On the silver screen

This week has been much like many other weeks in the scheme of things (apart from the fact that the new series of Merlin has reawakened my Merlin obsession. When will it end??? Maybe when I get the second and third series on DVD, which weren’t available in NZ but are available here. Yes, that will stop it). I had a lull between books to read in the tube, so for once I took the free newspaper they give out and actually read it.

It’s worth reading, it turns out. I found an article about a late night at the National Portrait Gallery, themed on the golden (or silver) age of film. They had interesting speakers and music and live photoshopping of photos, and were offering to make you up as a 40s film star.

This was something I was going to.

I was a bit suspicious that half of London might want to go too, so I arrived forty minutes before the night opened and stood in a long queue (people really do seem to love queuing. I waited ten minutes for an ATM the other day because people had somehow convinced themselves that one of the two ATMs was out of order. It wasn’t. It was just that they were only queuing behind one of them, and nobody was brave enough to get out of line. Me included...). There were lots of people who’d really dressed for the occasion in vintage dresses and hats, as well as some who had just taken the opportunity to dress up as anything – one woman was dressed in a medieval gown and cloak.

Staff came down the line and gave out appointments, but there were rather more people than they’d expected and by the time they got to me they were only handing out lipstick appointments. This was better than nothing, so I took my appointment card and wandered around the gallery until my makeup artist was free.

I learnt some new Photoshop techniques from the touch-up artist, and watched the photographers train people to model like film stars. Then I received some ruby-red lips and got lost in a few galleries before finding a science tour about immortality and slowing the aging process, which was very interesting.

Maybe I’ll be a forties film star when I grow up. I can join my friend Fifties Film Star! Who wants to be Sixties Film Star?