What A Way To Go

I recommended "What A Way To Go" before, but I didn't have screen caps at the time to share (and I find screen caps the most convincing way to sell a film!). The movie stars the underrated Shirley MacLaine and a string of men (Paul Newman, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Dick Van Dyke). Louisa (Shirley) thinks she is cursed or a witch. Every man she marries becomes extremely successful and rich, and then dies tragically. Although the plot line is Louisa as an unhappy and frequent widow, the film is a comedy and a parody of movie productions. Each of her romances is depicted in a different film style: black and white silent, french new wave, classic musical, etc. Her wardrobe directly reflects the men she becomes involved in (not a very feminist way to live) and since all of her men are vastly different from each other she experiments with a whole gamut of looks.

While the film is definitely a lot of laughs to watch, I find myself fixated on what she'll wear next. It's hard to analyze why Luisa changes her style so drastically; perhaps Louisa is discovering who she is throughout the film or perhaps she is constantly re-defining herself by the men she is involved in, but whatever leads her to the sartorial experimentation--she throws herself into it fearlessly. This lack of timidity leads to outrageous get-ups that often make you laugh, but you can't help admiring her cheek.