Thursday, December 10, 2009

What's it all about...Alfie...

"I myself subscribe more to the European philosphy of life, my priorities leaning towards wine, women and... well that's about it...", was a quote said by one of UK's most famous ladies men in history, no this time it's not James Bond, it's Alfie.

A "fictional" character yet very real, Alfie has graced cinema screens two times: first in 1966 with Michael Caine portraying his joys and mishaps in Swinging London and in 2004 with Jude Law being an English man in Manhattan.
Law's performances in films such as "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999 remake of "A Plein Soleil"), "Gattaca", "Cold Mountain" among others, have won him international acclaim. Remarkable as his acting is his personal style, managing to look dapper attending a premiere or while strolling around town.
Below he is shown on the set of "Alfie" back in 2003 with Sienna Miller riding a Vespa. How can't this photo have "60s Mod" written all over it? The pin stripe suit, the skinny tie, the vespa all fit in well with elements from the 00s, such as the messed up hair and aviators (classic eyewear, yet this model seems to have a modern design).
In 2003, acclaimed photographer David Bailey (and another 60s icon) snapped a photo of the two "Alfies": Michael Caine and Jude Law.
Yet I have to say, despite Jude's great work in the remake, for me the one and only Alfie is Michael Caine.
And well, I myself do subscribe to the European philosophy of life, just not too much wine, of course women ("birds" like Alfie would say) and why not style and class. Do you?
Photos: People.com & Flickr

2 comments:

jeune premier said...

This post is my favorite one!Alfie is my favorite movie....either with Mr.Caine or Mr.Law!!!i loved Jude's performance but i adore the attitude of Michael's performance at the first film....haven't much to say for these men style and attitude.....only....respect!

RetroVintageModStyle said...

I imagined it would be ;) What can we say, I know! Just perfection, some movies have tried to copy "Alfie" but no one comes close to the 2 versions, esp. the one with Michael Caine. The attitude!