By Natalia Apostolou | @cinema.monamour
Pretty Woman
Hollywood’s most successful male symbol meets a prostitute and it doesn’t take long enough for them to fall in love. Oh yes! You knew the answer already on this one. I bet you are already thinking about that drop-dead gorgeous red dress that guys in the audience went absolutely crazy about. But, wait, it wasn’t just the dress. A new star on the rise was wearing it, and oh boy was she wearing it! Of course, we all know by now that the star was no other than Julia Roberts, who met overnight success playing the prostitute that falls in love with Richard Gere in Gray Marshall’s romantic comedy, Pretty Woman.
It is astonishing that Pretty Woman is such an innocent movie that glows with romance, the kind of romance we no longer see in movies these days- a love based on staying awake after the lights are out and confiding secrets to each other. Richard Gere plays smoothly and with grace, the out-of-town millionaire while Julia Roberts chooses a very interesting way of playing the prostitute, as she is a dreamer, with a golden heart and a smile so innocent and genuine that will brighten your day. ‘I want the fairytale’, she says. ‘Impossible relationships’, Gere replies.
There is another reason why this movie is now considered a classic, and that is, without a doubt, Robert’s iconic wardrobe. Whether it’s a black cocktail dress, a chocolate polka dot outfit or an utterly gorgeous Opera red gown with elegant white gloves, we sure cannot keep our eyes off of her. And of course, there is the most iconic scene in the movie. Julia Roberts is walking down the street, in an elegant white dress, that has an almost ‘My Fair Lady’ kind of air, men are stopping down the road just to take a glimpse at her. She has confidence, beauty and style, but most of all she has Roy Orbison singing in his soft, silky voice how pretty she really is.
The final scene involves a limousine, some red roses and a dialogue that could have made it a little bit of clichéd, but by the time our two heroes are deeply in love and are finally admitting their love to each other with a big cinematic kiss, a guy is passing down the street, reminding us in a playful, almost singing voice that ‘‘hey, this is Hollywood, land of dreams, some dreams come true, some don’t, but there is always time to dream, so keep on dreaming.’’
The hotel where Richard Gere and Julia Roberts fall in love is no other than the legendary Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel. Beverly Wilshire is a history-rich hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills, California. It is an elegant hotel that will make your stay a little dreamier, fulfilling all your needs and making you wish to stay just a bit longer. And hey, don’t forget, anything can happen. You may even find your Prince Charming, or even better, you may realize he was right in front of you all along.
Next time, we are going to talk about great movies and ideal summer holiday destinations. Oh, you’ll want to take notes on this one.