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January 24, 2005
Seraphic Glamour
The interview last night with Rabbi Daniel Lapin on his radio show was a delight. However, I'm always amazed at how many people are obsessed with Hollywood. I want to talk about The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden. I want to talk about Seraphic Press and why Karen and I have established this publishing house. But invariably, the conversation somehow always comes back to my career in Hollywood. I suppose I'm jaded. The stars that I have known are not terribly interesting people, certainly not very bright, but people are simply fascinated by Hollywood and its culture of glamour.
In truth, I have long felt that if you are interested in glamour, specifically glamorous leading ladies, then the place to look is Chinese movies. American stars are hugely overexposed and not a shred of glamour sticks to any of them. But look at the great Chinese actress Gong Li, billed in Asia as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World." She has the cinematic presence of Garbo and Dietrich. Several years ago, I was in China researching a film and I had the chance to meet Gong Li. She was gracious but imperial, and I understood, perhaps for the first time, what a real star looks and acts like. I also met the stunning Ziyi Zhang who later starred in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers and Hero. What Gong Li and Ziyi Zhang have besides beauty, is something that is totally missing from American cinema: mystery.
We know far too much about the messy lives and loves of American movie stars. True, the tabloids contribute to this lack of privacy. But American stars are also to blame. They pontificate on political issues far too readily, and good Lord do they say some stupid things. The actors and actresses in China tend to keep their distance from public pronouncements. They know, instinctively, that they are dream vessels to their millions of fans and so, for the most part, maintain a rigorous silence. If you get a chance, look at the films starring these two great actresses, and you will find yourself transported to another world.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at January 24, 2005 02:01 PM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
I think this may be the first time I have seriously disagreed with anything you said. I always thought Lapin was over the edge but since you are such a moderate thoughtful guy, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. But he really is over the edge.
Posted by: Yehudit at January 25, 2005 01:11 AM
Thanks for mentioning two wonderful actors who have begun to get much deserved recognition for their work here in the states. Your comments about Li in particular are quite interesting. She sounds like an old school Hollywood diva (and I mean that word in the best sense).
Posted by: Tamara at January 25, 2005 10:30 AM