Glamour of the Gods

Yesterday, I went to the National Portrait Gallery with some friends randomly and I accidentally discovered the Glamour of the Gods: Hollywood Portraits exhibition. Very glamorous indeed. Being a film buff and more importantly, a big fan of classical Hollywood movies, the portraits are not unfamiliar to me. I know most of the featured stars (from 1920s-1960s) and have watched some of their movies. Among the beautiful portraits, my favourites are Rock Hudson for Lover Come Back (its enlarged version is the one you see when you're about to enter the exhibition room), Vivian Leigh for Gone with the Wind (amazing expression - picture below), Greta Garbo and John Gilbert for Flesh and the Devil (sensual as always, I've always wanted to watch this silent film), Marlene Dietrich (divine features), Gary Cooper (looking hot with a cigarette), Joan Crawford, and Carole Lombard. There are also many other pictures such as coloured portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, but I still find B&W ones more appealing and expressive. I couldn't help but think of how those people in the past could look effortlessly beautiful and chic. Did they have something similar to botox back then? 

Vivian Leigh for Gone with the Wind 

Anyway, I am still very happy that I stumbled upon the exhibition. It reminds me of how I fell in love with classical Hollywood cinema. I used to spend hours going through the filmography series of Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Katharine Hepburn etc. If you like classical Hollywood movies and stars, this is definitely not one to be missed.