I shall not be going to see “Melania,” the American documentary film co-produced and directed by Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour 1, 2, and 3” “X-Men, The Last Stand,” et al).
It features a behind-the-scenes look at First Lady Melania Trump in the twenty days leading up to her husband Donald Trump‘s second presidential inauguration.
“Melania” will celebrate its worldwide opening on January 30.
I won’t be going because the French have decided to not show the film in France. French officials claim it’s because Amazon – which produced the film – did not spend the 40 million dollars supposedly needed to properly diffuse the film for exhibition in French cinemas.
That’s a lame excuse, as anyone who lives in France – as I do – knows. It is also sour grapes, and we know how fervently the French spit out sour grapes.
TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is such a virulent disease here in France that anyone associated with the Trumps or who voted for him is, in addition to being canceled, also ostracized. Perhaps, that will change in the next few weeks after President Trump’s triumphant appearance (arriving on a red carpet, carefully laid out over packed snow) at Davos, backed by NATO President Mark Rutte. Not only did the Davos duo provide a united front on Greenland as an essential strategic place for Trump’s Golden Dome designed to protect all NATO nations against aggressors, but the two leaders made Macron and some other European leaders look like ungrateful ninnies.
But I’ll leave this past week’s politics to others. I’m writing about how Melania Trump, by just being her elegant self, conveys an intelligent, authentic, international force behind the powerful man in The White House, a woman of substance, as well as style with a generous stroke of magic.
I’ve written before about Melania---when she was First Lady for the first time---about her style and magic; often about her hats, be it baseball or wide brim. During the French First Couple’s visit to The White House in April 2018, Melania’s white hat stood out over Brigitte Macron‘s hatless, stylish, Parisian hairdo. The sloppy left-wing press’s only comment was that the American First Lady was overdressed for the occasion. Was it Melania’s hat? Or just that the French had to find something negative to say about America’s statuesque First Lady?
During Trump’s first term, the European press had a field day criticizing Melania’s safari outfit in Egypt (she looked fabulous, pith helmet and all) and at every chance ripped apart her innate elegance. They couldn’t bring themselves to admit that Melania was our chicest First Lady since Jackie Kennedy and that Melania can converse in six different languages (Jackie, who also loved hats, only spoke three but the European press spilled a lot of ink over that accomplishment).
Melania literally turned her back on the press, domestic and international, as she boarded a plane in October 2018 in a $39 jacket that read on its back, “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO YOU?” after having visited a migrant children’s shelter. Melania explained in an interview that the message was for the left-wing press, to tell them she didn’t care what they said about her wardrobe; it was the unfortunate children in the shelter that mattered: substance over style.
During Trump’s second term in The White House, Melania’s magic has been on display for the world to see during this past fall season. First, she took to the White House podium to tell us that she had been talking to Putin to arrange for the thousands of Ukrainian children (many orphans) kidnapped by Russians, to be repatriated.
Last May, Melania worked her magic by becoming the first American First Lady to sign a congressional bill (the “Take It Down Act”) banning creation and sharing of AI-generated pornography (”revenge porn”) content that uses real people’s faces without their consent. Her campaign received strong bi-partisan support in the House with a 409-2 vote. The Senate approved the bill unanimously. I wonder how many child suicides her prescient stance has prevented.
Sean Hannity on FOX lauded Melania’s understated effectiveness and “her quiet dignity.” Melania’s acceptance speech celebrated, “courageous Americans who think differently and that innovative thinking is the heartbeat of our civilization.” I could almost hear the gnashing of left-wing teeth (they are still gnashing) at the truth about American exceptionalism and that the First Lady is, indeed, married to a man who does think differently, and with great success. Think Abraham Accords, Midnight Hammer, Operation Absolute Resolve, a possible Golden Dome over Greenland and Trump’s Board of Peace.
Not to be forgotten is Melania’s magical “Peace Letter” that she asked her husband to give to the Russian President in Anchorage. Most of the world probably missed the simple gesture. But the letter worked. The Russian leader not only answered our First Lady’s handwritten plea on behalf of tortured children. (Yes, these Ukrainian children had been tortured simply by being taken from their families; some have been raped, some sold as sex slaves, some so indoctrinated that they believe they are Russian), and now, thanks to Melania, some have begun to return to Ukraine.
The President did mention that the First Lady had urged him to tone down his criticism of the Biden years, which only emphasized that pillow talk is prevalent between The First Couple and that, even though he may listen to Melania, he is still the President.
I won’t be able to see “Melania,” but I have caught snippets on YouTube. And, from the little I saw, I give a hearty “Chapeau” (Hats off!) to the film, and to our First Lady’s innate style and intelligence.
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As of press time, “Melania” will open on January 30th at only one location in Santa Barbara County:
Regal Edwards Santa Maria & RPX: 11:50am, 2:35pm, 5:20pm 8:05pm 10:50pm
Community Calendar:
Got a Santa Barbara event for our community calendar? Fenkner@sbcurrent.com
Bring Melanie to Santa Barbara theaters. It’s time everyone learned the definition of a woman!
Totally outrageous but predictable that there would not be a Santa Barbara Theatre premiering the movie. Even though we’re having the Santa Barbara film festival beginning a week later. They canceled culture lunatics are alive and well in Santa Barbara.