We have moved directly from winter into middle spring. March has already broken several daily records for high temps, and will no doubt go on to break the monthly average as well. We have also had more extremely fine clear nights than in any other month I can remember. It's the 21st today (Happy Birthday to J. S. Bach!!), and we have had at least 15 clear nights so far. Of course that means we've had little to no rain, either. Two years ago we had so much spring rain that farmers never got to plant their crops. Last year was normal, but this year seems headed for a drought. What a world.
My reading program is zooming along again, after a very slow start due to so many clear nights used for astronomy (I ended up using 7 of 10). Though it has remained clear, circumstances have not allowed me to resume operations now until after next weekend's full moon. Practicing is still in a holding pattern, as I await the time when I might perform my pieces for a small public. Vaccinations in our area on on-going. Deb is eligible, and is awaiting a call from her doctor. I should get my first one sometime in the latter part of April, with no word on when, or if, a 2nd shot will be available. Some of my American friends have already had two shots.
We finished up a very short but very beautiful PC game the other day, called Dear Esther. The game, if it can be called that, involves simply walking around one of the abandoned Hebrides Islands at dusk. Along the way some information is passed along in epistle form, telling the tragic story of a woman's death, and a man's guilt and sorrow at her loss. The scenery is nonstop, and involves four areas of exploration, including a magnificent and very stunning underground cave, and the moon lit climax as we finally achieve our walking goal, a high signal tower atop the highest point on the island. Definitely a game worth repeating many times, like Real Myst. We haven't decided yet what our next game will be. Stay tuned.
Yesterday we celebrated Vernal Equinox. It was sunny and somewhat cool, but an absolutely gorgeous day. We undertook a short outdoor walk on the nearby Greenway Trail, enjoying one of the bluest skies I have ever seen in Essex county. Best of all, the sky was unmarred by jets. Usually our skies are covered in jet haze from Chicago and Detroit planes. Today all was still. We got a take out lunch from The Plant Base in A'burg, eating at home while watching the very disturbing 1973 film The Wicker Man. In the afternoon it was time for new Tarot cards, then we replaced all the winter art on the walls with spring art. Deb baked almond cookies, the best of the best. In the evening came music and a lovely wood fire. The next big holiday is the full moon, the first one after Spring Equinox, meaning that Easter is just around the corner.
In film news, there are three films to report. Most recently came Wicker Man, a very unsettling film from 1973, our third viewing (at least). This is a very harsh look at a form of paganism in modern times, involving animal and human sacrifice. A human is sacrificed in years following a bad harvest, and this is the year. A mainland Scottish policeman is lured to a private island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The policeman is a fervent Christian, a virgin, and is led to the sacrificial wicker man in a very moving and powerful concluding scene. Despite the pagans being shown in a very poor light, there are several moments of humour and wonderful word play involving Christopher Lee (Lord Summerisle) and the police sergeant. About the only good thing about Christianity is that it replaced human and animal sacrifices with the body and blood of Christ in the form of wine and unleavened bread. Of course most pagan rituals do not involve sacrifice of any kind, but no matter, it's a film that needed some hard hitting drama, and it gets it at the expense of pagans. Overall this is a very dark film, despite all the bright sunshine and happy celebrating. Watch Britt Ekland dance naked and bang on the walls of her room. There is a modern remake that must be avoided at all costs.
Showing for another week on Criterion.
Daughters of Darkness, from 1971, is another horror film from the early 70s that will polarize viewers into two camps, though not as drastically as Wicker Man. At its heart it is a lesbian vampire film, featuring the most famous vampiress of all time. It also has a strong feminist slant. There are three females in the film, and three males. Two of the males, older, are unable to do anything to bring the Countess under control. The third, a young man, is a sadistic brute who beats his newlywed wife, and kills the Countess' young female companion. Not much to like in the way of males in this film. The film is quite stylish, and the setting at an off season and otherwise empty seaside hotel is Ostend is atmospheric and rich in detail. The ending, of course, is truly ridiculous ("faster, faster...."), but there are some fine moments that make this worth viewing. I have been on the hunt for this film for many years, never even realizing it was on Criterion until it showed up on the leaving schedule. Glad I finally got to see it.
Showing on Criterion until March 31st.
Martin Scorsese's World Film Project involves the restoration of some of the most import films ever made, spanning the globe. Here is a link to all the film titles so far, and a few forthcoming. Most of these, if not all, are showing on Criterion, and I am slowly making my way through them. This month I chose Memories of Underdevelopment, a Cuban film from 1968. The film was nearly lost completely, and had deteriorated to the extreme limits. Restoration was painstaking and time consuming, as with many of these otherwise forgotten domestic and foreign films, and we got to watch the best print possible of this classic film. Sergio is a Cuban, but molded into the European style of man. After the 1961 Bays of Pigs invasion failure, he alone of his family and friends remains in Cuba. As Cuba itself deteriorates, so does he. A truly fascinating film, once again showing a male, sexist and empty of soul, that we can hardly sympathize with. Definitely worth catching if possible, as are any films on the list. We have only seen six so far.
Now showing on Criterion, part of the World Cinema Project undertaken by Martin Scorsese.
No art today, but here is a photo of our crocuses from March 23rd a few years back. They are also blooming today.
Happy Spring!
Mapman Mike
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