Wonderfully Weird
What is there to say about Isabella Rossellini? That she is incredibly talented? That she is both very smart and very beautiful? That she is funny? These are all true, but I think she might best be described as wonderfully weird. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian “neo-realist” director Roberto Rossellini, Isabella was a model, then an actress, and now has moved on to writing and directing. If this all sounds very impressive but rather dull, keep in mind that it is Ms. Rossellini who has finally answered mankind’s eternal question: “why vagina?”. The series she directs, writes, and stars in is entitled Green Porno. These two minute internet shorts from the Sundance channel detail the sordid and fascinating sex lives of animals, be they earthworms or whales, and manage to be hilarious and strangely informative at the same time.
Isabella Rossellini as Charlie Chaplin in her film tribute to her father, My Dad is 100 Years Old
Wednesday night Seattle was fortunate enough to host Rossellini for Seattle Arts and Lectures' Special Events series. She spoke about her parents and childhood, about becoming a mother herself, and of course, Green Porno. She showed clips of her various works, including a short surrealist film she made about her father for what would have been his 100th birthday. She played all the characters in the film, including Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, and Ingrid Bergman. That is, all of the characters except for her father, who was represented by a giant stomach that jiggled when it spoke. Her talk was intellectual, intriguing, funny, and yes, very odd. A more satisfying lecture is hard to imagine.
- Spencer T
November 18th, 2009
Next up in Seattle Arts and Lectures Special Events series:
"Godmother of punk" Patti Smith
Monday, January 25th, 2010
More info at lectures.org
