What exactly is Vanity Fair?

1. An American lifestyle magazine 2. An American movie 3. A British book

Magazine:

"Vanity Fair" is a famous American lifestyle magazine. A publication that mainly promotes contemporary culture. Content includes politics, celebrities, books, humor, news, art and photography.

The past and present life of "Vanity Fair" magazine:

In 1913, the famous publisher Kant Nast, who had successfully run a variety of publications including "Vogue" Two new magazines were purchased - "Clothes" and "Vanity Fair". With the intuition of a shrewd businessman, Kant merged the two magazines into one and named the new magazine "Vanity Fair" - "a magazine that reports on the lifestyle, taste, banquet topics, art, sports, and humor of the upper class." For Vanity Fair readers nearly a century later, this was a landmark event. Today, Vanity Fair is recognized as one of the most important magazines in the United States. It is a star-making factory, a reading book for politicians in Washington, and a window through which all living beings who pursue fame and wealth can see the world.

How did "Vanity Fair" grow into the pioneer of American fashion magazines today? The Glitzy World of the Jazz Age When "Vanity Fair" was founded, the United States had just completed the Industrial Revolution, the economy was developing rapidly, and the entire society was prosperous. However, as a country of immigrants, the United States has a short history and its unique cultural traditions are still being formed. Americans who have become wealthy are eager to understand the world and become elegant and educated people. They long for European cultural traditions and are proud to travel in Europe. But after all, only a few people travel across the ocean to broaden their horizons and see the world. Most people only understand the world by reading books, newspapers and magazines. Kant Nast grasped this psychology of the American public and lost no time in launching Vanity Fair magazine. Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, Vanity Fair was at the forefront of fashion. It introduces readers to little-known progressive movements in art, literature and other fields, records and promotes the development of avant-garde art, and has won widespread attention.

In 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed, and many millionaires lost everything overnight. The once prosperous and luxurious life suddenly became an unattainable dream. As thousands of people became unemployed, Vanity Fair also entered difficult years. In 1936, Vanity Fair announced that it would cease publication. This once-famous magazine disappeared from people's sight after 22 years of operation.

The sustained and stable development of the American economy in the 1980s created conditions for the rebirth of Vanity Fair. For a magazine that focuses on fashion, this condition is even more mature than the conditions in the early days of Vanity Fair, but it is also more challenging. In 1983, American media giant Shi Yi Newhouse acquired the Condé Nast Group. The ambitious Newhouse decided to revive Vanity Fair. Although "Vanity Fair" once stood at the forefront of the times, it is no longer what it used to be. In order for "Vanity Fair" to regain its former glory, in addition to huge financial support, it is also necessary to have a core figure in the magazine who can turn things around - the editor-in-chief. . After spending tens of millions of dollars but receiving poor market response, Newhouse turned his attention overseas and hired legendary British editor Tina Brown to be the head of Vanity Fair. In 1984, when Tina took over the editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, the circulation of Vanity Fair was only 250,000 copies and the number of advertisements was less than 12 pages. Tina carried out drastic reforms in magazine management, editorial policy, magazine content and packaging. In a short period of time, she fired a group of incompetent "veterans from the previous government" and carefully selected and organized a strong personnel lineup. As for the magazine itself, after careful and in-depth research and investigation, Tina gave Vanity Fair a prescription: celebrity effect + fascinating reporting + news sensitivity = money. In order to obtain high-quality written reports, Tina used generous remuneration to recruit a large number of first-class writers, some of whom had salary contracts as high as six figures. But Tina firmly believes that without first-class manuscripts, there would be no first-class magazine. Turns out Tina was right. In 1984, an in-depth news report in "Vanity Fair" won the "National Journal Award", the largest award in the American periodical industry. "Vanity Fair" immediately became the focus of media attention and became one of the first-class magazines. Tina's news tentacles have penetrated into all aspects of American social life, and will never let go of any valuable news clues, especially news about celebrities. The June 1985 issue of Vanity Fair published a cover story of the Reagans hugging each other and dancing the foxtrot. The headline was "Reagan Dances to Jazz." The magazine caused an immediate sensation upon publication and was a hot seller on newsstands. "Vanity Fair" immediately rose to fame and became the most popular magazine in New York society. In the eight years from 1984 to 1992, Vanity Fair won the National Journal Award four times and was named the "Best-Selling Magazine" in the United States twice. Some commentators believe that the reason why "Vanity Fair" has achieved such success is that the flashy life and entertainment attitude it recorded captured the zeitgeist of the United States in the 1980s.

In 1991, the New York Observer magazine invited Carter to serve as editor-in-chief. "Vanity Fair" has thus entered its heyday. In just one year, Carter transformed this lifeless magazine into an interesting publication reflecting the various life styles of white-collar workers in Manhattan.

Perhaps it was Carter's keen insight and excellent editing skills that impressed Newhouse. His goal was to make "Vanity Fair" not only have a loyal readership, but also have broad influence and become "the current cultural mainstream magazine". After taking over Vanity Fair, Carter maintained the original style of the magazine and worked hard to improve it, trying to make the pictures, text and design the best possible. In terms of content, Vanity Fair mainly reports on the private lives of celebrities, but it is not limited to Hollywood's erotic secrets. It also pays attention to social emergencies and hot issues. For example, after the "9·11" terrorist attack, "Vanity Fair" immediately sent writers to the site of the attack to conduct interviews and follow the course of the incident. The "9·11" documentary report they wrote became a major selling point of the magazine. Such a magazine that mixes fashion, politics, celebrities, money and social news is not only loved by ordinary people, but also by celebrities and intellectuals. Advertisers are even more interested in the readership of Vanity Fair: the average age is 37 years old, the average annual income is US$58,000, and 70% have a college education. This kind of readership is the ideal consumer target for advertisers. Under Carter's management, "Vanity Fair" not only continued to increase its circulation, but also increased its advertising volume by 60%, reaching nearly 1,900 pages per year, with revenue exceeding $100 million.

To create an impact, the magazine itself is not enough. Carter made full use of the magazine's social resources to develop its influence in the entertainment and political circles. By holding a banquet after the Oscars every year and a party after the White House Correspondents' Banquet every year, Vanity Fair is promoted into a "star-level" publication.

Through Carter's 10 years of operation, "Vanity Fair" has become even better than before in terms of prestige, influence, status, and profits to publishers. Although the U.S. economy has been sluggish in the past two years, Vanity Fair is still one of the most profitable magazines in the Newhouse Media Group. It is also still a stage for the media, entertainment and political circles to pursue fame and fortune, and the general public to appreciate the magnificence of fame and fortune. The grandstand of life.

Movie:

Title: Vanity Fair Translation: Vanity Fair/Glorious New World

Director: Mira Nair

Screenwriter: Julian Fellowes

Starring: Reese Witherspoon

James Purefoy

Luo Romola Garai

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

Gabriel Byrne

Jim· Jim Broadbent

Type: Drama Length: 137 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (local nudity and mild violence)

Distribution: Focus Features

Release date: September 1, 2004 (USA)

Official website: www.vanityfairmovie.com

Country: UK/ United States

Official Competition of the 61st Venice Film Festival

A woman and fame and fortune in a glitzy world

Britain in the 19th century, born poor but ambitious The vigorous Becky Sharp (Reese Witherspoon) has been determined to enter the upper class by any means since she was a child. This film tells the story of how she uses her beauty and wisdom to conquer the world.

Becky first worked as a governess at the home of Sir Peter Cowley, where she was not only loved by the children, but also appreciated by the Cowley family's spinster aunt Matilda. However, Becky knew in her heart that she could not truly enter the British upper class without leaving the countryside and living in London. So when Aunt Matilda invited Becky to London, Becky accepted the invitation without hesitation. In London, Becky once again met her good friend from Pinkertown Academy, Emilia Sedley (Romola Gary), who was born into a wealthy family.

Amelia fell in love with the charming officer George (Jonathan Myles) and married him regardless of family opposition, while Becky also secretly had an affair with Rawdon Cowley (James Brown). Purefoy), the most likely heir to the Cowley family, got married, and Matilda angrily kicked the newlyweds out of the house. At this time, Napoleon once again launched a war against various European countries. George and Roden were both called into the army, leaving only two friends dependent on each other...

A classic masterpiece that has been adapted for the screen many times

This film is adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel. William Thackeray (1811-1863) was a famous British writer in the 19th century. The story of the movie is roughly the same as the novel, focusing on satirizing the flashy life of the middle and upper class people in Britain in the 19th century.

Director Mira Nair's adaptation is not the first time the novel has been adapted for the big screen. It has been made into movies six times before, four of which were silent films. In addition, this novel has been adapted into a TV series three times, the most recent being the 1998 BBC version.

Interestingly, Natasha Little, who plays Jane in Vanity Fair, played Becky in the BBC version of the TV series.

The transformation attempt of an American sweet girl

This is a movie supported by two women, one is the director Mira Nair, and the other is of course the heroine Reese Witherspoon. With her blue eyes and blonde hair, Reese is a typical American sweet girl. We became familiar with her in the comedy "Legally Blonde" and the romance "Alabama," and she seems to have given us a successor for the post-Meg Ryan era. In fact, Reese started her acting career when she was filming commercials as a child. "Happy Town" and "Cruel Motive" both revealed her excellent acting skills. Although she has not won any acting awards, her two Golden Globe Award nominations have given her full recognition. This time, I took over the filming of Indian female director Mira Nair's new work adapted from a classic. It can be said that she was trying to find a new breakthrough for her performance through a change in image, so as to achieve a leap in acting.

Reese has indeed put in a lot of effort for this drama. Her typical Southern American accent is completely gone, replaced by a strong British accent. And even though this is a movie about upper class society, Reese doesn't always show herself in a glamorous and beautiful image. She even faces the audience in a pregnant image. Initially, the director was afraid that Reese would not accept the role for this reason, but she happily accepted it and said she was looking forward to it. However, some viewers believe that Reese, as the most important role in the whole drama, has not changed much in temperament from the age of 17 to 35, and the change in age has not added much content to the role she plays. It seems that it will take time for Reese Witherspoon to become a drama star like Meryl Streep.

Representing British style paintings of the 19th century

Perhaps because of being a woman, Mira Nair is delicate and demands perfection. As a film that reflects the British upper class in the early 19th century, recreating the history and customs of that time is a very important part of the film. She and members of the film crew traveled throughout the UK and found the best-preserved Regency-era architecture in Bath. The scene setting, actors' props and costumes are all made to restore the colorful and prosperous atmosphere of the time.

Meera Nair, 47, was born in India and was a sociology student at Harvard University. When she debuted, she filmed many documentaries and won many awards. Her film career has always been associated with Venice. In 1991, her "Mississippi" won three awards including Best Screenplay at Venice. Ten years later, in 2001, her "Monsoon Wedding Banquet" won the Golden Lion Award in Venice. This year's new work "Vanity Fair" once again entered the official competition section of Venice. I wonder what its fate will be?

When talking about why she chose a subject that has nothing to do with the culture of her motherland, Mira Nair said that when she read this masterpiece that showed the style of Victorian England, she found many things in it. The elements have many similarities with Indian Bollywood movies: a beautiful woman who tries to overcome her origins and climbs up at all costs, a love that silently gives without asking for anything in return, a mother who is willing to sacrifice herself for her children, a real woman in a decadent society. Gentleman... The basic elements of these stories about human nature are the same. At its heart, Vanity Fair is the story of a man and his ambition.

Original work:

(British) Thackeray

This is the masterpiece of Thackeray, the great British realist writer and humor master. The main character in this book, Miss Rebecca, comes from a humble background and is discriminated against in society, so she uses various strategies and even uses sex to seduce and curry favor with the rich and powerful, and uses any means to climb up the ladder. This character is neither evil nor kind, but very humane and completely a product of the times. The work bitterly satirizes various ugly phenomena in the "vanity fair" where conscience and honor are traded, and is good at using profound psychological description and vivid details to depict characters. It is a masterpiece of realism.