The Lady in Waiting

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
Original title The Lady in Waiting
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1992
length 29 minutes
Rod
Director Christian Taylor
script Christian Taylor
production Jim Frohna
Jane Miller
music Rosalie Coopman
camera Joaquin Baca-Asay
cut Christian Taylor
occupation

The Lady in Waiting is an American short film directed by Christian Taylor from 1992.

action

Miss Peach is packing the last boxes of a now empty country house for auction. She receives a letter through the lawyer with the address of a penthouse on 5th Avenue and the name "Catherine Spencer". You know what to do. Miss Peach says goodbye to the remaining staff in the villa and leaves. A week later, on July 13, 1977, she arrived in New York City . She goes to the skyscraper in which the apartment is located. Shortly afterwards, a drag queen gets into the elevator . While driving, the elevator suddenly stops and the lights go out - a lightning strike has caused an electricity outage across New York City. The emergency power system starts up after a short time. The drag queen introduces herself to Miss Peach as Scarlet and the old woman only realizes after a while that she is actually dealing with a man. She reacts negatively.

After the elevator has sunk a little lower, the door opens a crack and Scarlet can get outside. Miss Peach initially refuses to follow her, but then lets herself be lifted outwards. She injured her ankle slightly and Scarlet helped her through the stairwell to the specified apartment, where, according to Miss Peach, her friend lives. Since nobody opens, Scarlet manipulates the lock and both get into the apartment. Miss Peach doesn't have a good feeling, but lets Scarlet push her to bed and bandage her ankle. When Miss Peach accuses Scarlet of doing everything wrong, Scarlet withdraws. A little later she is standing in front of Miss Peaches bed and has lavishly dressed up in a new wig. Miss Peach reacts with incomprehension, calling Scarlet's appearance a mere masquerade, embarrassing and uncivilized. Scarlet withdraws into the bathroom, injured. Only now does Miss Peach discover that Scarlet had lovingly set the dining table unnoticed and given the name tags “Lady Peach” and “Lady Scarlet”. In front of the bathroom, she explains to Scarlet her dilemma: The owner of the apartment, Catherine Spencer, is not her friend, but the lover of her late employer. She herself was his housemaid and is only here to deliver a love letter to the woman, as her superior ordered in her will. She has never seen the woman and doesn't know when she'll be back. Catherine Spencer is unaware of their presence.

Scarlet makes it clear to her the next morning that she has to recognize what she has in order to simply enjoy it afterwards. She does the hair and make-up of Miss Peach, making her a lady. Miss Peach considers tearing up her late employer's letter, but then leaves it at the apartment. Miss Peach and Scarlet take the elevator to the foyer. The electricity is slowly coming back to New York and Catherine Spencer also arrives in the foyer after a trip. She walks past Miss Peach and Scarlet without recognizing them. Both smile. Shortly afterwards, Miss Peach calls a taxi and drives off alone.

production

The Lady in Waiting was written from 1990 to 1992 at the Institute of Film, School of the Arts, New York University . It was Christian Taylor's thesis. He directed, wrote the script and edited the film. The shooting took place in New York City and take up a real event with the 1977 power failure in New York City. The costumes were created by Cynthia Dumont , the film construction was done by Jack Saad-Robinson . While Miss Peach is designed as British in the script and the house of her superior Lord Walter is referred to as Fortley Manor, such references are missing in the film. In 1993 Christian Taylor presented a longer and modified version of the short film as a script as part of the Directors Lab of the Sundance Film Festival .

Awards

The Lady in Waiting was nominated for a gold medal in the 1992 Student Academy Awards in the Dramatic category and won the Directors Guild of America's Student Film Award . The film was nominated for an Oscar in the category of best short film in 1993.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Script in The Lady in Waiting by Christian Taylor . In: Patricia Cooper, Ken Dancyger: Writing the Short Film . Focal Press, Burlington et al. 2005, Appendix B (no page number).
  2. ↑ See The Lady in Waiting at history.sundance.org