The wonderful Nora Ephron passed away yesterday at 71. An advocate for women’s rights and a witty and fun filmmaker, she will be very missed.
In a commencement address she delivered in 1996 at Wellesley College, her alma mater, Ms. Ephron recalled that women of her generation weren’t expected to do much of anything. But she wound up having several careers, all of them successfully and many of them simultaneously.
She was a journalist, a blogger, an essayist, a novelist, a playwright, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a movie director — a rarity in a film industry whose directorial ranks were and continue to be dominated by men. Her later box-office success included “You’ve Got Mail” and “Julie & Julia.” By the end of her life, though remaining remarkably youthful looking, she had even become something of a philosopher about age and its indignities.
How can you not love a lady who writes this?
Ms. Ephron’s collection “I Remember Nothing” concludes with two lists, one of things she says she won’t miss and one of things she will. Among the “won’t miss” items are dry skin, Clarence Thomas, the sound of the vacuum cleaner, and panels on “Women in Film.” The other list, of the things she will miss, begins with “my kids” and “Nick” and ends this way:
“Taking a bath
Coming over the bridge to Manhattan
Pie.”
My favorite movie of all time is When Harry Met Sally…, so I was really bummed to hear about Nora Ephron passing. There’s a great scene in which Jess has bought an ugly wagon wheel coffee table that Marie hates. He asks Harry for an opinion and Harry says “It’s nice.” Marie says “Of course he likes it—he’s a guy,” but later on Harry rails on the ugly coffee table. Jess says “I thought you liked it.” Harry: “I was being nice!!!!”
I love some of her movies and I really enjoyed her book “I Feel Bad About My Neck”. My boyfriend came into the room to inform me of her passing, just a few minutes ago, because he knows I am a fan. I definitely feel sad about this, I feel like 71 is too young.