Hairspray was phenomenal. I had been counting down the days to see this movie, and would be willing to see it again. 90% of the time I was either laughing or smiling. Poignant.
Given that I grew up in Baltimore I studied the sets carefully. Does anything look familiar? A RESOUNDING YES! The sets were remarkably authentic even though this movie was filmed in Toronto! I remember for example the ESSO gas station that is now EXON. I was looking to see if I could find any of my father's shops. Truth is since I have no family contact I can't remember much at all. Just that there was ELANA'S PIZZA SHOP on Liberty Heights Avenue (yes, if that name sounds familiar it's because there was a movie called LIBERTY HEIGHTS that i believe was directed by John Waters!) my father also had a bar called SPORTSMAN'S CLUB 500. But I don't remember where that shop was.
John Travolta was phenomenal as a caring and loving mother, he was ALL WOMAN! And the accent! If you're from Baltimore you'll howl in laughter the first time you here him say: "TRACY, TURN THAT RACKET DOWN, CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRON TO ARN IN HERE! (trying to iron)
Tracy (the daughter) reminds me of me in many ways. She's an activist and she's gung ho about wanting equal rights for blacks (for easy of writing i will say "black" instead of the 7 syllabled, african american) and she's not worried about whether others approve of her decision to help out with the marches. The other way she reminds me of me is that although I probably wasn't so bold in high school, later in life I wouldn't have hesitated to crash an all black soul and disco dance party! And she gets ridiculed for her weight every day, as I still do. (as adults are just as cruel as children)
This movie is a great family movie (mmm, kids 13 and over perhaps) and a good venue for discussing race relations with your child. (I call this "the elephant in the room", race relations that is)
In my next post, I will compare/contrast the race issues of Hairspray with my own life and how race relations and my life experiences have shaped who I am and how I think today.
About Me
- elana r. snyder
- I was born in June, 1963 in Washington, D.C. My b/mother spent roughly the last 5 months of her pregnancy at the Florence Crittenton: "Home for Unwed Mothers" I was almost immediately adopted into a very abusive Baltimore home in 63. In 1994, my common law marriage broke up while I was living in Melbourne,AUS. I fell homeless for the first time. I didn't break that cycle until 4/2013. (For a true sense of context, I highly encourage you to start reading at the beginning; April 1, 2007!) While homeless (or "housed" in extremely toxic and unsafe situations) I endured chronic hunger and even Dr. diagnosed starvation. I've been a victim of countless felony crimes since 1983. I've been partially disabled since 1994 and fully disabled since about 2002; after contracting lyme disease. In April 2011 I was forced to flee 2,230 miles to evade my stalker of six years. One of my dreams, is to donate my entire handwritten story to Hollywood.
VerveEarth
Elana in 2004
Elana in 2004
1997
elana
1987
elana
1967
"Living the American Dream"
1 comment:
I appreciate your honesty.
Also, your courage, because readers will think, "Yes, but it doesn't compare to the devastating effects of institutionalized white racism against blacks." I felt that way. Then I reminded myself that you're not denying that devastation; THAT IT IS A DIFFERENT FACET OF THE ISSUE. POSSIBLY A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ISSUE, related though it may be. The Museum of Modern Art is not expected to display Rembrandts.
People as a species are superficial, sometimes criminally, sometimes tragically, sometimes only to the point of being a pain in the ass.
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