Christmas is coming
Met up with most of the London Renegades on Friday, as yokospungeon had presents for us all. Hefty, heavyweight hexagonal parcels, beautifully wrapped. We think they might be patio slabs. And she'd made us up compilation Christmas CDs of offbeat, and pretty cool, tracks. I was pleasantly surprised to find Patty Loveless's "Blue Grass, White Snow" - thought you had a bit of a downer on country music, Yoko. Also received a lovely hand-knitted bookmark from Alex26, and a hand-made card (my first card of the year) from silverjet_allie. We had a good natter, and it was a nice start to the festive season.
Then yesterday I went to see It's a Wonderful Life at the Prince Charles. Pete (Allie's mate and an honorary Renegade, even if he isn't a bookcrosser) had booked us tickets. We all met at the Brewmaster in Leicester Square, had a beer and a bite to eat, then went to the cinema. Pete's flatmate seemed not too keen on the showing being a benefit for Amnesty International, but I promised to lock someone up unlawfully afterwards, so it would be a charity-neutral event.
It was great to see the film in the cinema, it really was.
It was great to see the film in a cinema, the way it was intended. Films are (certainly were) meant to be seen on the big screen, not a little TV monitor. I've certainly picked up on things I never saw or noticed from video or DVD when I've seen classics re-released. The "Broadway melody" modern ballet in Singin' in the Rain actually works in the cinema, while it just makes a small screen too busy and cluttered, for instance.
There's more movement on screen than I noticed on TV. The bank rush scene, where the crowd hears the police sirens and goes to look, then turns as one (like a flock of sheep or penguins) back again to George, works better in a movie house. And that sinister raven, attaching itself to poor, innocent Uncle Billy, came to the fore more for me.
Lionel Barrymore's performance seemed more powerful to me - his screen presence comes across really strongly.
The film itself is just great. I think I've come to appreciate more and more how it picks up on the weight of the world, and sense of responsibility that can get to a person. There are some great moments. Brilliant balance of humour with darkness - like the moment when George is losing it, in a state of despair, and his son is obliviously draping tinsel on top of his head. I also found myself thinking how George's dreams of travel and success are unrealistic - the bit where he shows a mate his slightly pathetic pocketful of cuttings advertising jobs "for a man who's willing to travel". All, he doesn't seem to realise, for experienced professionals.
The "Pottersville" sequence was as powerful as ever, and I love the way that everyone is the same person they are in the real Bedford Falls (Bert and Ernie are still basically decent blokes, George's Mother is embittered but not spiteful, Nick the bartender is still a bit of a thug), just shaped differently by experience. And I'm afraid I couldn't help but giggle as I always do at Mary's fate. The big dramatic build up from Clarence; "It's worse than that, George. she never married - she's an old maid. she's just about to close up...[horrified dramatic pause]... THE PUBLIC LIBRARY!". Yes, the worst thing that can happen to any woman, worse even than what happens to Violet in Pottersville, is to become a librarian. Which also ruins your eyesight and makes you go prematurely grey, according to how Donna Reed looks in that sequence.
We were all overcome by emotion. In my case, from the point where George loses it with Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell playing another great characte role) and leaves him sobbing at his desk, I was pretty full. Personally, I think the reason the film has such a happy ending is that it's gone into some pretty dark places in an ordinary man's life, and there's just an incredible sense of relief when he isn't crushed by it all.
Today, I tidied the flat then put up my Christmas tree. It was a bit underlit last year, so I've replaced the 20-light string of coloured lights with a 100 bulb one. Just going to wrap a few presents now, to put under it. Been downloading Christmas music to my computer - I now have a Shuffle full of assorted carols, and Xmas songs, from Bing Crosby to Slade. Ah, the traditional sound of Noddy Holder screaming at the top of his lungs; "it's CHRISTMAAAAAAS!"...
Then yesterday I went to see It's a Wonderful Life at the Prince Charles. Pete (Allie's mate and an honorary Renegade, even if he isn't a bookcrosser) had booked us tickets. We all met at the Brewmaster in Leicester Square, had a beer and a bite to eat, then went to the cinema. Pete's flatmate seemed not too keen on the showing being a benefit for Amnesty International, but I promised to lock someone up unlawfully afterwards, so it would be a charity-neutral event.
It was great to see the film in the cinema, it really was.
It was great to see the film in a cinema, the way it was intended. Films are (certainly were) meant to be seen on the big screen, not a little TV monitor. I've certainly picked up on things I never saw or noticed from video or DVD when I've seen classics re-released. The "Broadway melody" modern ballet in Singin' in the Rain actually works in the cinema, while it just makes a small screen too busy and cluttered, for instance.
There's more movement on screen than I noticed on TV. The bank rush scene, where the crowd hears the police sirens and goes to look, then turns as one (like a flock of sheep or penguins) back again to George, works better in a movie house. And that sinister raven, attaching itself to poor, innocent Uncle Billy, came to the fore more for me.
Lionel Barrymore's performance seemed more powerful to me - his screen presence comes across really strongly.
The film itself is just great. I think I've come to appreciate more and more how it picks up on the weight of the world, and sense of responsibility that can get to a person. There are some great moments. Brilliant balance of humour with darkness - like the moment when George is losing it, in a state of despair, and his son is obliviously draping tinsel on top of his head. I also found myself thinking how George's dreams of travel and success are unrealistic - the bit where he shows a mate his slightly pathetic pocketful of cuttings advertising jobs "for a man who's willing to travel". All, he doesn't seem to realise, for experienced professionals.
The "Pottersville" sequence was as powerful as ever, and I love the way that everyone is the same person they are in the real Bedford Falls (Bert and Ernie are still basically decent blokes, George's Mother is embittered but not spiteful, Nick the bartender is still a bit of a thug), just shaped differently by experience. And I'm afraid I couldn't help but giggle as I always do at Mary's fate. The big dramatic build up from Clarence; "It's worse than that, George. she never married - she's an old maid. she's just about to close up...[horrified dramatic pause]... THE PUBLIC LIBRARY!". Yes, the worst thing that can happen to any woman, worse even than what happens to Violet in Pottersville, is to become a librarian. Which also ruins your eyesight and makes you go prematurely grey, according to how Donna Reed looks in that sequence.
We were all overcome by emotion. In my case, from the point where George loses it with Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell playing another great characte role) and leaves him sobbing at his desk, I was pretty full. Personally, I think the reason the film has such a happy ending is that it's gone into some pretty dark places in an ordinary man's life, and there's just an incredible sense of relief when he isn't crushed by it all.
Today, I tidied the flat then put up my Christmas tree. It was a bit underlit last year, so I've replaced the 20-light string of coloured lights with a 100 bulb one. Just going to wrap a few presents now, to put under it. Been downloading Christmas music to my computer - I now have a Shuffle full of assorted carols, and Xmas songs, from Bing Crosby to Slade. Ah, the traditional sound of Noddy Holder screaming at the top of his lungs; "it's CHRISTMAAAAAAS!"...