Twenty Five Years Ago Today

25 Years Ago Today April 29th: The Death of Sir Alfred Hitchcock.


Quoting The Hollywood Reporter, an article in Movieweb.com, dated Tuesday 26th April 2005, announces that Universal are to remake Hitchcock's 'The Birds' and that Warner's are to mount a new version of 'Strangers on a Train'. One can only ask: why?

Sir John Mills

Habemus Papam

Pope Benedict XVI

This weeks listening,reading and viewing

• String Quartets of Villa Lobos played by the Quartettoamericano.
• Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
• The Time of Your Life starring James Cagney
  

Melinda and Melinda

Melinda and Melinda

'Life can be a comedy or a tragedy, it all depends on how you look at it.'

According to many, Woody Allen is back on form with his latest film. Personally I never thought that he lost it; I can find something to like in any of his films.
In this new film Allen places his characters in New York and like a juggler manages to manipulate two (or three if you want to count the tellers) stories exploring the themes of tragedy and comedy. Aided by a great cast and beautiful photography, Allen kept this viewer chuckling and smiling for ninety minutes. More like this please soon!

In the DVD player this week.

• The Three Sisters with Alan Bates and directed by Lawrence Olivier.
• Three Days of the Condor starring Robert Redford and directed by Sydney Pollack.

Reading this week.

• Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
• The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting by Mark Cotta Vaz and Craig Barron.

In the CD player this Week.

• Rachmaninov's piano concertos 1 and 3 played by Nicolas Lugansky. Sakari Oramo conducts the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
• An SACD of Earl Wild and the Boston Pops orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler in a programme of music by George Gershwin.
• Edward Elgar Piano Concerto (Realised for performance by Robert Walker) played by David Owen Norris. The BBC Concert Orchestra is conducted by David Lloyd-Jones.

Pope John Paul enters St Peters where he will be laid to rest.

Downfall (Der Untergang)

Downfall

A search on imdb reveals well over one hundred films have been made about Adolf Hitler; most coming out of the USA, and with a few honourable exceptions all mainly forgettable.

That 'Downfall' was made in Germany is perhaps the primary reason why most people will see it. After all, sixty years after the death of Hitler, one surmises, will provide an opportunity for Germans to put this man and their country’s Nazi past in perspective.

The film details the last few days in Hitler’s famous Berlin bunker as based on the memoirs of his personal secretary Traudl Junge, whose voice opens the movie and whose image closes it.

What we see is a sick, deluded and embittered Hitler surrounded by sycophants and fearsome fanatics, desperately planning strategies to combat an advancing Russian army, who are but a few kilometres from Berlin itself.

The film looks and sounds authentic both in the bunker itself and in the streets of Berlin. But all that comes to nothing if the script and performances do not have the necessary veracity. Fortunately this is the greatest strength of the film, indeed at times one has to remind oneself that one is watching actors, such is the cast’s conviction. This is especially so with the performance of Bruno Ganz, whose portrayal of Hitler is so compelling in his ability to capture not only the intrinsic evil of the man but also his ordinariness. This latter characteristic makes his portrayal all the more chilling.

Watching the movie one is never aware of its length: 156 mins. Such is its power one is gripped from beginning to end. It’s a powerful film and deserves success.

The Funeral of Pope John Paul

Crowds attend the Requiem mass in St Peter's for Pope John Paul

Requiem Mass for Pope John Paul

Another Beecham Quip

Beecham called for an 'A' from the principal oboist. This player had a wide vibrato. Sir Thomas, looking round at the orchestra said, "Gentlemen, take your pick."

Sir Thomas Beecham

Sir Thomas Beecham

Once, when Sir Thomas Beecham was rehearsing an orchestra, not his own, the trombones came in very loudly. He stopped and said, “Trombones, would you please give us forte.”
They played even louder, and he stopped again with, “No, I’m asking for it to be played forte.”They nearly burst themselves next time, but Beecham stopped again. “I wanted forte,” he said mildly. “You have been playing consistently double forte.”

Nunc Dimittis

Lord, Now lettes Thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou has prepared before the face of all people,To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Pope John Paul II

+ Requiescat in pace +

Thought for the day.

The most important thing in acting is honesty. Once you've learned to fake that, you're in. (Marlon Brando)

Rhinoceros

Gene Wilder

"Rhinoceros" belongs to the 'Theater of the Absurd' movement, which was fashionable during the 1950s and 60s. Eugene Ionescu, the author, was one of the key proponents of this kind of play and, it has to be said, is not to everybody's liking. To my mind, if an absurdist play is to succeed, it has to be done by a fine ensemble of actors. This film of the play has such a cast. For the main roles,the producer Ely Landauer and director Tom O'Horgan managed to get together again Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, who made such a hit in Mel Brook's "The Producers". Wilder has the largest part in the film and he is extremely good, but the movie really belongs to Zero Mostel whose performance is unforgetable: surely a benchmark performance ?