Yesterday, my little post about CLEAVAGE started something I wasn’t quite expecting. To help bring in readers, I posted a link on Twitter with the following quote: “Cause there’s a shortage of perfect breasts in the world.”
Wikipedia talks about what the day is intended to represent:
According to Samantha Paterson, the brand manager for Wonderbra, the National Cleavage Day is started according to a design to solemnize women’s independence and power in all facets of life, from their careers to their relationships to their own destinies.
The day is celebrated in South Africa where Wonderbra donates the proceeds from each bra sold in the month of March to the Sunflower Fund which raises money to aid those suffering from leukemia, and other businesses have gotten involved with fundraising as well.
There is a contingent of anti-NCD folk stating that it is sexist and exploitative to use the body for any marketing purposes, and somehow I got to be the poster-child for their ire. I’m not at all sure what they were inferring that I was inferring; I just found the name “National Cleavage Day” to be light-hearted and made a great segue (and I’m about to make a totally different segue in a minute too) to talk about another somewhat obscure holiday: National Library Week.
The quote itself comes from The Princess Bride. I think it’s safe to assume that those who were bothered by the day/my quote have not seen the movie or they would have picked up on the reference to the famous line (which probably falls right behind the “My name is Inigo Montoya….” and “As you wish”).
The movie is widely popular and did “only alright” at the box office, but it garnered cult status (95% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes). Part of what makes this movie such a delight is that it successfully draws on the purity of true love while satirizing the genre of romantic fairy tales with great wit and wild imagination.
What many people don’t know is that the movie is based on an even more creative and satiric book by William Goldman. The few negative reviews of the book and movie seem to be by people who completely miss the point and take the story at face value as trite. I’m about to insult your intelligence with a spoiler…it seems that MANY people are completely unaware of what’s going on and thus hate the book because they really believe the “truth” Goldman is spinning. There is a quite common writing device of creating a book that centers around a fictitious book which the author insists is real. Numerous reviews are outraged that Goldman could abridge S. Morgenstern’s original tale about royal excess. They repeatedly fail to catch on that S. Morgenstern does not exist and Goldman carries the device further and creates a false history for himself in the introduction. I admit there were moments of doubt for myself while reading–it’s that easy to be taken in, knowing the truth about the false book adds to the hilarity and genius of what Goldman is doing when you realize he is following in the footsteps of literary greats such as Cervantes by creating a brilliant work of art.
Their completely missing the irony of the introduction is on the first step as they proceed to miss the satire and philosophy in the rest of the book. I find the following reply to a negative review to sum up quite nicely:
This is one of the most deceptively complex and profound books I’ve ever read, and I urge you to give it a second chance with a more open mind. Be aware, however, that while the movie is extremely fluffy and romantic, there is a deep cynicism to the book that is nowhere on screen. If you’re not emotionally prepared to face this, you will not enjoy the book at all.
There are, of course, differences between movie and book like the aforementioned fluff of the movie. Both are fluffy and romantic and cynical, but to different degrees. However, this is one of the few instances where I can say I equally enjoy book and movie. Maybe this has to do with Goldman writing both, but there is a natural flow and progression in each that works very well for their respective medium. For example, there is the outside narrative on a fictional book with altered context and approach, each which provides a different message–in the movie, the narrative’s relationship to the story and in the book, the literary showcase. While the story is faithfully followed on film, the budget was so small that some scenes were modified or cut–as fantastic as these scenes may be on the page, their absence on film is not noticeable due to the seamless segues that do not leave anything out.
And you don’t have to skip over the kissing parts.
*Trivia: Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits, agreed to do the soundtrack on the condition that director Rob Reiner’s hat from This is Spinal Tap appear in the movie. Since it would not fit in the with the love story, it was placed in the grandson’s bedroom.
**I wanted the image to be the cover of the hardcover I own, but it seems the latest editions of the book are all paperbacks with cover imagery from the movie.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Trivia: Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits, agreed to do the soundtrack on the condition that director Rob Reiner’s hat from This is Spinal Tap appear in the movie. Since it would not fit in the with the love story, it was placed in the grandson’s bedroom.
I am so pleased you included this. It’s one of my favorite trivia bits about the film. So much so that I annoy everyone who watches the movie with me by constantly bringing it up.
Yes, I am that guy. Don’t hold it against me.
Matt’s last blog post..Friday Fun – Five Reasons It Would Be Cool If I Were Married To Liz Lemon
People were seriously bothered by the quote? Geez, some folks just don’t study THE CLASSICS anymore. Sigh.
Here’s a story for you – in high school, I failed my 11th grade lit. class because of The Princess Bride. My teacher assigned the book, and then asked us to, over the weekend, find out more information about S. Morgenstern. On Monday morning, he asked me to tell the class about Mr. Morgenstern, and when I told him that I didn’t do the assignment because he is clearly ficticious, I was kicked out of class – for the rest of the school year.
Wow, that’s rather sad. Goldman does a really nice sell, but a teacher should know better. What happened with the rest of the class? Clearly no one was able to find any information on Morgenstern and the teacher wouldn’t have had any information to share.
Rik – there was some consternation over the day more than the quote – I really don’t understand what they meant to imply by Re-Tweeting the quote. I think it was a “mine is bigger than yours” reference – not at all sure on that front though.
Matt – we won’t hold it against you – after all, I watched all the extras and commentary this weekend, so I am most definitely that girl.
I definitely want to read this book, since while I enjoy the movie, I’m not a cult follower. It’d be interesting to see a more cynical portrayal. :)
I think it’s hilarious and awkward when people don’t realise something’s fictional/made-up. And then, it’s difficult for them to admit they’re wrong, because that’s such a HUGE loss of face!
Eva’s last blog post..“The Bamboo Confessions” and “Andromeda on the Street of Ducklings” (thoughts)
You definitely should read it Eva. I put it in the “Last Unicorn” category of being a nice fantasy fairytale on the surface but connecting to deeper truths. The book goes into more detail of the supporting characters backgrounds and you see a lot more unfold in regards to what love means.