Nobody's Perfect

Last night we went to see Some Like It Hot at the Loew's Jersey, a restored 1920s movie palace here in town that shows classic films. I've seen this movie a few times on TV, but as always, seeing a film in a theater is a much more involving experience. This is a Billy Wilder comedy about mistaken identity, sexual confusion (and a few other things) that was way ahead of its time (1959), at least if you're at all sensitive to subtext. It frequently dances around the subject of homosexuality, and even touches on same-sex marriage, although it never mentions these things explicitly. A major theme is the ambiguity of gender as social construct. At the beginning of the film, Tony Curtis's character has to constantly remind Jack Lemmon's character that they are "girls"; by the end of the film, he's reminding Lemmon that he's "a boy." The movie gives you a lot to think about (and to look at--Marilyn Monroe is one of the stars), which is rare for a comedy, especially one as funny as this one.

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Make your own version of Andy Warhol's "Marilyn" here.

(via Incoming Signals)