Iconic sleuth

Even the hip enjoy the occasional whodunnit, especially when it's Jessica Fletcher who's solving the crime. At 86, actress Angela Lansbury is still a female role model - and a cover girl to boot.

The Gentlewoman is probably the hippest among women's magazines, known for their bold choices in both content and design. But this season, they're beyond bold. On the cover is Angela Lansbury, the actress we've come to identify with amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, who solved murders for twelve straight seasons of Murder, She Wrote. But there's more to Lansbury than just one iconic part. She's delivered many great performances, notably as the bitch mother in The Manchurian Candidate and naive Nellie in musical Sweeney Todd, which won her one of her four Tony Awards.

For this issue of The Gentlewoman Lansbury got her portraits shot by cool-as-can-be photographer Terry Richardson (posing with his famous glasses in the cover shot), the interview is by Holly Brubach. Brubach notes that Lansbury's life is very much like Fletcher's was back when she portrayed her in the 80s and 90s. Like Fletcher, Lansbury is now a widow. And though she mourns the loss of her husband, she's content being single, having no interest whatsoever in a new romance. Plus, both Fletcher and Lansbury have a fulfilling career. Lansbury still works as an actress, both on stage and in movies. Next year she's to play a tiny part in Wes Anderson's new movie, something I'm really excited about.

'Jessica didn't want to begin a whole new cycle of life, because she had a very complete life as an authoress.'

The interview with Lansbury, which is a joy to read, made me realize that Jessica Fletcher truly was a unique role model, mostly because Lansbury made sure she'd be as independent as any male hero - or even more so. Lansbury tells Brubach that the Murder, She Wrote writing team tried to write Jessica a romance, but Lansbury resisted. Lansbury: 'Jessica Fletcher didn't want to begin a whole new cycle of life with somebody new, because she had a very complete life as an authoress. She had success and the comfort and cosiness of her home, her persuits, her friends.'

It's nice that Lansbury - and the writers of Murder, She Wrote - gets credit for giving the world a female role model we hadn't seen before. But I wonder: where are those tv role models now?

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Revolution!

What if Tommy and Annika hadn't been such goody two-shoes, but as fun loving and anarchic as Pippi Longstocking? And here's something else to ponder over: What would Pippi be like as a young woman?

Daisies (1966), the most iconic movie of the Czech New Wave, might give you an idea. Věra Chytilová's wild and funny movie is about two rebellious young women (both called Marie) who go on unprompted adventures and engage in silly games involving food, scissors and older gentlemen.

Though nowadays we may view Daisies as a fun sixties flick, back in the days of communist Czechoslovakia the movie screamed "revolution", years before the Prague Spring would actually ignite a revolution. Daisies was therefore banned, and so was director Chytilová, who wasn't allowed to work in here homeland until the mid-1970s.

But apart from its historical meaning, Daisies is a must see classic that clearly inspired a whole chain of modern directors. Imaginative, hilarious and provocative, this movie really is one of a kind.

The highly recommendable Second Run dvd label put out a nice edition of the movie. Read more about it on their website.