copperbadge's Journal

I went to the movies! It is extremely cold out!

They're renovating the big theatre at the Music Box, so a lot of the front rows were taped off due to having no cushions. I ended up a few rows back from my usual spot, which was fine, but then this random woman came down the aisle, stood behind me for a REALLY LONG TIME, then sat down right behind me. After a few minutes she leaned forward and tapped my shoulder.

"Excuse me, do you think your seat is too far back?"

I was so startled by this seemingly nonsensical question (no, weirdo, that's why I sat here?) that I just said, "Um...no?" to which she replied, "I'm worried I won't be able to see anything."

So...am I supposed to...direct you to better seats?

I told her "Well, the screen is uh, pretty big" because seriously, what the hell? She didn't reply but after another few minutes she got up and moved to the very front on the far left side, so...I guess she wanted to see everything grossly foreshortened, I don't know.

Anyway. The film was "Leonardo Live", which is about the Leonardo exhibit that went up in November at the National Gallery. I was a bit curious as to how they'd present a museum exhibit on film, but I have to say in terms of presentation I was a bit disappointed; it was a show that broadcast live in the UK, so it was more like a television special than anything with some kind of documentary cinematic intent. It was neat to see all the paintings, but I could have done without the random and mostly uninformative interviews. It felt like a film an undergraduate-level art history class would watch on a day the teacher couldn't be there to give a lecture.

I do have a new love, though.

OH I AM IN LOVE. It's a gorgeous painting, luminous and clean with a hint of motion, and I love everything from her dress to her posture to her face to the vaguely vicious, knowing expression she has. Like she's just identified an enemy and is about to crush them.

The National Gallery exhibit tentatively identifies her as Beatrice D'Este, the wife of Ludovico Sforza. It's quite funny actually, in the exhibit she's hung so that her glare appears to be directed straight at Lady with an Ermine, who has tentatively been identified as Cecilia Gallerani, Ludovico's mistress. DRAMA IN THE GALLERY! WATCH OUT GALLERANI, SHE WILL CUT YOU.

Anyway. I'm not sure I got my $15 worth on this one, but it wasn't a bad time and I always like to support the Music Box. Plus, how often do you get to sit in a dark room and be presented with the works of the Master while munching on popcorn?