Now it is particularly popular to use the phrase "years never defeat beauty" to praise those female stars who have been elegant and beautiful for a lifetime, it seems that the real big beauty can have the magic to resist time.
But in fact, the years have defeated the beauty, and they are not soft at all.
The beauty I want to introduce to you today, with a stunning appearance when she was young, was once used by the film company as a "secret weapon" to compete with the "sexy goddess" Marilyn Monroe, and was one of the top ten high-grossing stars in Hollywood in the mid-50s.
Today, she is over eighty years old, old and fading, and she is ridiculed for plastic surgery.
The name may not be familiar, but if you've seen Hitchcock's movie Ecstasy, you'll be sure to impress her.
In "Ecstasy", the cold and mysterious noblewoman Madeleine, played by her, not only fascinated the male protagonist, but also successfully captured the hearts of the audience.
She's Kim Novak.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > a combination of high cold and sexiness, against Monroe's "secret weapon"</h1>
Kim Novak was born in Chicago in 1933 to a family of railroad workers to second-generation Czech immigrant parents.
Although the economic conditions are not abundant, her parents attach great importance to her education and carefully cultivate her love of painting. In high school, she also received a scholarship from the Art Institute of Chicago.
However, Kim Novak did not become a painter because of this, but changed his way and embarked on the path of art.
After leaving school, Novak did many jobs as a sales clerk in a small shop, an elevator operator, and a dental assistant.
Born beautiful and outstanding, she was introduced to a model for a local department store, and was also photographed by a refrigerator brand and traveled around the country as an advertising spokesperson.
By chance, the 21-year-old Novak played a small role in the movie "French Cruise", and the door to Hollywood's flower world opened.
Kim Novak was undoubtedly lucky, and with his youthful beauty, he was quickly signed into the umbrella of Columbia and won the praise.
Her third film, "Joyful Enemy", won the 1955 Golden Globe Award for "Rising Actress of the Year", and the future is bright.
At the time, Columbia intended to groom her as Rita Hayworth's successor, against Fox's popular Marilyn Monroe.
Unlike Monroe's brash sensuality, Novak's sensuality is a blazing fire buried deep beneath its high-cold exterior.
The short blonde hair is elegant and fashionable, the plump figure is looming, and the light brown pupils are a little indifferent and alienated, full of seduction and mystery.
Fans also gave her the title of "lavender blonde" (lavender blonde). The mysterious qualities of Novak resemble lavender, lingering with a lilac fragrance.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the two-faced girl in Ecstasy, and the classic image leads the fashion</h1>
In 1958, Hitchcock's new film Ecstasy had some problems before filming began. The original heroine Vera Miles had to push off the film because she was pregnant, and the opportunity fell to Kim Novak.
At first, Hitchcock was not satisfied with the "temporary substitute".
In fact, in terms of image, Kim Novak fully conforms to the big director's aesthetic preference for the blonde beauty's almost "morbid", but he still stubbornly believes that "it is difficult to get what you need from her".
Ecstasy set photos
Working with Hitchcock for the first time, Novak, who is not experienced in acting, is very nervous in his heart, and can only try his best to do his best for the strict requirements of the director.
The scene in which the heroine in the film pretends to commit suicide and jumps into the sea in San Francisco Bay has been filmed several times without satisfying Hitchcock.
He took the photographer in the water tank of the studio and repeatedly filmed the diving action.
Without saying a word, Novak jumped into the water, climbed up soaked, changed back into clean clothes, and jumped again until Hitchcock nodded.
Her efforts were naturally seen, and screenwriter Taylor praised from the bottom of her heart: "Her performances are always believable and unpretentious." ”
In "Ecstasy", she plays two roles alone, both a cold and mysterious noblewoman Madeleine and a crazy girl Judy who is willing to be transformed for love.
The cold alienation of the former, the authentic simplicity of the latter, two very different qualities, are all just right for her.
Judy (top) and Madeleine (part 2) in Ecstasy
After the official release of the movie, the audience discussed this mysterious beauty far more than the movie itself.
Kim Novak curled his blonde hair high and wore a pure white coat or gray suit, revealing his sensuality in a mysterious way, becoming the classic "Hitchcock girl" image and leading a fashion trend.
In the 1992 film Instinct, Sharon Stone's white-clad appearance pays homage to Kim Novak.
Ecstasy By Kim Novak (left) and Instinct Sharon Stone (right)
With the help of the east wind of "Ecstasy", she hit the iron while it was hot, and starred in the movie "Capture love" in the same year, playing a beautiful witch hidden in ordinary human beings, and continued to exude that unique mysterious charm on the big screen.
In the mid-1950s, Kim Novak became one of Hollywood's top ten high-grossing stars.
In the following years, she starred in many works such as "Why Meet And Know", "Red Lip Kiss" and so on, but it was difficult to continue the glory of the "Ecstasy" period.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > away from Hollywood and enjoy the idyllic life</h1>
For career development in Hollywood, Kim Novak did not have too strong ambitions.
By chance, she embarked on the road of acting, and was fortunate to get the praise of the film company and the favor of the audience, all of which seemed to her to be just an arrangement of fate.
At one point, harsh film critics accused her of being blunt and lacking in spirit, and she knew she wasn't good at acting.
Throughout most of her screen roles, they are empty vases of beauty and figure, and there is no room for acting.
Novak, who originally had a "Buddhist" mentality, gradually withdrew.
In 1965, she married Richard Johnson, an actor who co-starred in "Love", but the marriage lasted only more than a year before ending in a dismal divorce.
After entering the 70s, she starred in fewer and fewer works, and her focus gradually shifted to her personal life.
She loves nature, loves horseback riding, raises many horses, and finds her true self in a life of gradual calm.
The coveted love also came.
In 1976, Kim Novak and Robert Malloy entered the halls of marriage.
Her husband is a veterinarian who shares a common hobby with Novak, is close to animals and nature, and never cares about the stardom she once was.
After marriage, the two ran a horse farm in Oregon, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and lived a leisurely and comfortable pastoral life.
Novak picked up the paintbrush again and expressed himself with brilliant oil paint.
The beauty of nature, the stunning countryside, her and her beloved horses, are all sources of inspiration for her creations.
Painting by Kim Novak
She declined most of the invitations to the film and faded out of Hollywood, as if the unpredictable Madeleine in "Ecstasy", silent, disappeared into the audience's field of vision.
<H1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" attended the Oscars at the age of 81 >, and was mocked by Trump as "too ugly."</h1>
It has disappeared for decades, but Hollywood has not forgotten Kim Novak.
In 2014, at the age of 81, she accepted an invitation from the Oscar organizing committee to attend the 86th Academy Awards as a guest.
However, Novak, who had not appeared in public for a long time, felt very anxious before the award ceremony, had a headache and made a wrong decision.
In order to make herself look younger and regain a little bit of her past, she underwent cosmetic surgery to fill her face with fat.
The consequences can be imagined, when she appeared at the award ceremony with such an old and stiff face, she was greeted with merciless ridicule and questioning.
Kim Novak in 2014
At that time, Trump, who had not yet become the president of the United States, had long been a famous "Twitter bully".
After watching the live broadcast of the awards ceremony, he immediately tweeted and taunted: "It's so ugly! How come there are plastic surgeries for an 80-year-old woman this year? Kim should go and sue her plastic surgeon! ”
This extremely harsh taunt deeply hurt Kim Novak. She locked herself in her home and closed her door for more than ten days.
Later, she calmed down and responded on Twitter, admitting that she had indeed done something "stupid", revealing the sadness and helplessness of the beauty's twilight.
Trump was also blamed for his foul words, and before preparing for the election campaign in 2015, he apologized to Novak very perfunctorily in order to save some favorability, claiming that the words at that time were just "joking" and did not expect to hurt her.
Novak graciously accepted, but could the damage done to her really make up for it?
A beauty like Kim Novak who has amazed time cannot escape the traces left by time.
And people are often only willing to keep their memories from decades ago, unwilling to accept the reality that they have grown old and ugly.
Novak chose plastic surgery because he hoped to show better form at the awards ceremony, even though she was 81 years old.
But if she doesn't get plastic surgery and appears in a real and natural aging appearance, will those critical voices disappear?
Time is cruel to beauty, and what is more cruel than time is people's harsh eyes.
Thanks for reading!
Text / @Nine Petals Light and Shadow Story Figure / Network
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