A tale of two movies

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
Coder
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A tale of two movies

Post by Coder »

First off - sigh I'm not sure this discussion is relevant. However, I'm very interested in how men and women interact in movies when fashion is involved, and these two particular movies highlight what has changed. If this should be moved to "Off Topic", then whisk it away!

About a month ago I watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth" - 1959 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052948/ and a female character went along with the explorers into the earth. What did she wear? A floor sweeper, the entire journey. Nothing was said. She followed the men, never complained about her attire, and no one made any special mention of it. The only thing they were "aghast" about was the notion of a woman going on a dangerous hiking trip.

Fast forward to 2021 - "Jungle Cruise" - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0870154/, which is supposed to take place in 1916. The female lead chooses to wear pants to the jungle, and the lead character pokes fun at her. He calls her "Pants" throughout the show, other characters are surprised she's wearing pants.

I find the choice of attire interesting in both cases - the first seems awfully impractical, but in the end she made it through. The second because they used the pants as a running joke and highlighted the double standard that existed back then.

I often wonder - will little things like this sink into people's minds about the variability of fashion - and even men adopting skirts? Or am I expecting too much from a PotC clone (well, the bad guys seemed like they were ripped right out of that movie franchise)?
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by john62 »

Not a chance Coder.

John
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by Faldaguy »

The first rule of thumb for the Media is the old phrase: Suspension of Disbelief-- logic be gone regardless of facts.
May you enjoy some wishful thinking!
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by STEVIE »

Coder wrote: Tue Nov 16, 2021 1:20 am I often wonder - will little things like this sink into people's minds about the variability of fashion - and even men adopting skirts?
Hi Coder,
I'd answer that with some cautious qualifications and maybe a touch of optimism.
Who knows where the next big fashion "hit" will spring from or what may inspire and drive it forward?
Caprice is at it's very heart and cold logic, apart from the potential commercial gain, need not apply.
How much of the current vogue for kilts was due in part to movies like Highlander and Braveheart?
Could another iteration of Robin Hood cause a surge in demand for men's tights or even tunic dresses?
It is fashion, and staying in cinema speak, "Never Say Never Again"!
OO7 in a flouncy skirt and heels, there is a thought and why not?
Steve.
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Re: A tale of two movies

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by STEVIE » Tue Nov 16, 2021 10:07 pm

"Never Say Never Again"!
OO7 in a flouncy skirt and heels, there is a thought and why not?
Steve.


I'll be watching for the sequel, or should it be sequins. :roll:

Maybe Alan Ritchson can give Jack Reacher a new look too! 8)
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by greenboots »

STEVIE wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:07 am
How much of the current vogue for kilts was due in part to movies like Highlander and Braveheart?
Could another iteration of Robin Hood cause a surge in demand for men's tights or even tunic dresses?

Steve.
Depends on which version you watch. Robin of Sherwood ( ITV 1984) had what look like drainpipe trousers. Russel Crowe's 2010 Movie seems to feature loose leather "leggings". Robin Hood and his Merry Men (a black and white TV series which I can't locate) unashamedly wore trousers. Only Basil Rathbones 1938 Movie overtly features tights (along with Mel Brooks of course).

With examples like these, hope seems distant!
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by Sinned »

greenboots, I don't think that any of the 1960's TV series are available online but here's the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adven ... TV_series). For those of you in the US you can purchase the whole 143 episode series on DVD https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Rob ... B002DH20YM.

I also came across a 1953 series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hoo ... TV_series) with Patrick Troughton ( Dr Who fame ) which I don't remember as I wasn't born until 1954.
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by Coder »

Not to dredge up an old thread, but last night we watched "King Solomon's Mines" (1950) which had to have been a major influence on Jungle Cruise. It was weird watching a movie where nearly every male was wearing some form of skirt* (the movie took place in Africa and was shot on location). "Allan Quatermain" the male lead had the female lead replace her unsuitable clothing (jacket, corset, long skirt) with a pair of culottes saying something along the lines of "You're not going to be happy with what I'm making you wear".

I'm trying not to obsess over this, but I find these subtle - and sometimes not so subtle - digs at skirts for either being impractical or feminine - making the wearer weak or powerless - interesting. Was it society reflected in movies or were movies driving the culture? Obviously culture is reflected in media, but there has to be a self-reinforcing cycle going on here.


*Now, whether the skirts were culturally accurate or just Hollywood's image of skirt-wearing tribes, I cannot say.
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by r.m.anderson »

Another classic "The African Queen" --- Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn

Not so much a skirted pants movie of sorts.
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by crfriend »

I always preferred Bogart in Casablanca or Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Both excellent pictures and which couldn't be more different from one another.

That said, Hollywood has been agenda-pushing for decades.
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Re: A tale of two movies

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crfriend wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:17 pm That said, Hollywood has been agenda-pushing for decades.
For sure - and I'm certainly not suggesting some grand conspiracy or even deliberate willfulness in the case of "King Solomon's Mines" (1950). Maybe more so "Jungle Cruise" because of what is being pushed socially - you don't make "pants" a running gag without some reason, the joke wears thin after the first few times. But for many movies, they may just be reinforcing a stereotype that has hurt skirt adoption by men. And obviously, movies like Braveheart (still haven't seen it) or Gladiator give a different outlook on the skirt, though in Braveheart's case most would argue a kilt is a kilt, not a skirt.
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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by Uncle Al »

You will LOVE Braveheart :!: :D
I've watched it 3 times :D

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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by Kirbstone »

Braveheart was filmed just a few miles from where I live and I never fail to get a chuckle out of the opening scene shot in the Wicklow hills of the Glen of Imall near Lugnaquilla, fortunately not showing any man-made infrastructure (e.g. power pylons, farms &c) and the title comes up....SCOTLAND !!

They got a gift package of hundreds of Irish Defense Forces personnel to act as extras for the appropriate battle scenes &c. and they had great fun building the elaborate sets &c. It was great local excitement at the time.

But if you really want to see a gory Mel Gibson film, try 'The Passion of the Christ'

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Re: A tale of two movies

Post by moonshadow »

I've never watched the 1959 movie, but there is no way a floor sweeper would be practical on such a voyage. Shoot, I've got a few skirts that hang just above my ankles and I have to hike them up a little just to climb a flight of stairs.

I can't see negotiating rugged terrain, brambles, thistles and other obstacles in a long skirt. No way... that's just Hollywood.

In fact, I'd advise against much subterranean exploration in any size skirt. I've slithered around in my crawl space under the house enough to know... it doesn't work out too well.... too many times I'd wind up with my skirt flipped up as I backed out of a tight spot, snaking my way onto the basement floor with only my underwear showing, as well as the dirt and a handful of dead insects I snatched up along the way...

Nah... I'll slip on yesterday's work pants when I have to roll around in the dirt.

As for the other movie, I watched that about a month ago... very enjoyable and yes, I thought the same thing you did.
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Re: A tale of two movies

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STEVIE wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:07 am OO7 in a flouncy skirt and heels, there is a thought and why not?
Why not indeed. Agent 99 used to wear a mini skirt.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
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