Happy New Year to one and all! I hope you had a chance to enjoy the holiday.
The weather here has not been very good, it put paid to my customary New Year's Day drive in the Scottish Borders, and walking (squelching) through the countryside nearer to home didn't appeal much. Never mind; I've spent a useful few days sorting out cupboards and tidying up some of the accumulated clutter.
I've chucked out some things that should have been gone a while ago, and re-organised most of the lead mountain in large plastic boxes which slide neatly under the couch in my soldier-painting room. This frees up a lot of useful space in my other cupboards, and I've even updated my lists of what is in each box, so that is all gratifying in a rather specialised way!
Other than that I have spent my evenings watching DVDs. First off, I watched a BluRay I obtained of Las Aguilas Azules - it may not be obvious that this is The Blue Max, which I hadn't watched since it was released in 1966 (which is not yesterday).
Visually, it is a delight - I spent a lot of time wondering how they had filmed the in-flight sequences. It is not a period I know a great deal of, so I will bow to those who are offended by the inaccuracies in the 'plane conversions or the uniforms, but it looks terrific. The script is woeful; there was a novel somewhere in the background, I understand, but it has been well dumbed-down to ensure that audiences will understand the plot. The dialogue is frequently embarrassing - budgerigar level - and the stereotypes on show, the class issues and the general treatment of female characters are fairly moronic; I guess that "of their day" would be fairer.
Having said all of which, I enjoyed it; two and half hours well spent. I recall that back in 1966, for some reason I can't really remember, I watched it in a mid-week afternoon matinée at a cinema in Galashiels. The audience consisted largely of pensioners, I recall, and it seemed to be acceptable to converse at normal levels of volume in the theatre during the show; I was probably glad that the dialogue didn't need a lot of concentration.
I am, of course, continuing with my alphabetical Shakespeare campaign, working my way through the BBC's colour TV series circa 1980. Since Xmas I have watched Measure for Measure and The Merry Wives of Windsor, both of which were really very good. Merry Wives in particular is a riot, and the BBC deployed many excellent actors (in 1982); Richard Griffiths, Ben Kingsley, Alan Bennett, Prunella Scales and Michael Bryant, along with some lesser personal favourites of my own, including Richard O'Callaghan and the magnificent Elizabeth Spriggs.
I got through Merry Wives in a single sitting, hugely entertained, and reinforced only by a quart of black tea and the odd Digestive biscuit. Great stuff indeed, though the end does get decidedly weird, doesn't it?
There are many worse ways to see a new year in, I take this as a forerunner of a good year for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ross - I appreciate the thought.
DeleteWhen I saw the film I thought a Blue Max must be something like a Red Baron or a Greene King.
ReplyDeleteYes - I think I did too, like a Blue Meanie. I have to admit that by the time I watched it again this week I had forgotten that it was a medal; I must check out why it was called this - who it was named after (or whatever). Could there have been a Gold Ulrich, or similar?
DeleteAha - it seems that Max Immelmann was the first German airman in WW1 to receive the "Pour le Mérite" decoration, and its subsequent nickname was a dedication to him.
DeleteWishing you a very happy new year, Tony, and hoping I can be a better blog follower in the new year. I have vague memories of watching Blue Max when I was a young teenager, and wasn't sure at the time which was more exciting, the flying scenes or Ursula Andress.
ReplyDeleteI can see there were a number of attractions. I have to say that Ursula Andress's cleavage-revealing dress and hairstyle in the movie had nothing at all to do with 1918. She was the prime example of someone in the cast who couldn't act to save her life. I think James Mason and Harry Towb were the acting stand-outs; maybe Jeremy Kemp. Anton Diffring seems to have been in every war film in the 1950s and 60s. Peppard the prerequisite US star; the film was shot in Ireland, I understand. Trivia dump ends here.
DeleteSounds a good way to start the year Tony. If you're up to the Ms you must be about halfway by my calculations ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings to you, Chris. Yes, I'm about to start "A Midsummer Night's Dream", which I think is the 4th disk in the 2nd volume. This will be one of the few that I've seen in the theatre. In fact (whisper it), I once appeared in a production of it at grammar school. As I already found with "Macbeth", "Julius Caesar" and "Hamlet", it is horrifying how much of the script I can still remember, considering I can hardly remember what happened last week.
DeleteA Happy New Year to you Tony, it sounds like you spent the inclement weather time wisely! I have watched the film within the last decade - it's a bit "of its time" as you say, but then so am I (as, I daresay, are you) so I can forgive it that!
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith - and to you. I can see that my commenting on TBM as being "of its time" is a bit ironic when I am working through Shakespeare, which I expect to be "of its time" - in fact I usually get a bit irritated if the director attempts to update it! I think the real shock is that 1966 is a lot longer ago than I tend to assume. I struggled a bit with "The Merchant of Venice", I am disappointed to note, though it was well done, because the racist stuff was so extreme; of course I realise what public attitudes circa 1600 were like, but it is uncomfortable to hear Warren Mitchell, a Russian Jew by descent, playing the part of Shylock complete with music-hall Jewish accent and mannerisms. I guess that is what the audiences of Shakespeare's day expected, and I should have expected it too!
ReplyDeleteHappy New year Tony and a little bit of self indulgence never goes amiss. It’s interesting your comments around the productions being of it’s time, I agree that even the BBC quality productions from the 60’s can often fall short on current acceptability. And yes our memories are wonderful things I can remember all my part as young Siward from MacBeth and big chunks of our reworking of the Pirates of Penzance from my Grammar school days!!,
ReplyDeleteI was thinking for a while that more self-indulgence might be worth a New Year resolution - maybe I should be more subtle than that - you know, surprise myself with the occasional treat etc. It's all spin anyway. Best wishes to you Graham - I hadn't thought of you as a Thespian, but it's all good.
DeleteHappy New Year ( albeit slightly belated ) to you, Tony: hope the weather has not been too 'dreich' up there.
ReplyDeleteBBC Shakespeare quite nostalgic for me, they happened to be showing 'Much Ado' on the weekend I received my first (rented!) VHS recorder, so I taped it, just for a test.. watched the play and loved it, easily my favourite Shakespeare even to this day ( I'm not very 'deep' ) Wolfie Smith and Cheri Lunghi, if I remember right?
'I can see a church by daylight...'
Happy New Year, Dave. You have also reminded me that the very first VHS programme I ever recorded was the 1985 Portuguese GP, which Senna won for Lotus in the pouring rain. I then proceeded to build up a large library of VHS tapes of all the Grands Prix, which went on for 5 years or so until I realised that I had never watched any of the recordings...
Delete"Much Ado" - yes, Wolfie Smith (also much revered as Michael Murray, the baddie in GBH) and Cherie Lunghi. Where have all the years gone?
Happy New Year Tony! Putting toy soldiers in boxes and updating lists, sounds like heaven to me...
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Ian - really rather enjoyed it! I still have one more of the big plastic boxes, but have run out of couch to put it under - I'm working on it.
DeleteHappy New Year Tony. The action sequences in that film are still wonderful to watch I agree. I really must have a catch up with you soon.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Lee.
All the best for the New Year Lee - I hear that things have calmed down a bit for you, I'll email you - take care.
DeleteMore or less my idea of how to spend New Year's - at home, no driving with Drunks, etc... although this year we got in a New Years Eve game, even if we were done well before dusk!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! I read The Blue Max book as a lad. I remember really enjoying it and the ending is at total odds with the movie. I may well have to pick up another copy.
ReplyDelete