Manolo Blahnik On His 6 favourite Films To Cosy Up To
The legendary shoe designer picks his ultimate movies to while away a quiet afternoon
April 1, 2020
Photo: Getty
Film has always been an inspiration to Manolo Blahnik. Over the course of his 50-year career, he has looked to actors, film direction, production, and costume design to inspire his whimsical collections. His thirst and love of films knows no bounds, spanning different genres, time periods and languages. Here, he chooses his all-time favourites.
Synopsis: A film portraying emotional middle-class teenagers, the mischief-maker Jim Stark, played by James Dean, moves to a new town in order to have a clean slate; but being the new kid on the block and falling in love with Judy (played by Natalie Wood) who is the girlfriend of the town’s tough guy causes its own problems.
“What a marvellous film. James Dean is an icon and that jacket – I even had the same red leather biker!”
Photo: John Kobal Foundation / Getty
The Leopard, 1963
image
Synopsis: Set in the 1860s in a beautiful Sicilian landscape, Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale star in this film about an aristocrat who thoroughly enjoys the benefits and comfort of an ancient and noble name, but must attempt to ride the turbulence of revolutionary times.
“Visconti represents the epitome of European visual culture. All his films are the vision of an artist captivated by beauty and sublimated in all forms. ‘The leopard is so beautifully done.”
Photo: Getty
And God Created Woman, 1956
image
Synopsis: Brigitte Bardot stars as a young sexually liberated woman in St Tropez; married yet wild in her ways, her naïve husband tries to keep her tame as she romances a trio of
men.
“Brigitte Bardot has always been a huge source of inspiration for me through her beauty and acting… she’s so elegant, feminine and beautiful.”
Photo: Getty
image
Synopsis: Starring Bette Davis, a respected Broadway mega-star hires the young ambitious fan ‘Eve’ played by Anne Baxter as her personal assistant. Before long, it appears that ‘Eve’ has a sly conniving plan to overtake the big star and steal her life.
“Bette Davis is just spectacular.”
Photo: Shutterstock
Possessed, 1947
image
Synopsis: Joan Crawford stars as a mentally ill woman who is admitted into a psychiatric ward and reveals her complex story of how she wound up there; a dramatic tale of a women’s obsession with her ex-lover.
Photo: Shutterstock
Double Indemnity, 1944
image
Synopsis:Barbara Stanwyck stars as a provocative housewife who seduces an insurance salesman played by Fred MacMurray into a murderous fraud scheme; to kill her husband to receive the pay-out of an accident insurance policy, triggering the suspicion of an insurance investigator.
“I love any Barbara Stanwyck films. She gave a performance that ended all performances in Double Indemnity… also such beautiful photography.”
