Houyhnhnm

Hellenica

It’s a long time since I read this – a translation of Xenophon’s continuation of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. I remember not being particularly enthralled, but generally interested. The introduction seemed to spend most of its energies pointing out how poor Xenophon is as a historian. As Matthew Gaudet puts it:

Unlike Herodotus, I leave Xenophon with no energy to seek out more ancient history at the moment. I need a break. I don’t think reading Xenophon was a waste of time, but it wasn’t as enlightening or interesting as the previous two histories I’ve read. At the end of Hellenica, we are left just about where Philip II of Macedon begins to take over Greece; his son would be Alexander the Great. Interestingly, despite this incipient change, Xenophon barely mentions the Macedonians in his history. If I wanted to continue a chronological exploration of the Ancient Greek world I’d seek a history of the rise of Macedon next.

The view sees to be that Xenophon lacks the intellectually-satisfying focus and (sort-of) objectivity which we see in Thucydides, and, in different ways, in Herodotus. I too was put off reading more ancient history: I tried, but couldn’t stick with, Cassius Dio.

Homecoming: a Film by Beyoncé

Thought I’d better learn something about her, and this came up as one of the Netflix things I could download for some long train journeys.

I couldn’t have been more impressed – wow. Beyoncé Knowles took 8 months (4 on the music, 4 on the choreography) preparing for this one concert, at Coachella, a traditional annual big gig for some college students. She’d been warned it had always been a white sort of event, but took it on anyway. She designed the whole shebang, from the sequins on the (multitudinous) costumes to the huge pyramid on the stage, packed with musicians, singers and dancers whom she recruited & trained from US colleges all over.

How they are related

1. They both begin with ‘h’.

2. It’s something about expectation: you’d expect an ancient Greek classic text to be somewhat better, more focused, more intelligent, than I actually found it. And with Homecoming – to my shame – the situation was the reverse. Xenophon is not a historian in the sense I had expected, and Beyoncé is not the superficial corporate product I had half imagined she would be. But that’s more about me than the works themselves.

The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar

A Wes-Anderson short-ish Ronald Dahl story, with everyone in it. Or rather every male actor, as women are only occasional and background. Which adds to the usual Anderson stylised groove. A wealthy man learns of a secret skill, which he eventually acquires: he can see without using his eyes. All of this works out, and he dies very rich, establishing many altruistic foundations which make the world a better place.

Rosalie

Another story-as-fable, based on a true story of a (probably early / mid 19c) French woman who from birth grew facial and body hair like a man. When her husband, who’s been deceived by Rosalie and her father) finds this out, his anger is tempered by his wife’s decision to grow her hair as a ‘freak’ to drum up business for his failing café. This works, and all the locals are accepting and perfectly happy with this bearded woman running the bar. It could have ended here, but we’re only half way through… The local squire, struggling with his confused feelings of desire for Rosalie, engineers a change of attitude, and the locals now start spurning her.

Immediately afterwards I was disappointed by how the film ended (with Rosalie leaping off a bridge into a river, and her husband – who we learnt earlier can’t swim – following her. We might think he’s attempting a rescue, but no, they sink together. I felt it was a cliché.

On reflection, however, I now see the film – a personal interpretation perhaps – as an allegory of the ways in which the EDI agenda was by many initially welcomed, but is perhaps beginning now, in some quarters, to feel a backlash.

How they are related

Both Henry and Rosalie seek to improve the world, Henry through an egotistic quest for personal power (which he then uses altruistically), Rosalie through the reverse: a sacrificial and potentially humiliating/disastrous parading of her unusual physiology. Henry succeeds; Rosalie doesn’t – at least in her lifetime.

Inside No. 9

(S1E1 & S1E2 only) Lovely dark-comedy tales from two people who were in something else I gather. Particularly impressive is E2, which is (until the very end) wordless – a tribute to the silent days.

Witness for the Prosecution

Another throwback in this post-WW1 Agatha Christie tale. One thing I’m realising in whodunnits/thrillers is that you can normally tell who it is by the casting – the more famous the actor the more likely they dunnit: see Colin Firth in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Here it clearly wasn’t Toby Jones – he’s the focalised, and ultimately tragic, hero, but [checks name] Andrea Riseborough as Romaine Vole/Heilger would have given me a clue has I known she’s ‘in simply everything’. I sniffed at some point that the bloke Leonard Vole probably did it, particularly his new arrogance when he had the £ and offered some to Toby, but had no idea of the complex sting plot hatched up by the two of them.

How they are related

Two people plotting to rob a rich person is the common thread. The comedy uses slapstick, wordless, comedy; the serious drama uses lots of words, most of them lies.

Back to Black

A tad reluctant to see another biopic, having been disappointed by some (pace Rustin). But it was very enjoyable, and convincing. I like how they didn’t show her death, just implied it by her going upstairs towards the light (cf. the Auschwitz commandant’s descent on stairs towards darkness in Zone of Interest). Also nice are the repeated tattooing scenes, where Amy and her man retreat when things are tough: something interesting there about the imagery of making herself an, er, image.

La Chimera

A British archaeologist turned tomb-robber, using his supernatural ability to locate tombs to help the ‘tombaroli’ in Tuscany. An intriguing (in the traditional sense) film, fascinating and fun. But for the last hour it seems to lose its way, unsure as to what exactly it wants to do (or so I thought). The very end disappointed me (but not others); I personally didn’t really like the theme of the deceased lover and the red thread – too artificial a trope of holding the narrative together.

How they are related

The main parallel has to be between the art on the objects in the tombs, and Amy and her man’s turning themselves into art at the tattoo parlour. It’s this surface decoration which gives meaning and purpose to both narratives. The dealers and curators buy the pots on the basis of the painted designs, and it’s to this aspect of appearance that Amy and her man resort.

Then again, the film’s climactic objet is a large, beautiful (and brutally dismembered in the interests of a quick steal) statue of a goddess, unpainted. Our archaeologist, in a fit of remorse for pimping this beauty to sordid eyes, preserves the goddess’ dignity by throwing her head into the lake. I didn’t see Amy’s death in this light, but there is something special about the legacy of all stars who die young…

Wolf Hall

Mark Rylance is my fave Thesp., so I’d been meaning to watch this for years. And I’d become a fan of Clare Foy from The Crown (a bit) and All of Us Strangers (a lot). And Damian Lewis (Alex Rider…).

It came in as slightly below the hype (so great was the hype). But all very good really, especially Mark and his silences.

Baby Reindeer

Recommended by probably the most cinematophile person I know, who’s only 19 and seen everything. She even recognised the director of Parasite at a street café in Primrose Hill and said hi. I’d forgotten she liked quite dark stuff…

This matched the hype, and (a rare thing) ended really well, with a wise and nuanced conclusion reinforcing our-shared-humanity, there-but-for-the-grace-of-God…, etc.

How they are related

Both Richard Gadd (BR) and Mark Rylance (WH) are blokes who grow progressively terrified of an unstable person who has power over them. Both try various ways to deal with this, and the power held over them is the type which provides them with some benefit: for Mark power and wealth, for Richard a kind of affirmation, which shows as his success at comedy and a deepening dependance on Martha.

Get Back

Peter Jackson’s restoration of footage made for a documentary of the Beatles recording the Get Back album. They shall not grow old – hah.

What is fantastic is watching the band work together so well (for the vast majority of the 8 hours) – the stories of this film showing the Beatles falling apart don’t wash. But what’s even better is seeing them compose and play: the bit where Paul works out the tune and words for Get Back itself is wonderful.

Get Back presents an apotheosis, as the band’s attempt to film a documentary of them first recording an album and then playing it live is slowly attenuated (or elevated) to a show on the roof of the Apple building with no audience at all. Or, rather, an audience of office and shop workers who have clambered out onto roofs, and a crowd in the street below who can’t see a thing. What other end could there be for this band of gods? Is this a mockery of the idea of a gig, or the ultimately pure live show? Napoleon as monarch of Elba.

Scoop

The 2019 Emily Maitlis-Andrew Windsor interview. Gillian Anderson and a gloriously unattractive Rufus Sewell.

How they are related

If only Andrew had had no audience. The reverse of an apotheosis (‘apanthroposis’ perhaps – ooh dear), in which one with revered status shows his feet of clay (and as a result loses various elementts of his official status). Perhaps both groups didn’t see the audience as important, just their performance?

Dune Part 2

Une bonne continuation, as the French would have it. But ultimately unsatisfactory – it opens up at the end to a Dune 3, which I probably won’t bother with. It’s all too much action and adventure and not enough of the religion and weirdness of the books. And what did Christopher Walken think about his role as evil emperor type? I guess the cheque was nice.

That all sounded a bit catty. It’s a beautiful film, and the whole Aramis/Dune thing – the plans to convert a desert planet to one with oceans – is beautiful too, and helps me segue beautifully into…

The Martian

More sc-fi, and again with a biological backdrop, as Matt Damon gets stranded on Mars, and works out how to grow potatoes to survive. The agenda is the wonder of science, more specifically of scientific determination: (rough quote) ‘I’m going to think the shit out of the science [of this problem]’. He does this, several times, and then the whole world (symbolised by the Americans and the Chinese, cheered on by a little crowd in Trafalgar Square, think the shit out of how to get him home again. Which they then do; the last minutes are spoiled by Matt telling rookie astronauts about his adventures.

How they are related

Sandy planets, needing life. Potentially thoughtful tales morphed by budgets into adventure narratives.

Belfast

Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of his family’s childhood in Northern Ireland at the start of the sectarian conflict. It tells how his father, a Protestant, tried to keep out of it all, and eventually persuaded his wife – Branagh’s mother – to bring the family to England. Mainly in black and white, it’s well told, and very human – particularly Judi Dench as Ken’s granny – and conveys, without a lot of violence/horror, the tensions in the Protestant community.

Wham! documentary

Well I never knew. I never knew how many Wham songs I actually knew, and I never knew of GM and AR’s childhood friendship and early musicianship – what a lovely story. And what a lovely pair of blokes too.

How they are related

Two tales of 70s childhood. Idyllic start, troubles come along, and then there’s an exit: Ken from Ulster, George from Wham. (Ken’s three years older.)