Friday night, I watched the dvd of the Devil Wears Prada starring Meryl Streep (who is a "goddess" and was amazing in the movie) and Anne Hathaway (beautiful but I wasn't impressed with her acting in the movie). The best part about a dvd is the special features. The Devil Wears Prada dvd includes interviews with the cast and crew on topics ranging from the script, to the fashion in the movie, to filming in New York City. There's a gag reel (good laughs) and you can choose to watch the entire movie with a voice over commentary from the director (David Frankel) and the producers (for all those die-hard movie buffs). My favorite featurette shows the deleted scenes (there's even an option that allows you to watch the deleted scenes with a voice over commentary). I love watching the "extra scenes" of a movie because it gives me more of the movie, like extending the movie for me.
I love the extras dvds give me. I love learning more about the making of a movie. It helps me appreciate the movie more. I love hearing the insights of the cast and crew. That helps me understand the movie better. For example, from The Devil Wears Prada dvd I learned that Valentino was asked to make a cameo to give authenticity and credibility to the movie. Someone from the fashion world needed to speak out and support the movie. I remember my "oh my gosh!" reaction when I saw Valentino in the movie. The story behind the Valentino cameo is revealed in a dvd featurette.
So what did I think about the movie after watching it a second time? (See my Sept. 1, 2006 post for my first review of The Devil Wears Prada.) I realized I missed a lot of the details in the movie the first time around. I thought the movie was about fashion. That's why I was disappointed with the movie the first time I watched it (it didn't satisfy me as a "fashion movie"). Now I know that the movie is actually a coming-of-age story. It's a movie about a young woman discovering herself. It just so happens that the young woman, Andy, loses her innocence and becomes wiser to the ways of the world through her work inside the world of fashion journalism. The first time I watched the movie I wondered where the "meat" was. Now I know what the "meat" is and understand the movie more.
Speaking of initiations into the adult world, the first time I watched the movie I wasn't convinced with how Andy supoosedly "changed." While watching the movie on dvd I finally saw that Andy was pulled morally because of her sacrifices for her job. The indicators of this change were subtle, mostly in what she said about Runway and Miranda. Andy losing weight was also a subtle indicator of her change of opinion on fashion.
The main theme of the movie is one that works well in American movies because it is applicable to American culture: not having enough time for "what is more important." Work vs. family, friends, and boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/wife. Being career-obsessed like Miranda whose whole life was Runway magazine. Choosing to get ahead over choosing principles. Andy admits to turning her back on her friends and everything she believed in. In the Philippines, we have the opposite problem. Sure many Filipinos are sell outs for money, but few Filipinos are career-obsessed. Most Filipinos do not make their work their life. And Filipinos almost never turn their back on family and friends, at least not for work. We're a very family-oriented people. In fact, our problem is we need to get more serious about excellence in the workplace. Many Filipinos need to become more committed to their careers and/or become more ambitious. We need to improve our work ethic. There are too many instances where we move too slow or are too lazy about work.
P.S. Now the movie makes me want to go shopping. =)
I love the extras dvds give me. I love learning more about the making of a movie. It helps me appreciate the movie more. I love hearing the insights of the cast and crew. That helps me understand the movie better. For example, from The Devil Wears Prada dvd I learned that Valentino was asked to make a cameo to give authenticity and credibility to the movie. Someone from the fashion world needed to speak out and support the movie. I remember my "oh my gosh!" reaction when I saw Valentino in the movie. The story behind the Valentino cameo is revealed in a dvd featurette.
So what did I think about the movie after watching it a second time? (See my Sept. 1, 2006 post for my first review of The Devil Wears Prada.) I realized I missed a lot of the details in the movie the first time around. I thought the movie was about fashion. That's why I was disappointed with the movie the first time I watched it (it didn't satisfy me as a "fashion movie"). Now I know that the movie is actually a coming-of-age story. It's a movie about a young woman discovering herself. It just so happens that the young woman, Andy, loses her innocence and becomes wiser to the ways of the world through her work inside the world of fashion journalism. The first time I watched the movie I wondered where the "meat" was. Now I know what the "meat" is and understand the movie more.
Speaking of initiations into the adult world, the first time I watched the movie I wasn't convinced with how Andy supoosedly "changed." While watching the movie on dvd I finally saw that Andy was pulled morally because of her sacrifices for her job. The indicators of this change were subtle, mostly in what she said about Runway and Miranda. Andy losing weight was also a subtle indicator of her change of opinion on fashion.
The main theme of the movie is one that works well in American movies because it is applicable to American culture: not having enough time for "what is more important." Work vs. family, friends, and boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/wife. Being career-obsessed like Miranda whose whole life was Runway magazine. Choosing to get ahead over choosing principles. Andy admits to turning her back on her friends and everything she believed in. In the Philippines, we have the opposite problem. Sure many Filipinos are sell outs for money, but few Filipinos are career-obsessed. Most Filipinos do not make their work their life. And Filipinos almost never turn their back on family and friends, at least not for work. We're a very family-oriented people. In fact, our problem is we need to get more serious about excellence in the workplace. Many Filipinos need to become more committed to their careers and/or become more ambitious. We need to improve our work ethic. There are too many instances where we move too slow or are too lazy about work.
P.S. Now the movie makes me want to go shopping. =)
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