I've never found the raging tyrant frightening. Excellent performance is taken for granted in this kingdom. Of course, she never compliments anyone when they've done well. And yet, the anticipation of her negative reaction is what makes for moments of anti-gravitational intensity. When one of her staff has transgressed, or simply cannot fulfill her expectation (I doubt Superman could hold a job there), in the softest tone possible she expresses her disappointment. Streep is magnificent as her voice never reaches past mezzo-piano. Her staff run around like castle servants anticipating the arrival of the Lady of the Manor. Mirander knows perfectly-well her status and she uses it, often flaunts it, to her advantage. I half-expected her female assistants to curtsy when Mirander entered the office. Since everyone wants to gain favor from the higher-ups in order to step up the ladder, there's often over-the-top deference to those in elite positions. A journalism-major from Northwestern, Andy knows next to nothing about the fashion world, but it's not just the fashion world-it's the world of the elite in New York. The central character, Andy Sachs, is plunged into this Madison Avenue purgatory without knowing the rules of the game. It is feudalism, with Mirander the absolute queen ruling over her dominion of serfs who constantly scatter about trying to please her. In the film, the corporation that is "Runway" is no democracy. The character, Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep in a tour-de-force Oscar-nominated performance) is in fact modeled after real-life Vogue Magazine editor Anna Wintour whose chilling detachment from those around her, her ability to make or break fashion careers, and her cut-throat demands on her staff have become legendary throughout the fashion world. "The Devil Wears Prada" chronicles an aspiring journalist who lands a dream job that, she is told, "thousands would kill for": being the personal assistant to the editor of one of the largest fashion magazines, Runway, whose editor-in-chief makes Bill Gates seem like a softy. Since there are many more people who dream of being in these circles than there are spots available, this gives enormous power to those already on the inside, particularly those who have sway to either make or break an up-and-coming career. In addition to the public's clamoring to glimpse these powerful elites, another segment of the population desires to become one of these people by trying to "break into" the media business. "The Devil Wears Prada" examines what is like to be in the inner circle of one of these elites. With cameras flashing, these people are treated like the royalty of the 17th and 18th centuries. When these people put on huge events that involve the press, cameras, and limousines, the public comes out to pay unquestioned homage to these elites, often on the sideline behind a barricade. They control what get's seen and what doesn't. It is largely composed of those who control media, particularly in television, film, radio, music, fashion, and print. There is an aristocratic elite, no question, and it is not exactly made up of politicians (although there are some). The only people who think that there is true egalitarianism have never worked in the Entertainment and Media Industries. We in the United States like to believe that we reside in a country without royalty and nobility. And it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores, and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. Miranda Priestly: And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. Miranda Priestly: I think we need a jacket here. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You go to your closet and you select, I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. You think this has nothing to do with you. You know, I'm still learning about this stuff and, uh. both those belts look exactly the same to me.
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