The Unicorn in Winter

Yesterday we had the most lovely snowfall.  It began in the late afternoon, just after the children came home from school, and Mr. Bleu followed soon after.  I had spent the day tidying up the house and had a nice hot stew and warm rolls ready for each cold set of hands that passed through the door as soon as boots and coats were shed.

We passed a very a pleasant evening watching the fluffy flakes swirling around all the cedar trees.  This morning we were greeted to the kind of winter wonderland that can only be truly captured in memories because photos and paintings just don't seem to do them justice.  But, here I am, trying anyway.  

I've only had this Unicorn Defends Himself dress for a couple of weeks, but I have been aching to wear it as a Christmas/Winter look.  I ordered a couple of chunky rusty red cardigans to wear with it, thinking I'd have plenty of time before we had any snow, but here we are and the cardigans are still en route, so I decided to stuff these puffy sleeves into a MAK cardi and get a few holiday pics anyway.

I know everyone was hoping that the The Last Unicorn collection would look more like this one and many were quite disappointed that it was so cartoon-y, I'm glad Selkie pressed on with this print instead because I've never been a fan of TLU, the book or the movie.  While I will freely admit that I did not love The Last Unicorn, in fact I found it terrifying and the only thing I remember about that movie is the drunken irate skeleton because it was seared into my four year old brain, I always loved Legend.  By Legend I do not mean the 2015 British gangster movie starring Tom Hardy and Emily Browning although I do love me some Tom Hardy and E-Browns is amazing.  I mean the 1985 Legend, with the 1980s Tom-star, Tom Cruise. That's right, before he got his teeth fixed and flew super manly planes after a hard day of bro-ing out at beach volley ball, he danced around with fairies in the forest.

I loved everything about that movie and it was an instant favorite.  The imagery, the acting, the story, and let it be now and forever known that Ridley Scott is and always will be my favorite director.  If you're flummoxed as to what else the man has directed, let me drop a few names: Gladiator, Alien, and my personal favorite, Blade Runner.  You are now free to pick up your jaw after reading that A-list and add him as your favorite director too.  I will gladly share.

Legend is told in a way that reminds me very much of an opera rather than a movie.  With lines like "I... I must be dreaming...   If life is a dream, better you dread the waking!"  it feels more like Shakespeare or Wagner than Hollywood. 

One of my favorite things about Legend is the costumes and make-up.  Mia Sara's transformation after she dances with shadows and dines with the dark lord, is the most striking and left a very deep impression on me.  It was such a beautiful depiction of the way that evil corrupts innocence, which is in itself a reflection of the way that Mia's character, Lili, aided in the endangerment of the unicorn for her own selfishness. 

The real gem of this movie isn't Mr. Cruise or the lovely Ms. Sara, oh, no.  The real Ace is Tim Curry.  You may remember him as the goofy concierge from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, or perhaps from Rocky Horror Picture Show as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, or the ghastly Pennywise from It, but to me this will always be his best work.  

I've never seen IT because I like sleeping at night, and I refuse to watch Rocky Horror because it's such a thing.  Tim definitely made H.A.2  way better just by his very presence,  and in that movie he still seemed to be very much himself, the same hilarious Tim we saw in Clue.  But, in Legend, the actor disappears and it is only this terrifying Dark Lord and that's what really great actors do, they make us forget it's all make-believe.

Now that I've spent all this time discussing Legend, I have a serious hankering to watch it again.  And, since we're snowed-in today, I think I'll put the kettle on for some tea and then put in my favorite unicorn movie and hope that the electricity stays on long enough for us to watch it.

Shopping Info:  The Unicorn Defends Himself Ritz from selkiecollection.com, Green MAK cardigan