Film writer and critic Karina Longworth blogs at Spout, was a founder of Cinematical and can also be found here. She frequently writes about film, new media and popular culture. Longworth's informed, thoughtful, skeptical and funny as hell. Seen at left, she's doing her famed Linda Blair imitation.
Naturally, DG was thrilled when she agreed to answer our questions.
DG: Do movies today even try to depict glamour? Do they succeed?
KL:We're in a weird point in terms of Hollywood glamour. In general pop culture about 15 years ago there was a big backlash to the "overdoneness" of the 80s, and the result is that most of today's big female stars (Reese, Cameron, Drew, Kate Winslett, Kate Hudson) have a kind of tomboy practicality to their personas that goes against what the fantasy of old Hollywood glamor was all about. Its all about being endearingly frazzled and relatable. The sort of exception to this is Angie Jolie, but even though she always rocks an other-worldly attainability that is reminiscent of the great old world stars, she's most successful in dominatrix action hero mode, and films which try to cast her as a "regular" woman can seem laughable.
DG: You're a film critic--is it as glamorous as it sounds? Screenings, festivals, parties--it's not just a job, is it? C'mon, spill.
KL: Actually, my past life working in restaurants and gourmet stores was probably more glamorous on a day to day basis---now, I work from home, staring at screens trying to be clever all day, rarely leaving the house when I'm not traveling. But I DO get to travel quite a bit, and even in this age of cookiecutter hotels and air travel nightmares, there is a scrappy glamour to life out of a suitcase that j enjoy. I'm not particularly good at real life, so dividing my waking hours between airports, screening rooms and sponsored receptions really works for me.
The DG Dozen
1) How do you define glamour?
KL: Glamour isn't interesting unless it's done with a wink, and most women today are too self-consious to be able to have a sense of humor about it. My current conception of glamour involves a
keen familiarity with the following: square-tipped red nails (which I
can't pull off), the dominatrix boots Cher wears under her dowdy old
maid skirt in Moonstruck (ditto), Palm Springs, baroquely garnished
bloody marys, early-Playboy style tanlines, the "fuck you" behind the
eyes of a Barbara Stanwyck or Nina Simone.
2) Who or what is your glamorous icon?
KL: It's cliché, but I still can't get over Louise Brooks. And Anna Karina.
Also, Sara Diaz, the girlfriend of filmmaker Azazel Jacobs and the star
of his movie "The GoodTimes Kid", has the most amazing sense of style.
3) Is glamour a luxury or a necessity?
KL:I would think of it more as a curse.
4) Favorite glamorous movie?
KL: An impossible question to answer considering my line of work, but I love anything like Baby Face, where a gal without breeding is suddenly encrusted with jewels, but her shifty morals and low birth class can't be obscured
5) What was your most glamorous moment?
KL: The last time I was in LA I found myself at the Polo Lounge wearing an
outfit purchased at Sears. To paraphrase the inimitable Sean Combs,
this is just how I live.
6) Favorite glamorous object?
KL: I bought a travel caddy at a
flea market in Williamsburg. It's brown leather, lined with red felt,
and inside there's room for two bottles, and on the other side there
are 4 built in shot glasses.
7) Most glamorous place?
KL: I love the vestiges of the Vertigo era sprinkled around San Francisco.
8) Most glamorous job?
KL:I would love to program a film festival in Nor Cal wine country. Hint hint, Mill Valley!
9) Something or someone that other people find glamorous and you don't?
KL: Pretty much all red carpet style is very, very boring to me these days.
10) Something or someone that you find glamorous whose glamour is unrecognized?
KL: Patricia Clarkson.
11) Can glamour survive?
KL: not as long as cockroaches.
12) Is glamour something you're born with?
KL: I wasn't, that's for sure.
EITHER/OR
1) Angelina Jolie or Cate Blanchett? Tilda Swinton
2) Paris or Venice? Paris, Texas.
3) New York or Los Angeles? I'm an LA native and miss it terribly.
4) Princess Diana or Princess Grace? Di
5) Tokyo or Kyoto? I'm Japanilliterate.
6) Boots or stilettos? penny loafers
7) Art Deco or Art Nouveau? Deco
8) Jaguar or Astin Martin? I honestly don't know the difference.
9) Armani or Versace? Maya Rudolph as Donatella.
10) Diana Vreeland or Anna Wintour? Wintour has the best haircut of all time.
11) Champagne or single malt? Bourbon
12) 1960s or 1980s? The 80s, because greed is good and hippies are boring.
13) Diamonds or pearls? I'm too young to be able to non-ironically rock either.
14) Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell? Kate, but only because I like her boyfriend's band.
15) Sean Connery or Daniel Craig? Daniel Craig. Because he looks like a soulless killing machine. THAT is glamour.



