We attended a lovely press conference
and champagne reception for Alice150 at
the New York Institute of Technology.
The various speakers mentioned all the
multitude of events being offered around
New York City to celebrate the occasion
of the 150th anniversary of the
publication of Alice
in Wonderland. There
are exhibitions at the Morgan Library &
Museum, Columbia University, Grolier
Club,The New York Public Library for the
Performing Arts, New York University,
and at many other venues. There will be
conferences, panels, films and stage
productions. Also, new editions of the
book will be published. It will be a
glorious event celebrating one of the
most popular books ever written.
We visited the exhibition Alice
in the World of Wonderlands: The
Translations of Lewis Carroll's
Masterpiece, curated by Jon
A. Lindseth, at the Grolier Club, 47
East 60th St. It is a fascinating look
at all the editions in many languages
from around the world. Lindseth
explained to us the wonderful history of
the book. Fans of Alice should
definitely visit the club. It will be a
rewarding experience.
Book lovers should read Centerfolds,
by Charlotte
Kemp, who was Playboy's
Miss December 1982. It is the the
stories of the gorgeous ladies who posed
for the centerfolds of Playboy magazine.
A book party was held at the pool and
then in the penthouse of Dream Hotel,
16th St & 9th Ave. Centerfold Cindy
Guyer was
present to greet the guests. You can see
all of her on page 158! It was a
delightful event.
There was an unveiling of a portrait of
three cast members, John
Cariani, Brian D'Arcy James and Christian
Borle, from the Broadway musical Something Rotten! at
Tony's de Napoli, 147 West 43rd St. for
their Wall of Fame. The entire cast
arrived after their Thursday night's
performance to enjoy a delicious buffet
and fine wine and cocktails. It is
always a wonderful event, hosted by Valerie
Smaldone and
the restaurant manager Bruce
Dimpflmaier.
On Broadway, there was a photo op for Sylvia,
by A.
R. Gurney, directed by Daniel
Sullivan, at the Ballet Hispanico
Studios. It stars Matthew
Broderick, Julie White and Annaleigh
Ashford. It opens on October 27 at
the Cort Theatre, and I eagerly await
the opening night.
Off-Broadway, there was a photo op for MotherStruck,
starring Staceyann
Chin, directed by Cynthia
Nixon, at the Lynn Redgrave Theater
at Culture Project. It opens on October
7, and I eagerly await the opening
night.
The 53rd New York Film Festival
September 25-October 14 began
its press screenings with Journey
to the Shore, by Kiyoshi
Kurosawa, Japan/France, 2015. The
title says it all. It is a fantasy about
a widow (Eri
Fakatsu), whose dead husband (Tadanobu
Asano) returns to take her on a road
trip. They visit old friends and meet
new people, some dead and some alive. It
is as slow moving film, beautifully
photographed, very poetic, and quite
dull. It means to portray existence on
earth and in the other world. The viewer
must decide if it is successful.
Arabian Nights: Volume 1, The
Restless One, by Miguel
Gomes,
Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland,
2015, is supposedly based on the famous
book, in which Scheherazade tells
a story each night to entertain a king,
who plans to kill her when she finishes
her stories. In his updated version, the
director makes a political film about
the austerity suffered by Portugal
today. Characters, most of whom are
unattractive to look at, talk about
unemployment, the difficult economic
conditions in the country, a local
election, and ridiculous scenes with a
whale and a cockerel. The title is a
misrepresentation of a disjointed film,
which is excruciating to watch.
Arabian Nights: Volume II, The
Desolate One is
slightly better than Volume I. There are
basically three stories. The first is
about an elderly murderer, who has
escaped capture for many years, and has
become a local hero to the villagers.
The second is an open air trial with a
female judge, passing sentence on many
stupid villagers. The third is about an
adorable Maltese dog named Dixie, who is
passed around from owner to owner in a
housing project, filled with poor
people. The dog is the most attractive
actor in the two films.
Arabian Nights: Volume III, The
Enchanted One is
the final film of this boring six hour
film. We see Scherherazde in the first
section. She is beautiful and nude in
the water. It is the highlight of the
three films. It then goes to show us
bird trappers, who hold a birdsong
competition for their finches. Bird
lovers may enjoy this overlong sequence.
There is a voiceover by a Chinese
tourist as she overstays her welcome in
Portugal, while we watch scenes of
police and security guards
demonstrating. It contributes nothing to
the film. Throughout the three films, we
are forced to listen to the song Perdida,
in different versions at an extremely
high volume, which is unpleasant on
one's hearing. Also, one has to read
subtitles constantly, some of which are
repeated over and over. It is
annoying.The filmmaker has a political
agenda attacking the present government.
He does it badly.
Les Cowboys, by Thomas
Bidegain,France, 2015, is about a
group of French people, who are country
and Western enthusiasts, dressing in
cowboy outfits, riding horses and
singing country music. At a gathering,
the daughter of the father (Francois
Damiens), an unlikable man with a
violent, explosive temper, disappears
with her Muslim boyfriend. Thus begins
his obsessive search for her, continued
after his death by his son. It jumps all
over the map for many years, trying to
find her in other parts of France,
Belgium and the Middle East. Meanwhile,
we see the attack on the Twin Towers in
New York on a television set, and
mention is made of the terrorist attacks
in Madrid and London. There is so much
covered in this film, that it loses its
focus, and many scenes are just
unbelievable. The photography is
excellent.
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De Palma, by Noah
Baumbach & Jake
Paltrow, USA, 2015, is an excellent
documentary, which has the virtue of the great
filmmaker talking about himself, without any
comments by talking heads. He is witty, honest
and delightful company. We see clips from many
of his films, and he tells hilarious anecdotes
to accompany them. You realize that you are
hearing the history of films from 1960 to the
present day. Film lovers must see this splendid
documentary about a brilliant director.
Cemetery of Splendor, by Apichatpong
Weerasthakul,
Thailand/UK/France/Germany/Malaysia, 2015, is
beautifully photographed, and is a film, which
moves slowly, but creates a remarkable
atmosphere. A small hospital ward is filled with
comatose soldiers. A volunteer (Jenjira
Pongpas Widner) attends to them, and a
psychic (Jarinpattra
Rueangram) tries to interpret their dreams.
The two actresses give wonderful performances,
and we allow ourselves to be transported to a
dream like film, which tries to explain the Thai
culture.
MoMA presented Hasse
Ekman: The Other Swede in the Room September
9-18. Banketten (The
Banquet), by Hasse
Ekman, Sweden, 1948, is about a wealthy
banker, who is to be honored on his 60th
birthday. He has three children, who have
disappointed him. One son is rude and worthless.
Another has communist ideals, and his daughter (Eva
Henning) is a spoilt mental case, married to
a sadistic husband (Hasse
Ekman). A tragedy occurs on the festive
occasion of the banker's birthday. It is a
fascinating, well acted film, written by the
director
Vandring med manen (Wandering
with the Moon), Sweden, 1945, is about a
frustrated 19-year-old young man (Alf
Kjellin), who leaves home to discover
himself. He meets a beautiful 17-year-old
young actress (Eva Henning), and they travel
together, encountering many strange and
eccentric people. They have lots of
adventures, some happy and some dangerous,
as they enjoy their youth and love. The two
youths are attractive, and good company for
the audience. It is a pleasant tale with a
happy ending.
Forsta divisionen (The
First Division), Sweden, 1941, takes
place on an air force base, where pilots
practice dive bombing and other exercises.
In doing so, they are always at risk for
their lives, to the despair of their
girlfriends and family. The aerial
photography is excellent, and the acting is
first rate. One feels admiration for the
brave airmen. It is another fine film by a
wonderful director.
Med Glorian pa sned (The
Halo Is Slipping), Sweden, 1957, is the
only color film in the series, and is a
delightful comedy. A secretary (Sickan
Carlsson) in a publishing house writes
an anonymous novel. It becomes a hit. The
publisher (Hasse Ekman) wants to track down
the author, and asks his secretary to join
him in the search. Meanwhile she has an
unfaithful husband, whose paramour pretends
that she has written the successful novel.
That tale, plus four funny dreams of the
secretary, makes for an amusing film.
Ombyte av tag (Changing
Trains), Sweden, 1943, is a sentimental
tale about two young lovers (Sonja
Wigert and
Hasse Ekman). The woman wants to be an
actress, and goes to Stockholm, where she
becomes involved with the leading man of a
theater company. Five years later, she is
unsuccessful in her career, and accidentally
meets her former lover in a train station as
she is returning home. They spend the night
together, swear eternal love, but she is
doomed with a fatal illness. The acting is
quite good and the screenplay holds the
viewer's attention.
Gabrielle, Sweden, 1954, is about a
married diplomat being posted to Paris,
while his wife (Eva Henning) stays in
Sweden. His imagination of her being
unfaithful leads to the breakup of their
marriage. We see various scenes where he
imagines she is back with a previous lover (Hasse
Ekman), and violent scenes where she tries
to drown him. Actually, Ekman and Henning
were married, and their married life ended
when he was in Paris. Art imitates life. It
is a very good film.
Flicka och hyacinter (Girl
with Hyacinths), Sweden, 1950, is
superb. A young woman (Eva Henning) commis
suicide, leaving her possessions to her
neighbors, a couple she hardly knows. The
husband is determined to find out why, and
visits every person with whom she had
contact. It has a very surprising ending.
Ekman considered this his finest film, and
he is correct. The acting is splendid and
the story is riveting. Ekman is a
magnificent director and screen writer (also
a fine actor), and is the equal to Ingmar
Bergman. Thank the MoMA for recognizing
a genius with this excellent film series.
The MidManhattan Library, 455 Fifth Avenue,
is presenting three films, starring Irene
Dunne on
three successive Sundays. We saw a screening
of Roberta,
by William
A. Seiter, USA, 1935, a charming
musical, based on the Broadway show, about a
football player (Randolph
Scott), who inherits a Paris fashion
house, with Irene Dunne
as his partner. Fred
Astaire and Ginger
Rogers are
their very funny co-stars, and they dance
and sing together marvelously. The film is
full of magnificent songs by Jerome
Kern. Eighty
years ago, Hollywood knew how to make
wonderful musicals.
A personal note. My Manchester cousins, Michael and Alison
Reuben, visited New York for the first time
on Thursday. September 3. My niece, Susan
Moricca, and I met them for cocktails at the
Citizen Hotel on West 50th St, joined them for
dinner at the Thalia restaurant, 828 Eighth
Avenue, and
my wife, Xiuli, joined
us afterwards to stroll down Eighth Avenue to
show them the sights. Alison was a former
Bluebell dancer in Paris, a group of English
girls, who performed at the Lido, in a Folies
Bergere type show. We had a wonderful time
together. It was a trip down memory lane.
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