Don't be a Muppet

...go and see the new Muppet movie!

Today I had originally planned to catch up on some review posts I have promised to various people (whoops, sorry!), but there's been a last minute change of plans. I have just coming home from seeing a very wonderful and brilliant film; a film that made me laugh like a hyena with an ice-cream, grin like a giddy serial killer, sing like I was auditioning for an episode of Glee and - I'm not ashamed to admit - cry like a baby whose candy had been stolen.

Unless you're a bit of an idiot or you have problems reading blog post titles, you will probably have guessed by now that I'm talking about the brand new offering from The Muppets. I'm no Jonathan Ross, but I personally loved this movie and highly recommend that you see it (warning - it will put you in the best mood of all time). This release has inspired a number of online folk to talk about the incredibly iconic characters that make up everyone's favourite fabric friends, but I want to go back to the source - the great and powerful Jim Henson.

I don't want to regurgitate a Wikipedia history about this wonderful man, so here are five facts about the fantastic Mr Henson. You probably know some of this already, but I think it's still worth celebrating:

1. If you were born in the 70s or 80s (such as myself), it's highly likely that this man is responsible for completing your childhood. Not only was Jim Henson the creative brain behind The Muppets and Sesame Street, but his production house, the Creature Shop, also produced Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and The Witches. He may also be responsible for a majority of your childhood nightmares...
2. The first Muppet Movie, filmed back in 1979, made a whopping $65.2million domestically. I'm no mathematician, but I would say that this roughly equates to $500billion today* (*This definitely isn't correct, but the point is that that sort of money was a lot for back then. I like over-exaggerating. Don't judge me.).
3. He had a bloody brilliant beard. That's not even a matter of opinion, it's a cold hard fact.
4. He was the original voice of the world's most famous front man, Kermit The Frog. It is also well-known that Henson considered Kermit to be his alter ego, and he was even quoted as saying, "[Kermit] can say things I hold back". That's all well and good, but let's not forget that it's not easy being green...
5. Jim Henson tragically died in 1990 from organ failure as a result of Streptococcus pneumoniae, but his legacy shows no sign of faltering. Alongside all of his commercial success, the Jim Henson Foundation, founded in 1982, continues to promote and develop the art of puppet theatre in the United States. I think you'll agree it's pretty incredible for someone so successful in their field to want to help others achieve the same dream, and I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know that that is still happening today.

I realise that this post is a lot longer than usual, so here's a little comic relief - a clip from one of my favourite ever films, The Muppet Christmas Carol. Enjoy, and feel free to sing along!

What are your favourite Muppet memories? Have you seen the new film? I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the subject!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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A moment of silence

My post this week isn't about fashion or jewellery, but it is about one of my other great loves.

I love silent films. I really, really do. Since studying film many years ago, the silent genre has always held a special place in my heart...and my DVD collection. My favourite? The Man Who Laughs. If you can get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend it.

So when I got tickets to see The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, one of Alfred Hitchcock's early silent films, at the BFI with a live piano accompaniment, needless to say I was very excited. I had seen this film many years ago, but I don't think I fully appreciated how brilliant and important it was.

Loosely based on the story of Jack the Ripper, The Lodger is quite a thriller - a serial killer known as "The Avenger" is on the loose in London, murdering fair haired women. Around the same time, a mysterious man arrives at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Bunting, looking for a room to rent...could he be "The Avenger"? And is Daisy, their beautiful fair haired daughter, his next victim?

The Lodger arrives...

The Lodger gets close to the beautiful (and not to mention stylish) Daisy

If you haven't seen this film already, you must. And if you can see it with a live piano accompaniment, then all the better.

Anyway, all of this is in aid of the work the BFI National Archive are doing to "Rescue the Hitchcock 9". To quote from their website, curators of the BFI National Archive have identified a collection of films in desperate need of restoration with nine of Alfred Hitchcock's early silent films being the first to seek rescue through the Support the BFI campaign. Hitchcock's nine surviving silent films are among the most important in British cinema history. But decades of wear and tear have left them in urgent need of restoration.

These films are:

The Pleasure Garden (1925)
The Lodger (1926)
The Ring (1927)
Downhill (1927)
Easy Virtue (1927)
The Farmers Wife (1927)
Champagne (1928)
The Manxman (1929)
Blackmail (1929)

The BFI needs our help to bring these rare films back from the brink of destruction and into the digital age so that future generations can watch and enjoy. As a huge Hitchcock fan myself, I'll definitely be sparing a few pounds. Every little helps, so if you can afford to give a little something, anything, then please do.

Visit the dedicated donation page now and help save Hitchock!

Many thanks,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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