I went to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith last night. I'm filing this one under a category I think of as "house porn." A house porn film is a movie that seems to fetishize material goods: clothes, cars, home furnishings. These films started in the 1920's and into the Depression-era when people were poor and movies acted as an escape from their dreary, daily situation. The segues into the good life were more heavy-handed back then (but only slightly,) and this visual candy has been in movies ever since. The oddest ones have the plot moving along, then they grind to a halt while there's a fashion show...in a night club. I came home after the movie and watched the last half of Cat People (1942). Another film about a troubled marriage, only instead of being an assassin, the husband's new bride has the habit of turning into a panther and ripping people to shreds. Both films contain the subtext of poor communication within a marriage, and both films have their couples seeking the help of a psychiatrist as marriage counselor. Smith's was like Lara Croft marries Tom Bishop from Spy Game superimposed on the Bickerson's.
The Bickersons/The Bickerson's Fight Back by The Bickersons : MusicOutfitter
1 comment:
So many television shows are all about home porn. Cube has hit the nail on its designer head.
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