Georgy Girl (1966)

You start off watching this film, and see how well immersed it is in the atmosphere of the 1960's London, that you soon categorize it as a "historical document". So I was intrigued for the first part, even when Lynn sings her song and James presents her with his "contract".

However soon after that point, I saw the whole thing degenerating into an entertainment piece aimed at satisfying the hopes and also prejduces of the audience of the day. And, indeed, why shoudn't it? Why the hell not?

Since when should I, a watcher coming on the scene some 50 years later, prioritise what are, in effect, my own "hopes and prejudices" and want to see it as a historical document?

Even so, Alan Bates starts to get distinctly irritating in the second part and the scenes and situations start to take on more farcical turns. You could even call it slapstick in certain places. Another, more serious accusation is a mild form of bigotry surrounding Georgy's supposedly excessive size and tomboyishness. However, this too is a sign of those times. There's a short scene when even the father seems to readily scoff at Georgy's femininity.

So, should it really be called a good film? I don't think so, the themes are rather too trivial, and its social commentary is weak. And is it really so good as a historical document? I actually think it fails here as well. It's indicative perhaps, not of the situation in the 1960's, but of the aspirations that generation held.

But, also, let this be said, those aspirations did not have an only trivial impact, but a rather large one on the society of the day. I think once we can accept that, then we can begin to get the best out of the film.

Edge of Darkness (1985)

This is a pretty famous BBC TV six part series from 1985. Writing now in 2013, this was made 28 years ago ... and it clearly has dated aspects as all programs of this era have. However, several modern techniques can be recognised, and so over the years it has gained the reputation of being a watershed titile, one that marks the end of the old and the beginning of the new.

Above all however, the series is a noted for the powerful performance of Bob Peck. I think anybody who praises this series will have that point at the back of their mind. Let it be said, he is not the only good thing about it .. it's a very high quality programme, many of the other characters are exceptionally well played, but Bob Peck's enactment of the story's main character is nothing short of mesmeric.

The storyline is somewhat problematic, as it straddles several categories: personal tragedy, thriller, detective story and even contemporary documentary, so much so that there was probably only ever one actor able to represent it, and the production got this actor in the shape of Bob Peck.

Capote(2005)

I was disappointed with this film. Don't get me wrong, it's superbly filmed and the period atmosphere was excellently captured. But it was too well-done.

When you look at a film like this you realise why we have the current lo-fi craze now in the early two-ten's. Everything is just far too clean and well kept. And this includes two criminals, esepcially Perry Smith who only shows balanced consideration of things with zero psychosis, which is just impossible.

It's possible to enjoy this film only if you havn't read "In Cold Blood", but it wouldn't be by much.

Philip Seymour-Hoffman won an Oscar for his rle as Truman Capote. Great. Well, let me say that it's categorically overacted, and that Capote comes across a real tosser. It's inbelieveable that he could have been that good a writer with that so affected personality.

Thumbs down.

This first post will about about my current obsession with Franz Schubert's "Die Winterreise" Songcycle.

All I'm going to do right now is list out the 24 titles that make up this collection, together with one or possibly two salient aspects of the song.


1. Gute Nacht
2. Die Wetterfahne
3. Gefror'ne Thränen
4. Erstarrung
5. Der Lindenbaum
6. Wasserflut
7. Auf dem Flusse
Somewhat untypically, there's definite venom in this one which comes to a head with a very emphatic
"Erkennst du nun dein Bild?"

8. Rückblick
9. Irrlicht
10. Rast
11. Frühlingstraum
Singer allows himself an escape from his current harsh conditions by indulging in some dreaming. Inevitably however, it mrely leads him to realise his sorrow in a different way.

12. Einsamkeit
13. Die Post
14. Der greise Kopf
15. Die Krähe
16. Letzte Hoffnung
17. Im Dorfe
The piano in this one is just amazing, primordial. The song seems to be made of the simplest, elemental components. A stone-age man could listen to this and immediately identify with it.

18. Der stürmische Morgen
19. Täuschung
20. Der Wegweiser
21. Das Wirthshaus
22. Mut
23. Die Nebensonnen
24. Der Leiermann