Deb has her bi-monthly infusion today, and also saw her doctor. Last week she had a telephone appointment with her regular M.D. concerning a nagging and persistent cough she has had for a long time now. It goes away, but this time it came back and seemed worse. He prescribed some meds and got her an appointment (next January!) with an allergist. Her rheumatologist thinks it might be related to one of the drugs she takes for her rheumatoid arthritis, so he told her to cut back on that one. He checked her lungs today and all seems well. I had a medical appointment scheduled for Wednesday, but it was cancelled by the retina specialist, who is only seeing emergencies. This is the 2nd time my appointment was cancelled and rescheduled. It is now reset for January, the day after Deb's allergist one. Expecting a big snow storm those days.
It's been a very warm July, with many days over 30 C, and many of those over 32 C. I managed three deep sky observing nights, which has kept my spirits up considerably. I am into my 8th week of indoor fitness, which includes several types of walks on the treadmill, including incline ones, some light weight lifting, some stomach work, and stretching. And the piano pieces have really come a long way in July. I hope I can play some of them in August, but we are still in a stage 2 crisis here, with 20-40 new cases of covid-19 reported every day in our little county. I have even began working on a solo piece for my next year's recital, a very difficult piece by Schubert that will take everything I have to pull off. I also have a tough one by Rachmaninov planned for that recital, too, and hope to get started on it by September.
In listening news, we finished up Op 5 by Corelli and will soon begin his Op 6 Concerto Grossi. The Haydn string quartets are continuing, as is the complete works of Brahms. And we are amidst a new opera, this one being The Coronation of Poppea, by Monteverdi. We finished up Wagner's earliest opera last week, "The Fairies."
Due to the luck of the draw, Deb gets to pick four movies in a row once every two months (so do I, on alternating months). Her regular weekly pick last week was My Twentieth Centur, a 1989 film by Hungary' first feature film by a female director. Ildiko Enyedi has constructed a type of fantasy film, merging it with a story set in the halcyon days of the 1880s, when Edison's light bulb was wowing the world, the telegraph was sending messages around the world in minutes, and the promise of a happy and prosperous future seemed to lie just ahead for one and all.
Now showing on Criterion Channel.
Marching band at night, with light bulbs on their heads.
Twin girls, falling asleep selling matches on a cold winter's night, are swept away to different destinies by benevolent strangers, who each take one of them. Dora grows into a bit of a hedonist, seeking laughter, light, and all things shiny and glittery. Lili gets involved with political revolution,and is much more serious and focused. The girls unknowingly meet the same man and have affairs with him, before being reunited in the finale. There are many moments of magic in the film, though it is all a bit unfocused itself, at least upon one viewing. No doubt a second viewing, which wouldn't be a bad idea, would help clarify things a bit. The Criterion interview with the director afterwards is very enlightening, also. Needless to say, she had a tough time being a woman film director in Hungary at the time. A very unusual film, but eminently likeable.
Deb did not choose a theme for her film festival, but rather three unconnected films. The first one was called Mr. Thank You, from 1936 Japan. It is a road movie, perhaps the very first one! A group of people ride the bus from their seaside village to the train station, 20 miles away, that will take them to Tokyo. The bus driver,whenever he overtakes a walker, rider, or other vehicle, always thanks the people he overtakes, and thus his name. He is quite famous on his mountainous route, which takes the better part of an entire day to travel. The passengers are mostly peasants, the scenery is often dramatic, and the camera work very advanced for the time. This is a wonderful slice of life movie, a slice that we would have never seen, and that has long ago passed into memory. Highly recommended.
Now showing on Criterion.
Mr Thank You himself, and passengers.
Next came Golden Eighties, from 1986, by Chantal Akerman. This is a very, very, very shallow film, and if it does nothing else, reminds us all through its painful presentation why no one remembers the 80s. Golden? More leaden, methinks. It is a musical, very colourful, and with some fine acting. It is set in a section of a Parisian shopping mall. That should be enough to alert the discriminating viewer. But it gets worse. It's a musical. The songs are among the blandest, most instantly forgettable ever put on film. The story is among the most shallow ever scripted. Deb quit after about thirty minutes, but I took pain killers and carried on. The film has a certain charm to it, and doesn't take itself very seriously. But why would such an inventive director want to make this movie? Why would she want her audience to invest time in its story? A very unusual picture, one that is hard to pin down. And I certainly am unlikely to forget it, no matter how hard I try.
Now showing on Criterion.
The chorus girls.
Lastly came Sidewalk Stories, from 1989. Directed and starring Charles Lang (and his adorable two-year old daughter), it is a modern take on Chaplin, and mostly works really well. Filmed in black and white, and filmed in the raw streets of New York City, it is also a hommage to the buskers and homeless people of that city. The only time talking is used is at the very end, when the homeless speak for themselves, briefly. If you like Chaplin (we do!), then this movie should be watched.
Now showing on Criterion.
The two stars of the movie.
This weekend is Lammas, and we will be celebrating it on Sunday. And Monday is the August full moon, so we get a double party whammy! Usually we head off for the day into the countryside, but as of this moment it will be another indoor event. Hopefully I will post before then, so stop by often and see what we've been up to at Lone Mountain Homestead. Thanks for stopping by.
Mapman Mike
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