Watched this after I read James’ What Maisie Knew, Daisy Miller and Turn of the Screw and decided that James really was a bad writer, it wasn’t just pretentious to say this. Anyway, film has no narration and little dialog, thank god and is therefore quite brilliant.

I don’t think I’ve seen any other films that are set at exactly this moment of fashion history. Klimt.

I’ve never seen anyone wear flats so well. Adorable.

I like the way there’s that chapter exposing Nixon in Irving’s book, and that footage of Nixon praising Bush in Hallstrom’s film.

I also saw this, sort of unintentionally, the day after re-watching Stone’s Nixon. So the mix of footage in Hoax really appealed to me too.

I really liked The Aviator, but oddly, I didn’t know Hughes was so attractive (minus the mustache) until I saw the images in this film . . . The Aviator would have been a good movie, even if it was totally fictional and there was no real Hughes. This film maybe needed it’s historical referents a bit more – both Hughes and Irving.

But the Dick Suskind character steals the show. He’s not a coward and a sap, as they called him in TNY. He’s just a guy.

I like the way the flashbacks and memory look like, not personal memories, but media-pastiche.

Scorcese in the Criterion Intro, on Fellini and the circus: “He loved the circus. He loved the circus. I, I don’t like the circus. (Nervously) I have, I have problems with it. But he (giggles) he really loved the circus. And he’s the only one I can watch. The only films I can watch, a circus seen through his eyes. You know.”

Ouch. Writing women. Wearing fur.

Dad commands the film, his relationships are the best – with his old pal, with the kid, with the neighbors. Repressed daughter is also nice . . .

The whole time I was watching I thought it was directed by Oliver Stone and I thought, “This is really good, really restrained, really sophisticated Oliver Stone.”

Hot older woman. Better than Marie Antoinette. Nice outdoor scenes.

I think I liked Eyes of Laura Mars better. This had about 12 good minutes – the actual blow up scenes and the tennis stuff at the end. Oh, maybe the original photo-taking scene.

And the appearance of two queers with poodles. And the line spoken re. two queers with poodles.