The August 17 edition of the New York Times gave Kim Novak her props -- citing most of her great movies, but focusing much of its attention on her timeless (literally!) performance in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. Writes columnist Stanley Fish:
"She was not earthy like Gardner or icy like Kelly or Rubensesque like Monroe or raunchy like Jane Russell or perky like Doris Day. She was something that has gone out of fashion and even become suspect in an era of feminist strictures: she was the object of a voyeuristic male gaze."
Fish refers to Movie Diva's description of Novak's 'passive carnality,' -- an attribute that Hitch admired and fostered in most of his leading ladies, most notably Grace Kelly and 'Tippi' Hedren (whom I would describe as possessing "icy carnality").
Somehow, Novak seems to have fallen off the pop cultural radar -- perhaps as a result of her aloof treatment of her fame and of the Hollywood star system. Whatever the case, perhaps it's time for art-house film types to launch a Kim Novak revival.
Comments