New Vision of Old Hollywood by Richard Mowe
From the gilded age of Old Hollywood to modern turmoil, director Tyler-Marie Evans is weaving a story that feels like a shimmering echo of a bygone era. Growing up in Las Vegas, Evans found solace away from her overly-strict family by immersing herself in the films of legends like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Vivien Leigh, and Rita Hayworth. This fascination with cinematic history didn’t just offer escape; it provided the foundational inspiration for her debut feature film, Pretty Babies.
Premiering tonight at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the movie is explicitly framed as a love letter to Old Hollywood. It masterfully blends nostalgic glamour with a raw exploration of contemporary teenage experiences.
The film centers on two contemporary actresses, Madelaine Petsch and Ashley Benson, who embark on a dramatic journey from Texas to California, chasing their dreams. Their path is anything but conventional, as they navigate the complexities of the road, eventually falling into prostitution along the way. This narrative thread is intricately interwoven with carefully selected clips from seminal black and white films of Hollywood’s golden age—films that, while demanding specific rights, hold an undeniable importance for the story’s emotional resonance.
Evans uses this juxtaposition to explore how the myths of classic cinema translate into very real, complicated lives. By juxtaposing the polished artifice of the Golden Age with the gritty realities faced by her modern protagonists, she creates a deeply resonant and visually striking experience for the audience.
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