On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
August 16, 2014
08-15-14 Cast member Gia Crovatin at a Meet & Greet for "The Money
Box" at Second Stage Theatre. 305 West 43rd St. Thursday morning.
08-14-14
I attended another
Mostly Mozart
concert on
August 9. Osmo
Vanska conducted
the orchestra, which
began with a rousing Symphony
No. 1 in D major
("Classical"),
by Prokofiev.
It is short (15
minutes) and sweet.
I had never heard Concerto
No. 1 for piano,
trumpet, and strings
in C minor, by Shostakovich,
and I was duly
impressed by the
young, Chinese piano
soloist Yuja
Wang. Her
excessively, rapid
playing of the first
and fourth movements
was, in a word,
astonishing. The
tumultuous ovation
she received at the
work's conclusion
was well deserved. Philip
Cobb was
the trumpet soloist,
and gave an
excellent
performance. The
program concluded
with Symphony
No. 8 in F major,
by Beethoven.
It is a delightful,
pleasant work,
composed when the
composer experienced
a rare, happy time
in his life. It was
a perfect ending to
a fascinating
concert.
Mostly Mozart
reached its high
point on August 13,
when Gianandrea
Noseda conducted
an all-Beethoven concert.
It began with the Overture
to The Consecration
of the House.
After a pause, we
heard a thrilling
rendition of the Symphony
No. 9 in D minor,
with four superb
soloists Erika
Grimaldi, Anna Maria
Chiuri, Russell
Thomas and Ildar
Abdrazakov, plus
the Concert
Chorale of New York,
under the direction
of James
Bagwell. The
fourth movement's
Final Chorus from Friedrich
Schiller's Ode
to Joy never
sounded more joyish.
It was a powerful
performance, and the
audience granted the
performers a
standing ovation.
A Meet and Greet was
held for the cast
and creative team of The
Money Box, by Neil
LaBute. I told Terry
Kinney, I am
willing to
understudy cast
member Frederick
Weller (without
pay). Why should he
be allowed to work
with three gorgeous
actresses, Heather
Graham, Callie
Thorne and Gia
Crovatin alone?
He needs my support.
I eagerly await
opening night.
Film Society of
Lincoln Center
presented This
is Softcore: The Art
Cinema Erotica of
Radley Metzger
August 7-13. Therese
and Isabelle,
France/USA/Netherlands,
1968, takes place in
a girl's boarding
school, where
Therese (Essy
Persson), a sad,
unhappy girl,
arrives when her
mother remarries.
She meets Isabelle (Anna
Gael), a free
spirited girl, and
they become close
friends. This
develops into a
lesbian
relationship. It is
a discreet film as
far as the sex is
concerned, with
modest shots of
nudity. Although the
film is slow moving,
it casts a
sympathetic eye on
their affection for
one another.
Camille 2000,
Italy/USA, 1969, is
an updated version
of The
Lady of the
Camellias, by Alexandre
Dumas. Daniele
Gaubert plays
the tragic heroine
of the title. She is
beautiful, and a
pleasure to watch
with or without
clothes. Handsome Nino
Castelnuovo is
her young lover. It
is a joy to see a
gorgeous pair of
actors on screen, in
elegant clothes
(when dressed). When
undressed, their
bodies are a
delight. Everything
about the film, is
in good taste. The
nudity is
beautifully
photographed, not
prurient. The party
scenes and orgies
are also tastefully
presented, and I
have never seen so
many attractive and
good-looking actors
in those scenes.
The Lickerish
Quartet,
Italy/USA/West
Germany, 1970, is
abut a couple, who
think a girl (Silvana
Venturelli) they
see perform in a
carnival is a porn
star in one of their
adult movie
collection. They
invite her to their
castle, where they
are staying, and she
proceeds to seduce
the two of them plus
their son.
Venturelli is quite
beautiful and sexy,
so it would seem
quite possible for
all of them to be
attracted to her.
The three films that
I saw by Metzger
were popular in a
time when softcore
erotic films were a
rarity.
.
.
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Film Society of Lincoln Center is presenting Red
Hollywood and the Blacklist August 15-21. Zulu,
by Cy
Endfield, UK, 1964, is wonderful film about
the Zulu warriors fighting the British in South
Africa, The photography is amazing, and the cast
is excellent, with Michael
Cainemaking his film debut. Veteran film
actors, Stanley
Baker and
Jack Hawkins are
superb. 4,000 Zulus against 100 British soldiers
ended when the Zulus retired from the battle
after recognizing the heroic defense of the
British.
MoMA is presenting The
Great War: A Cinematic Legacy from August
4-September 21. Friendly
Enemies, by Allan
Dwan, USA, 1942, is about two German
immigrants (Charles
Winninger and Charles
Ruggles), who become successful
businessmen in the United States, and face
conflicting loyalties to their mother
country during World War I. Based on a very
popular play produced during World War I,
the film features two excellent actors, who
argue their political positions throughout
the film, which provided sentimental
propaganda during World War II. It ends on a
high note, as the supporter of Germany is
converted to becoming a patriotic American.
It is an uplifting film at a perilous time
for the United States in both World Wars.
Chances,
by Allan
Dwan, USA, 1931, is a romantic film
about two brothers in England, in love with
the same girl during World War I. When sent
to the trenches, we await who will win the
lady, as one of the brothers is doomed. Douglas
Fairbanks, Jr, is
the star of this wonderful film, which
features many powerful battle scenes of this
horrendous war. The acting, by the entire,
cast is first rate, the dialogue is
intelligent and witty, and the expert
direction make this one of the best films
about the first World War.
Journey's
End, by James
Whale, Great Britain, 1930, was shown in
a shortened version (65 minutes). It
maintained the essential story about life in
the trenches during World War 1. Based on a
play of the same title it was a success both
on stage and on film. The acting was
excellent, and the psychological problems
affecting the British officers were easy to
understand. Trench warfare was a horror and
it destroyed a generation of Englishmen.
Tell England
(The Battle of Gallipoli), by Anthony
Asquith and Geoffrey
Barkas, Great Britain, 1931, is another
film about The Great War, which proves war
is hell, and does not achieve anything but
death and misery. Two brothers, enjoying
life in the British countryside, are
inducted into the army and sent to the
disastrous invasion of Gallipoli, which was
one of England's worst defeats. One dies and
the other lives, and nothing has been gained
for the future of mankind.
MoMA presented A
Fuller Life August 6-16. The
Big Red One: The Reconstruction, by Samuel
Fuller, USA,
2004, is the original film (1980) with many
scenes, which were cut, restored. A sergeant
(Lee
Marvin) leads a six man squad of young
infantrymen through World War II, beginning
with the invasion of North Africa. It
continues to Sicily, Normandy, Belgium,
Germany and finally a concentration camp in
Czechoslovakia. It is a relentless look at
what American soldiers experienced in
wartime. All the cast is fine, especially
Marvin. The battle scenes are realistic, and
the film leaves a deep impression. It is a
splendid film.
House of
Bamboo, by Samuel Fuller, USA, 1955, is
an interesting gangster film, taking place
in Japan, which gives it an exotic charm.
That plus beautiful photography of Tokyo and
the Japanese countryside makes it a visual
delight. Robert
Stack infiltrates
the gang, led by Robert
Ryan, and action and adventures follow.
A love interest with Shirley
Yamaguchi as
a "kimono" girl adds to the delightful
conclusion. It is a very entertaining film,
and all the actors give fine performances.
Film Forum is
presenting a 50th Anniversary restoration of That
Man From Rio, by Philippe
de Broca, France, 1964, August 22-28. I
attended a press screening. It is considered
the film the made Jean-Paul
Belmondo famous.
He plays a soldier on leave in Paris, whose
sweetheart (Francoise
Dorleac) is kidnapped, and flown to
Brazil. He pursues the kidnappers to rescue
his girlfriend. Thus begins a thrilling
chase through Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and
the Amazon Jungle. It is beautifully
photographed, and Belmondo has an extremely
likable personality. Most viewer will enjoy
this highly entertaining film.
08-15-14 Cast member Heather Graham at a
Meet & Greet for "The Money Box" at Second Stage Theatre. 305 West 43rd St.
Thursday morning.
08-14-14
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