It's Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise (Film Review)

Who hasn't heard of Eloise, the fiercely independent six-year-old who lives at the Plaza Hotel? Although the author of the original Eloise books, Kay Thompson, was a famous actor and singer, the illustrator, Hilary Knight, is a much more private person.

Many a girl and her parents have been Eloise fans over the last half century, including Lena Dunham (Girls), who even has a tattoo of the character on her lower back. And it was because of her Eliose ink that Dunham and Knight got to know each other in person.

In the new HBO documentary It's Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise (directed by Matt Wolf), we too get to meet the eccentric artist. Although Eloise is the work nearest to his heart, Knight has had a long and fruitful career as an illustrator of posters and magazines as well as of other books (some of which he wrote). The story of the birth and death of his collaboration with Thompson is at the heart of the short film, but we also get a peek at Knight's fanciful world, including a visit to his homes.

He is incredibly imaginative and almost always has a pencil or video camera in hand to capture the images in his head or on the street. I found Knight to be delightfully singular, and my heart went out to him in sympathy for the troubles that ended his association with the little girl he drew so lovingly.

New footage is supplemented with family photos and vintage film, giving the documentary an intimate feel. Besides hearing from Dunham, we are also treated to Mindy Kaling's and Fran Lebowitz's thoughts about Eloise. Knight's nieces provide additional insight into their uncle's life and his relationship with the spunky character he helped create.

At just about forty-five minutes, the documentary preserves Knight's privacy while giving him his well-deserved moment in the sun. Don't forget to mark your calendar for the HBO debut on March 23 at 9:00 ET/PT. This is a must-see film for all Eloise fans.

For more on Hilary Knight and his work, visit his website. For the air times and more information about the film, visit HBO's website.

Photo Credits: Eloise drawing--Hilary Knight, 1969. Used by permission of Simon and Schuster, Inc/Courtesy of HBO; photo of Hilary Knight--Courtesy of HBO; photo of Lena Dunham--Courtesy of HBO

Produced by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner
Directed by Matt Wolf
Thanks to HBO for providing me with a screener.

Click for more

Wordless Wednesday 334

Steeple, 2015

Click image to see full size. For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Click for more

Today's Read: Us by David Nicholls

How would you feel if your spouse suddenly announced her discontent with what you thought was a perfectly fine marriage? Just to make it more baffling, there is no other love interest, and she isn't planning on moving out for a few more months. Middle-aged Douglas Petersen was blind-sided, but he holds out hope that he will win back his wife during their already planned grand tour of Europe with their seventeen-year-old son.

Last summer, a short time before my son was due to leave home for college, my wife woke me in the middle of the night.

At first I thought she was shaking me because of burglars. Since moving to the country my wife had developed a tendency to jerk awake at every creak and groan and rustle. I'd try to reassure her. It's the radiators, I'd say, it's the joists contracting or expanding, it's foxes. Yes, foxes taking the laptop, she'd say, foxes taking the keys to the car, and we'd lie and listen some more. There was always the "panic button" by the side of our bed, but I could never imagine pressing it in case the alarm disturbed someone, say, a burglar for instance.

—Us by David Nicholls (HarperCollins / Harper, 2014, p. 5 [ARC])

Quick Facts

• Setting: Modern times, England and various cities in Europe
• Circumstances: Organized scientist Douglas Petersen is informed by his artistic, laid-back wife, Connie, that she thinks their marriage "has run its course." Douglas, not seeing any real problem, hopes that Connie will change her mind after they re-bond during their summer holiday with their son.
• Characters: Douglas, a research scientist; his wife, Connie, and their son, Albie; Douglas's and Connie's families; various friends in England; fellow tourists they meet in Europe
• Genre: contemporary fiction
• Themes: parent-child relationships, marriage, self-discovery, love, family
• What I loved: Douglas is so well-meaning but at the same time so clueless. He is a pragmatist, whereas Connie and Albie are flexible. Douglas likes schedules; they see travel (and life) as an adventure, as something to be discovered and experienced, not controlled. The story is told through Douglas's eyes, and his misunderstandings and misinterpretations are both funny and sad. A beautiful snapshot of the life of a family who loves each other but just can't seem to find smooth waters.
• The audiobook: British actor David Haig, the narrator of the unabridged audiobook (Harper Audio; 14 hr 9 min), brought Douglas alive for me. Haig's sympathetic, expressive performance was a perfect match for this novel. (For my complete audiobook review, see AudioFile magazine.)

Click for more

Review: A Double Take from Bill Willingham's Fables Series

Werewolves of the Heartland is a spin-off adventure in Bill Willingham's Fables series.

Bigby Wolf is scouring the country for a possible new location for Fabletown. When he comes across Story City, Iowa, he senses something is not quite right, but he doesn't act fast enough and is hit by a drugged dart. When he awakes, he discovers he has been captured by rogue werewolves, led by an old friend of his. Although most of the pack consider Bigby to be a god among wolves, others are bent on his destruction. Woe to those who think they are stronger and cleverer than Bigby.

Bigby Wolf has always been one of my favorite Fables characters, so I'm always happy to read an issue centered on him. In this installment, we learn a few secrets of Bigby's past and get a glimpse of his true powers and strength. Bigby is complex, and different sides of personality come into play in this volume. I'm fascinated with how he can be so kind one minute and so terrible the next.

This action-packed story doesn't add a lot to the main Fables plot line but gives us insight into Bigby's background. We also meet a new character, whom we're sure to see again. This issue was drawn by Craig Hamilton and Jim Fern, who did a great job, especially with rendering the transitioning werewolves.

Inherit the Wind is volume 17 in Bill Willingham's main Fables series. There are three principle story lines that are interwoven throughout the book.

My favorite story (no surprise here) is centered on the Wolf family. Bigby, Snow, and the kids are at the home of the North Wind. A new North Wind must be chosen from the blood line, which means one of the Wolf children will take his or her grandfather's place as king. I loved the different personalities of the children, and the way the new wind was finally revealed. This was a fun story.

I was less interested in Bufkin's story. When we last saw him, he had escaped the Fabletown library and was on the run from the Nome King with a ragtag gang of fellow fugitives. After a promising start, they find themselves once again captured. This story ends on a kind of cliff-hanger. I'm hoping what I think happened, didn't really happen.

Finally, I'm following with interest the transformation of the new Ms. Spratt, former lover of Mr. Dark, who now goes by the name of Leigh Duglas. She is in training, determined to get strong and tone her new, lean body. She, of course, is motivated by evil intent and cannot be trusted. There is sure to be a reckoning when she's reunited with the other Fables characters.

This volume is illustrated by Mark Buckingham, who (as I've said before) is my favorite Fables illustrator. I particularly like how he drew the characters needed for the North Wind panels: the zephyrs and air movement were nicely done.

Werewolves of the Heartland published by DC Comics / Vertigo, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781401224806
Inherit the Wind published by DC Comics / Vertigo, 2012
ISBN 13: 9781401235161
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

Click for more

Weekend Cooking: Ginger Shortbread

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

_______

I already reviewed Marie Simmons's Bar Cookies A to Z, and here I am still using this treasure of a cookbook.

I had a very busy week at work and so decided I needed to relax with a little simple baking. I started flipping through the cookbook and didn't get past G. Crystallized ginger, simple shortbread. Yes, this was the perfect bar cookie for me.

The photo is a scan from the book (and all rights remain with the original copyright holder: Susan Marie Anderson).

Ginger Shortbread
24 bars

• 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and slightly softened
• ½ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, ground ginger, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture makes fine crumbs. Add the crystallized ginger and stir with a fork to blend evenly.

With lightly floured fingertips, press the mixture into the prepared baking pan in an even layer over the bottom. Bake on the center rack for about 20 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

Click for more