Louise Brooks was a very special soul - she was a liberated woman, a great actress and wild at heart. But as so often with such people her life was a tragedy.

Our media mad world consumes young female flesh in huge quantities - so it’s easy to dismiss another pretty face long gone.

But Louise influence with her skills many directors and fellow artists - something one hardly can say about today’s media & marketing sluts. Too bad we have lost many of her movies - and that she only performed in silent movies …

More? Louise Brooks Society

The naivety of musicals from the early days of Hollywood reflect the overall "simple" attitude to life in the western world. Entertainment was simple, glamorous and mostly eye candy (very much like today’s Bollywood movies I recently complained about).

Cyd Charisse was one of the Goddesses of Eye Candy and dance. She had a grace and beauty you won’t find in any modern movie or music video on MTV.

An era comes to an end.

Dreamlike sequence from "Singing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly.

Hot bar scene from "The Band Wagon" with Fred Astaire.

And another hot scene from "Singing in the Rain".

As as 41 year old fart I have to come to accept that any action movie is made for my opposite age of 14. But even at that age one must be bored by all the endless repetitions and lack of any story line?!

It seems to me that today’s eternal heroes are a bunch of idiots and "boys" instead of real heroes. The essence of the (male) hero is that a boy transcends his childhood, faces pain and humiliation - to finally accept responsibility and face "evil" on his journey to manhood.

Modern day heroes always seem stuck in the boyzone forever. Iron Man sucks as much as so many comic movies before this disaster. Go and watch something else.

Plus: as much as I like Robert Downey Jr. he always seems to play the same character just in different settings. I like his trickster qualities, but I am bored by the endless typecasting of his producers. But from what I have gathered from interviews he seems to like that kind of crap - and even loves the idea of another Iron Man. The eternal kid playing the hero … indeed …

Click image for a larger version.

They don’t make woman like that anymore - and such portraits. All modern photographer trying to emulate that look have failed so far. I guess it’s a matter of attitude and the right camera. Old optics were very different from today’s supertech digital cams.

And Vivien? She is just stunning. Just like Betty Davis she has that certain magic that has disappeared somewhere around the 1960’s …

Photographer: Does anyone know the artist? Thanks!

Click image for a larger version.

Madame Lamarr is not your usual silverscreen beauty - she had brains and lots of it. How many Hollywood actresses do you know that hold an U.S. patent?

What a fascinating woman!

Photographer: Does anyone know the artist behind the camera?

Laura Linney is a very fine actress - her performance in John Adams is just magnificent (the same compliment goes to Paul Giamatti).

I think I have a crush on her. And on Abigail Adams.

*sigh*

One of the greatest Stars of our time recently celebrated his 75th Birthday - Cheeta from Tarzan. He played that charming ape friend of Johnny Weismüller’s in all the Tarzan movies in the 1930s and 40s. And he even got his own Star on Sunset Boulevard. Wow!

And as chimp he is extraordinarily, because their usual  life expectancy is only about 40 years. So Cheeta, you are the real King of the Jungle!

More? Cheeta @ Wikipedia

I saw the first Matrix and I was blown away. I saw the second Matrix movie and I was bored. I saw the third Matrix movie and finally understood that I was in the Matrix myself and watching a repeat.

Sometimes bad movies don’t get any better - even when you give them time to grow on you.

Repeating the same idea with loads of violence and special effect doesn’t improve it. And I still want my personal Latex Superchick to fight for me.

Finally we get the gun.

Click image for a larger hat.

I think one of the greatest actresses ever - and a great role model for woman. She was smart, witty, charming and beautiful. She was sexy without pushing her boobs or whatever into everybodys face.

A real lady and a great human being.

Photographer: Anyone knows who made this great shot?