#lee israel

[cinematic-literature]

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) by Marielle Heller

Book title: Estée Lauder: Beyond the Magic (1985) by Lee Israel

[diemelusine]

Photographic portrait of Fanny Brice at the Ziegfeld Follies (1918) by Alfred Cheney Johnston.

[audiemurphy1945]

Illustration by Gabriel Pascalini for the Esquire article "Last of the Honest-to-God Ladies" by Lee Israel, 1967

[archivyrep]

Archivists at the Movies: Reviewing the Film “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

On October 19, 2018, the film, Can You Ever Forgive Me? premiered in theaters across the United States. It serves as a more relevant depiction of archivists in popular media than the National Treasure franchise or the 2005 film, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, which has archival themes as an important part of the story.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. It was published there on Aug. 4, 2020. It was originally published on the SNAP blog on April 3, 2020.

In Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Lee Israel (played by Melissa McCarthy), a writer whose popularity is slipping, forges letters of famed writers in a failed attempt to boost her self-confidence. In the process, she visits archives, libraries, and other cultural institutions to examine the original letters, create forgeries, and then steal the originals. In one scene, she travels to the Yale University Library which combines elements of archives and libraries into one institution: interacting with a librarian and wearing white gloves to examine the original letters. Later in the film, Lee expresses remorse for her actions, including stealing archival items and asks the court (and the audience) to forgive her.

This depiction of archivists in the film is generally positive, differing from the muddled mess created by the Star Wars franchise, where creators couldn’t determine whether Madame Nu worked at a library or an archives, mixing the two together. In the film, the unnamed librarian/ archivist, follows a number of core values outlined by the SAA, providing access to original materials, consistent with access restrictions, promoting open use and access. This archivist also helps preserve the original letters as primary sources and acts professional to Lee, despite her bad attitude, at least at first. She also ensures responsible custody of the records and behaves in a professional manner. The depiction also squares with my experience working in archives, with the security guard checking her bag before she enters the facility.

At the same time, the portrayal of archives and archivists in this film is problematic. For instance, Lee’s use of white gloves runs afoul of existing standards. As Alexandra K. Alvis, a reference librarian for Smithsonian Libraries Special Collections points out, gloved hands have less manual dexterity than bare hands because gloves can accidentally tear pages or lift parts from pages like pigments. Furthermore, cotton gloves are relatively dirty and cause hands to sweat, with no evidence that handling paper with bare hands causes chemical damage. Even so, there are exceptions, especially when dealing with photographs or books with “lots of metal components,” where wearing such gloves is justified.

While this is only one film in the vast panoply of those created by Hollywood which feature either librarians or archivists, often more of the former than the latter, it is important for archivists to retain a critical eye so that we can help promote accurate portrayals of our profession in the future. This will involve pointing out inaccuracies in Hollywood films and other media in order to improve the popular perception of the archives field so that individuals don’t have misguided views of what the profession is about. What form this critical eye takes is up to individual archivists and archival institutions.

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[hq76]

rip to lee israel you would have loved rpf

[odinsblog]

This is what misinformation + selective outrage + indifference looks like

Me: Gotdammit

[hussyknee]

A foreign lobby group wielding this much influence is insane. Coupled with the fact that most journalists, students, academics, activists and artists being expelled, fired, persecuted and disproportionately penalised are BIPOC, it seems like white supremacists are using this opportunity as a concerted effort to push minorities out of every institution of influence. It's nothing less than a bipartisan attack by the white establishment on civil rights.

If y'all do not fight like hell for these people US minorities will be fucked no matter how much you vote.

[chrisgnab]

I am so disgusted with some of you 'stays' right now. you have allowed zionists to have a platform and enter the billboard charts because you're too ignorant to not listen to ONE song. People are literally being slaughtered, and you're so blinded by privilege that you can easily act like it's not happening. Calling yourself a 'wavemaker' and using these emojis '🌊💙' to symbolise your support for this collaboration makes you complicit with genocide. Charlie Puth is a known leech who uses others for personal gain. All the Western artists know that, so he's moved onto K-pop, and you people buy into it. Charlie Puth is a misogynist and a rape apologist... how can you as a human being find it okay to give that man any money. You should all be ashamed and know that you're disgusting and not a 'real stay' because you can't say 'Stray Kids everywhere all around the world' without Palestinian stays. congratulations 👏👏 you've fucked over skz image and reputation by enabling this. free palestine 🇵🇸.

[izel-scribbles]

i think izzy hands ofmd would look really cool in your style (but i'm not sure if you haven't already done that)

never drawn him before but he has such a cool face. gotta do this more often

[thekeypa]

“I am the only candidate in California’s US Senate race calling for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. I will always do what’s right—even if that means standing alone.”

[nando161mando]

Why are you waging a war on your own children for the sake of another 'country'?

[proudzionist]

I love cartoons and comics . Kim possible I can't get enough of but finding out superman and batman were created by Jews ....🥰🥰🥰 Jews have such a rich culture in entertainment. Period .

Just wanted to share this 🇮🇱💙🤍

[dogbound1128]

I think we should keep in mind that once there's a ceasefire, everyone's loved ones, all the children, and all the sick and injured won't magically cone back to life and be healed immediately. What Israel is doing is irreversible, and letting them continue with their crimes against humanity is adding on to all these irreversible tragedies. This is not something you can put off for another day, because so many innocent people are being slaughtered by the second.

It's Ceasefire

NOW

[naipan]

Hamas have REJECTED two months of ceasefire

Two months OF CEASEFIRE

Rejected by Hamas

All you wankers won’t say shit cause you’re dishonest

You don’t care about Palestinians or peace

You just want to say whatever u can in any given moment that puts Israel in a negative light.

Can everyone now just shut up and let Israel get on with destroying the genocidal terror group.

[girlactionfigure]

leekern13

[odinsblog]