Episode 2: Camp-a-lot

This week, we continue our journey through Vanessa Redgrave's best with one of our childhood favorites: 1967's musical romp-turned-tragedy, Camelot. Watching it as an adult 50 years after its release, we found some pretty gaping plot holes, but we think Richard Harris's guyliner and Vanessa's unbelievably luxe knitwear more than make up for it. 

What do the simple folk do tho?

A few notes:

• Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero had the love story of our era
• Florence Welch owes so much to this movie
• Lindsay teaches Molly the meaning of the word "cortege"
• Did you clock the most pretentious sentence Molly's ever uttered about her replica Vaphio cups?
• You should really watch that JT LeRoy documentary

Lindsay's take: 4 out of 5 cowl-necked wool gowns. The whole last 30-45 minutes is a great time to double-screen, if you happen to be into that sort of thing. 

Molly's take: 3.5 out of 5 petty knights. It feels wrong to give this movie a lower than perfect rating but if I can get real, I can't really handle the second act. 

Episode 1: Wilde-in' out

Happy Vanessa Redgrave appreciation month, everyone! 

For our inaugural episode, we watched the 1997 film Wilde, starring Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle, Vanessa Redgrave, and literally every other British actor that was available that week. 

A few things we mentioned in the episode (and a few we didn't), if you want to look into it:

• The Victorian prison philosophy was way harsh. This page is about a jail ("gaol") in Melbourne, but it expands a little on the depressing prison imagery you see in the film, including that terrifying mask. 
• Oscar's childhood sweetheart Florence Balcombe married Bram Stoker, who was apparently an acquaintance of Oscar's in their college days. He also visited Oscar on the continent after he was released from prison.
• John Gray was such a pretty young thing. After his relationship with Oscar ended, he became a priest and maintained a chaste life partnership with Marc-Andre Raffalovich, a writer and early defender of homosexuality. The two of them died within 4 months of one another. :'(
• Robbie Ross was close friends Cyril and Vyvyan Wilde after their father's death. His ashes were moved to Oscar's tomb on the 50th anniversary of Oscar's death. 
• Bosie was drama right up until the end. He married a lesbian named Olive Eleanor Custance and they had a kid together. He also became vocally anti-semitic in his later years.
• Lindsay lied. The nasty kissing clip from TLC's gone-too-soon Virgin Diaries is totally available online.

Lindsay's take: 3.5 out of 5 peacock feathers. For a movie with a funny guy playing one of the brightest wits ever, it was surprisingly sad. But then I guess that's probably pretty true to the life of a gay genius in Victorian London. 

Molly's take: 4 out of 5 peacock feathers. This movie had it all: historical accuracy, women talking about trousers, rentboys. I'm docking it a peacock feather because I never learned the Michelle Visage character's name and also I had to hear that quip about alcohol several times.