Once again, our monthly post revolves around that passion we share: fans. We really do love them!
In the previous post, we looked at their role throughout art history, which made us realize they had been present in many movements. But this time, we're going to delve into another one of our favorite things: cinema.
How many times have we watched a classic Spanish film and noticed those village women fanning themselves on their chests as the scene unfolds? Well, today is their day. Today, they take center stage thanks to their most faithful companion: their battered fan.
There are numerous references to the fan that we find in cinema, although we are not satisfied with just anything. That's why we wanted to show you the best examples we've found.
To start, we loved a small film, one of the first ever made in the history of cinema. Can you guess who might be behind such a work? Of course, the wonderful Georges Méliès (no need to hide that we are huge fans of this cinema pioneer). The name of the mini-film is Le merveilleux éventail vivant, and it dates from 1904. If you dedicate three and a half minutes to watching the video hidden behind the link we provide below, you'll be amazed: LE MERVEILLEUX ÉVENTAIL VIVANT .
We would never have imagined that such a grand element would appear on stage, but the title of the film caught our attention, and we were anticipating it from the very first minute. A large seven-ribbed fan with a very Rococo style suddenly appears before the two main characters of the story. But hey, it doesn't end there! You won't believe it, but the ribs turn into women. And you might say: very nice, but what does that mean? Well, for us, it's a way to represent and praise that great femininity associated with the fan. And we couldn't love it more.
Another of our choices is Ernst Lubitsch's 1925 film Lady Windermere's Fan. It's a few years later, but the story also revolves around the fan, and we love it. Love, jealousy, infidelity... A lot of mix-ups that are resolved thanks to the protagonist's blue fan, which her husband had given her for her recent birthday. If you love classic cinema as much as we do, you shouldn't delay!
But these are not the only cinematic references to the fan in film. There are many more waiting to be discovered. However, we cannot end this post without making a very special mention of the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media (CIMA), which, at the 32nd Goya Awards gala, distributed red fans to all attendees with the slogan #MOREWOMEN. A clear demand in favor of the presence of women in cinema. A cry in favor of the need for women screenwriters and directors who create female characters that forever overturn the sexist model of women as victims, dependents, or villains.
See you in the next post with more curiosities about the fan.