Wine and Film

So I watched Qui êtes-vous, Polly Magoo? the other day.

Looking for something nonsensical, satirical, and altogether entertaining? Pick it up on netflix. I had my french new wave fix with a glass of Paringa Cabarnet Sauvignon which I'd recommend to you with great enthusiasm. Like film it's a great mash of things you'll love. Berry, chocolaty, nutty, with and oaky finish to remind you how much you wish you had a fireplace. It's also reasonably priced at 13.99 a bottle. Of course, Polly Magoo is the kind of film you name drop to impress your film snob friends, so maybe you'd like to go with something a little more ritzy. Dom Perignon is available for 199.99 a bottle over at wine.com. Go nuts. Douchebag.

Now I can see you going back to reread that paragraph (that's correct, I can see you). I did just recommend a wine to go with a movie. If you are like my movie watching partner in crime you've begun to scream and hurl things at the screen with righteous indignation. Wine does not go with movies! Wine goes with food! I would submit that wine and film are more alike then you realize.

Firstly, they are both made in California. You see? Already your objections are falling under my shock-and-awe worthy barrage of logic. I'm just getting started. Movies and wine both share the position of being something (the only things) worth getting out of bed in the morning for. Also, if you read this blog long enough you'll see I don't know anything about either of them. Enough similarities for you? I hope so because that's I'll I can think of.

Back to this movie. Qui êtes-vous, Polly Magoo? (Who Are You, Polly Magoo?) is a 1966 film by U.S. expatriate William Klein. In most movie capsules you'll see it described as a satire of the fashion industry in France, but there is so much more here. In true French New Wave fashion you'll see and emphasis on form over content. It's a product of a tumultuous time of experimentation and rebellion. You can almost see the new Hollywood being born out of the wreckage. The titular protagonist jumps from one scenario to another in stream-of-consciousness fashion. Each moment only vaguely related to the next but delicious in its own right (pay close attention to Prince Igor and Polly's animated time together, then tell me if you don't see a young Terry Gilliam watching in awe). I particularly liked how we switch from biting satire, to primal slapstick, to a sort of Wes Anderson-esque deadpan in the space of one movie. After watching check out the back stories of William Klein and lead actress Dorothy McGowan as they are fascinating in their own right and will make any repeat viewings that much more enjoyable.

This complex, twisted film is altogether awesome. A satire of fashion, yes, but Klein has reinvented the movie. He does not just create! He galvanizes! I am galvanized! (Just watch it already) It's hilarious then thought provoking then whimsical then just plain bizarre. I loved it. I think you will to.