Books @ the Movies, Shutter Island

As you may have noticed with recent Mad Men & Project Runway posts I've become enamored of references to movies in other mediums. I thought I'd share them as they occur to me. On that note, I recently picked up Dennis Lehane's mystery thriller Shutter Island which is set in the 50s on an island for the criminally insane. Figured I had time to read it before the movie version arrives given its abrupt move to February 2010. The jacket blurb claims that it's "instantly cinematic" and for once the blurb ain't shamelessly overstating. Not only does the book read like a zippy movie-movie, it mentions movies, too. Here's one example.

page 168...
Rachel Solando (to be played by Emily Mortimer) and Teddy Daniels (to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio) meet. This is not a spoiler ~ please DO NOT post spoilers in the comments!

"Are you accusing me of being a Communist?" Her back came off the pillows and she bunched the sheet in her fists...

"A Communist, ma'am? You? What man in his right mind would think that? You're as American as Betty Grable. Only a blind man could miss that."

She unclenched one hand from the sheet, rubbed her kneecap with it. "But I don't look like Betty Grable."

"Only in your obvious patriotism. No, I'd say you look more like Teresa Wright, ma'am. What was that one she did with Joseph Cotton, ten-twelve years ago?"

That'd be Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt and if Hitch' were alive, he might've wanted to adapt Shutter Island himself. I giggled at the patriotism line and hoped it made it into the screenplay. Then I thought 'Does Emily Mortimer look anything like Teresa Wright?'

You be the judge.

Emily in 2007 at 36 years of age | Teresa in 1943 at 25 years of age
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Beauty Break: Gold Diggers

Money is as much a part of romantic comedy match-making as it was in days of yore (see: Pretty Woman, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Ever After, Two Weeks Notice, Pride and Prejudice, Sex and the City) but nowadays the lust for big bucks and a life lived in the lap of luxury is buried underneath lots of other stuff. It's barely acknowledged or commented on... possibly because it's so much of a given.

I think it's much hotter when the rich husband hunting is completely foregrounded. Give me those classic pets after big baguettes every time.


Self aware gold diggers are much sexier.

The French are glad to die for love
They delight in fighting duels
But I prefer a man who lives
And gives expensive jewels