The basement is slowly beginning to get back into shape. Books shelves are in position, and boxes are ready to unpack. I enjoyed a clear night on Saturday, which made my Sunday more or less useless. I haven't even finished my notes yet from the successful observing night. I did not choose Hallam, but went to a site 7 miles east. The skies were much better, and I got things done there that I could not do at Hallam. It's sad, but the observatory site there is no longer very good, due to light pollution from Detroit/Windsor, and especially from the nearby greenhouses in the south. Northwest, west, and south skies are now poor. My new site is isolated, though stray light is a problem when there are no crops in the ground, as now. I park near a giant windmill, which can also be problematic. Still, it is the best I have. The drive is longer, but the results are worth it, for now.
Deb has two more days to wear her sling! She has had just about enough of it. Luckily, she only had one shoulder done. Imagine if the other one was going to be repaired.
The heat has been on us now for nearly a week. Nothing extreme yet, just the usual for us at this time; highs just above 30, with humidity of course making it feel worth. Still, early mornings and evenings are nice times to be outside. The basement is very cool in summer, so it is a good place to work.
We watched three great films by Wim Wenders from the mid-70s this weekend, his three so-called "road movies." From 1974 comes "Alice In the Cities,"which turned out to be the best of the three. Though the plot is absurd by today's puritan standards, watching the film is pure delight. The same actor (Rudiger Vogler) plays the lead in all three movies, but he gives his best performance here alongside 9 year old Yella Rottlander, who turns in an amazing performance. Lisa Kreuzer is also in the three films,and plays the part of Alice's mother here. One of the best things about watching Criterion versions of these films is that they have all been recently completely restored. The prints are absolutely jaw-dropping in their clarity, and the sound is excellent. Two of the three films are in b & w, which makes them even more enjoyable to us. Even better, there are several short features that accompany each main event. Contemporary interviews with the main actors are amazing, and their memories of making this film are happy ones. Alice (Yella) is now a physician specializing in internal medicine, but her memories of making the film are joyous ones.
This is the best of Wenders' three road movies.
The 2nd film is from 1975, and is called "Wrong Move". Though it is the least successful of the three, it is still a really, really good film. Very loosely based on a story by Goethe, it focuses on a rag tag group of people who end up travelling around together and having discussions about poetry, politics, and the search for oneself. New actors include a very beautiful Hanna Schygulla, a very young Nastassya Kinski (who played her nude scene as considerably underage at the time), Marianne Hoppe, and Hans Christian Blech. Vogler, who plays the lead, admits in the interview that he did not do justice to his part, and it might be the reason why the film doesn't soar. Also, some of the dialogue is a bit heavy and pretentious, but the acting by the others is so good that it hardly detracts. It's difficult to make a film about someone in search of something, but they do not know what it is. This is a really good attempt, and I did like it a lot, and would watch it again.
Though the least successful of the three road films, it is still quite a good film.
The third and final film of our weekend, "Kings of the Road," is nearly three hours in length, yet I wish it had been longer. It is an excellent film about a man (Vogler) doing his rounds as a film projector repairman. He visits small towns that still have cinemas, and the movie takes place close to the border with East Germany. The movie has a lot to say about the disappearance of town cinemas. Those that are still around are usually showing porn films, or special kiddies matinees. It is a grim scene wherever he goes, and Wenders makes parts of Germany look very abandoned and shabby.
Joined by Hanns Zischler, after he runs his VW bug into the river, the two men travel together for what seems like an eternity, their lives empty. But the road beckons, and they are constantly moving on. They sleep in Vogler's truck by the roadside at night, and even those nights lead to adventures and misadventures. The film eventually arrives at its inevitable climax, and both men separate and move with their lives. This is a very seductive film to watch, as it just draws you in so easily and holds you spellbound throughout. Well worth a 2nd look.
Three hours long, but worth every minute.
Tonight (Canada Day!) we will continue to watch the many short features related to these movies, about a dozen in all. And I still have a few more to watch from our Pomegranate film from last week. Hopefully, basement books will get unpacked, and astronomy notes written up.
I read 11 books in June related to authors from the Avon/Equinox series, plus two not related. I will try to fit that discussion into my next post.
Mapman Mike
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