A Wish for Less

   
I miss subtlety. I miss allusion, hints, intimation and mere suggestions.

This is not a moment of wistfulness that is unfamiliar to me, but what brought about this latest attack of longing for a light touch was watching the trailer for Let Me In, the American version of Let The Right One In. The Swedish original is so perfect that I did for a while rant about the ridiculousness of Hollywood always having to remake something that's already good, just because there might be subtitles involved (don't even get me started on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series). And I wasn't alone - criticism about this boneheaded move abounded, until Let Me In came out and several critics whose opinion I trust retracted their rants. Sure, they still thought the first one was perfection, but said that the American version had, for once, respected the original and although reinterpreted it slightly, retained all its beauty, innocence and creepiness.

Admittedly, I'm not sure creepiness is the right word to describe that movie, but it'll do for now.

So… sure. I adored the original to the point where I want to own it, but given the unanimous thumbs-up decided I wanted to see it, too. Very conveniently, its trailer appeared on the recent rental and this is where I get to today's point.

Because having watched the trailer, I no longer need to watch the movie. It's been a trend for while then trailers pretty much tell you the entire story and Let Me In is no exception. Having watched the original, I can reliably tell you that everything, except potentially the very end, is in the trailer. There will be no suspense going into the movie, there will be no delicious jolts, no moments of catching your breath with the unexpected quiet tenderness, no unfolding of discovery that is part of the joy of watching a movie and especially this one.

Why must trailers now contain the whole movie? Not only that, they often also give away all the best parts and whereas I have no problems with a trailer giving me a taste of what's to come - an appetizer, if you will - do not feed me the entire movie in a minute and a half. This isn't fast food, people, it's a meal at a restaurant!

Which naturally brings me to perfume. Logical, innit? Bear with me, it will be in a moment. Because there, too, all subtlety is lost. Back in the days where I wore perfume - which I don't do anymore because of the asthma and yes, I know that using the phrase back in the days makes me sound as if I'm 90 - you dabbed a little on a pulse point or two as part of your toilette and moved on with your day. People had to get really close to you to know what you smelled like - you wore the perfume, it didn't know wear you. Now? Now it is apparently de rigueur to bathe in it so it enters a room a good couple minutes before you do and stinks it up for long time after you leave. Add that that more and more people seem to be perfectly comfortable applying it in hallways, lobbies and elevators, inflicting their scent even more on the rest of us. And I don't get why you'd want to bring your perfume with you in your purse, because if you wear that much of it, it's not like you need to reapply throughout the day.

Why must everything be so obvious? For pity’sake, leave something to the imagination!
    

Comments

Crafty Cripple said…
I always thought that the point of perfume was that you had to be close to the wearer to smell it.  It was supposed to make people draw nearer, rather than try to escape looking for the nearest gas mask.

This perfume thing annoys me too.  Personally I don't know how they can afford to use to much of it either!
10:25 AM
moiraeknninttoo said…
This is why I like stuff like BPAL (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab).  It's a perfume oil so you'd REALLY have to bathe in it for the throw to go much farther than the end of your bosom.  I have a ridiculous number of their scents, but a single freakin' drop goes a really long way.  At least to me.

I hate getting trapped on an elevator with the folks you described.
1:38 PM
Anonymous said…
I am amiliar with niether movie (and don;t see anything in theatres anymore, motion sickness makes me an unpleasant companion) BUT I totally agree with you on the perfume bit. My favorite is a bit of oil infused with Oak Moss. (hard to find sometimes) and only for people who hug me to share. I really dislike entering the candle departments, too. SO stinky.
2:32 PM
Diana said…
that guest with the Oakmoss habit was me
2:33 PM
Jocelyn said…
Sing it, sister!  One of the things that makes me crazy is when I can keep smelling someone's perfume an hour after they've left my office (I work with one or two people for whom that's the case).  Sigh...
11:31 PM
Trevor said…
I'd like to see both movies.  I've read good things about both.  But yeah, they seem to give everything away in the trailers.  I have no idea why.  I suppose today, the surprises in The Sixth Sense and The Crying Game would no longer be surprises.

As for perfume, I have no idea why people wear it.  I don't know if they still do it, but I remember years ago, everytime I walked into a department store, I'd be overwhelmed by the stench of perfume as salespeople would squirt the stuff on everyone walking through.
1:36 AM
AlisonH said…
Do you nose the way to San Jose? (Or wherever they may be.)  Some people make sure you'll be able to find your way there from any place wheresoever you are.
2:07 PM
kitten said…
I'd guess the reason people use lots of perfume is that, as you wear it, you become desensitized.  Presumably you wear it because you like it, so you have to wear more and more, and apply it more often, to be able to smell it yourself.
That's my guess.
As for the trailer, would you really know the secrets if you didn't already know the secrets?
6:19 PM
Gaina said…
'Logical, innit?'<span>  </span>Imagining this phrase being said in a Canadian accent made me laugh like a train.

I was nodding my head furiously throughout this blog.  Everybody wants it laid out in front of them as fast as possible now.  No joy of foreplay (and I don't mean that in a necessarily sexual context), that's the problem.

I have a keen interest in Aromatherapy and Maggie Tisserand wrote a wonderful book called 'Aromatherapy for Lovers' where she explains that the most seductive scent is one that closely mirrors your own body's 'clean' scent and how what you eat affects the outcome of scent on your body.

Yes, I miss subtlety.
1:32 PM
Gaina said…
oops! Meant 'laugh like a drain'. Silly me. :-P
1:32 PM
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