J S Bach's Two Part Inventioins

My love affair with Bach's music goes back a very long way.  Of course as one marches up the student piano grades, one encounters a lot of music by Bach.  Why play more Bach after all the exams are done?  There is so much Chopin to learn, after all.  I guess it has to do with brain waves, and how the music of Bach resonates in there.  After graduating with a B. Mus way back in '79, one of the first things I did was to sit down at the piano and relearn (or learn for the first time) all of the Bach two-part inventions.  There are fifteen of them, and as the name implies, only two notes are ever played at the same time.  The left and right hands work independently of one another, something that takes years to master.  In advanced theory, one has to compose a two-part invention, a daunting task.  Bach wrote them for two main reasons: finger independence training for students, including his own kids, and as a way of learning how to compose.

One cannot simply put two notes together and assume they will work within the rules of harmony.  Instead, one must think in four part harmony when composing, but only write the two voices that will best express this.  Okay, we know a bit about the two parts, now let's move on to the "invention."  What is an invention for Bach?  It is a musical idea, a single theme.  It may only be a few notes, or it may run on for several measures.  This idea is what the piece is based on, and though the hands work independently, they each get to play the theme at various times and in various guises.  Each of the 15 two part inventions are written with a single idea in mind.  Only one of them has the hands copy each other exactly (called a canon), but at slightly different times.  Youtube can provide a source for hearing the inventions.  #1 is a great place to being, to get the idea of what Bach is doing.  It can be daunting for non keyboard players to get into the music of Bach's keyboard writing, but the first invention will get you started.  #2 is the canon, but all the rest are somewhat similar to #1.  Bach explores all of the "beginner" keys in the inventions, and alternates a major tonality with a minor one.  If you enjoy hearing pieces in a minor key, then listen to the even numbered ones (and #15).

 

My newest piano program is entitled "Exploring Minimalist Compositions."  It opens with two pieces by Bach.  One of them is a two part invention, #8 in f minor.  Virtually any keyboard work by Bach can fit into a definition of minimalism.  He always uses a basic idea, like in the inventions, and uses the rest of the piece to expand upon this idea.  The invention in #8 is a long and flowing one, taking a full four measures to run its course before the left hand gets its turn to state the idea.  But what does the left hand do while the right hand is introducing the theme?  That's a great question!  Essentially it is underscoring and supporting the main idea, by using passages that either strongly resemble what the right hand is doing, or that highlight the idea, giving it depth and  meaning from the get-go.  In the very first invention Bach allows one hand to be silent while the other hand first presents the theme.  But #8 is quite different.  Give it a listen.  All of the inventions are very short.  More about Bach next time.

 

In doctor news, Deb got to see a new specialist yesterday.  We are now faced with the "flowering doctor tree," where one appointment now leads to three others.  Two more next week, one of which is her regular RA infusion.  But next Friday she sees her third kind of specialist related to her breathing issues, readily apparent when she goes uphill.  Previously, her heart got the green light, as did her lungs.  So what is going on?  Stay tuned.

 

It has been dark and gloomy here at the Homestead of late.  No sun in many days now.  We still haven't had a proper frost, though it can't be too long now.  Our main printer/scanner became infected with a disease that seems to preclude any hope of proper alignment.  So a new one was ordered, coming free thanks to all those Visa points we earned on our journey last month.  We still have to set it up.  I put a new colour ink cartridge in the old one, but it will no longer align.  It prints a very strange and somewhat freaky sort of writing and imaging.  I managed to get it aligned once, but once it was turned off and back on again, it was back to its freaky mode.

 

And one of our phones would no longer update.  So we had to buy a new phone, and they are getting rather expensive.  But our systems are now updated, and the new phone works much better than the older one.  It also has a better screen and a better camera.  So there.

 

In film news, we have now completed the 9-part series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot.  This had many moments of total brilliance, including episode 8, which took a very different look at Russia in the 1930s, especially Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky, but also including several other members of the bully brigade.  The point was that historical times cannot simply be understood by focusing on one or two major characters.  Rather, the entire scene must be filled in in order to gather a more faithful understanding.  So no more coffee pot episodes.  Among the best TV we have ever watched.

 

Deb also chose an animated feature called My Life As A Zucchini.  Directed by Claude Barras and from 2016, it is a family friendly stop motion animated film about what happens to a creative little boy after his mother dies accidentally.  It tugs at heartstrings at times, and at others is very funny.  Highly recommended.  From Deb, "the animation is amazing."

 

Leaving Criterion soon. 

 

Earlier I chose a very silly French farce called The Rendez-Vous of Deja-Vu.  From 2013, it is directed by Antonin Peretjatko.  It reminded me of American teenage bikini beach movies from the 60s, the kind with Annette and Frankie.  A group of misfits heads to to the beach, but along the way they become separated, each group undergoing some harrowing and often funny adventures.  Satirizing French politics, society, and relationships, true love (or true determination) win out in the end.  No real reason to watch this, but it was mildly entertaining most of the time, and very funny some of the time.

The film has left Mubi. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

A Warm Autumn

Up until now it has been a very warm autumn.  Our annual indoor fire on Samhain, nearly two weeks ago, had to be limited because it was so warm outside.  We've been unable to have an autumn equinox fire for several years now.  It's finally turning a bit more seasonal, though we have yet to have a frost.  In one sense it's been a beautiful autumn.  But we've often had snow by now.  2024 is supposed to end up being the warmest on record.  For us it's been a pleasant event, so I know that we have been lucky.  No floods, no droughts, no tornadoes here. A calm year.  But it's getting difficult to read the news without hearing about devastating floods.  They are becoming nearly as common as mass shootings.  And then there are the fires, lately in California.  In New Mexico there is virtually nowhere left to hike that hasn't been badly burned either nearby or on-site.  Here is a photo of one of our favourite mountain ranges, the Manzano Mtns in NM, lying south of Albuquerque.  The entire east side, once a dense evergreen forest, is now completely gone.  It is obviously the #1 threat to human life on Earth.  Yet wars go on, oil companies go on, and people who vote rarely consider it a top priority.  It is ignored by half of the world's political parties, many of whom are currently in power.  Of course there is a solution, but who really wants one?  Anyway, we've had a lovely autumn, and I hope you have, too.

 

Once heavily forested, the Manzano Mtns east side is a lesson in devastation. 

 

Piano practice is starting to get me somewhere again, and my regular exercise regime is back full time.  I've been reading a lot, too.  It's back to a mostly indoor life.  Except for astronomy nights, and I had a few classic ones so far this month.  I now have to wait till the moon reaches full and begins to wane before I can head out again.  It's frustrating during harvest time, as the combines have a ridiculous amount of lights on them, and they often work all night.

 

In movie watching news, I begin with the most recent feature.  Reussir Sa Vie (Succeed In Life) is by the same director of last week's Gaz de France.  Benoit Forgeard's 2012 feature was his first, and he used three of his short films, united by some extra footage, to construct it.  Like his other film, this one is quite funny, puzzling, and eminently watchable.  The director stars as a filmmaker trying to complete a film.  He has no budget, no film, and no crew, except a foley artist.  The three short films often feature the same actors, but the last one stars the director.  He purports to be a computer tech helping a young student recover her lost master's thesis.  I will be on the lookout for any other films of his.  These two are showing on Mubi, but leaving this week.

 

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 

I have one more movie pick we will be watching tonight.  Here are Deb's two previous choices.  Firstly, we watched three other episodes of the very fascinating series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot.  Episode 4 was all about Fate; 5 was about Point of View, while the 6th dealt with WWII from a South African black perspective.  This is a series like no other, and William Kentridge achieves a near genius level of television viewing, bringing us not only inside an artist's studio for 9 half hour episodes, but also inside an artist's head.  He is a master at chalk drawings, often on a vast scale.  Anyone vaguely interested in modern art should waste no time trying to see this series.  For now, I believe it is a Mubi exclusive, which is a shame.  But they did fund it, so there.

The Practice is an Argentinian film from 2023, directed by Martin Rejtman.  It takes place in Chile, where a man teaches yoga classes.  He is going through a divorce, and is accident prone.  A young female student latches onto him, but when she is injured in an earthquake, she loses her memory.  It's a deadpan film, though often quite funny.  A slice of weird life from down south, I can recommend this as a film you will likely have never seen the like of.  Certainly worth a look.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

Strange Times

Once again the world has proved that it loves a white male misogynist racist convicted criminal, more than a black female. I mean who wouldn't, right?  Sadly, we live right next door to this insanity.  In fact, I can see it from my picture window.  In all likelihood Canada will go exactly the same way in our upcoming election.  Sometimes the good guys just can't win, especially if you can fool all of the people all of the time.  I don't think the new president elect will have any adverse affect on the climate, even if he scuppers all of the environmental laws he says he will, and drills for even more oil.  The balance has turned long ago.  Besides, why would a 77 year man care what happens to the climate--he won't be around long enough to see the worst of the results.

In happier news, Deb and I are now both up to date with our flu and Covid shots.  Now we are hoping to find out why she can't breathe well when she even slightly exerts herself.  Another specialist appointment this month.  Heart and lungs have been ruled out.  What is left?

We've watching and enjoying the first season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, along with the final season of Next Generation.  Lower Decks is often laugh out loud funny, and I think we all need that sort of thing a lot more than it actually happens.

    In film watching news, there are three to report.  From most recent to earlier, then, comes a really strange little picture out of France from 2015.  Called Gaz de France, it is directed by Benoit Forgeard.  It's a deadpan comedy about a puppet president of France who is eventually forced to go off script.  The film would work just as well as a theatre piece, as it is mostly ensemble acting in confined settings.  When his ratings plummet, a think tank is organized to help the president recover his popularity.  Recommended, but it certainly won't be for all tastes.

 

The film is leaving Mubi very soon. 

 

Before that came The Linguine Incident, a film by Richard Shepard from 1991.  It stars a totally amazing Rosanna Arquette as a waitress at a fancy restaurant, who really wants to become the next Houdini escape artist.  David Bowie plays a bartender with whom she becomes involved.  .He has a large gambling debt, and has made a bet that he can marry Rosanna.  When that falls through, he provides a big opportunity for the female escape artist to prove her worth.  This is a comedy that often falls flat, but Arquette is so vivacious in her role that as long as she is in the frame, the film is worth watching.  Bowie plays his role flat.  I guess the director figured just his presence would be enough.  Good thing Arquette is so right on, or the film would have totally bombed.  Worth a look, but hardly essential viewing.  No idea where the title came from.

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Lastly comes Delta Space Mission, a restored SF animated feature from Romania in 1984.  It is a children's film, something along the lines of Fireball XL 5.  However, the animation is colourful and eye catching.  While the story is pretty flat (choose just about any Star Trek episode), there is some humour that kids might appreciate.  Impressive background art much of the time.

 

Now showing on the Criterion streaming channel. 

 

All five parts of the recent rip are now live on Blogger.  See the Travels West blog for the full impact of our adventure. 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

Reestablishing Routines

It's taken a week, but things are finally beginning to settle down again.  Piano practice has resumed, as has a scaled down exercise regime.  I've been working on the notebook log of the recent journey, as well as the web version.  The first blogger page is now up and running.  It can be seen by clicking on the link in the left margin, the one titled Travels West.  In addition, I had two nights of astronomy, with another one coming up tonight and possibly tomorrow night.  Sometimes there aren't enough days in the week, or hours in the day.  And last night was our annual Samhain party, with free Tarot cards chosen to help guide us through the upcoming year.  We choose one card that will be our yearly guide, and 8 others for the quarters and have quarters of the Celtic year.

 

In TV watching news, I will begin with the most recent and work backwards, with three to report.  Deb chose a nine part series called Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot:  A Natural History of the Studio.  So far, after three episodes, it seems a totally brilliant concept of exploring what goes on in an artist's studio.  The artist and director is William Kentridge, and it seems to have been a Covid project.  Working in South Africa, the series discusses Johannesburg, art, memory, feeling, awareness, and many other artistic and philosophical topics.  The first episode was pretty good, the second even better.  But the third episode, especially the last half, was totally brilliant.  Each part lasts about 35 minutes, so three episodes at a time is how will take this curious but fascinating medicine.

The series is showing on Mubi.  It uses stop motion in a very original and effective way. 

Before that we watched The Lady From Shanghai, a 1947 noir directed by Orson Welles, staring him and Rita Hayworth.  We had not seen this one in years, and we were quite disappointed.  It really isn't a very good film, though Hayworth is quite good in her femme fatale role as a bleached blonde.  The basic story, where an innocent man is tricked into taking the blame for a murder, is not very believable, and this tends to make Welle's character look quite stupid.  Of course the final mirror scene is fun, but it's brief and not really sitting through the entire picture to see.  I doubt I'll be tempted to see this film again.

 

The film has now left the Criterion Channel.
 

Earlier we watched a b & w medieval film epic from 1967 Czechoslovakia.  Marketa Lasarova is in several chapters, and takes place mostly over a winter and an early spring.  If you are one of those people who think that it would have been truly wonderful to live in back then, then this movie is not for you.  It's brutality isn't only caused by human action.  Living through a northern hemisphere winter is hard enough for some of us today; never mind the 1400s.  Then there is that muddy and wet spring.  Filmed in widescreen, it is a visual spectacle all the way.  The story mostly takes place in two small outlying walled hamlets.  They are rivals, with one of them being slightly more loyal to the distant king, and the other wanting nothing to do with a central command.  Marketa is the daughter of one of the leaders, and wishes to join a religious order.  Her father has pledged her to a nunnery, but does not have enough yet for her dowry.  Returning home she is kidnapped by the rival clan and her fortunes suddenly take a different turn.  A wandering holy man fights against a strongly pagan environment; experimental photography and images keep the pace interesting, if sometimes perplexing.  Since its restoration the film has been gaining adherents, after being mostly unseen until recent times.  Highly recommended, if you can find it showing anywhere else except Criterion.

Now showing on Criterion.

Mapman Mike

October Reading Summary

It was a short month of reading, due to an extended road trip.  After hiking and/or driving much of the day I was usually too tired to read in bed at the motel, though I did manage to read one novel on the journey and begin another.

 

I have not completed reading all the Silverberg that is available to me.  It seems that every month or so something old of his comes back into print, so watch this page for updates.  His simplified recap of the 100 Years' War, or The War of The Roses: Challenge For A Throne, is from 1967 and is 293 pages long.  Suitable for upper level history oriented high school students, it gives enough detail for the lay reader to get a good sense of what all the usurping, backstabbing, and change of loyalties in England of the 1400s is all about.  It was a very confusing time, and historically it lay the ground work for the subsequent Tudor reign of England in the 1500s and beyond.  Charts and maps help to keep things understandable, and Silverberg's writing is easy to digest.  Though a lot more research has been undertaken of this troubled time since 1967, the basic facts of who followed who and how they got to the throne hasn't really changed much, at least based on the Wikipedia article I read afterwards.  Trying to remember all of the facts can be quite daunting, though battles were few and everyday life for the peasants didn't really change much, no matter who was King.  It was the nobility that paid the price of the civil wars, with the houses of York and Lancaster virtually wiped off the map.  Even today it is all but impossible to trace one's ancestry beyond the Tudors, since so many previous families were summarily wiped out.  Such an interesting time, though I am happy to have not been around for it.

 

From 1980, the 160 page novel Beasts of Antares by Kenneth Bulmer continues the adventures of Dray Prescott at full throttle.  The book opens with an effective brawl at a small inn, and concludes with an exciting life or death struggle with some escaped and very dangerous lizard men.  Prescott's life is seldom boring, and though he prefers not to kill (he will usually put guards to "sleep", allowing them to wake up later with a headache), he will do so effectively and quickly when necessary.  This adventure begins in the Vallian capital city, but Dray soon leaves there to rescue three friends in a far off dangerous city.  Dray is an Everyman hero, usually going about his business with equal parts humour and ferocity.  He often manages to escape dire circumstances without striking a blow, and these events are usually quite funny and fun to read.  Each adventure in the series can be read as a separate stand-alone work, but it is much more fun to read them in order.  The series began with some weak points and frustrating events, but Bulmer hit his stride here long ago, and the books are a delight to read.  Though filled with violence, there is no sex.  Women are far from helpless, too.  There is often necessary nudity, but nothing crude.  In other words, the books can be read by older kids.  Bulmer continues to not only expand his world of Kregen, but to deepen our understanding of it, too.  A rewarding series to read.

 

Seetee Alert by E C Tubb is from 1974, and is 111 pages long.  Cap Kennedy and his aides must save the Earth from a madman's scheme to destroy it.  Sound familiar?  Remember, this is Tubb, one of the best pulp fiction writers who ever lived to write.  A routine plot turns into something quite special under his pen.  Cap and his team are up against a complicated plan that will use anti-matter, an asteroid, and a tunnel though space to rain fire and destruction upon Earth.  Cap goes underground in disguise to try and figure out what is going on, and it takes him a long time to figure it out.  And when he does, there is little time to act to stop the scheme.  Tubb writes short novels, but they are so crammed with action and plot development that they always seem an epic size by the time they are read.  Cap is a sort of James Bond of the galaxy, also a type of Doc Savage character (with a team to match).  Tubb is always rewarding to read, and this entry in the series is no exception. 

 

I have also read all of the available fiction and non-fiction by James Blish.  Next time I will return to Michael Moorcock, at least for a time. 

 

Outside of my Avon/Equinox SF authors, I managed to get through two books.  The first novel, Roadside Picnic, is a book I have wanted to read for decades.  Written by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, it became the takeoff point for Tarkovsky's film Stalker.  I read the translation by Olena Bormashenko from 2012, with an intro by Ursula Le Guin.  The novel was first published in novel form in 1972.  It is a truly amazing novel, nothing at all like the film.  I've always had a love/hate relationship with the film.  Tarkovsky is the best at creating environments and imagining spaces, though his storytelling skills leave a lot to be desired.  Roadside Picnic gives us a real nitty gritty first contact story, where humans have encountered the detritus and litter left behind after an alien ship has landed, then departed.  The authors' imaginations run wild with what has happened to the location where the ship had been, and the story reads as much horror as SF.  Stalkers risk their lives to bring out alien artifacts left behind by the aliens, and most of them end up dead.  The lead character, the best of the stalkers, ends up siring a child that resembles nothing ever seen before.  We learn gradually what it was like on the day of the landing and departure, and it wasn't pretty.  The zone is fenced off, but it doesn't stop diehard professional and amateur looters from trying their luck.  A book that could easily be reread more than once.  At the end is an afterword by the authors, detailing the painful process of getting the work published in Russia at that time.  Sadly, it would likely be harder to do there today.  A must read for SF fans, as well as lovers of the Tarkovsky film.

 

I read the Kindle edition.

 

Lastly came my lone read this month from my Delphi Classics collection.  Roderick Hudson, by Henry James, was first published in 1875.  James considered it his first real novel, though it was actually his second.  It is a sprawling work, published in three volumes in James' day, and running to about 400 pages today.  It is a coming of age novel, one that exposes the pitfalls of growing into a man, as well as the opportunities.  American Roderick Hudson has artistic merit as a sculptor, and Rowland Mallet, an independently wealthy man, offers Roderick a chance to move to Rome for a few years and work there.  Away they go, and at first all is well.  Roderick creates some beautiful sculptures.  He had become engaged to an American girl just before leaving.  When he meets a beautiful young woman in Rome, he immediately seeks no other existence than her company.  Things proceed downhill from there, at first gradually, and then more precipitously.  The main problem with the novel is that Roderick is a stinker of a human being, even though his artistic value is very high.  And Rowland, his benefactor, who loves the girl that Roderick is engaged to back in America, is too much of a saintly presence.  95% of the novel takes place in Europe, much of it in Rome.  James gives a good account of Rome in 1875, at least from an American's point of view.  I found the novel difficult to become interested in at first, and even some of the latter stages made me yawn.  But the author can get inside people's heads and express thoughts that rarely, if ever, are discussed out loud.  The novel moves along at a fairly consistent pace, until the very end pages.  The social constraints of certain women are dealt with well, despite all the wondering why they might be endlessly unhappy.  Who wouldn't want to marry a rich Italian prince, a man who is kind, gentle, and forgiving of much?  Well, perhaps someone who does not love him.  James' dealings with artists is quite honest, as he shows more than one kind.  Whereas Roderick burns hot or cold, we are also introduced to artists who work at their trade day in and day out, no matter what their mood might be.  This is not a novel I would reread, but I have no regrets at having lasted through it.

 

Mapman Mike 

 

Detroit Day

We returned from our 15 day road trip to the southwest USA last Thursday.  Today (Tuesday), we headed back across the border to visit the annual Day of Dead exhibit at the DIA.  It was sunny, very windy, and very warm (78 F) today, with leaves blowing everywhere.  The weather on our trip was mostly perfect, especially on hiking days.  We hit some rain in Albuquerque, but as it was a city visit to a gallery, shops, and two breweries, it didn't interfere with anything we did.  Some hiking photos have been put up on Facebook.  I am still working on the written log of the trip, before I turn to blogging about it.  In the meantime, here is one photo from the longer voyage, and several from today's Detroit adventure.

 

My main goal was to reach the Texas highpoint.  It was a severe hike up and down, but all that training and stubbornness paid off once again. 

 

After getting my shaggy hair trimmed considerably on the Canadian side, we headed to Detroit for lunch.  IMA is an Asian fusion spot reknowned for its excellent dishes, vegan and otherwise.  It sits on the corner of Cass and Warren, one of the busiest intersections in Detroit.  On three sides lie Wayne State University (my alma mater for a M. Mus. degree), and on the fourth side is a commercial strip filled with eateries.

Looking across Cass St. from my seat at IMA. 

 

The Day of the Dead show wasn't very good this year (or last).  Instead of truly artistic designs and imagination, we saw mostly the living room variety of offrendas.  A few were okay, but just.  Later we wandered some of the galleries, noticing a lot of new purchases hanging on the walls.  It was also good to see some old favourites.

 

An elaborate pyramid shaped offrenda.

Detail of a much larger display.

This one was created by students for a favourite female coach that had passed away.

 

This Paddleboat by Feininger has long been a favourite of ours.

Updating a traditional Northwest Coast native hat, this bowl, when displayed upsidedown, reveals the shadow figures.  Very cool!

 

After leaving the art institute we visited a new coffee shop in Midtown.  Called Sous Terre, it is tucked beneath an old apartment building. It is mostly a cafe until 5 pm, then it becomes a bar.  They have done a great job remodelling what was once a wrecked basement. 

 

A hidden treasure in Midtown Detroit.

 

Inside Sous Terre. 

 

Things are slowly returning to normal here at the Homestead.  Reading took quite a hit in October.  I am trying to finish a book before posting about the month's reading.  It may be a day or two late this time.  Our major party of the year (one of two, actually) is this Thursday, so I will be off the air until at least Friday.

Mapman Mike

 
 

 
 

 

Clear Skies

We are in another string of clear nights, after nearly two weeks of cloudy skies.  Some of those clouds came from the remnants of Helene, and we got some rain, too.  Last time I posted the death toll had reached 40 from that storm.  Now it's 227 and counting.  Yeesh.  We have a friend in North Carolina, but he lives in the east and was not affected.  I listened to a program on BBC World Radio while driving to my astronomy site the other evening, about how such disasters can actually spawn thousands of deaths even years later.  Stress from losing one's home, car, family, pets, belongings, etc can cause health problems that people don't usually relate to the original disaster.  Not to mention PTSD from the event itself.  A terrible time, and it hit in a place that wasn't expecting such a disaster from the storm.

 

Deb's sister Sharon passed away last week.  She had been in a nursing home due to a severe stroke some time ago.  Sharon was a retired special education teacher, and most recently resided in North Bay, ON.  Deb has another older sister that lives in Calgary.  There is no funeral.

A third and fourth night of astronomy await me tonight and tomorrow night, with skies having a rich dark blue today that gets me very excited about observing in a few hours.  We have also begun our 5th week of mountain prep training.  There is a huge difference between being basically fit, which I have been since June 2020, and being mountain fit.  Here's hoping all that training pays off when we arrive at the mountains in Texas and New Mexico.

In other news from further afield, our London (UK) friend Caroline was recently accepted into a mentoring program for writers.  She will likely get a novel published next year with a major publishing company!  Here is a link to her profile, which gives an idea of what she is up to.  Go Caroline!!  

https://petersfraserdunlop.com/peters-fraser-dunlop-mentorship-programme/ 

And closer to home, Deb has just won Best Micro-Short Animation at the Experimental Film Festival for her film Architect of the Liminal.  See it here....

 

 Architect of the Liminal

 

 With all these high achieving friends and family, I can comfortably sit back and cheer them on!  Go team!

In film watching news, here is the latest roundup.  Mubi is one of our most watched streaming channels, and they recently completed their first film restoration project.  They chose a 1965 Turkish film called Time to Love, directed by Metin Erksan.  There was only one remaining print of the film, so it was badly in need of attention.  A nearly emotionless painter falls in love with a large photo portrait of a woman when he is painting a house.  When the woman unexpectedly shows up, he is completely at a loss.  He tries to explain to her that he does not love her, the woman, but only her photo.  A great little film shot in b & w, it shares one of my favourite themes, namely an off season atmosphere of an island that buzzes during the summer.  It is now a rainy late autumn, and the mood of the film nicely matches the alienated feelings the painter and the woman experience.  A very unusual event, this quiet film is a masterpiece of exploring themes and emotions rarely found anywhere else, except perhaps in poetry.  A winner.

 

Recently restored and showing on Mubi. 

 

An American Werewolf in London, directed by John Landis and from 1981, tries to mix humour with savage violence.  Sort of like trying to mix humour with rape scenes, in my opinion.  And despite the London setting, the smash-up, all-out violent ending is purely American in scope and stupidity.  Recommended for werewolf fans, if there are any left out there.

The film has left Criterion. 

 

Lastly comes a charming and humourous children's film from 1972 Czechoslovakia called The Girl on The Broomstick, directed by Václav Vorlíček.  A young teenage witch attends magic school in her home land.  She is punished for a transgression by 300 years of detention, but manages to escape to our world.  She gets hooked up with a nice boy and three delinquent boys, getting into more trouble with every spell she casts.  In order to remain there and escape her 300 year detention, she must drink Hag's Ear brew, and fast.  Since no older woman is willing to give up an ear, all seems lost.  A fun fantasy film with an engaging witch.

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

No time for Spirograph images today.  Gotta run....

 

Mapman Mike