Sunday, January 4, 2015

Vizsla Flashback - How Gauche, Angelina Jolie

So apparently Angelina Jolie is left handed.

I've just learned this thanks to one of those cable channels that show movies from a few years earlier and have breaks at intervals to tell you fun facts and inside insights about how the movie was made. 

The film in question today was 'Salt'.  A movie which I care almost nothing about and had never actually seen before; it was hitherto primarily notable for being a rare instance of a script being written for a man and then having the main character recast as a woman.*  Much like Sigourney Weaver's part in the first Alien film. (Presumably the writers knew that Sigourney Weaver was a woman for Aliens 2-4, but you can never be sure.)

*Although it appears that this only came about after every other male action lead currently working had been attached to star in the film and then backed out, so it isn't quite the bold step forward that it might otherwise appear to be.  Still notable, however.

In any case, one of the fun facts imparted during a break from the movie was that, as I led with, Angelina Jolie is apparently left handed.  This struck me as interesting, because I'd never actually noticed it despite having seen more than a couple of movies that she's been in.

Which leads me to a different fun fact to observe - since pretty much the beginning of humanity we've associated 'leftness' with 'wrong'. 

In large part this is probably because when you see a left-handed person doing something with their left hand that people more commonly use their right hand for*, it does convey a vague impression of 'wrongness'.  Because it looks different in a way that you can't quite put your finger on.  (Unless someone has helpfully pointed it out in a behind the scenes featurette in which case it's no big deal.)

*Oh grow up.

It's possible.  just possible, mind you, that this is why Angelina Jolie is vaguely terrifying.

Or it could be that her father is John Voight and she probably has bodies buried in her basement.

Could go either way.

*I realized after the fact that I finished this article without explaining the title.  'Gauche' is French for 'Left'.  See how the French just proved my over-arching point?

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