[Fallen Stars]

No, I don't find this discussion entertaining. I find it sad, since I think that you are an intelligent person who chooses to dwell on negativity. Patypancake, I've liked what you've written in the past about stars, directors, art deco, costumes, and the "what ifs" on these boards, but this is not an appreciation of the people who created films of the golden era, it just seems mean-spirited and unworthy of you. Since none of us were there to judge the situations that these people found themselves in, why not celebrate the talent of these people, without dwelling needlessly on their private failings? Don't we all have moments that we're ashamed of? It may "go with the territory", as you say, but I don't think that you quite understand my point: the people whose lives you are dissecting cannot explain their actions or fight back--they are dead. Maybe they made compromises during their lifetime to be actors, but they were still human and deserve a small word in their defense, even now. The fact that millions of people in the present feel better about their empty lives by reading about some dunderhead on tv or in a music video or movie is irrelevant. The fact that people will literally do anything to win their attention is pathetic.

 

As Oscar Wilde said, "We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." I guess I'll leave you to it, but spare these largely forgotten people a little empathy--it doesn't cost a thing.

 

 

[Fallen Stars]

What do you find entertaining in the sad, squalid and violent ends of these people? Do you feel that your own existence is exalted by examining the frailties of flawed individuals who, however misguided, tried to make something out of their lives? Are you so dead inside that you cannot feel compassion for any tormented soul? Do you think that the dead deserve any modicum of privacy?