09 August 2011

PART 1: La piel que habito...

Part 2: Pedro Almodóvar, Louise Bourgeois, Jean Paul Gaultier, and a Tarantula, click here.




Pedro Almodóvar's upcoming film, La Piel que Habito (The Skin I Live in) was presented at the Cannes Festival this past May. From what I've read online, it's terrifying, beautiful, and very Almodóvar...all in the name of the underlined theme: IDENTITY. Which is why it doesn't surprise me that Louise Bourgeois is a symbolic character in this film. 'Identity in the home' is a re-occuring theme in her work.  Louise passed away last May at the age of 98, and this tribute to her by Almodóvar is a beautiful gift to those of us who have been mesmerized by her and her œuvre for years. Hmm, I can just imagine the conversations between Pedro and Louise, two truly visionary talents. 


Leading female: Elena Anaya as Vera.
Leading male: Antonio Banderas as the plastic surgeon, Doctor Ledgard in search of a "strong skin..." 
Plot: Loosely based on the novel, Tarantula, by the French writer, Thierry Jonquet.  For an informative review read here.
Additional details: 
(1) Costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. 
(2) The work of the French-American artist, Louise Bourgeois is a source of inspiration to the main character, Vera.


The film opens in NY and LA October 14, 2011. 





Image Credits:
* All images of the film, borrowed from here.
* Louise Bourgeois sculptures: Nature Study, 1984 and Femme Maison, 1994.
* Louise Bourgeois signed drawing found here. (Original drawing owned by The Estate of Louise Bourgeois).
* Louise Bourgeois face drawing borrowed from this book by Marie-Laure Bernadac.
* Jean Paul Gaultier images shot during my visit to the exhibit, From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, currently on display in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until October 2, 2011. NOTE: These JPG creations do not appear in the film (as far as I know), but I found them visually relevant to this post.

1 comment:

epe said...

se ve y suena muy interesante, además almodovar siempre resulta tentador.