July Books

 I got through 13 books last month, including ten from my Avon/Equinox project, which took me to #600 in that long term project.  Though I knew it would take me awhile, I didn't realize how much more would still be left to go after more than 5 years.  However, I will finish up Ballard in August, and James Blish will last three more months beyond that.  Still lots of Silverberg left, and Jack Williamson, Kenneth Bulmer, Harry Harrison, Michael Moorcock, and E. C. Tubb.  I won't read all of Piers Anthony's oeuvre, by choice.  But since I only read one book per month by each author, I will soon be able to read outside of the project even more frequently.  This month I managed three such books, which will likely be the norm after Ballard and Blish are done.  I still have novels by Iain Banks I haven't yet read, and a shelf full of others.

I began the month with Silverberg's The Second Trip, a flawed novel about replacing one man's criminal mind with another improved one, in the same body.  In this case, the criminal is not quite erased, and comes back to give the new tenant a hard time.  Like The Prisoner TV series, which saw the prisoner unable to escape his prison because of a big balloon, this one has to have a means of keeping the new person from seeking help from his doctors.  So of course the criminal can control bodily functions, and can cause a heart attack, etc. if he goes for help.  The story drags, is quite predictable, and I was happy to move to on to the next selection.

Bearing An Hourglass, by Piers Anthony, is the 2nd book in his Incarnations of Immortality series.  This promised to be quite a good series, but is spoiled in the main by Anthony's desire to be funny.  Sometimes it works, but mostly it doesn't.  There is no mistaking Anthony's brilliance as an idea man, and his painstaking research that ensures his science and metaphysics are up to date show his desire to write as well as he can.  This book deals with the character of Time (Death was the star of the first book), and Anthony does a good job of fleshing him out.  While everyone else lives with time running forward, Time himself lives his life in reverse, causing several paradox to occur, sometimes at the same time.  There are so many fascinating aspects to the story, and it ties in to the first book quite brilliantly, too.  I just wish Anthony would stop trying to appeal to juveniles and adults in the same story, and get back to his classic adult writing.

It's always so refreshing to read a book by Harrison, especially after one by Anthony.  Harrison can write SF comedy like nobody else (Anthony's young teenage daughter adored the Stainless Steel Rat series), and the serious stuff can knock your socks off.  The Jupiter Plague was a rewrite and extension of a previous version as Plague of Space.  Either version is great stuff, as a disease from space kills virtually everyone within hours of contacting it.  The race for a cure is Harrison at his adventurous best.  There are no bad guys in the story, but plenty of people who are not very smart, and make very bad decisions.  Sound familiar?  This disease makes Covid 19 seem like "a little flu."

Having completed all of Kenneth Bulmer's single novels and one of his series, I now turn to the rest of his series, many written under different names.  His largest series by far is the Dray Prescott Series, some 53 books.  The books are divided into smaller series, and I am currently reading the first five-book series, called The Delian Cycle.  And the first book is called Transit To Scorpio.  It's an hommage to Edgar Rice Burroughs, much like Moorcock's Mars series.  I have read virtually all of Burroughs, and have all his books in paperback and on Kindle (which is where I found the Delian Cycle at a bargain price).  But I haven't read any in a very long while.  So I have Moorcock, and now Bulmer, to thank for reminding me of many boyhood days spent reading stuff like this.  Silly stuff, of course, but silly can be fun.

Stardeath, by E. C. Tubb, keeps up the pulp SF tradition nicely, as Captain Varl returns (though it would appear to be his first time in each book he appears (the stories make it sound as if they are not connected).  Some really bad aliens are attacking Earth ships, and need to be stopped.  Varl has a ship build to his specifications, and heads out with a hand-picked crew to put a stop to it.  I really liked the netherworld where the 2nd half of the book takes place.  It is never explained, which I also liked.  After all, who can explain the unexplainable?

Jack Williamson's Brother To Demons, Brother to Gods is another outstanding story by the master.  It very much resembles a comic book story, and would make a wonderful graphic novel series.  Two orphaned children, growing up on poor and strained Red Rock Reservation in a far future Colorado, cling to their belief that a superman will come someday to lift them to new heights.  Told in five novelettes, each story concludes with the children acquiring power, increasing with each obstacle at which they arrive.  It is a story of genetics and planting the seed for a more powerful being, one that can overcome the aristocratic gods that now rule the galaxy.  The children are wonderfully portrayed throughout the novel.  I didn't give the story a perfect rating because I had a problem with the ending.  Even so, considering it as a comic book, the ending is likely the correct one.  Excellent reading.

Speaking of comic books, next up was another Eternal Champion 3-book series by Moorcock.  The Eternal Champion introduces John Draker (John Carter tribute), and the book ties in to the Corum series and others.  Draker awakens in a different world, a hero expected to help humans defeat the evil (so we are told) Eldren.  He pledges to help exterminate the enemy, and then proceeds to do so.  When only a few Eldren remain, including the woman he loves, he realizes he has made a mistake in killing them.  Oops.  Sorry.  And so he joins forces with the Eldren to wipe out all the humans instead, including the woman he once loved.  In Moorcock's books of this type, very few people remain alive when all is said and done, and enough killing has gone on to turn the oceans red with blood.  There might even be a not so subtle message in his books about this.  Not that anyone important will ever hear it.  A good beginning to the series.

Next came another 15 or so shorter tales by J G. Ballard.  In one more month I will finish reading his works.  The best stories this time around were: My Dream of Flying To Wake Island, a meditation on downed aircraft, Pacific islands, and a failed astronaut; Say Goodbye To The Wind, another lovely poem-like story about strange events in Vermillion Sands, the desolate desert community where many of Ballard's finest stories occur; Low Flying Aircraft, one of the best near future stories ever written; The Dead Time, a gruesome precursor to his novel about wartime Shanghai; The Intensive Care Unit, a story that comes so close to the truth at present that I think it would have shocked the author; and A Host of Furious Fancies, a retelling, in Freudian terms, of the Cinderella story.

The Day of the Burning is a classic Barry Malzberg story, a variation on a theme he has written about many times.  Aliens are going to burn up the planet unless Mercer, a New York social worker, can close a difficult case in 12 hours.  Watching someone go mad might not seem the best material for comedy, but with Malzberg there is nothing funnier.  And he proves it again and again as his main characters go off the deep end in various ways, taking us on a one-way journey of horror and humour, into the darkest regions of ourselves.  No one writes better material about social workers (of which Malzberg was one once) and the people they serve.  A brilliant story.

Anywhen is a small collection of short stories by James Blish.  Out of seven stories in the book, I awarded highest ratings to four of them!  One I was unable to rate, as I didn't "get it."  (I still don't).  The Writing of the Rat brilliantly depicts humanity's struggle encountering superior aliens; And Some Were Savages is another excellent story, this one about 2nd contact (1st contact left the aliens with a human plague; the 2nd trip is to try and fix that little problem); A Dusk of Idols tells of a doctor landing on a disease-ridden planet, trying to save the people there.  His adventures recall Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith; How Beautiful With Banners reminded me of the writing of Hal Clement; this is a beautiful story with a sad but very funny ending.

And now for the best SF cover this past month.  And the winner is....

Cover art by Tom Kidd.  Congratulations, Tom!

Turning to other books on my miscellaneous shelf, I read two from the shelf and one from Kindle.  From the shelf came The Casebook of Solar Pons, #4 in the series by August Derleth.  Taking up where Conan Doyle left off, the short adventures mimic the original tales closely, with tongue in cheek references to Sherlock here and there.  I have enjoyed all the Pons books, and will check into whether I have read all the stories now.

Next was a little gem of a hardcover I picked up in a local antique store a few years ago.  The book disappeared behind other books, but was recently rediscovered.  There Were Two Pirates, by James Branch Cabell, reunited me with one of my favourite authors from the Ballantine Fantasy series, edited by Lin Carter.  I have Carter to thank for introducing me to one of the greatest fantasy writers who ever lived, and the most recent discovery is no exception.  Half pirate adventure and half youthful remembrance, this is a very funny and very classy story, told with real charm and sophistication.  I will soon own the complete works of Cabell, and can't wait to embark on the many tales awaiting me.

Lastly came Chesterton's first series of stories featuring little Father Brown, and his best friend, retired French master criminal Flambeau.  There are twelve stories in volume one, collectively called The Innocence of Father Brown.  They are all fun to read, though some of the mysteries work better than others.  The finest story in the volume is called The Sign of the Broken Sword, a tale of an English war hero is which the truth is revealed about his character and exploits.  It is a truly great story of deduction, and the cult of heroism.  Sadly, the wonderful stories and characters of Chesterton have little to do with the BBC TV series, other than the titles.  There is no Flambeau, no corrupt French chief of Police Valentin, and instead we have two rival women characters that add virtually nothing to the stories.  Give the TV series a miss, and grab hold of the original tales.

Next up on my (long) list is a Silverberg tale from 1971, called Son of Man.  Before we leave the world of books, I wish to say a few words about the Delphi complete works collection of e-books.  This is a vast and stunning undertaking, and has been going on for several years now.  I have already purchased the following, at less than $4 each:  the Complete Works of.... Chesterton, William Morris, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.G. Wells, Lord Dunsany, Edgar Allan Poe, Joseph Conrad, William Hope Hodgson, Arthur Machan, L. Frank Baum, and Jules Verne.  Coming soon is Clark Ashton Smith (!!!) and Cabell (!!!).  These editions are filled with artwork, photos, excellent editing, and virtually everything the author wrote, including criticism and non-fiction essays, etc.  In edition, there are articles from critics of the author, many of them famous writers themselves.  Delphi have hundreds of editions out, with more coming every year.  I will go back and pick up a few more soon, including H. Rider Haggard.  Many volumes contain hundreds of hours reading on their own.

Turning to movies, this weekend is devoted to Deb's film festival.  She has chosen a massive Russian 1960s version of War and Peace.  Sounds like fun.  My two most recent picks were Taipei Story, from 1985 and directed by a favourite of ours, Edward Yang.  We have now seen three of his films.  Part of Scorsese's World Cinema Project, we saw a fully restored version.  The movie is very good, and offers up some wonderful scenes of Taipei, as well as several generations of people that inhabit it.  Well worth seeing, as are all films in this wonderful restored series..

Now showing on Criterion. 

From the leaving July 31st list I chose Godard's Pierrot Le Fou, an amazing film I have never seen before.  Belmondo is superb as the man who is jerked around by a beautiful woman (Anna Karina) whom he loves.  It is a romantic road movie, a crime story, and a very funny comment on modern times, including cinema.  Godard must have had fun with this one.  A good catch, and none too soon.

Lots of tobacco is featured in this film by Godard, leaving Criterion at midnight tonight. 

No art from the DIA today.  Next time for sure, along with a brief climate recap of our July.

Mapman Mike

Movies and Art

 Two recent movies of note, both Deb's picks.  From 1942 comes the revised version of Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925).  He dispensed with the title captions, instead choosing to use voice-over (his own).  He also wrote his own score for it.  In its original form that is one of the best silent films ever made.  His does no real harm to it in the revision, but the voice over wears thin after a time.  Highlights include anytime spent in the bush cabin, as well as the "dance of the bread rolls."  We hadn't seen this in a while, and it was great fun watching it again.

Both versions are showing on Criterion.  Deb chose the 1942 revised version. 

From the leaving soon file Deb chose Lilith, a strange b & w drama starring Warren Beatty, Jean Seberg, and Peter Fonda, about patients in a high end sanitarium.  Beatty is a war vet looking for a job with some meaning, and he falls in love with patient Seberg.  Most people's distorted views about mental illness likely stem from Hollywood, and this film is no exception.  It's a good movie, dealing with subject matter that most studios wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole (incest, lesbianism, patient/health-worker sex, and even pedophilia, though the young boys Seberg is attracted to are mostly reminding her of her brother, who killed himself after she pressured him to have sex with her.  Fonda is good as a young man who needs constant approval in order to survive.

Leaving July 31st, on Criterion. 

An early Flemish landscape print is on offer this time, from the DIA collection.  I do not remember ever having seen this print on display.  The subject matter certainly calls for a seascape of some sort, but certainly not the lavish background and detail presented to us.  Gotta love those early Flemish artists!

Christ Calling St Peter and Saint Andrew, 1523. Dirk Vellert, Flemish. Etching and ink engraving, 5 3/4" x 4 3/8".  This belongs in a Dover colouring book.

Detail of rich background without main figures. Note the appearance of Gormenghast Castle in the upper left.

Detail showing the water calm in the background, and alive in the foreground with the miraculous catch.

Christ amidst a fascinating early Flemish background. 

In local Homestead news, practicing continues to go well.  I am anticipating my 3rd recent lesson with Philip A. this Thursday morning, and hoping he will play some Beethoven for me, too.  Deb has resumed work on her latest Yorick episode, his underwater adventure to rescue and render assistance to a fair maiden mermaid.  Our weather has been quite warm and humid the past three days, and more storms are expected soon.  The grass continues to grow as if it is early June, and cutting continues apace.

Aside from a family visit upcoming in August, it is now likely that no other travel plans will be made.  Leaving the country will just create hassles for us right now, so local it will have to be.  That's okay, too, as there has been a minor explosion of breweries and began restaurants that need visiting and revisiting.  Jenn G. continues to report from B.C., where rain is nonexistent, humidity levels rival the desert of NM, and smoke is perpetually in the air.  Sad times.

Mapman Mike

 
 

 

Fit To Print

 I've now had two piano lessons with Philip A., with a third one coming up next Thursday.  So far we have got through the two Scarlatti sonatas, the Haydn sonata, and two etudes by MacDowell.  Chopin and Brahms are left for next week.  The changes he proposes are always simple ones, and they involve physical as much as musical changes.  I have always played with a lot of physical tension, and Philip has worked tirelessly with me to make my body's job easier.  Right now my elbows have been freed up (again) and there is a marked difference in my tone and agility.  However, some of the musical changes are proving tricky to change, as I have been playing them "my way" for so long now.  Things are the kinds of changes that are easily fixed early in the study of a piece, but prove much more difficult to correct after a year.  Anyway, my practice sessions have become much more interesting and focused.

Philip's 7th program in the complete Beethoven sonatas has of course been postponed.  But he now has a date of October 29th.  He is calling the program "The Fabulous 50s," which is hilarious.  He will perform the Op 53, 54, and 57 sonatas, as well as an alternate movement Beethoven wrote for the Waldstein sonata.  I have asked him to play for me next Thursday, after my lesson.  He will play the original slow movement from the Waldstein, and then the alternate one.

In music listening news, Friday was a full moon.  In addition to baking a moon cake, we listened to a complete opera again.  This time it was Berg's Wozzeck, one of our very favourite of the repertoire.  Several years back we were fortunate enough to hear it performed live at London's Covent Garden.  We had to forgo our weekly episode of M*A*S*H and a martini, however.  A delicious German Weissbier went well with the opera.

In TV viewing news, we have been watching two older series on Britbox.  Cranford is a series of stories written by Jane Gaskell, all taking place in a small, backward English village in the 1840s.  And we have also watched a few episodes of Father Brown, a large series of short English  mystery stories originally written by G. K. Chesterton.  And in reading news, I am just into my tenth book of the month, short stories by James Blish.  Afterwards I have some short stories by August Derleth awaiting, and a novel by James Branch Cabell.

Here is a list of the movies watched lately on Criterion.  Sorry, no posters today.  Deb's two recent choices were His Kind of Girl, from 1951, and The Green-Eyed Blonde from 1957.  The blonde was played by a young Susan Oliver.  My two recent choices were Zatoichi Goes To The Fire Festival, and a recently restored indy film called Queen of Diamonds, from 1991.  I liked Queen a lot.  It owes much to Chantal Akerman, and is about the empty life of a young woman who deals black jack at a casino in Las Vegas.

I went along with Deb today to visit her mom, my 2nd visit.  She is doing well, and was quite lucid, much more normal than the last time I saw her.  She seems to be adjusting to her new home, and the people there.  Afterwards, I did something I haven't done in over a year and a half; I went to a brewery taproom!  There are three in downtown Kingsville, and I was able to walk the mile or so from the LTC home.  I added another stamp to my ale passport, the first one in a very long time!  I enjoyed a free flight of four ales today, and took home 4 cans of their different ales.  What a treat!  Deb picked me up afterwards and drove us home.

I visited Kingsville Brewery taproom today, a real treat!  I enjoyed my free flight (comes when you purchase a passport), and came home with 4 cans. 

A follow-up image of the new couch in action.  My daily afternoon reading session goes something like this. 

Auf wiedersehen!

Mapman Mike

 

The New Sofa

 The week ended with 5" of rain having fallen onto our yard.  3.5" fell overnight Thursday thru overnight Friday, with much of it falling during the day Friday.  Please, no more rain for a long time.  Our little creek was full to the brim.  A few days ago I could have walked across it in my rubber boots.  Now it's a fast flowing, neck-high dangerous torrent.  Many people in Detroit had just recovered from three weeks ago, when 5"-7" fell over there.  Many had just purchased new appliances and had their basement and homes disinfected.  And guess what?  They got flooded again.

Deb met with her allergy doctor on Thursday.  My piano teacher, Philip A., lives nearby.  So I was able to arrange an in person piano lesson, finally getting to play some of my pieces for criticism.  I will return for more punishment next Thursday morning.  It's great having things to really work on again, mostly ornaments and phrasing.  Luckily the rain did not begin until late Thursday night.  We woke Friday morning to 0.5" in the rain gauge.  Not bad.  We can handle that.  Then came several torrential, tropical downpours, which added another 1.3" of rain.  It rained all day, and by twilight there was another 1.2" in there.  Finally we awoke Saturday morning to a final 0.5".  Add the 1.5" from earlier in the week, and we now have a record number of mosquitoes in our yard.  What a day!  We had windows open most of Friday, and the pounding rain was almost terrifying at times.  Nothing like Germany and Belgium, but if it had carried on, who can tell?  Sunshine is predicted at least until Tuesday.

                                Looking south from a neighbour's bridge towards our property.

Looking south from our property onto another neighbour's bridge.

Meanwhile, our friend Jennifer is in B.C., in the ski town where she used to run a motel.  She still has some property there, and a sister, so she is visiting for the summer.  The B.C. wildfires are back as bad as ever.  Their temps are in the 90s every day, with sunshine.  Things are very, very dry.  Smoke is in the air day and night from nearby fires.  Already a disaster for many, it is likely to get much worse.  Her town, Rossland, is mostly forest.  So far.

The cat actually left the new couch long enough to grab a quick photo yesterday.  Here it is, with our wall of Native art, including the pot, the corn maiden, the main painting (Sacred Place by Jerry Thomas), our framed pipe (beyond the 4-sided CD rack), and kachinas (not seen, below pipe).  Anyway, I've already napped on the couch (with a cat lying on top of me), so it has been fully tested and approved.

The new sofa.  It actually looks better with a cat on it. 

Turning to the world of art (in the DIA), I still am occasionally surprised by what one comes across in the collection.  For instance, on a whim I searched for art by William Morris, the English arts and crafts person.  He is also a writer of wonderful fantasy books (I recently purchased his complete writings on Kindle--I shall write soon about the Delphi collection).  We have visited the museum devoted to him in Walthamstow, London, as well as Red House.  Anyway, I got a few hits on works by him in the collection, including this beautiful cloth, acquired in 1986.

Bird, 1878.  William Morris, English 1834-1896.  Woolen Double Cloth, 60" x 52.5".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.

Detail of above. 

    My two film picks were the week were Fox and His Friends, the next film by Fassbinder in the Criterion Collection, and Murder At The Vanities, a somewhat bizarre and ditzy second rate early musical from Hollywood.  Fox (played amazingly well by Fassbinder himself) is a gay carnival worker, who appears there as an advice-giving talking head, amidst dancing girls.  When he wins 500,000 marks in a lottery, his life changes.  At least temporarily.  It's an age-old tale but with a daring twist by the director, as Fox (real name Franz Biberkopf!) burns through money and friends at a fairly rapid rate.  Some very funny scenes and lines, as we explore the upper crust of gay life in Munich at the time (1975).  Poor Biberkopf.

Fox and His Friends, now showing on Criterion. 

Murder At The Vanities is from 1934, about a series of murders that are committed and eventually solved during the opening night of a big musical show.  The most bizarre number is not the song about marijuana (that one is pretty tame), but the three part number that uses Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2.  The first section is called the Rhapsody, and has a pianist and orchestra doing a supposed classical version of the piece.  The next section is called The Rape of the Rhapsody, featuring Duke Ellington and his orchestra jazzing up the music, and a large number of black female dancers dressed as maids!  Yikes.  Next comes The Revenge, where the original orchestra leader (Charles Middleton, no less) takes a machine gun and guns down everyone on stage.  It's quite a number, folks.  Victor McLaglen plays the woman-crazy bumbling detective.

Leaving Criterion July 31st. 

Mapman Mike

 

 
 

PC Gaming

Tuesday evening

 I have been playing some old Cyan games on XP, including Myst IV, a favourite of mine because of the location, setting, and architecture of the home of Atrus and Catherine and Yeesha, a fantasy home of great beauty and elegance.  I followed up with Uru, a huge game very much in the tradition of Myst and Riven.  When I originally played it, I had no idea what was going on, or what I was supposed to do.  I was just wandering the landscapes, which was fun but meaningless.  This time I did a long walk thru with the guidebook, which tells the story and follows a logical order.  My experience was 100x better 2nd time around.  It is a breathtakingly beautiful game, and one with a story that makes some kind of sense at last.  I followed that up with a reply to the Uru sequel To D'Ni, which allows the complete exploration of the vast underground city of D'Ni.  Once one knows his way around, the entire city can be walked without linking, except to certain rooftops and balconies, which must be linked to.  It is enormous, dark, artificially lit, and very atmospheric.  A great sequel.

And I have started replaying the 3rd Uru game, The Path Of The Shell.  The first huge segment is very mechanical, reminding me a lot of parts of Riven, where the paper was made.  It is also vast, very colourful, and fun to walk there.

For our co-op game, Deb and I downloaded Goetia, from Steam.  You play as a spirit investigating an abandoned manor house and its environs, and the strange goings on that are occurring there.  Though there is a wonderful night time atmosphere, so far it isn't scary.  It's a point and click game with great visuals, and so far has puzzles that are easy and fair.  We have played three or four times now, for about an hour each time, and are pretty far into the game.

Deb and I are playing this together using Windows 10.  So far so good. 

We've also recently played a few games of The Art of Chill, a board game based on Bob Ross' TV art show.  It's easy to play (up to four), and quite fun.  The idea is to be the first to complete a painting, using the proper colours and brushes.  Chill points are awarded, from red hot to cold blue.  Whoever reaches the blue chill line first is the winner.  In addition to competing against your fellow players, you are also trying to finish your painting before Bob.  Artistic skills not required (otherwise I would not be able to play).

We are just about to finish up our latest ten game tournament of Middle Earth: The Wizards collectible card game.  We have a five game major tournament based on the official rules, and then we play five different games that I have made up for a follow up minor tournament.  It can take us nearly a year to finish ten games, even in a lock down.  The player decks always take a lot of preparing.

In art news, here is another print by Lucas van Uden (see the previous blog for another).  This landscape is based on a work by Rubens.  If I find the original I will try and place a photo of it here, too.  Enjoy.

A Village Near A Stream, after 1640.  Lucas van Uden, Flemish, 1595-1673, after Peter Paul Rubens.  Etching and engraving in black ink on laid paper, 8" x 12".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.

Detail of above.

Detail of above.

 Detail of above.

Detail of above. 

In domestic news, Deb had her first haircut of 2021 today, an exciting event for sure.  Her hair is shoulder length now and growing out, and it looks great.  The more red hair in the (my) world, the better!  And we ordered a new sofa on Sunday, and it was delivered today.  Right now the old one is in the garage for disposal (we had 9 1/2 good years out of it, as did several cats), and the new one is assembled and in action (currently with a cat sleeping on it).  Photos to follow soon.  We had a good old fashioned heavy rainstorm late this afternoon, receiving 1/2" of rain in about twenty minutes of heavy downpour.  That should be it for several days, as the heat and humidity return to us beginning tomorrow.

In movie news, Deb's two weekend choices were as follows.  Her main choice was Room With A View.  Usually I can tolerate British period dramas, thanks to good acting, great costumes, and sets and settings that engage the eye.  There are no surprises in this tale of young love, but the 1986 Merchant/Ivory production is nearly perfect in every way.  It is quite risky to frame an entire film around a 19 year old actress (Helena Bonham Carter), putting her in virtually every scene, but she pulls things off splendidly.  My main criticism is the overuse of lush music in the background.  Though we saw it back in the day, it still holds up really well today.

Her leaving July 31st choice was The Men from 1950, directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Marlon Brando and, of all people, Jack Webb.  It deals with a veterans hospital that deals with war wounded, and we are in the paraplegic wing.  Brando is perfect in his first major role as a bitter victim having great difficulty in adjusting to his fate.  The movie is up to date (1950) in its treatment of such men, and brutally honest emotionally.  Worth seeing. Deforest Kelley makes a cameo appearance.  As a doctor!

Now showing on Criterion.

Leaving Criterion July 31st, it is a b & w film. 

Mapman Mike

 

 

Weather Day Similies

Today is a "camp" day, or "Lake Penage" day.  It is mild, rainy, and very grey.  We happily survived many such summer days at our camp on the lake west of Sudbury.  We built the camp when I was ten, and I spent all my summers there, including the first several years Deb and I were teaching school in far away Southern Ontario.  Indoor activities were limited in those days.  Later there was TV, but before that there were playing cards, and bad board games.  Of course reading and writing were popular with us, as was sitting on the screened porch and looking out at the lake and distant La Cloche Mountains as the all day rain came down.  So today, watching the rain out our front windows, I am think about camp a lot (it was sold by my father many years ago).

The previous two days here at the Homestead were sunny, very dry, low humidity, and cool (low 70s F).  These I refer to as New Mexico "high altitude" days.  The weather in late August above 8,000' is very much what is was like here on Friday and Saturday, a break from the stinky heat and humidity we have had recently.  Those days are simply called "Windsor" days.  They are uncomfortable and usually unhealthy.  Other simile days around here include "London" days (chilly and very damp), "Detroit" days, grey and low visibility (when Detroit does not look its best), "tropical" days, with heat, storms, and heavy rain, and, of course the several "Arctic" days we get each winter.  So far we have escaped a major storm here (though the flooded Detroit freeway from ten days ago just reopened), and severe heat (usually 100 F or above).  But the summer is young.

In music news, our listening program continues.  We are finishing up with all the Haydn records we have (a slew of them), still working on the Baroque LPs (Vivaldi currently), the complete works of Beethoven (CDs), of which we are currently at Biamonti #153 (of 849!).  We are currently amidst the Opus 9 String Trios.  And then there is the complete works of Bach on CD.  Every Sunday we listen to a Cantata during breakfast, and during the week randomly listen to different sections of the enormous box set.

With Phase 3 of Ontario's reopening plan coming this Friday, I will feel comfortable inviting people inside again for a recital.  I need to play these pieces very badly, having had them on the back burner since October.  Hopefully I will be performing again before July is finished.

Turning to art for a moment, here is another graphic art landscape from the DIA.  Early Flemish painters often used a popular religious scene as an excuse to paint a beautiful landscape.  The Flight Into Egypt falls neatly into this category, as we get to witness a Bruegelesque mountain landscape of breathtaking scope and imagination.  If this were in a Dover colouring book, I wold set out with my pencils to colour it. 

The Flight Into Egypt, 17th C.  Lucas Van Uden, Flemish (1595-1673). Etching and engraving in ink, on laid paper, 9" x 13".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.

Detail of above.

Detail of above.

Detail of above. 

Lastly we turn briefly to movies watched recently, all on Criterion.  La Notte is a 1961 film by Antonioni starring Marcello, Jeanne Moreau, and Monica Vitti.  It's another almost Zen-like movie where nothing much happens for much of the film.  Marcello and Jeanne have lost the spark to their marriage, and Jeanne wanders the city of Milan for an afternoon, exploring the city alone, much like a modern woman might do (though this wasn't done very often in 1961 Italy).  Marcello flirts with Monica at a large party, but she rejects him as he is married.  A very strange film, like its predecessor L'Avventura.  It strikes out into new cinema territory, and you will either like it or you won't.  We both liked it.

Now showing on Criterion. 

My leaving July 31st selection was the classic 1930 film The Blue Angel, directed by von Sternberg and starring Emil Jannings and Marlene Dietrich.  Though its tale of a college professor ruining his life over a dance hall girl is quite dated, the emotional impact of the film still vibrates.  The version we saw was 1 hr. 47' long, but it still seemed a bit rushed towards the end, when the professor's downfall came.  Jannings gives a brilliant performance, while Dietrich...well, let's just say that she has incredible thighs, along with an overall look about her that is perfect for the role of Lola Lola.  The little nightclub is such a wonderful dive bar, and the earlier, chubbier girls on the stage are really quite fascinating, especially compared with the much more slender  and bland ones that dance there five years later.  Glad I finally got to see this.

Leaving Criterion July 31st.  

Next time I will talk a bit about some of the games I have been playing lately, including card, board, and computer types.  Till then, adieu.

Mapman Mike

 
 

Heat, Humidity, and More Heat

 North America has just recorded its hottest June ever.  While we have not had extremes of heat here (33 C is pretty much normal anytime from June to early September), the heat is lasting longer, and the cool down periods are becoming shorter.  So far, including today, we have had 21 days of temps 30 C or above.  And the season is still young.  The hotter the temps, and the higher the humidity, the more chance of severe storms, as Detroit saw less than two weeks ago.  People are screaming at the city for not doing more to prevent flooding.  However, 5" to 7" of rain in one or two hours is not preventable, and no sewer system can handle that much water.  It has to go somewhere.  So people's basements are fair game, as are low lying freeways and surface streets.  Here at the Homestead, we have dodged some big storms this year, but enough rain has fallen.  It gets harder each year to keep up with the weeding and overgrowth.  It's impossible to work in the heat, so we wait expectantly for a cooler day to set to work.  Besides, the mosquitoes are so bad, and they carry West Nile disease, that one literally risks one's life when outdoors unprotected.

Anyway, this most recent heat wave (lasting four days so far) has been the worst so far this year, but not any worse than other years.  Our 30 year old AC system continues to cool the house to 77 F, and life goes on.  So things are changing here, but slowly creeping at our location.  We have smoke from the fires in British Columbia in our skies at the moment, too.  Overall, things are happening very quickly, but we seem to have escaped the worst so far.  And there has been no astronomy session this month, mostly due to heat and smoky skies.

In film watching news, my main choice for last week was Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night.  Witty, stylish, intelligent, and funny, it seems a perfect film for the Summer Solstice time.

Now showing on Criterion.

In the going away category I chose two short films.  Moments Without Proper Names is an autobiographical film by the Black director, photographer, poet, musician, and all round artist Gordon Parks.  It pulls no punches in its 58', and contains many still photos of immense beauty and importance.  Next was A Tribute To Malcolm X, from 1967 and lasting only 16'.  Such an intelligent, well spoken man.  Exactly the kind of Black man that any violent racist would want to assassinate.

Now showing on Criterion.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Deb chose a hilarious animation called A Town Called Panic, a Belgian stop motion film from 2009.  Starring Horse, Cowboy, and Indian (those tiny plastic figures so popular in the 50s and 60s), the film does eventually lose its way and become too intense in its need to be innovative. The first half of the movie, however, is probably the funniest thing we have ever seen.  Many laugh out loud moments, sometimes nearly continuous.  The first birthday party sequence is a classic.

Now showing on Criterion.

From the leaving July 31st choices, Deb picked Death Takes A Holiday, starring Fredric March as the shadow who needs a vacation.  From 1934, it shows its age but is still very well done and easy to watch, especially in the stunning b & w print Criterion provides.  Filmed in one of the weirdest versions of a millionaire's mansion I have ever seen.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Turning briefly to art, one of the big gaps in Detroit's collection is the lack of a major work by Turner.  The nearest painting is in Toledo.  Detroit has three graphic prints, and I am showing the best one of those today.  It's a beautiful depiction of sky, sea, and wind, harkening back to Dutch images of the 17th C.  I only wish it were a painting.

The Leader Sea Piece, JMW Turner, 1809.  Etching and mezzotint printed in brown ink on wove paper. 7" x 10".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.

Two details. 

This has become a nutty week for us.  Deb had a chiropractor appointment in Windsor on Monday, along with a visit to her mom in Kingsville.  Tuesday was her RA infusion in Tecumseh.  We got groceries Tuesday night.  Today is her blood work, and a visit to Kingsville again.  Tomorrow I see Dr. Ling, a follow up to my Meniere's days.  As I write this, the piano tuner is here doing his job.  And tomorrow afternoon the master measurer comes to measure our door frames.

Until next time...

Mapman Mike

 

 

Movies, Art, and Ships

 We have enjoyed many spectacular sunsets from our northwest window, including the one I am watching right now.  Friday was cool and dry, with a high in the mid 70s.  It's been humid and very warm of late, as per usual.  Dozens of huge storms went either just north of us, or just south.  Parts of Detroit are still flooded from a week ago, and one of the main freeway stretches will not reopen for at least another week. Other than the weeds growing at an alarming rate, we are good to go.

I have shut down my Facebook page for the summer months.  I usually take February off, but I kept it up this year because of Covid.  As we are now in a pandemic lull, it seems a good time to quit.  Almost half of our local county has had two vaccine doses now, and our cases have dropped below ten per day, usually far below.  So hoping that things will only get better.  With Phase 2 of reopening, I can now get a haircut!  Saturday at 11:30 am!!  I am terribly excited.

I also have new sneakers, having completely worn out my previous pair with a year of treadmill walking.  I used them for the first time today, and they seem fine.  On our way home from buying them, we stopped along the riverfront in Amherstburg, catching the Federal Seto heading upstream at sunset.  Deb snapped an image from her phone.

The Federal ships are flagged out of Marshall Islands, but go all over the world.  Several of them frequently work the Great Lakes.  This is the Federal Seto, passing Amherstburg near sunset. 

In movie news, Deb's leaving pick was called I'm Alright Jack, starring Peter Sellers and most other British actors from 1959.  It's a b & w film directed by the Boulting brothers, with a lively script telling of the chaos created by unions trying to hold their own against their rich bosses.  Sellers is perfect in the role of shop steward, leading his boys out on strike nearly every day over something or other.  Some very funny moments as both sides of the equation are skewered mercilessly.

This film finished its Criterion showing on June 30th. 

Next up was my end of the month film festival choices.  I continued on with three more features from the Czech New Wave series, and they all turned out to be pretty good films.  All were in b & w, with excellent restored prints.  The first two were coming of age comedies, directed by Milos Forman.  Black Peter is from 1964, the tale of a young boy getting his first job.  He is supposed to keep an eye out for shop lifters in a small grocery store.  On his first day he follows a suspect for so long that he never returns to work, going home afterwards instead.  He tries to woo a girl, and takes her dancing at night.  But he doesn't know how to dance, and keeps going for lemonade instead.   Finally he has a swig of liquor, and practices to the band's music in a corner by himself.  A very funny moment with which most young boys can easily identify.  He and the girl are continually pursued by a bully and his friend, with some very amusing results.  But the worst moments for this boy, where we can see where his downtrodden character comes from, are the scenes at home with his parents, who are continually on his case, asking endless questions about everything he does.  A classic film, with relevance left over for today.

A film from 1964 by Milos Forman, now showing on Criterion. 

Next up was Loves of a Blonde, as we watch a young shoe factory girl search for her one true love.  Funny but very poignant, the movie has many very funny scenes, but just as many touching ones.  Just at the age when some girls are looking for a permanent relationship, most boys are not.  Thus when the two encounter one another, love will not usually find a smooth path.  Filmed largely in a massive dance hall, the lead boy was the main bully in the previous film.  The blonde girl who allows him to bed her for a night ends up going to his place late one night.  His adventures during their tryst with a recalcitrant window blind is like something from a W. C. Fields movie. He isn't home when she arrives, but his parents are, and the final one third of the film takes place in their tiny two-room flat.  The comedy is nonstop from here to the end, at the expense of the two parents.  Mother is completed mystified at what her son and this strange girl might be up to.  Watching the parents and the son share a small bed, while she sleeps on the boy's usual cot in the other room is a scene that won't be easily forgotten.  Of course the young girl is devastated by the bedroom conversation about her, and she breaks down crying as her second love affair shatters around her.  Quite an amazing film.

From 1965, now showing on Criterion.

Lastly comes The Shop On Main Street, directed by Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos.  here is the Criterion blurb: 

An inept Slovak peasant is torn between greed and guilt when the Nazi-backed bosses of his town appoint him “Aryan controller” of an old Jewish widow’s button shop. Humor and tragedy fuse in this scathing exploration of one cowardly man’s complicity in the horrors of a totalitarian regime. Made near the height of Soviet oppression in Czechoslovakia, THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET features intense editing and camera work which won it the Academy Award for best foreign film in 1965.

This is a pretty amazing film, as we watch the destruction of a peasant, helpless as the world changes for the worse around him.  He soon realizes that he likes the elderly Jewish lady whom he is sent to exploit, and wants to protect her.  But he is incapable of any type of action, and watches helplessly as the city's Jews are rounded up and taken to camps.  There are too many wonderful moments in this film to count, but one of my favourites is when the old woman winds up her old Victrola and puts on a recording of a Jewish folksong.  She is almost totally deaf, but when she sticks her ear on the giant horn and hears the music she gets a great big smile on her face and begins to sing along and move to the music.  As helpless as the peasant is to help her is her mystification as to what is happening around her.  A priceless film, again quite suitable to our time.

Now showing on Criterion, from 1965. 

 

While most of the DIA's major paintings are always on permanent display when not on loan, the graphic arts are much harder to view, sometimes only been displayed once every ten years or so.  So having access to this department on-line is a true godsend and treasure trove, as the collection is nearly endless.  We have only one print by Jacob Savery, and it's a beauty!  It's a very odd hunting scene, mixing architecture with nature in unique manner.

 

Deer Hunt In A Swamp, Before A Chapel and A Tower, ca 1602.  Jacob Savery, Netherlandish (1565-1603).  Etching and engraving in ink on laid paper, 7.5" x 11".

 

Detail of bottom left side.

Detail of right side.

Detail of Center.
 

Au revoir.

Mapman Mike