LOVE, CECIL (Lisa Immordino Vreeland 2017)

[cinemabon]

I don't know if you remember the film "Gigi" but Beaton, in addition to the incredible designs for the major "park scenes" that open and close the show, he also designed placards for Gaston's parties that included caricatures of the actor in certain settings; the kind designers make for gowns. Their brilliant motifs showcased his costumes used for the party segues. He followed that up with the same flash in My Fair Lady (another Lerner and Lowe musical), especially in the opening with the exit from the opera, the ascot opening day and the embassy ball. No one could doubt his flair for the ostentatious.

[Chris Knipp]

I saw them making a scene from Gigi on my first trip to Paris. So as you can see, I've been going to Paris for quite a while.

These details you give make one want to see the film of My Fair Lady. I've never seen it.

[cinemabon]

Evidently, he and George Cukor had a thing? I wonder. Cukor, known to be gay around Hollywood for decades (along with another famous director, Vincent Minnelli) was known as a "woman's director" because of his empathy for women. Some actors wouldn't work with him because of that; like Clark Gable who despised him. Sometimes when you have two strong opinionated "older" gay men on the same picture, sparks might fly. They did with these two. As soon as filming wrapped on MFL in late 1963, Beaton left Hollywood vowing "never to return" (thought he did one more picture). He never spoke to Cukor again. However, it was because of his "spat" in LA, that he met the last love of his life, the Olympic fencer (can't remember his name) and also his last lover. They had quite a public romance that went to London and... well, you probably know the rest.

[Chris Knipp]

It's in the documentary. Kinmont Hoitsma. Also an English literature teacher. See his obituary HERE. It gives interesting details of his life not in the film. I don't think from the info that Beaton and Cukor had a thing, I think they just clashed. Doubt if he fell for Kinmont Hoitsima that George Cukor was Cecil Beaton's type.



KINMONT HOITSIMA BY CECIL BEATON