Such a New York day

I went to 8th Street to go shoe-shopping. A couple of my favorite pairs of shoes are basically falling apart so I need replacements. Also, I just want some big stomping motorcycle boots. The day was cold – after a couple of mild misty days. There was a sharp wintriness to the light, falling on the bricks of the buildings. I wandered up and down 8th Street, browsing. I found nothing I liked, but I enjoyed the browsing. There were all these used booksellers along the street, with their wares set up on long fold-out tables. I bought Dostoevsky’s The Possessed and the complete poems of Shelley – for a dollar. hahahaha Love that.

I walked up Fifth Avenue, enjoying the cold air. I walked by places I used to go in every day when I went to grad school in that area. There’s where we had the playwriting/directing unit every Friday afternoon – a brutal vivisection of a class – which we all despised. But man, there was much comedy to be had in that class. Once I remember we were all sitting there, watching one actress try out scene after scene after scene – trying to nail down what her thesis project would be. She did a little bit of Shaw, a little bit of Moliere, a little bit of Durang … people would comment, say “I like that for you”, “No, that’s not right for you” … and she would try some Shakespeare, some O’Neill … She went through the entire history of theatre in 20 minutes. At one point, Sam (my mentor – and a fantastic acting teacher and dramaturg) murmured, to himself, but we all could hear, “I’m having an out of body experience.” And Michael, a friend of mine, a fellow student, sitting behind Sam, said, “You’re lucky.” I still laugh about that.

I went into Pier 1 … and basically salivated over everything. There’s one little lamp that I want to buy. So cute! It looks like a little Victorian-era lamp, with lots of little doo-dads on the shade – and it gives out a sort of deep-red glow, because of the color of the shade. The perfect lamp for me. I sat in arm chairs, testing them out. None of them were right. But everything in there is just so gorgeous. I loved browsing and furnishing my dream house in my mind.

Then I walked over to The Strand. Couldn’t help myself. Across the street from the Strand is a very over-priced shoe store – I went in there, tried on shoes, preened in front of the mirror, and bought nothing. I can get it for you wholesale.

I had a bit of an orgy at The Strand. Again, I got a gazillion books for 20 bucks. This is so typical Sheila, by the way. Go out to buy shoes, and come home with 10 books. I can’t help it.

I went straight to the back where they have the Film & Drama section. They have every biography known to man – on the most “obscure” people – stuff you could never find at Barnes & Noble. Books long out of print. Hard covers that you can buy for four bucks. For example, I bought what looks like an extremely cheesy book about Gary Cooper – and I bought it for a dollar. It may be cheesy and salacious (I flipped through and saw some quote from some starlet who slept with him who raved about his enormous penis – it’s THAT kind of book … To be fair, though, pretty much every woman who slept with Cooper and gossiped about it mentioned his huge penis – so there seems to be SOME credibility to the whole “He has the largest penis in Hollywood” story – hahaha), but a quick browse of it also showed me that, along with mentions of his sexual prowess, the book is also full of one of my favorite things: on-the-set anecdotes. People’s remembrances of Gary Cooper acting. His acting process. There really isn’t a “definitive” biography of Cooper … for whatever reason, he’s just not that “in” right now. Cary Grant is in. But nobody is delving into the Cooper phenomenon – and I have felt the lack, believe it or not. I went through a huge Gary Cooper phase last year, and could not supplement it with a biography. So whatever – I bought the cheesy salacious book. What the hell, it’s a dollar.

I also bought Patricia Bosworth’s mini-biography of Marlon Brando. She’s a member of the Actors Studio and wrote what has to be the definitive biography of Montgomery Clift – she’s a terrific writer.

I also bought David Thomson’s HUGE Encyclopedia of Film or whatever it’s called – I’ve wanted it for a long time – Thomson is pretty much quoted by EVERYBODY, he’s a film historian, an authority – also a wonderful writer, so this book will be a good reference point for my library. It’s like having a Thesaurus or a dictionary. They are ALWAYS good to just have.

Then – and I’m really excited about this purchase – I bought the diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky – famous ballet dancer and controversial choreographer who went mad and kept a journal during his breakdown. My friend Ted has read them – they’re possibly one of the most famous “diaries” ever kept by anyone – it’s up there with Anais Nin’s – One of the incredible things about Nijinsky (who lived a fascinating life – not just because he went mad, but because of what came before – he was the one who choreographed The Rite of Spring which caused a riot – he was ahead of his time – classically trained, but really a modern dancer – when there wasn’t even really such a thing as a “modern” dancer” – and apparently he was not just an amazing ballet dancer, but an incredible actor and pantomime – Just look at his face here, during his performance as Petrouchka. That picture reminds me of one of Bogart’s definitions of good acting: “Truth should be 6 feet back in the eyes.” Look at that photo again.) Anyway, sorry, back to my point: Nijinsky is a legend – and there is only an 11 minute film that exists of him dancing. That’s all that has been passed down. Everything else is word of mouth, from people who saw him live. No one who saw him live ever forgot him. But besides all of that: he obviously had some version of schizophrenia, and he kept a journal up to the moment he was hospitalized. He never got well. Apparently the diaries are wrenching to read – he truly thought that he was God reincarnated – etc etc. I am VERY excited to read them. Finally! I’ve been hearing about them for years. (Sadly, I just missed the run of the documentary Ballet Russes, which was playing at the Film Forum. Bummer.)

I bought all of these books for 25 bucks. That’s what the Strand will get you! You just have to know how to browse and dig. I love it in there.

I walked cross-town. It was getting dark now. I love looking in people’s windows. The darkened rows of brownstones, with the gleaming of yellow lamplight from within … glimpses of tall bookshelves, or spider plants, or one random red-painted wall … the beauty of other people’s lives … who lives there? Who are they? Just a glimpse. Then you move on.

I went to Bar 6 – a cozy little place on 6th Avenue and 13th Street which sometimes is so packed you don’t want to go in there – but I arrived at 6 pm or something like that. Maybe 5:30. The place was warm, inviting, candlelit, and not crowded. I sat by the window at a little copper-topped table. I had a glass of shiraz, and piled up all my new books in front of me, leafing through this one, that one. People walked by on the sidewalk outside, scarves bundled up around their ears, girls holding the arms of their boyfriends, two parka-clad bodies huddled up together as they strolled north on 6th Avenue. It was a nice warm respite after a couple of hours outside in the cold.

Then I packed up all my stuff and headed down 6th Avenue. Yes, I was meeting my friend Jen at the Film Forum so that we could see Vertigo. I was, yet again, BESIDE myself with excitement. Jen has never seen it, so I was even MORE excited for her to experience it.

The line for ticket-holders was down the block. Which, you know, always gives me a little lump in my throat. I have been holed up in my apartment for a couple years now, watching all these old movies, writing about them on the blog, loving that … but it is SO satisfying to see these films “out in the real world”, just like going to any other movie … to realize the huge community of people out there, just like me. It’s SO satisfying. The line was down the block. The people in front of me were speaking French. The chick behind me was speaking into her cell phone, and it sounded like Russian. You know. I just had a little moment of glorying in the big ethnic MESS that is New York City. Hitchcock fans, all of ’em. A beautiful moment.

Despite the fact that Jen and I were sitting behind a man who only has a PASSING understanding of personal hygiene … we had a great experience watching that film. Jen clutched at my arm at a couple of different points … when she puts on the necklace … when her body is seen falling past the window of the tower … It was wonderful. To be with someone who had never seen it. She experienced it viscerally. And the moment when the wonderful Barbara bel Geddes has a breakdown – when she paints a self-portrait and shows it to him and he rejects it … Stewart leaves, and for the first time we see the calm smiling unflappable Midge lose it. It’s heartbreaking. Just heartbreaking. She pulls back on her own hair, with tears in her eyes, and says, “You’re so stupid, stupid, stupid!” Suddenly you see beneath the surface. She is in love with him. She can only love one man and he’s it. And he doesn’t love her. It’s a beautiful piece of acting, and it really touched me.

There were a couple of jackasses in the audience. Idiots who snickererd at the soundtrack and the special effects … people who know nothing about film, and are smug and “over” it. The special effects were seen as completely revolutionary at the time. And the soundtrack, yes, is in a different style – but DUH – films go through many stylistic changes. That was the style then. I wanted to smack the one bitch who kept laughing. Sorry, that kind of shit drives me crazy. Ignorant. Ignorant.

It didn’t TOTALLY ruin it for me but it kind of pulled me out of it a couple times. Nothing like that happened at Notorious, strangely enough. You could have heard a pin drop in that theatre. Nobody snickered, or made fun of the different style of acting … When we laughed, it was because it was funny – not because we were making fun of it. Not because we thought old movies were “quaint”. And “cute”.

Oh God, don’t even get me started. Ignorant laughing bitch.

Got that out of my system!!! And tonight I’m going to see To Catch a Thief with Ted and his boyfriend Michael. Can’t wait for that as well!!

Then Jen and I went out to a crazy pub and had some beers, and talked like LUNATICS for a couple of hours. It was great great fun. Many funny people-watching opportunities as well.

A truly New York day.