Summer heat blasted us until Sept. 21st, which was last Wed. It was 87 F. then someone literally pulled the switch to "Autumn" setting. Boom. Sept. 22nd it was 20 F cooler, and it has stayed that way, and will stay that way. A really, really strange entry into fall, and exactly in tune with the calendar. That never happens here. Summer usually lingers into Thanksgiving weekend, the 2nd weekend in October. We watched the house temperature drop all weekend, from 77 F Thursday afternoon (lingering heat in the house from the day before) to today, when it is 67 F inside, and a lot colder outside.
Our Equinox celebration went on for a few days, as it was a clear sky on the Thursday. We changed our artwork around to autumn pictures, and changed the fireplace lights. We took our final Tarot cards of the Celtic year, and finished up Wagner's Die Walkure. It such an emotionally powerful opera, and the orchestration is among the heaviest ever written to accompany singers. What a blast! We also are continuing some readings from Tolkien's Book of Lost Tales 1, which contain the earliest versions of many of the stories from Silmarillion.
I share a birthday with the first day of Autumn (22nd), along with Bilbo and Frodo, so my mind always turns to Tolkien in the fall. But for my birthday this year I bought a box set of the complete works of Haydn! 160 CDs!! I have been gently dipping into it for the past week, and enjoying the performances immensely. This means that I can now dispose of a huge number of LP record box sets, freeing up some space in the basement.
In the world of the mundane, I have three appointments this week, making it an unusual week for me. Very early tomorrow morning I will bring the car to VW for some necessary work. an hour later I have a specialist appointment regarding my injured shoulder. I hurt it a year ago trying to pull debris from our creek, and ended up tearing a rotator cuff. It's likely not serious enough for the surgeon to repair, but I have some questions for him. And Friday morning it's another trip to the dentist, this time for routine cleaning and check up.
And then comes Saturday. Philip Adamson, my occasional piano instructor, will play another all-Beethoven program, as he tries to push through to the end of performing all the sonatas. Looking forward to my first live concert (other than my own) in years!
Meanwhile, Deb is preparing for her mother's Celebration of Life in a few weeks. She is assembling a short film of stills that show her mom as a little girl and morphing through to recent images of her. It's been an incredible amount of work preparing a two minute film of stills. She will also be the main speaker.
We have been watching a lot of films (and episodes of series), I just haven't had the time the report on them. I will list the ones I remember, with perhaps a comment or two about some of them.
Yoyo, by Pierre Etaix, is from 1965. A funny and touching comedy of life about the son of very rich parents who suddenly lose everything and become poor. He runs away and joins the circus. A minor masterpiece of comedy and drama.
Milky Way, by Luis Bunuel, is from 1969. His scathing attack on religion and dogma.
Niagara, from 1953, was directed by Henry Hathaway and stars Marilyn Monroe. It's a tale of murder and revenge, all filmed gloriously in Niagara Falls. Worth watching just for the scenery.
The Other Side of Hope, by Aki Kaurismaki, is from 2017. It's a terrific minor tale of refugees in Finland trying to make a life.
Swamp Water, Jean Renoir's first American picture, is from 1941. Depraved doings in the great swamp in Georgia. Lots of humid atmosphere.
Paris Calligrammes is a film by Ulrike Ottinger, who spent the 1960s in Paris. The film is a terrific documentary of the times and her personal experiences, and for any lovers of that great city this film is a must see. We than looked up an early film of hers, and found Ticket of No Return from 1979. Starring Tabea Blumenschein as the beautiful woman who goes on a holiday tour of Berlin. She does it sumptuous evening clothes (chosen and designed by the designer/actress). But this tour is soaked with alcohol, and mostly covers the divey bars and back streets. Some very funny scenes and some very tragic ones, too. Well worth gawking at.
Man of the West was directed by Anthony Mann, and is from 1958. Gary Cooper stars as a reformed bank robber who gets caught by his old gang after a failed train robbery. Very high drama, and many unusual scenes.
Deb chose some films from Prime to watch. One was The Duke, a small but very fun film from 2021, about a man who plots to steal a painting from the National Gallery. He plans to hold it hostage until the government agrees to pay for the TV licenses (a British thing) of seniors and veterans. Highly entertaining, as it is whenever the little guy wins against the big guy. Based on a true story. The Man Who Knew Infinity is another excellent story based on a real person. Released in 2016 it tells the mostly unhappy story of a brilliant mathematician from India who is brought to England to work. He has to overcome incessant racism and professional ridicule, but with the help of Jeremy Irons and Stephen Fry, his short life is rewarded with several professional and mathematical victories. Hard hitting but excellent film.
Lastly (but not leastly) is The Illusionist, a film from 2006. It's turn of the century Vienna, and this story is about a great magician who performs there, but is soon censored by the local police and government. He meets a young woman whom he knew as a child, who is far beyond his meager station in life. They fall in love all over again. This is a pretty decent film, and very easy to watch. Can the little guy overcome the big guy? You won't know until the very end. Recommended.
Mapman Mike
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