Saturday, June 30, 2007

A Graduation Present...

...for Eva---


Currently watching: Little Fish

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Fine Art House with Sergey Smirnov

He passed away at the age of 53 on 8 November 2006. A guy that I met while performing in the Kirov Ballet introduced me to Sergey's work. I'm so glad he did.


Tenderness


Mirage


Masquerade


Homage to Chagall


Currently watching: Les Biches

Harriet Harris

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/109106.html



I met Harriet Harris when she did a Shakespeare "workshop" for my Oral Interpretation of Shakespeare class a couple years back. Her boyfriend was/is (I don't follow her love-life) a student in the MFA program. She was magnifcent. She read Queen Margaret's speech that starts off: "Brave warriors, Clifford and Northumberland,..." And along with her boyfriend, performed the balcony scene. *sigh* I was taken by her. She had this youthful joy mixed in with a world-weariness, a knowing of the world, if you will.

I saw her, again, in another "workshop" setting while attending my first KC/ACTF. This time she was being interviewed by her boyfriend (who was the same grad student=). She shared stories of playing Ophelia to Kevin Kline's Hamlet; of loving being part of the Acting Company; her own wisdom that she has gained as a professional actress.

If you haven't seen THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER with Nathan Lane, see it. She co-stars in it along with Jean Smart. It's delightful and she really socks it to Nathan's character of Sheridan Whiteside when he tries to prevent her from falling in love and getting married to the local newspaper editor. Lovely!

Oh! It's on DVD, so there is NO excuse for you not to watch it!

That's all.

Carry on...

Currently watching: Les Biches

Monday, June 25, 2007

Poetry-Time Cafe with Anna Akhmatova

We don't know how to say good-bye---
We keep wandering arm in arm.
Twilight has begun to fall,
You are pensive and I keep still.

Let's go into a church---we will watch
A funeral, christenings, a marriage service,
Without looking at each other, we will leave...
What's wrong with us?

Or let's sit on the trampled snow
Of the graveyard, sighing lightly,
And with your walking stick you'll outline palaces
Where we will be together always.

1917

I think if they ever made a film of Anna's life that Meryl Streep should play her.

Currently listening to: Duet


Friday, June 22, 2007

Jeff Galipeaux Interview of Jeanne Moreau for Salon.com

Alright...I found this article under my bed. It was one that I had printed out from Salon.com while researching about Jeanne Moreau a couple of years back:

Unavailable for years, Joseph Losey's "Eva" is a famously butchered film. Originally 155 minutes long, it was chopped down to 103 minutes by the producers. The Kino DVD contains a bonus Swedish cut of the film that runs 112 minutes, but the odds of a full version ever reemerging seem dim. And that's a shame, considering "Eva" contains Moreau's riskiest performance. Eva Olivier, as portrayed by Moreau, is probably the best depiction of a case of borderline personality disorder ever put on film. I once watched the movie with a psychiatrist, who was amazed at the intuitive accuracy of Moreau's performance. (I was told Eva would have been diagnosed "a functional schizoid" at the time the film was made.)

"You're fantastic in that film," I said to Moreau when I interviewed her, "even though it doesn't quite hold together as a movie."

"There are scenes missing," she said.

"I've heard that."

"Joe Losey was not able to do his editing."

"The Hakim brothers?" I asked, referring to the film's producers.

"I had to fight with them. I ran after one with a knife," Moreau told me.

"Really?"

"I wanted to open him up."

"I've heard they were really hard to work with."

"He closed a door just in time. Otherwise I would have skinned him," Moreau said as she smiled and lit a cigarette.


Oh, that Jeanne Moreau! Telling her story of chasing one of the brothers with a knife and then, of course, lighting a cigarette. Watch out!

I have now redeemed the film (if only to myself, perhaps--but I won't be seeing it again any time soon...)!

http://archive.salon.com/people/bc/2001/12/06/moreau/index.html

"Eva"

I just finished watching this movie directed by Joseph Losey titled, "Eva." The reason I got it was because of Jeanne Moreau who happens to be one of my favorite actresses.

I really really REALLY did not like the movie.

I thought she did a fine job. It was just rubbing me the wrong way. It was an excruciating hour and 58 minutes to go through, take a few minutes off because I really enjoyed the Italian actress, Virna Lisi. I don't think I've ever seen her in a film before.

But, like the actress in, "The Assasination of Trotsky," (which was also a Losey film) Valentina Cortese, I was taken with Virna.

I will say that the last few moments of the movie were a bit exciting for me. Virna's character, Francesca, commits suicide. Jeanne's character, Eva, continuously slaps the man that is obsessed with her with a riding whip...

The movie was flat for me. The music was getting on my nerves and music in a movie has NEVER done that to me. Not that I can remember, at least...


Currently listening to: In Retrospect

Monday, June 18, 2007

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Best Supporting Actress Oscar (1974)...

...went to Ingrid Bergman for, "Murder on the Orient Express." She thought that the award should go to Valentina Cortese for, "La Nuit américaine." Ingrid apologized in her speech because she truly believed Valentina should have been awarded for her work. She concluded with, "Please forgive me, Valentina. I didn't mean to."

I've only seen Valentina in one film, "The Assasination of Trotsky." It stars Alain Delon and Richard Burton, with Romy Schneider. I was very taken with Valentina.

"I've gone from saint to whore and back to saint again, all in one lifetime." (Oh, that Ingrid!)


Currently watching: The Assassination of Trotsky

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

"It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul!"

I know how OTHELLO ends. But, EVERY time I read it or see it, I have this massive, uncontrollable well of tears that surges out because I Hate what happens to Desdemona. And then the realization that comes to Othello...! (Among other things that happen in the play=)

Oh, the injustice. The betrayal.

That's why you call it: Tragedy.

Currently watching: Le Trio Infernal