Pillow Book Reunion

Feeling a bit under the weather, I decided to sit and watch a movie,
the best recovery for colds. Not being a big movie collector, I
dug out an old favorite I haven't seen in years: The Pillow Book. A
beautiful example of filmmaking that inspired me to make editing a
career. Sacha Vierney, an amazing cinematographer, about 80, I
believe, when he shot this movie -- how inspiring. I hope at 80 to
be continuing to create, evolve, discover new possibilities within
myself.

This film resonates with me on various levels.

First, I want to edit. The layering and layering of images, the non-
sequential storytelling. The lists. The impressionistic style.
Like the dots on a Monet making up the whole.

Second, the writing. It is about writers and writing. The
publishers, the beautiful images of calligraphy, the superimposition
of words, the inks, the brushes, the Pillow Book, the diary, the
secrets and lovers and fantasies. Writing married to filmmaking,
two of the most compelling forms for storytelling.

Finally, the writing on the skin. I feel the cool wetness of the
ink and the feathery brush. Especially on the nape of one's neck.
It makes me want to, like the character, find bars with luxurious
curtained couches where I can lie and have someone paint stories or
sign their names on my skin. It makes me want to find a painter to
paint a story on my back, lulling me into stillness and peace like a
kiss in the morning.