Archive for the 'Cinema' Category

All Hallows Pram

Published on October 30, 2009 in Cinema. 0 Comments

It’s that time of year again, and Rosemary’s Baby is back in the blogs.  I’ve never seen the film, but, as you might suspect, know it from the trailer and stills, which happen to feature prams.  Yes, that’s right, “prams” plural.  Nothing in Hollywood is exactly what it seems.

The trailer features the silhouette of a proper, ancient, deep-bodied nanny pram for maximum Gothic effect:

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Stills, however, show a very different pram.  The body is virtually identical to The Pram Museum’s 1951 Stroll-O-Chair, but the chassis is a different one:

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Now, I’m not saying that that’s the wrong chassis on the Hollywood pram.  It could be absolutely correct for that body.  It’s a slightly older style than the one on our 1951 model, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the the steel bed wasn’t sold with either chassis, depending on where and when the pram was offered.

But it’s possible that someone in the prop department indulged in a bit of fantasy.  Cinema’s like that.

Notice the way the bed is placed on the chassis in the still?  This is not a traditional orientation for the pram body, since, generally speaking, you want to see the very small, very  new baby you’re walking.  On the other hand, should you be contemplating the horror of having given birth to the son of Satan, you’ll want that bed turned around.  That way there’s no handle between you and the incubus.

But back to the blogs.  Design*Sponge has a lovely post for those of you who might want to celebrate the holiday by recreating Rosemary’s New York flat.  They’ve got the wrong pram, of course, but, if you’re looking for something new that’s both traditional, and yet could, in some situations, look mildly sinister, the Silver Cross Kensington they recommend might do the trick.

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If what you have in mind is merely an evening outfitted as if from the film, check out An Aesthetic Feast, where you’ll find several costumes-from-video suggestions (scroll down to find the correct one):

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Click on the Rosemary’s Baby image on Hannah’s post, and you’ll see where to buy everything — including a Silver Cross Oberon pram.  That’s AAF’s recommendation for a contemporary version.  It’s a bit deeper-bodied than the Kensington, and correspondingly harder to ship across the pond.  You’ve only got a day; I suggest air freight.

(Why, thank you, Fi!)

Cinematic Beauty

Published on April 23, 2009 in Cinema. 2 Comments

Profiles in History, which auctions off show biz memorabilia, is offering this carriage from Brian De Palma’s 1987 film The Untouchables:

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Here’s a screenshot from the film, in which the pram famously and perilously crashes down a staircase in Grand Central Station during a shoot-out:

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How serene she looks in the auction shots! Less so in this action shot, I fear.

(Yes, the scene is an homage, of course, to Eisenstein’s The Battleship Potemkin’s Odessa steps massacre, which is probably the most famous baby-buggy-in-jeopardy movie scene ever.) (Or it’s a straight-out swipe, but you know what they say about imitation . . . )

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The poor thing’s been down a flight of steps in the midst of a gun battle, yet take a look at that baby. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to.

De Palma’s pram is a wooden version of The Pram Museum’s own Trav-L-Eez:

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Cinematic celebrity aside, both of these buggies are notable for their amazing collapsibility; both essentially fold flat, in spite of their rather substantial appearance and size.

I’m not clear on the dates for this auction, folks, but Profiles seems to expect this item (Lot 949) to come in between $4,000 and $6,000 (USD). I’m thinking not so much, but better get those bids in early just in case.

Via Daddytypes, who asks the question: “What is the most famous stroller in cinema?”