Films first today. Goya's Ghosts is a film from 2006, a partial biography of Goya, with fictional characters inserted at will. Directed and co-written by Milos Forman, it takes a close look at the years in Spain following the French Revolution. We were privileged to view many of Goya's paintings while spending an entire summer in Madrid many years ago. From some of the most horrifying images ever set to canvas to some of the most bucolic, he is a major artist to be reckoned with. The film explores many of the horrors that the Spanish people endured both under royal rule and during the revival of the Inquisition by the Catholic Church, all of which greatly influenced the artist and his images. Goya himself seemed to be mostly an observer on the sidelines of major events, carefully digesting, and then reforming on canvas what he saw happening around him. A recommended film, with period sets and costumes perfectly depicted, including some taken directly from the canvases of Goya and his etchings.
Now showing on Prime.
Two more Corman/Poe/Price films came next, both of them highly recommended and fun to watch. Even though the films have little to do directly with Poe's stories, they certainly capture many of his basic themes and ideas. First up was the classic The Raven, starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff. Also starring as a young dashing fellow is Jack Nicholson. From 1963, this is in rich colour and widescreen (Panavision) format. Many of these films were seen by us on small TVs back in the day, often with commercials inserted at random, and sometimes in b & w. So seeing restored widescreen versions has been a real treat! From 1963, the theme of The Raven is treated very lightly by Corman, who allows the stars considerable freedom to be themselves. They are such professionals that seeing them altogether is one of the highlights of 1960s movies in general. Lorre is the cowardly wizard (until he has had a considerable amount of wine, when his mouth gets him into trouble) who needs his chest of magic doo-dads in order to accomplish anything. Karloff and Price are the master wizards, who only need their hands to conjure. They have a fun magic duel at the end of the film.
Lastly came a more serious film in the series, The Pit And The Pendulum, from 1961. Watching Price descend into madness is great fun, as he channels the spirit of his demented and evil father once he is driven to distraction by the sudden reappearance of his dead wife (Barbara Steele). The pendulum scene is well done, and the costumes in this one are truly authentic, conjuring up Renaissance Spain down to the last detail. As is all the other films from this series (there is one more to go!), there are plenty of red candles to be seen, as well as secret passageways, enormous castles, and highly decorated sets. For once, this house does not burn down (with the same footage used in each film whenever it does happen).
We set out for Ann Arbor, MI Tuesday morning for our weekly hike, hoping to use the steep trails of Nichols Arboretum. After enduring a traffic jam in Windsor, and then on the freeway in Detroit, we abandoned ship and used the less hilly but still pleasant Dearborn Trail. Alas, it is asphalt rather than dirt. We walked 5.65 miles, not a lot when compared to some of the upcoming hikes, but pretty good for a couple of old-timers who haven't done this sort of thing for five years now. We are just finishing up Week 4 of the great preparations, with a little over one week to go. Wednesday is cross training day; we will cycle.
Rouge River, with distinct bumps on a log that happen to be sunning turtles.
We had our usual delicious lunch at La Shish on Michigan Ave; a rice/almond salad for two, with a side of baba ganoush, and freshly baked pita bread. We then headed to our favourite Middle Eastern candy store, Hashems Nuts and Coffee Gallery, also in Dearborn, to stock up on supplies. We will be offering individually wrapped candy, and white wine on Saturday for our piano group. We finished up in Windsor at the relatively new Yemeni Corner Coffee House. They had vegan treats along with truly great coffee. Deb also brought home some green beans to roast from Hashems.
Mapman Mike
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