Monday, September 19, 2011

Dior J'adore: Reliving Hollywood Glamor


So, I've watched the new Dior ad about five times now and I'm still not sure what to think about it. For those who haven't seen it, Dior's ad for J'adore perfume features not only the actress Charlize Theron, stalking proudly through the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, but the images of Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, and Marilyn Monroe, brought to life through CGI. The living actress kisses Kelly on the cheek, glances over at the tuxedo-ed Dietrich, and, in the ad's most surreal moment, hands Monroe a bottle of perfume, as Marilyn whispers in a breathlessly worshipful tone, "Dior...J'adore." The ad ends on an image of Theron strutting down the catwalk, her sparkling gold figure turning into the Dior bottle.

My first reaction was a full-body shudder of, "Oh God, they're using dead women to hawk their perfume." Somehow, the thought of CGi-ed, reanimated actresses giving their seal of approval to a current product is frightening. The ad even seems to acknowledge this by hitting a "scare chord" at the moment when Grace Kelly first turns around. But I have to admit, there was an element of pleasure to the ad as well, in seeing these iconic legends again. When I showed the ad to my mom, she had fun picking out the actresses and told me afterward, "It's much more respectful than I thought it would be."


And she has a point. Except for the deeply jarring moment when Marilyn speaks (and wasn't she a Chanel woman anyway?), the ad can be taken as a simple homage to old-style Hollywood glamor. Which is a pretty clever choice for an ad campaign and a perfect association for a perfume. Scent evokes memory, after all. A great perfume can do more than attract a mate or match an outfit, it can trigger something deeply personal in our minds. Because of the way the ad is staged, the sense I got from it was not so much "Wear our perfume and be like Marilyn," but "The glamor of the past gives way to the glamor of the future."


 Of course, just because the ad has a good thesis doesn't mean it's a successful one. Charlize Theron is a stunning woman who, on the basis of her looks alone, could go toe to toe with any of these actresses. But in terms of iconic glamor and star power? They leave her completely in the dust. This isn't Theron's fault. I think it would be the same problem whether the ad featured Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, or Mary-Kate Olsen. The star system is gone and with it, the idea that actresses could be goddesses. This ad doesn't just remind us of classic Hollywood glamor, it reminds us of how completely it's gone extinct.

The ad raises interesting questions for me. How far is it acceptable to go in using these iconic images? Can loving nostalgia co-exist with such an eerie use of our current technology? And why, in an ode to the past, did they choose a song with the lyrics, "If it's already been done, undo it?"

6 comments:

  1. Intriguing, beautiful and a bit creepy. Isabella Rossellini - after seeing Ingrid Bergman's image used in a commercial recently - said something to the effect: "Poor mama. Dead 20 years and still working."

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  2. FlickChick: Sorry, I was going to say I thought that Isabella Rossellini's comment pretty much summed it up.

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  3. I absolutely love the ad. I thought it was very tastefully done.

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  4. Well I hadn't seen this commercial but after watching it I have pretty much the same sentiments as everyone else.

    I don't understand the music choice either! It was distracting and just made me want to hit mute. As for using the images of these iconic women to hawk perfume. I find it in pretty bad taste. Just because you can use CGI to bring these women back to life it doesn't give you the right to scrap taste and do so. UGH!
    But for a positive, Dietrich never looked more beautiful.
    Thanks for sharing and allowing us a forum to discuss the ad.
    It should be called J'Don't!

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  5. Hah, see this is why I can't make up my mind. I read Dawn's comment and start nodding along that "yes, it was very tastefully done." But then I get to Page's comment about how distasteful it was and I nod along to that, too! I guess I'm on the side of "You probably shouldn't have done it, but for what it is, it looks pretty nice."

    I'm guessing they picked that song mainly because it sounded like a good "strut-down-the-catwalk" number. It has no connection to the visuals.

    Thanks for all these diverse opinions, guys!

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  6. Rachel,
    Oh, I read my latest copy of Elle after posting and it just so happen to have a sample of J'Adore in it. All I can say is that these fabulous stars would be suing Dior right now for signing them from beyond the grave for such a stank! LOL
    I'll stick to Chanel Gardenia and prance around like I'm Sophia Loren. Happy Birthday Sophia!
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