first big surprises in 2019 was the announcement that Robert Pattinson would be putting together a world tour to celebrate the success of his new album, Skipper. The tour, which was officially named the “Skipper World Tour” in honor of his seafaring music persona, was set to hit the major European music festivals this summer. Naturally, I had to find a way to see him perform again, even though there were already so many high profile musicians who were begging for my attention. Luckily, his team at WME came through and found me a couple of tickets for Edinburgh—one of the last European shows on the tour. As luck would have it, I also had a day off work and could find the time to go to Scotland and see my favorite British movie star!
Breathless, the 1967 adaptation of Eric Van Lustbader’s classic novella, The Goldfinger Case, is one of the most entertaining, entertaining, and influential films of all time. The legendary thriller, directed by Godfrey Ho and starring Anne Heywood, is almost impossible to avoid these days, what with it having been remade twice in the new millennium and being one of the most recognizable movies in the world. For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s your chance to rectify that situation. Unfortunately for those of you who DO know what it is, here’s your chance to watch it and recall all those fond memories of youth—the kind that stay with you for the rest of your life.
From Paris With Love
One of my favorite films from the Romantic Revival is Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris. The 1966 romantic comedy is set in the City of Lights and sees Allen play a fictionalized version of himself. One of the highlights of the film is the dream sequence, in which Allen’s character dances with the city’s most beautiful women. More than half a century later, the dream sequence still delivers, and I find myself longing to be transported back to the City of Lights and be a part of the dance myself.
In an effort to fulfill my dream, I made a list of Paris’ most beautiful women and started researching birth records to determine which ones were still alive. After a couple of false starts, I finally found a way to get a list of everyone who was registered in the 18th arrondissement in 1950. From that point on, I limited my search to women who were born in Paris and lived there until at least 1958. (I also tried to find any records that mentioned whether or not the women were widowed—something that often leads to the birth of children after the husband’s passing.) With a small number of exceptions, I was able to unearth birth certificates for all of Paris’ most beautiful women. From that point on, all I had to do was wait for a couple of weekends and make the trip to the City of Lights to watch Midnight In Paris again—this time, as an adult and an engaged man!
What a difference a couple of years can make. Back in 1966, Midnight In Paris was a comedic romp with a dream sequence that was pure eye candy. Today, it’s a film that continues to influence people well beyond its opening credits. When it comes to Paris, I have a feeling that this year will give me the chance to visit the City of Lights more than I ever have before. As soon as I have a minute, I’ll be making a list of all the things I want to do in Paris—with my wife, of course.
A Room With A View
Speaking of time travel, Room With A View is an upcoming film that will allow its viewers to relive the British obsession with room décor that manifested itself in the 1950s and ’60s. Starring acclaimed actress and comedian Maggie Smith, the film follows her as she entertains guests at a large country house with a grand piano in the living room and a kitchen stocked with beautiful antique furniture and perfect cupcakes.
One of the great things about Room With A View is that it brings nostalgia wrapped up in modern day conveniences. (The convenience of being able to cook what one desires, and the nostalgia of being able to bring a bit of England to the U.S., for example.) The country house décor in the film is stunning and fully transports the audience back to the golden era of hospitality. But beyond the nostalgia, the film’s portrayal of what it was like to be a housewife in the 1950s is both relatable and unique.
While the film doesn’t yet have an official release date, it did premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last year and will be hitting theaters this coming October. Pre-order your tickets now, and make sure to mark your calendars for October to see if this gem from Sundance comes to a theater near you!
La La Land
Another one of my favorite films from the Romantic Revival is Francis Coppola’s La La Land, the musical. The project, which followed the trials and tribulations of an aspiring young songwriter, is an absolute triumph from start to finish. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission, and the film is peppered with some truly wonderful performances, notably by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Naturally, I had to see this movie for the second time around, and so far, it holds up even more as an adult, making it quite valuable to my movie collection.
Francis Coppola’s other major project from the Romantic Revival was the 1979 mega-hit Godfather. Like La La Land, the Godfather is also a triumph from start to finish, albeit a much bigger one. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is often cited as one of the all-time greats. Naturally, I had to see this movie too, and it continues to hold up, even though it’s been close to 40 years since its theatrical release. (I own all of the Godfather films on Blu-ray, and if you’re curious, they also hold up incredibly well.)
Now that I’ve mentioned a couple of my favorite films from the era, it’s probably time for me to disclose my favorite TV show of all time. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, RuPaul’s Drag Race was, is, and will continue to be one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and popular reality TV shows of all time. (For those of you who have heard of it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.)
This past October, I got the chance to visit the set of Drag Race for the first time, and I can honestly say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. While I was there, I got to speak with the brilliant and hilarious RuPaul, and it’s safe to say I learned more about the show in the five minutes we were together than I ever did before.
With all the talk of time travel, it might be easy for me to give you the impression that the Romantic Revival was all about watching old movies and hanging out with my favorite film and TV stars. But that wouldn’t be true. While it’s always nice to have nostalgia, the truth is that there was so much more to the movement than just watching old films and reminiscing about the good old days. The truth is that the Romantic Revival was really about creating new memories, about going forward and making the most of what was once considered “great” and “graceful” entertainment, and about participating in the cultural mainstream.