Is it really Fall yet?

Is it really Fall yet?

Around here it sure is, and just as BelAmiOnline has kicked their new season into high gear, Bella has stepped up to follow their lead. Already a week into the new season, things will be moving here at a break neck pace in order to keep up, and I can’t wait to show you all that BAOL has given us so far. So, as they say: “Let’s get this party started!”

And another semester of school is upon me as well. Talk about trying to juggle balls in the air. It will be a busy one to be sure. But I’ll make it a point to keep things up to speed here as well. Busy, fun, exciting- that is what this new season promises to be. Before I get to what has been going on at BelAmiOnline this past week (and all of it pretty cool, too), I wish to take the time now to kick off my next video project: The Story So Far. As a fledgling film historian I can’t tell you how excited I am to present this one to you: a history of Bel Ami. Like I said before, I don’t feel I’m entirely qualified to tell Bel Ami’s story in textual form, though I try extremely hard to get the story straight. But be that as it may, I have found another way to express my deepest love for a group of fabulous artists who have never failed to beguile and enthrall me. They’ve locked me completely under their spell, and believe you me….I’m not trying very hard to escape either. Seriously. Who would? Beginning today, and subsequent Fridays, schedule permitting, I will be presenting video edits of selections representing Bel Ami’s very best. As Bel Ami continues to move forward, we will be taking a journey into the studio’s past. This introductory video clip is a prime example, a sweet and sensual treasure, and it’s one from the heart.

Love’s Sweet Reflection (a visual souvenir from Greece…in a manner of speaking)

Recently, I took a vacation to Greece, by way of film naturally. I spent several tranquil and erotic hours totally immersed in the beauty of Greek Holiday (2004). After spending the past day or two in a dreamy state, as soon as I came back down to Terra Firma, (and quite reluctantly, I may add), I wanted to come here and show you the gorgeous souvenir I brought back with me: this sweet, sexy and beautiful scene between Julian Armanis and Yves Carradine, from Greek Holiday Part 2 (2004).

Everything about this scene simply sings out the phrase: “classic, vintage Bel Ami”, right down to the music. Dreamy and erotic, the music was a perfect fit to serve as the backdrop for this love-making couple. And I did my very best to preserve some of the original score for my edited version of the scene.

As I sat and watched the scene unfold in front of me, my eyes transfixed upon the actions of these gorgeous young men, ministering to one another with tender, loving care, my mind and soul became locked within an invisible lover’s embrace created by the music. The second section of music (all by B. K. Sun) heard during their oral exchange, although quite dissimilar from it, took an interesting cue from many of the film scores of John Barry (Somewhere In Time, Out Of Africa, Dances With Wolves).

I included a shortened version of this piece to fit the length of my edit, and because I wanted to keep the original score intact as much as I could, I didn’t want to ruin this lovely and sweet melody by trying to manipulate it to get rid of any ‘background noise’, and in so doing, hopefully, maintaining the music’s purity. Because of its similarity to John Barry’s scores, I decided to use it as a prelude to the closing piece of music I chose to round out my edit: the theme from the film, Indecent Proposal. When all was said and done, it proved to be a very beautiful addition to the scene, as if this scene wasn’t beautiful enough already.

Julian and Yves haven’t been with Bel Ami for many moons, yet it’s the beauty they’ve created together that will endure for all the new generations of fans who will one day find them and take them into their hearts, just as I have done. Julian and Yves were simply gorgeous together, with their scenes remaining their treasures to us. I can’t say my edit of the scene did it due justice, but I smile when I think that I tried. As with everything here, and in this upcoming video series, this stands as a loving tribute to these lovely guys and amazing artists who will forever leave us spellbound and whisk us away to exotic, secret places, if only within our fantasies.