Books, movies, and music not to miss.
Books, movies, and music not to miss.
“So many books, so little time” - Frank Zappa
There are two things that we can’t ever have too many books and shoes. Even if, if the books are good, shoes are the last thing on our minds.

Hardie Grant Books (2019)
Hardie Grant Books (2019)
POCKET RBG WISDOM: SUPREME QUOTES AND INSPIRED MUSINGS FROM RUTH BADER GINSBURG,
Pocket RBG Wisdom: Supreme Quotes and Inspired Musings from Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a collection inspired by some of the most powerful and impactful quotes said by Ruth Bater Ginsburg (affectionately nicknamed RBG), a historical judge associated with the United States Supreme Court. After a fourth of a century serving at the highest court in the American nation, endlessly fighting for gender equality and civil rights, RBG became one of the most influential juridical figures in the history of the country — dare we say, the world, to the point she became an icon of pop culture. None of the lessons RBG taught us is a bad one.

Cernunnos (2021)
Cernunnos (2021)
I LOVE TO HATE FASHION: REAL QUOTES AND WHISPERS BEHIND THE RUNWAY,
It’s been several years since the journalist Loïc Prigent documents, in a rather irreverent manner, the commentaries he hears during Fashion Week — namely Paris Fashion Week, where the journalist is a regular. His funny and biting tweets are a sort of “absurdist poetry” that reflects the current state of the industry. We can now read all these commentaries in one book, where sarcasm is on every page.

Assouline (2017)
Assouline (2017)
ALAIN ELKANN: INTERVIEWS
Shimon Peres. Brigitte Bardot. Valentino Garavani. Diane von Fürstenberg. What do they all have in common? They were all interviewed by Alain Elkann, one of the most respected Italian journalists of all time. Throughout his career, Elkann interviewed some of the most important international personalities — politicians, designers, actors, artists, etc. The trick to facing these heavyweights? “You have to be equal to the person you’re interviewing, no matter how famous or powerful. The interview has to be like a small story, with a beginning, middle, and end.”

Taschen (2012)
Taschen (2012)
NORMAN MAILER/BERT STERN. MARILYN MONROE
This edition joins Mailer’s original text (his biography, Marylin, published in 1973) with the extraordinary photographies taken by Bert Stern (probably one of the most intimate sessions the actress ever did) to create a homage to the woman that, at the time of her death, was famous in the world. A symbol of glamour and transversal eroticism by several generations, Marylin was worshipped and adored by fans but lived riddled with self-doubt, a fact that never let her be truly happy. Mailer’s book, one of the biggest American writers of the 20th century, is a tragic and complex portrayal of a woman Hollywood mistreated completely. Stern’s images, a close friend of the star, are a testimony of her beauty and innocence. Together they make an extraordinary object.
“Everything I learned I learned from the movies” - Audrey Hepburn
Unlike what Forest Gump might’ve told us, life is not like a box of chocolates. But our cinematographic recommendations are: you only know what you’re going to get if you keep reading.

D.R.
D.R.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet.” These were the first words ever said in a movie (Jazz Singer), in 1927 — a truly ominous start. After this one, many were said, most of them completely irrelevant, but a small minority have managed to surpass the magic of the silver screen and enter our shared lexicon. Let us start our journey with a classic, The Wizard of Oz (1939). The movie is a true cultural institution, with a myriad of iconic quotes, from “I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” to “There’s no place like home.” Speaking of tornados: Gone With the Wind (1939). It is kind of a farfetched transition, but how are we supposed to speak of two movies with this magnitude one right after the other? Let us settle with the words spoken by Clark Gable, a lot more talented in this kind of endeavors, at the end of the epic story by Victor Fleming. “Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn.” We’re riffling through icons, Humphrey Bogart, in Casablanca (1942): “We’ll always have Paris”, “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “Play it again, Sam”, three of the most emblematic words ever spoken in cinema. If you read the last one without thinking twice, it means you (really) have to rewatch this classic. This is one of the many shortcomings in our collective memory, aka things that no one has ever said but we could swear they did, like its the case of “Luke, I am your father”, which was never actually said by Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
From intergalactic space straight to Hollywood, more concretely to Sunset Boulevard (1950), a masterpiece that narrates the underworld of show business, with Norma Desmond (played by the magnificent Gloria Swanson) as the star of silent movies incapable of accepting her fate. “All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up" is the key quote from the movie. “Bond, James Bond”: this was the way the British spy was presented to us in the very first 007 movies, Dr. No (1962). After this introduction, the second most important piece of information about the character followed: the way he likes his martini: “Shaken, not stirred” is said by Sean Connery, in Goldfinger (1964).
More intimidating than an MI6 agent, only a mafia boss. It’s considered one of the most iconic phrases ever said by a movie gangster, and it appears in every movie of the trilogy starting with The Godfather (1972), even if the original suggestion, by Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), that mentions: “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” The sequel The Godfather: Part 2 (1974), teaches us some important lessons: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
Since Robert De Niro's name comes about, it would be a sin not to mention Taxi Driver (1976), where his line “You talking to me?” gave the actor a meme status, long before the term even existed. But if it’s a morally corrupt character’s descent into madness one seeks, how could we omit “Here’s Johnny!”, the line improvised by Jack Nicholson in the classic horror movie The Shining (1980)? On the note of exorbitant representations of masculinity: Arnold Schwarzenegger. The actor was immortalized through the character of a killer cyborg, that, in the original Terminator (1984) warned us about his comeback. “I’ll be back”. We should’ve listened to him, maybe that way we could’ve avoided the endless sequels… Why couldn’t he have been more faithful to “Hasta la vista, baby,” as said in the second movie of the series, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
Like the ultimate rom-com that When Harry Met Sally (1989) is, there are dozen of quotable scenes, but the one that is permanently stuck in our memory is the iconic restaurant scene when Sally fakes an orgasm. Faced with a performance that left an undying doubt in the hearts of many men, we all related to the lady that, between bites in a pastrami sandwich, states “I’ll have what she’s having.” We have finally made it to the 21st century, and simultaneously to the beginning of the end of our list. It’s a sad fact but it seems that, since the golden age of Hollywood, the iconic quotes have diminished with every passing decade. The diagnosis isn’t terminal. Thanks to anti-heroes like Regina George, from Mean Girls (2004), we have some truly camp quotes. “Stop trying to make fetch happen”, summarizes the fear we all feel of the judgment of teenagers. Is there a better way to end our lineup than with Miranda Presley? Of course not. Devil Wears Prada (2006) is a favorite of everyone in the Vogue office, a truly unsurprising fact. A lot can change in this world, but the immortal words of Miranda Presley will never cease to be repeated every Spring: “Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.”
“Music is life itself” - Louis Armstrong
What would music be without its lyrics? From hymns to yell from the depth of our lungs to hits to sing while we fulfill domestic chores, here are some of the lyrics we can’t seem to forget.

© iStock
© iStock
Let us start with one of the biggest Portuguese classic songs of all time: “É uma casa portuguesa com certeza,” sang Amália, eternalizing the phrase in the lexicon of every single Portuguese person. A Minha Casinha, from the iconic Xutos & Pontapés, is the modern interpretation of the sentiment echoed by the diva, the one that cherises the beauty in a num “modesto primeiro andar a contar vindo do céu.” Let us remember the timeless lessons from Carlos Paião. It was with Play-Back that the artist immortalized himself, setting his place in pop culture with a very clear message: “Podes não saber cantar, nem sequer assobiar, com certeza que não vais desafinar, em play-back.” If the intention is to stay in the 80s in Portugal, it would be sinful not to mention Doce. Even if the catalog of the songs from the girl group is vast in memorable lyrics, none is quite as quotable as Amanhã de Manhã, where they sing: “Fecha a porta, apaga as luzes, vem sentar-te ao meu lado...” Following the same feminist train of thought, here’s Man! I Feel Like a Woman!, by Shania Twain, is one of the biggest hits from the country-pop star. When that first melody is heard, few are the ones that resist saying “Let’s go girls.” The zenith of this feeling is reached by the iconic Cindy Lauper. With Girls Just Want to Have Fun, the singer created a hymn for all of those that, fatigated by the patriarchal pressure, only want to be “the one to walk in the sun.” Madonna has also culturally crystallized herself with the lyrics of one (quite a few actually) of her most popular songs. It’s practically impossible to listen to Like a Virgin without singing the words “Touched for the very first time.” Girl Power without mentioning the Spice Girls is a true crime. Wannabe is one of the band’s biggest successes, reminding us of the power of friendship: “If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.”
Let us entirely ignore the previous premise, after all, we all have a right to change our minds, especially when sadness lodges in our souls. We switch our direction to those songs that have the sole goal to reaffirm our most melancholic moments. For this purpose there’s nothing quite as effective as Simon & Garfunkel, that, in The Sound of Silence, welcome the dark side of life in a very literal manner: “Hello darkness my old friend.” If heartbreak options are what you seek, there's a myriad of options — but not many are quite as iconic as I Will Always Love You, sung by Whitney Houston. The song, which was originally sung, by Dolly Parton, is the ultimate way to mend a broken heart. When you’re ready to leave your pity party, why not start with some classics? The one that makes the most sense is You Can't Always Get What You Want, by The Rolling Stones, but, if the situation is a little bit more dramatic, there’s always Let It Be, by The Beatles.
Alright, that’s enough sad songs, life is too short to stay home and listen to melancholic classics. There’s nothing quite like jamming out to ABBA at full volume, and if someone says they don’t like Dancing Queen, they’re absolutely lying. Queen for queen, we better stick to the originals. Who wouldn’t like to be able to say they were at Live Aid, in 1985, listening to We Will Rock You live from the voice of Freddie Mercury? Another guest of honor was David Bowie, an artist we can’t just mention if the theme is iconic lyrics. That is exactly the case in Let’s Dance, where Bowie sings “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.” These nine words are enough to justify the existence of every single shoe available in the color red — beyond Dorothy’s, of course. On the subject of the Hollywood icon, we couldn’t possibly end this list without mentioning Judy Garland. Over the Rainbow is the ultimate song of hope, sand by Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939) — an ironic song to sing if one had the troubled life the actress did off the screen. Maybe because of that same reason she sang it so emotionally: “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”
Originally translated from Vogue Portugal's The Quote Issue, published April 2022.For full credits and stories, check the print version.
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