Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Smithereens Scene/Tights on Film

Yesterday, I met with a friend at Cafe Orlin to talk/strategize about some "big picture" stuff for 2012. It had been awhile since I'd gone there, and I can't go to Cafe Orlin, a vintage East Village cafe, without thinking of Susan Seidelman's 1982 release Smithereens--a film I first saw on a big clunky rented videotape (on a clunky rented VCR) in Provo, Utah's University Villa apartments, years before I would visit New York or know what the "East Village" was.
In the film, the Cafe Orlin scene is as follows: an increasingly desperate Wren (Susan Berman) tries to cozy up to Richard Hell (largely playing himself), who she hopes will be her ticket out of New York, or at least provide her with a place to stay for the night. Conditions inside the cafe soon deteriorate when Wren's self-delusions run up against that of another female sycophant who hopes to get a piece of Hell for herself, and it's not very feminist when the scene culminates in a cat fight much to an escaping Hell's amusement. Note, that Susan Berman wears sheer back-seamed tights with the tallest high tops ever. Also, please note that the soundtrack's by one of the best bands from that era, The Feelies. (And sorry about the weird colorization and editorial comments. I couldn't find another version!)
So-I think my meeting went a lot better. There was no fighting. No self-absorbed rock musician present, although that surely would have been fun. It was at least inspiring, which as you remember, is one of the things that is free in 2012. Along with the TIGHTS we are GIVING AWAY! Won't you enter the contest? See yesterday's co-post!

1 comment:

  1. i want more details on your inspirations. i will be watching smithereens asap.

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