'FACTORY GIRL'

For this terms' we were able to choose our own theme for our project, and a friend of mine chose to study the fashion and icons of the 60's. She forced me to watch a movie with her called 'Factory Girl', to begin with I wasn't really looking forward to watching it since I had no clue what the fuck it was about apart from Sienna Miller was the lead and it was based on one of Andy Warhol's "it girl". Because of this movie I discovered the wonders of Edie Sedgwick. Before Twiggy and other main icons of the era, Edie was 60's "superstar" (brand given to her by Andy Warhol) who represented glamour but also the tragedy that sometimes came with fame...

Low down of the film is that, Edie (Sienna Miller) after graduating from Harvard University took her trust fund with her and moved to the The Big Apple aka New York City. Then in one of the parties she caught Andy Warhol's attention. Edie fascinated him as he saw through her facade and realised she was truly fucked up inside just like him. So Warhol took her under his wing and introduced her to the 'factory' and the people in it ( a bunch of misfit actors, musician, artist and such who created movies during the day and threw radical parties at night). After spending most of her time with Warhol and staring in his movies, Edie quickly ascended to fame as the factory's idol, media darling and most importantly Warhol's muse.  What Edie failed to realise however was that Warhol was exploiting her vulnerability - being alone and never being truly loved. During one of the factory's' party a friend of Edie's shows up and informed her that someone bigger than Andy Warhol wanted to meet her, at the time she was drunk off her tits and high as a skunk. Therefore, she didn't hesitate much about coming with him, and here Edie meets and falls in love with a rock star (Hayden Christensen) a man known as "the voice of a generation". It didn't really specify who this man played by the gorgeous Christensen was, so like the 21st century gal that I am I googled it :) and the first result that came was Bob Dylan! Anywho, juggling both men ended up being to hard for her, and she couldn't choose between the fascinatingly scandalous life Warhol represented and the tender love I'm believing Bob Dylan offered. In the end she was rejected by both men as she never chose - and once again returned to the real modern world were her life was ruled by sex, drugs and alcohol. Which then on lead to her death at the tender age of I'm pretty sure 29.

For me 'Factory Girl' pretty much represents my blogs tittle, and if I was ever offered to travel time id choose the 60's to visit just to experience what it was like. Edie pretty much is the person I would have liked to be minus the overdose and death. For a true life story movie, its pretty depressing and disturbing smothered in nudity, foul language and drug abuse. Still it did have some funny moments and lines that's so annoying it will stay with you forever like; "you're the boss apple sauce". But the reason why I ended up really liking this movie was that it clearly portrayed the lifestyle lead by most of New Yorkers elite. It showed its viewers that even though they lived a delectably delicious life most of them suffered at some point during their childhood which then on lead to there slightly for some or extremely messed up adult life. Furthermore, in this movie Edie can be used as a great example of the way fame can come and go - a person could have his/her 15 minute of fame then a new fresher face comes along and soon you'll be forgotten. Edie easily had the world in the palm of her hand and as easily lost it....

I guess what I'm trying to say is that watch this movie, its pretty epic but not really for anyone under the age of 15? And like me meet the beautiful Edie Sedgwick and understand the kind of person who she truly was that had world unconditionally loving and wanting to help her.

Ira xo