Thursday, March 12, 2009

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

Elia Kazan directed this adaptation of the novel. I was struck by the portrayal of Brooklyn in the early 20th Century, and the way the family still seemed rooted in the cultures its members had come from - Austrian and Irish. The American dream of anything being possible in the new country, unlike in the old ones, is powerful. But so is the poverty, and crowded lifestyle.

Followed the book closely although it stops earlier in Francie's life than the book.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Un Coeur en Hiver (1992)

Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Beart and Ravel - a very slow, very French film. A love triangle, in which one of the lovers is gay, but we are unaware of this until the end.

The Sixth Sense

Will need to watch from the start, now I know what's going on!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Play Misty for Me

A 1971 film, complete with long hair and flowery shirts. A thriller set in Carmel, California and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also played the male lead - a radio DJ, Dave, who is stalked by Evelyn who listens to his show. After a one-night stand, she becomes increasingly insistent and jealous. She attacks his cleaner, and is locked in a psychiatric hospital. When she gets out she turns her attention to Dave's long-term girlfriend.

More catching up Concert Feb 19th

Feb 19th we went to Stamford for a concert by Welsh harpist Catrin Finch, who played her own arrangement of Bach's Goldberg variations. The performance was excellent, although I don't think we needed the long introductory film about it - twenty minutes was too much - five would have been enough. She intended to play through without an interval, but towards the end a fire alarm interrupted and we had an enforced fresh-air break of about fifteen minutes.
Catrin seemed quite unphased by this, and managed to restore the magic.