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Season’s Second Chanel Film Creates a Love Story CANNES, France, (Reuters)— A lavish portrayal of a brief affair between Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and fashion pioneer Coco Chanel in the early 1920s ended the Cannes film festival on Sunday, May 31. The festival’s closing film, “Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky,” di- rected by Dutch-born Jan Kounen, stars Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen in the title roles, and is based on Chris Greenhalgh’s novel, which weaves together fact and fiction. The movie opens with the infamous 1913 premiere of “The Rite of Spring” in Paris, where Stravinsky’s score and Vaslav Nijinsky’s experimental choreogra- phy were greeted with boos, jeers, and a near-riot. Seven years later, Chanel—who attended the premiere—is intro- duced to the impoverished com- poser and invites him and his fam- ily to move into her villa. Although the facts of what hap- pened during the brief sojourn are hazy, in the film the characters have a passionate affair, which feeds into their creative energy. “I ... discovered that Coco at- tended the first premiere of ‘The Rite of Spring’ and that Stravinsky lived in the house in 1920, that’s a fact,” Greenhalgh told reporters in Cannes. “Other than that there was very little [information]. “I had the framework of the facts but the freedom to invent everything that happened inside the villa.” Early reviews have praised the look of the movie, which recreates the sumptuous Art Deco style of the villa and the fashions of 1920s Paris, but several said the actors failed to bring the historical char- acters fully to life. 2nd Chanel Picture This Year “Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” is not the first feature film on the life of the fashion de- signer to be released this year, after Audrey Tautou portrayed her in “Coco Before Chanel.” Kounen said the coincidence was not necessarily a bad thing for his movie, because it forced him to speed up his production, which was therefore less affected by the financial crisis. “Coco Before Chanel” hit French cinemas in April but has yet to be screened in most other countries. “When there are two films with the same character you have to work fast, you have to be out fast,” he said. “The film exists partly thanks to the fact that there were two projects.” And while Kounen’s movie fo- cuses on the relationship between Chanel and Stravinsky, “Coco Before Chanel” is about her rise from humble beginnings to fame and fortune and her love affair with Arthur “Boy” Capel, who died in a car crash in 1919. “Coco Chanel & Igor Strvinsky” had its premiere in Cannes on Sunday evening, when the main prizes at the end of the 12-day festival are handed out. The Chanel movie was out of competition. THE CAST: Russian actress Elena Morozova (3rd L), Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (C), French actress Anna Mouglalis (3rd R), and French director Jan Kounen (2nd R) arrive for the screening of “Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” at the Cannes Film Festival. MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE REAL BLING: Model Andrea Oddy presents a creation in designer David Alexander’s summer collection The Furious Phantoms in a fashion show at the Simon G. Jewelry Spring Bling event Resort-Hotel-Casino May 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada. ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES Enter TODAY! Call 1-888-881-3382 The Countess de Hoernle Story By HAROLD LEIGHTON Bill and Melinda Gates, The Walton Family, Michael and Susan Dell, Paul Allen, Countess Henrietta de Hoernle. Huh? Actually, these people have more in common than being very generous philanthropists: They focus their altruis- tic works on health (Gates Foundation, the Dells) and the arts and culture (the Walton family, Paul Allen). But only Palm Beach’s own Countess de Hoernle covers all of those bases and more. “The sick, the poor, education, and the arts,” she said recently when asked to name her charitable priorities in order. She further explained that since it would not be possible to enjoy the arts or cul- ture without one’s health, that seemed to be the most practical place to start! The Countess herself was inspired when she was visiting an ailing relative in the hospital. She noticed the name plates on various wings and wondered who those very important people were. Knowing that, it should be no surprise that her first donation was the East Wing of Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, New York. Later, when she and her late hus- band relocated to Boca Raton, their first charitable act was a sizable donation to the Boca Raton Community Hospital. As for the arts, she has funded many scholarships to music students. The first recipient was a talented and gifted young man named Gene Boucher, who now enjoys a career with the Metropolitan Opera Company, much to the delight and satisfaction of the Countess. She has helped to construct major projects in the Palm Beach County area, including the Mizner Amphitheater and the new Caldwell Theater. When asked how she decides where she will contrib- ute, the Countess says she starts at the source: What is their mission? Are they having an impact on the community? And does it make sense? Secondly, she evaluates the organization from indepen- dent sources—just the facts, no nonsense. The Countess has served on 16 boards of directors a year, and more than 30 over the years, ranging from the American Red Cross to the YMCA. She estimates that she has gifted up to $40 million to various charitable causes over the years. The issue that has her attention of late is the plight of our homeless veterans and their inability to receive benefits simply because they do not have a permanent address. “There is no excuse for this to happen, and something needs to be done for these brave men and women!” she says firmly. She also believes all seniors should be safe and recently spearheaded a drive for a hurricane haven at her home in St. Andrews Estates South, the local ACTS Retirement-Life resort where she has lived for the past 26 years. “I love ACTS. Everything is done for me here, so I have all the time in the world to do what I want … and this is to give.” Recently, I had the good fortune to create the hair for the Countess for a photographic shoot, with Glenn Heino taking the photos for her new portrait. I was not prepared for what I was to encounter. I have worked at Harrods’ Beauty Salon in London and on vari- ous assignments for Vogue around the globe. I have worked with many famous personalities, including Sharon Tate, Julie Christie, Faye Dunaway, Glenda Jackson, and models Jean Shrimpton, Twiggy, Kate Moss, and many others. But Countess Henrietta de Hoernle is by far the most dynamic, gentle, but strong woman I have ever met. I was amazed by her incredible vital- ity, generosity, warmth, and modern approach to life. Her spirit and attitude are contagious. She makes an incredible impact on one. She has wisdom, humor, charm, and is a great conversationalist, be it about business or her pet subject—giving her money away. She labors until 1:30 in the morning working on her business, sum- marizing the day’s telephone calls and mail. She explains that, for her, things are getting busier rather than easing off. After we finished the Countess’s photo shoot, I continued to contem- plate my impressions of my encounter with the Countess: Her mind is active, she does not carry baggage, and has no secretary to take notes or direct her day’s work. She chooses not to use modern- day technology such as computers and the Internet. She brings only her pen and notebook. When she has finished her meeting, she gets on her dune buggy and drives off to the next meeting as quickly as she arrived at this one. She is busy every day and has so many commitments to keep up with. When I asked her what “The Next Big Project” might be, she ex- plained that she is so booked at this mo- ment that she is not taking on any more projects, at least for the time being. When you ask about her yesterdays, she will give you a history lesson; and when you talk about the current time, she will discuss without any hesitation her plans for the future. She plans weeks, months, and years ahead. Her time and money investments are in her charities. She states that she plans to be around for a long time. I hope so. The Countess was born in Karlsruhe, in the Black Forest in Germany in 1912, and has resided in the United States since 1931. She has two daughters, Diana Burgess and Carolina Wagman, and has been living in Boca Raton, Florida, since 1981. Her late husband, Adolph Count de Hoernle, was the owner of Stewart Stamping Corp. in Yonkers, New York. He sold the business and retired in 1965, and he and the Countess spent 40 years traveling the world before they decided to settle down in sunny South Florida. In addition to her title of Countess, she has seven Dame titles: Dame de Grande Croix de Justice: Order Militaire et Hospitalier de Notre Dame du Mont Carmel; Dame of the Noble Companion of the Swan; Dame of the Knightly Association of St. George the Martyr; Dame of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem; Dame of the Most Venerable and Holy Orthodox Order of Saint Basil the Great; Dame Commander of Justice of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Holder of the Grand Cross; Dame Commander of Justice, Ambassador at Large, Order of St. John or Jerusalem, Knights of Malta. Her awards, plaques, shields, and photographs are currently on permanent display at the Spanish River Library in Boca Raton. “Rita’s spirit and energy are amaz- ing,” says the Countess’s friend and local broadcaster Dick Robinson. “We should all hope to be half as effective at any age as she is right now.” The Countess attributes her vitality to a daily vitamin regimen. It seems to be working as this tireless woman has been able to help construct over 32 public buildings and received honors from President George Bush and Governor Charlie Crist on the occasion of her 95th birthday. The Countess’s motto is “Give while you live, and know where it goes,” and she is fully involved with the charities that she donates to. She is not a check- book philanthropist but rather an inter- ested, get-her-hands-into-it humanitar- ian who wants to see real results. She is someone who has made a real difference in the places that she has chosen to call home. Lucky Florida! Harold Leighton now lives and writes in Boca Raton, Florida. COUNTESS DE HOERNLE: Her motto: “Give while you live.” PHOTOGRAPHER GLENN HEINO . ASSISTED BY - JOE PIZZARELLO. AUTHOR, ART DIRECTOR, HAIRDRESSER - HAROLD LEIGHTON. MAKEUP ARTIST - GEORGIO FERNANDEZ, MAKEUP BY GEORGIO. STYLIST - ALL CLOTHING SELECTED AND STYLED BY MAXINE LEIGHTON. EDITOR - SHERRI HEINO The Epoch Times B7
