June 05, 2009

Back to that era

Vital newsbite of the day, #2483:

Under the headline "Intimate confession", the Hindustan Times today (June 5 2009) tells me this:

"Kate Winslet wore a pubic wig for The Reader. [She] had to bare all for the Holocaust movie and producers took measures so that her body was consistent with the era.

She told
Allure magazine: 'I had to grow the hair down there. But because of years of waxing, as all of us girls know, it doesn't come back quite the way it used to. They even made me a merkin -- a wig -- because they were so concerned that I might not be able to grow enough.'"

All of which, naturally, makes me wonder: who are the folks who might go see The Reader, look "down there" when Kate Winslet "bares all", and mutter angrily and inconsolably to themselves: "Damn! I want my money back! What I see down there is not consistent with the era!"

Are you one of them? If so, please leave me a note.

11 comments:

zap said...

Other than the sheer comedy of it, this kind of news reminds me of Nero fiddling as Rome burned.

km said...

A "merkin"? That's the word for the day. (I had to google for it. NSFW, obviously).

I know it's a minor - an extremely minor - detail but wrong period details in a film do annoy me.

But I can see why the producers would be so fussy: imagine if the lead actress had breast implants? It would totally ruin the film.

Anonymous said...

classic post.!!! Too good.

I understand not showing electric poles in 16th century dramas, but this takes it to another level.

Kshitij

Dilip D'Souza said...

km, here's something for you to chew on. I had never heard of "merkin" either (put it down to my pitiful education), until I saw this item this morning.

This afternoon, on one of the email lists I belong to, I get a message from a man called Merkin! I swear I am not making this up.

Anonymous said...

have you seen a horrible period movie called netaji subhash chandra bose by one mister shyam benegal ? in that movie fat bose undergoes a fast. after fasting he is fatter than before! how come ?

Jason said...

Consistent with the current era would be hair dyed either pink or fluorescent green :)

George said...

"According to "The Oxford Companion to the Body," the custom of wearing merkins dates from c.1450, ..."

my gk suck :(

Prasoon said...

hhehehe. For a moment I wondered if I was reading India Uncut :)

Anonymous said...

prason, i think the owner of indiauncut would consider that a serious insult.

Pareshaan said...

I don't see what's so funny.
Of course her pubic coiffure needs to be consistent with the period in question, and the studio execs were smart to have a merkin fashioned.
This "chaltaa-hai" attitude is going to be the death of us Indians!!!

zap said...

@ Pareshaan - Well, lets see.. I wonder where they got statistics on how the women of that era wore their pubic coiffures, other than rely on public representations of the nude female. What do you think the 'general trend' is in our era?

All of that contributes to reducing the reported conversation to a banality of reportage or of movie promotion.