I saw the exhibit in Paris after a long wait : a line of an hour and a half, outside, fortunately the weather was perfect. Most of the people in the line appeared to be French, and of a certain age, and very well-dressed and well-mannered, almost as if Princess Grace continued to serve as a model of behavior and style. The exhibit is widely advertised in Paris and since it is centrally located, close to other touristic destinations, it is a breeze getting there.
I wasn't sure what to expect but once inside it is like entering another world, more gentle and genteel than the present one. It is so full of reminiscences, starting with the Kelly family, with snippets of home movies, exhibits and clips of movies of her Hollywood days, the engagement, the arrival in Monaco, the wedding, her first years as a young mother, the balls... The organizers did a splendid job surrounding you with the period atmosphere (posters, magazine covers, life-size photographs, her clothes, letters, etc), so as you move from section to section, you enter a different world each time and really don't want to leave (hence the queue...). People linger as they watch the segments of movies again and again.
The home movies are very moving, as everybody (except professional Grace) does what people used to do back then when they were filmed: they face the camera head on with a big grin, wave, and then usually run away with a big show of action and movement. Or else, they are told to do something, such as suddenly appear at a door, window, go from a sitting position to a standing position, etc... It is all very fake and perfectly adorable.
Prince Rainier is obviously shy and ill at ease (but quite handsome and debonnair-looking) and it is touching seeing how Grace tries to make him feel comfortable with her family, holding his arm, sitting very close to him, looking at him tenderly, feminine and almost motherly at the same time. Her smile is brilliant and the whole Kelly family, when Grace was a kid and teenager, is unbelievably gorgeous and athletic and wholesome, it's almost unreal. The men look strong and used to wielding authority but the women are no wimps either. Everybody seems to have a strong character, the family dynamics must have been interesting.
Grace, as a princess, and excuse what seems to be a pun, has a grace and elegance that I haven't seen anywhere else. She always moves with poise, ease, and fluidity, and it must have been a comfort to others to have such a presence around them, with a calming effect, as if there was no reason to feel nervous and anxious about anything.
Her sense of fun or humor or love of whimsicality is also obvious in the ball film segments, her smile is different. It is almost as if this was her private fun even though it is in such a public event, but paradoxically, that's where you catch the best glimpse of her inner life: I guess because at last in the costume balls she could revert to being an actress, as in a film, or period film, it wasn't just official business.
Then there are the clips with her children in childhood and adolescence, for instance all of them peeling potatoes on the yacht. In all the clippings, the family seems so close together, you get a sense of genuine enjoyment in being together, and also it's so unpretentious, cozy. They look like any family on vacation having a good time together, except they are all better-looking than the average family, but they certainly don't look or act like billionaires.
The letters are very moving, but mostly it was the Polaroid type pictures that I had never seen before that I found interesting: that part though makes you feel a bit voyeuristic, because they are obviously private family pictures put on display for complete strangers.
The dresses, and especially the suit Grace wore for the civil wedding ceremony, are gorgeous, although the ball gowns are not as grandiose as they appear in pictures.
Going to the exhibit is kind of like going to see a movie, you are transported into another world and it takes you a while, once outside, to readjust to reality (although Paris was beautiful on that gorgeous day, but I am talking about time, not space.)
I wish there had been more mementoes, souvenirs you could buy in the gift shop, which had very little to offer.(I guess it's just as well for my vacation budget, but as a way to contribute to a charity, it would be very profitable for Monaco, for I am sure everybody is ready to splurge to take a bit of nostalgia away with them. ) I did purchase a Princess Grace DVD which I watched later: a series of clippings, mostly of Grace attending openings of this or that event : it is the most soporific DVD I have ever seen. After finally finishing it on the third try, I felt renewed admiration for what it takes to be a princess and felt lucky I was not one. I am not cut out for that job: so many boring events where you have to be charming to everyone and pretend to be interested in so many things. Grace of course always conducted herself perfectly (so did her children, what discipline and self-control at such an early age, it's amazing), but I felt particularly bad watching the clipping of her visit to Canada where she went on smiling (although she looked more tired than usual) when she was about to have that tragic miscarriage, having carried a dead foetus in her womb for several days.
So, if anybody is going to Paris, or whereever the exhibit is going on next, you must go, even if it's a horrendously long line. Bring a good book or a good friend, and time will fly. For Princess Grace's fans, (or her children), it's a once in a life time experience.
Special thanks to monaco70s, always looking after me, for making sure I wouldn't miss the exhibit !
When the exhibition opened in Monaco last year there was mention that it would travel to Paris & London, so hopefully it will get to the UK eventually! I was lucky to be able to visit it last year & agree it was pretty memorable.
