- Sanity
- Safety
- Solitude
- Security
- Self realization…
But, that’s not what we’re here right now to talk about. Instead of all those things listed above that sometimes keep me awake at night, let me tell about my Friday night at the Spectrum.
My OG Albany friend (from South Troy) invited me to attend a Q&A event at my (our, Mar?) favorite theater in honor of the fortieth anniversary of Desperately Seeking Susan. The film’s director, Susan Seidelman, was going to be on hand post screening and I thought it sounded like a fun Friday night.
I have to confess something – I had never seen the movie before. I thought maybe I had caught parts of it at some random point in time, but every scene was new to me. Not a complaint, just an observation.
In a nod to the fact that none of us are 22 anymore, the show began @7:30 pm, meaning most of us would be brushed, with mouthguards in, by 11:00.
The movie was a delight. I laughed far more than I had imagined and was just tickled by the fashions and scenery from the era in which I was a teenager. The characters brought to life by Rosanna Arquette and Madonna were exactly the kind of girls/young women I would have aspired to hang out with – or at least dressed like.
I was particularly struck by how beautiful and unique Madonna was. Man, she was something – eyes and attitude galore! She wasn’t the only appealing performer, though. I was really taken by how individual all of the actors were – they didn’t all have that same orthodontia/silicon/filler look that so many characters have now.
They were just more genuine, more real.
At least, in my estimation.
And, that’s where my question for Susan Seidelman originated. I told her that I was really impressed by seeing the inherently singular attractiveness of the actors, especially Madonna who had been such a presence during the 80s and through the 90s in my world. (sidebar: our oldest children are less than 6 months apart and her music and personas were aligned with mine on some distant, yet personal level for decades.)
I then asked the director how she felt about Madonna’s appearance now, with the excessive work she’s had done to her face in particular. Ms. Seidelman was very adept at fielding the question with a complete lack of opinion, other than to say that celebrity and fame come with undeniable pressure to maintain youth and beauty. It’s the industry.
There’s a part of me that gets it, and whom am I to judge? But, it’s kind of a cop out. There are incredibly talented people, females and males, and not all of them have succumbed to the demand of trying to stay forever young. I’ve seen Frances McDormand up close a couple of times and she’s lovely and her face looks the way the face of a woman her age should look – softened by self confidence and comfort, and creased by sun and smiles.
She hasn’t bought in.
Come on, Madonna. You can do it. Just look at Frances McDormand and Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini and Annette Bening, you know, for inspiration.
DelSo 