For about year I had the Pixies song "Bone Machine" stuck in my head. More specifically, I had the phrase, "You're so pretty when you're faithful to me" looping around and around.
I was dating this girl then. Elizabeth. She was a pretty girl and she was faithful right up until the end, when all of a sudden, she wasn't. Whenever, under my breath, I started singing this phrase she would say, "Thank you" after I said "You're so pretty..." and then, when she realized I wasn't actually paying her a compliment she blushed, "Oh! I thought you were talking to me." After a few months of this, she said "I always do that!" It was true. She did always do that. Oh pretty girls who know they are pretty. Do I still need to tell them? Yes. Did I? Probably not enough.
This weekend I was watching a lot of movies. It is one of the nicer things I do to give myself a break from my existence. For me, a successful movie is one that completely replaces reality while it is playing. I am more than willing to suspend disbelief. I would live in disbelief if I could. But lots of things can interrupt this suspension. Cliche editing, bad dialogue, cheesy narrative. All of that can ruin a perfectly good exercise in escapism. But this weekend another thing struck me as false, and I am sad about it, because it is a flaw in nearly all movies.
For the first time I was struck by the fact that the vast majority of movies are completely dependent on the appearance of their actors. If the actors were ugly people, then the movies wouldn't be half as interesting. Once I had this thought, it was over. I scrutinized every line uttered, not for plausibility, but for the possibility that I would be interested in it if an ugly or even a plain looking actor was saying it. I could give examples, but I am sure you are capable of thinking of your own. Even Arts movies fall into this trap. Especially Arts movies, perhaps.
Anyway, that was what got me thinking about Elizabeth, because she was a pretty girl. Really. Long legs, pert nose, that amazing combination of blue eyes and brown hair. I was lucky to have ever dated a girl like her. I wonder, though, if she would have been so interesting if she wasn't as pretty. Could I have loved someone exactly like her, who made the same mistakes and did the same annoying things she did if she had been unattractive, faithful or not?
I wish I could say yes. So I suppose it isn't really a fault of the movies. But who is interested in what the unattractive have to say?
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2 comments:
Amazing last line. Whoa...
Introspective musings. I like this a lot. The flow is interesting and, as with many of your tales, it paints a very interesting picture of the inner workings of someone's head space.
I fell into the exact same trap, and throughout the relationship I questioned why a girl as pretty as she was would want to be with me and then it dawned on me...she could get the looks of approval from other, more attractive guys, but I was there so that when she didn't I could give her any and all the praise that she wanted. As time went on she found other outlets for her source of power and mine was no longer needed. Sure she was fun to look at but when it came down to what really mattered she was no longer it. After things came to a close she swore she would be better off without me, but it turns out that there wasn't anyone to fell to their knees before her so she came back. She was always so pretty but never so faithful. I came out the victor and she is still alone.
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