coco & boy capel

While I normally see theatre before everyone else, I tend to be way behind on seeing movies. I almost never see anything in the theatres and even when I finally get it on Netflix, it'll just sit there since I don't have time to watch it (often because I'm at the theatre, go figure.) I finally got around to watching Coco Avant Chanel last night. I'd been meaning to see it for several reasons. Of course, because I've spent a whole lot of time imagining what her friendship with my aunt must have been like. Ainee was so very traditional, even though she was groundbreaking in her way. (Funny side note, I was discussing her with my Aunt Emily this weekend, who told me she had the most unruly hair-- family trait-- and simply had no idea how to style it, so she always wore a hat in public.) Both of them were complicated pioneers of what it would come to mean to be a modern woman.
Coco never married and insisted that it was the only way she could retain her identity, but men sure did break her heart when they cheated on her and married other people. And Ainee had a very traditional, or maybe that's not the right word, because they were much more equal than most marriages of the day. And yet, even being a very traditional Southern woman, she was head of an empire.

Second reason for my interest in the movie, I love Audrey Tatou. Clearly, I'm no pioneer in loving that lady. Doesn't everyone? She's so sexy/not sexy. But speaking of sexy, I think the real reason I wanted to see the movie was for Alessandro Nivola as Boy Capel. Alessandro has just got to be about the sexiest, most sophisticated guy I can think of. American, but constantly confused for British (possibly because he's married to Emily Mortimer), he's both Italian and Blonde, he speaks fluent French and there's something simultaneously gentle & mischievous about him.  Worldly and sort of naive.
My love of him dates back to Mansfield Park-- a movie almost universally panned (largely due to it's unfaithfulness to the book) but I say, it's a gem. And Alessandro in it is practically divine. It's young Redford, Alexander Skarsgard, and Alessandro Nivola for me.