Last night I went to see City Lights (a silent film by Charlie Chaplin) with live accompaniment from the New York Philharmonic. City Lights is on my 30-before-30 movie list and I really can't think of a better way to experience it for the first time than on a big screen with Chaplin's score being performed by what is arguably one of the best orchestras in the world.
The movie itself was as wonderful as I was expecting it to be. It's widely considered one of the best movies ever made, and the final scene is so iconic that even if you're not a film buff you've probably seen it anyway, somewhere, somehow. I'd seen it in movie montages and Chaplin documentaries but to see it in the context of the entirety of the film just makes it all the more lovely, poignant and absolutely beautiful.
The only disappointment yesterday was the actual venue (David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center) I don't know how I got the impression that it was going to be a classy, elegant establishment but honestly it just reminded me of the buildings at our local community college. There was an exposed extension cord running down the floor outside the theater, the bathroom was the single worst one I think I've ever been in in New York City (and that's saying a lot!) and it just felt sort of... dingy?
So I was clearly over-dressed, but c'est la vie! I didn't go there yesterday to soak up the atmosphere of the hallways and bathrooms -- I was there for a movie and music, and that part was beyond phenomenal.
As I've mentioned a couple times recently (well, not too recently since my posting has been kind of sparse and erratic lately) I'm still in a major style rut. I was incredibly happy with what I wore yesterday, but it felt like a fluke that I put together something presentable. Part of my hang-up is that I don't feel like anything I want to wear fits my normal aesthetic, and that's just kind of jarring and strange. I feel much more influenced right now by 60's black and white photography, cliche wannabe-French stuff like stripes and berets, and late 70's/early 80's punk style, which is a huge departure from the pastel, frilly sort of look I've had for years.
Like.. I feel weird about posting any of these photos on my instagram because they don't fit in. And that's crazy. I guess when it comes down to it, you need to be true to yourself, even if who you are right now is different than who you were last year. It's a tough thing to come to grips with, though, to give in and accept that being yourself sometimes means being someone new.
