From the end of November until the middle of January, northern latitudes are at their darkest. Daylight hours are greatly reduced, even in the southernmost part of Canada (Essex County). Add to that fact that our area is at its cloudiest, and you have the makings of a depressing time of year. It's a time of year that one really appreciates quality indoor activities, such as practicing piano, reading, watching great films, gaming, and even more writing. The walking program is still in effect. No more snow is forecast here in the near future, though Sudbury got walloped yesterday.
It's been nearly a week since Deb's first laser treatment. No benefits noted yet, and she returns in 3 weeks for the second one. The first one seems to have mostly healed, at any rate. For my part, my right ear began plugging up just before the Sudbury trip, and is now mostly plugged once again. It will likely remain that way until I give up all hope, then suddenly it will begin to clear again.
We watched two movies of interest this past week. Deb's weekly choice was "Boudu Saved From Drowning," an early film by Jean Renoir. Michel Simon plays what might be one of the most easy to hate characters in all of film. He plays a tramp who is saved from a suicidal drowning by a bourgeouis book seller, who lives with his wife and their maid. Boudu proves to not only be ungrateful for the assistance they give him, but he turns all their lives upside down. He is like a small cyclone that comes into their lives, disrupting everything, before heading back onto the street to live. The film brings up the interesting question of how many homeless people, who, due either to mental illness or an unwillingness to conform to society's standards, do not fit in, never will fit in, and thus can never be confined to a house. Many relatives of such people have tried many different ways to care for them, but without success. It's a problem few people seriously talk about, but Boudu is the poster boy for this type of homeless person. Anyway, the film cannot be said to be entertaining, as Boudu grates on everyone's nerves after a while, and needs to be punched. But there are many amazing scenes, and several laugh out loud moments.
Now showing on Criterion.
My film choice was called Plucking the Daisy, and goes a long way to show why sexism is still alive and well in France today. If people were brought up on movies such as this one, they can almost be excused their boorish behaviour towards women. Roger Vadim scripted it, and Brigitte Bardot is the star. She plays the part of a sweet young girl from Vichy, daughter of a strict general, who leaves town for the big city, and through one mishap and other ends up in a burlesque show stripping contest. However, she has published a scandalous book under the name of A.D. Yup, just the kind of plot I would have thought up.
The film turns out to be a screwball comedy, and there are some very funny moments. Her brother left the family to become a painter in Paris, telling them he has struck it rich, but he actually works as a low paid guard in the Balzac Museum. His quick tour with a group of tourists through the museum is quite funny. Bardot's striptease is actually very funny, too, and done just the way this girl would have done it (in the end, she has to be pushed out onto the stage). But overall, I do not think I have seen a picture so blatantly sexist in all my life. The director, Marc Allegret, also directed the 2nd Marius film. When released, it was the 20th most popular French film of all time, mostly because of Bardot, no doubt.
Not the least bit sensationalist.
We are home for two days, then off to Windsor on Sunday. Deb has an appointment with a heart specialist at 1:15, and then my piano instructor, Philip Adamson, is performing the 6th concert in his Beethoven Sonata series. Jenn may be coming from Cambridge to hear him play again, and even Amanda is in town and will meet up with us that day.
M.
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