Tuesday . October 21 . 2002 . 9:44pm |
wellesley, the movie Hey folks. Sorry for the long radio silence. We just got cable modem installed over the weekend, however, which among other things, should make updating (not to mention performing the functions of daily life) much less of a pain in the ass. Have you ever tried to head to the computer lab after a 12-hour workday and come up with a scattered handful of pithy insights to put on your stupid webpage? Not easy. Not even feasible. So anyway, not to disappoint, but nothing much has happened around here last week. We did have some friends over for the first time this weekend, though, and took a little walking tour of the neighborhood south, ending up at some seedy bar packed with old Euro-men, in a building which, inexplicably, had a giant sign proclaiming "UKRAINIAN NATIONAL HOME." And there was a jukebox chock full o' Aerosmith. So that was fun. You know, I just found out that they're making a movie about Wellesley. I suppose everyone else on earth knew this already, but I sure didn't, living all out of the loop. From what I've read, it's being billed as a "Dead Poet's Society" for the ladies (Dead Poetesses?), and it stars Julia Roberts as a free-wheeling Berkeley transplant, who gets a job to teach at "uber-conservative Wellesely College" (direct quote from the plot synopsis) in the 50's, and, I don't know, sets their souls free or something. The movie also stars Kirsten Dunst and Julia Stiles (aka the-chick-who's-in-all-those-movies-where- she's-doing-it-with-the-black-guys-thus-flying- defiantly-in-the-face-of-those-who-would-look-down- on-their-interracial-loving, "Save the Last Dance," "O," et al.) as students. No doubt that by the end of the movie, all the students will be standing on desks and sucking the marrow out of life, possibly even shooting themselves in the head of their dads are mean and pull them out of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," in which they were starring as Puck. Or Titania. No, wait, change that back to Puck. I was in exactly one play during my tenure at Wellesley, in which I played (with dangerous amateurism) a male character named "Daddy." But anyway, back to this movie. I'm alternately excited for and dreading its release, excited because, you know, it will probably be fairly amusing, and dreading because, as most Wellesley alumnae know, the school has a fucked up enough reputation as it is. This movie might shift the stereotype a little far in the opposite direction, though. "Uber-conservative Wellesley College." I know that the movie's set in the 1950s and everything, but damn. If only they could have seen the Wellesley I knew, where girls were getting it on with other girls, even moderate Republicans were ritualistically stoned in the dining halls, and students would randomly hold sidewalk-chalking protests and/or candlelight vigils for (or against) anything--for instance, perhaps championing letters of the alphabet which certain groups felt were historically overlooked (or, in Wellesley parlance, "marginalized"). Girls Gone Wild! But if there must be stereotypes, let's just hope that there's an underwear-clad study group scene by candlelight somewhere in the movie. That way, everyone's happy. xo Michelle |
