Tea at Trianon: Party of Four

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Party of Four

Book reviews of bios of classic film stars by David Thomson. I don't know if I agree with everything he says about Bette but it sounds like an intriguing series.
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3 comments:

Julygirl said...: Very insightful reviews. I also have mixed feelinga about Gary Cooper. I read a biography of Cary Grant and Grant complained that he always played runner up to Cooper when their studio was casting. Of course over time Cary Grant has become much more of a screen icon than Cooper, possibly due to Alfred Hitchcock choosing him for what have now become classic films.; January 31, 2010 at 7:24:00 PM EST
Unknown said...: Bette Davis was always one of my very top actors for a long time. She was superb before the cameras. Unfortunately, while she was a guest on a show hosted by Joan Rivers, Bette said she had had an abortion and has no regrets about it. While she says she was a virgin when she first married, she believes there's "nothing wrong with having sex before you get married. Sad! I lost a great deal of respect for her, but then I guess I never knew what she believed before.; February 1, 2010 at 10:50:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Bette had an abortion! That does not surprise me. No wonder she drank. Yes, I saw that interview where she said she thought there was nothing wrong with having sex outside of marriage. Foolish woman. I hope she fund peace at the end, especially after her daughter wrote that book.

I don't let the private lives of film stars get in the way of my appreciation of their work, if the work is good. Our problem today is that we look to actors and actresses for guidance on how we should live our lives. Big mistake.

Thanks for the info.; February 1, 2010 at 11:10:00 AM EST