A Real-Life Fairytale

[tbyg52]

The DVD was released February 24.

Since the dawn of the movie business, Hollywood’s bread-and-butter has revolved around people’s idealized notions of love: The nerd can get the princess, and Cinderella can have it all. In other words, nothing else matters when two hearts are meant for each other.

Real life is rarely like that, though. In 1950s Hollywood, accepted notions of love and partnership meant being straight. It also meant, as it still does now, that partners often looked and dressed alike, were about the same age and shared class and cultural attributes.

But one remarkable couple broke those rules. In fact, they acted as though the rules didn’t exist at all. In documenting the more than 30-year relationship between author Christopher Isherwood and artist Don Bachardy, Chris & Don: A Love Story makes people question their assumptions and prejudices about love.

More:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4256/a_real_life_fairytale/

[Laughing Mirror]

1. Isherwood was 48 and Bachardy was 18 when they met on the beach

They stayed together more than 30 years, that is, until death did them apart.

Of course that was in the benighted early 1950s; 1952 to be exact. Times have changed in those 57 years. So large an age discrepancy between lovers then partners would be frowned upon, would be in fact unacceptable, as we have seen, in today's much more enlightened society.

[tbyg52]

3. >>would be in fact unacceptable, as we have seen, in today's much more enlightened society.

Was there supposed to be a :sarcasm: tag there? 18 is defined as adult for everything except alcohol (which exception I find weird - kill 'em but don't 'em get drunk...?)

[Laughing Mirror]

5. Sarcasm tag?

Well, considering the recent stink in this very forum over the 42-year-old mayor of Portland named after a popular brand of beer and the 18-year-old (or was he ... gasp! still in the highly illegal 17-year-old range when the affair began??) intern with the porn-star name ...

Was my comment made to be sarcastic? What do you think?

[tbyg52]

6. Ah - I missed that one, or forgot about it, or something

I just posted this because I saw it in the dead tree edition and thought it would be of interest. I didn't know much about Isherwood except that Cabaret was based on one of his books. While I don't think that big an age gap is probably a super good idea in general, it certainly seems to have worked out for them. Which just goes to show that generalizations don't apply to everyone.

Edited to hopefully say what I wanted to say better.

[dickthegrouch]

2. I'm 52, my partner 35

We've been together almost 14 years.
His parents were none too pleased at his choice initially,
but they have grown to love me as much as their son.

Initially they thought I was exploiting him (as they had been
taught to think by their church and other institutions (boy,
were they wrong :-) ). His mother now comes to me for advice
on handling his tantrums (which he never has with me).

Not quite the 30 years between Don and Christopher when they
met, but the young 'uns occasionally know a good thing when
they see it O8)

[Rowdyboy]

4. Very sweet....one of my best friends is 58 and in a 5 year relationship with a 25 year old....

It works for them. I wouldn't work for me but it does for them and what else matters?