5/9/07

A movie for the collector in us all




I have watched this movie a dozen times since I purchased it a month ago, on a recommendation of a friend, and I'm so glad I stumbled across it.
40 years of friendship through the pages of books are chronicled in its scenes, spanning two continents, and numerous references are made to great ( and not so great) literature.
Helen Hanff, a lovely New Yorker and avid antiquarian book lover, contacts Frank Doel, a book dealer in London, to inquire about the availability of cheap yet worthwhile volumes to fill her collection.
Thus a friendship is borne through letters, book orders, gifts and a love of English literature.

To paraphrase a lovely scene, where Helene describes the beauty of a first edition volume in contrast to her utilitarian apartment:

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" Take a look at this...isn't that beautiful"
Helene hands her friend a lovely brown leather book, and her friend runs her hands over the book, examining the spine.

"It's beautiful".

Smiling ruefully Helene explains " It's a first edition my dear,one HUNDRED years old" as she irons her clothing carefully.

"It's beautiful" repeats her friend, now turning the pages with curiosity.

"I feel guilty about owning it, all that gleaming leather and gold stamping.It belongs in a pine paneled library in some old English country home, you know what I mean?" shrugs Helene. A wistful look overtakes her face "It should be read by the fire in a gentlemens easy chair,not in some second hand overstuffed seat in a broken down brownstone front" she declares, as her face changes from wistful to lamenting.

"Oh now, if I were this book, I want to live RIGHT HERE," her friend gestures solidly, smiling.

"You're Right" smiles Helene broadly, pausing her ironing to soak in the thought.

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I can only hope my gold gilded books would feel the same way, in our modest house, filled with not so real antiques, and chain store furnishings. I would hope they would want to be on my shelves...right here, out of anywhere else.

Were I so lucky as to know an antiquarian book dealer, I am certain I would have them on speed dial.Since I am not that lucky yet in life, I shall make do with the wonders of the internet.
Now, if I could just afford that $2,000 edition of Jane Austens' works....

Confession: after watching this again, I went back and wrote down all the book names I could make out and attempted to track them all down. So far in my quest, four of them are readily available, only 2 of which are affordable...in keeping with Helene's own search for affordable literature, I shall continue the search. Though I think I may skip the Latin bible this time around...unless one seems like it would want to "live right here"