Well, dear readers, it is the day before the day before Christmas, and the day before my annual Christmas Eve Do. And do you know how I know this? Because not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse, and I think we all know what THAT means. Yes, Virginia, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse in the house. While there may not be a creature stirring, I will soon be stirring my famous Spaghetti Sauce (patent-pending), and I will also be preparing my famous Tuna Pasta Salad (patent-pending), as well as various other foodstuffs (patent-pending). The good news is that I’ve done all the shopping for the big Do so I’m not going to have to brave the sickening last-minute supermarket crowds. Last year, I waited until the day before and I couldn’t even get in the parking lot of the supermarket. So, I am gloriously on top of things, and therefore I can relax and smell the coffee and the roses and the pesto. Speaking of the pesto, yesterday was a lovelier than lovely day. I got a great night’s sleep, but couldn’t jog because it was just too windy and cold. Instead, I packaged up a handful of orders and got them shipped out. I picked up three count them three packages, including a lovely Money Tree (or Bonsai tree) from dear reader FJL and Skip. It’s now on a nice table in the living room, in front of a window for proper sunlight. In the later afternoon, Miss Adriana Patti showed up and we supped at Louise’s, where I had my usual farfalle in a tomato cream sauce. Normally the dish comes with sausage, but I had it with meatballs. For some reason, it was really spicy last night, too spicy. Other than that, it was a fine meal. And that was my day – just the sort of day I needed.
Yesterday and last night I managed to watch two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled The Deadly Affair, a Sidney Lumet film from 1965 that I somehow had never seen. It just came out on a region 2 DVD, and I was really looking forward to it, because I’m a fan of Lumet, a fan of the screenwriter, Paul Dehn, a fan of the novelist John Le Carre, and a fan of the cast, which includes James Mason, Maximillian Schell, and Harry Andrews. Sadly, The Deadly Affair is just that – a deadly affair. Wooden, plodding, pointless, incoherent, which is amazing given the players. There isn’t a believable moment in the entire film, and there is really nothing to recommend it. I’m sure the photography looked great on the film’s release, but this transfer is brown, faded, and ugly. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. The original play is one of my two favorite modern plays (the other being Long Day’s Journey Into Night), and while I don’t feel the film ever quite captures the brilliance of the play, it’s really quite wonderful in its own right. Mr. Burton is excellent, as is Miss Taylor, and George Segal and Sandy Dennis are tops. However, none of them erase the memory of listening to Miss Uta Hagen, Mr. Arthur Hill, Miss Melinda Dillon, and Mr. George Grizzard on the Columbia cast album. I have always found the design of the film too cluttered, but the camerawork of Haskell Wexler and the direction of first-time filmmaker Mike Nichols really has stood the test of time. On its own as a listening experience, the Alex North score is a masterpiece. In the film, it sometimes takes things in the wrong direction and some of the scenes would be better off without it. The new Special Edition DVD looks swell, but, as usual, the extras are a bore-fest.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I thought I just heard a creature stirring some holiday pudding (patent-pending).
Nope, it was just my imagination. It is not my imagination, however, that I must attend a casting session this morning at ten, to try and find our final cast member for our kids show. I’m hoping that won’t be more than an hour or so, and then I’ll have the rest of the day to do with what I please. Mostly, I shall watch DVDs and/or drive about in my motor car.
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow evening’s Do – it’s a little peculiar to have it on a Sunday night, but we’ll make Do. I never know how many people will show up – I don’t ask for RSVPs. I’m making a lot of spaghetti sauce and a lot of pasta and a lot of tuna pasta salad.
Quick, let’s put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, quick, let’s break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, quick, let’s do the Hora or the Monkey, because today is the birthday of dear reader William F. Orr. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to dear reader William F. Orr. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO DEAR READER WILLIAM F. ORR!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to jog, cast, watch DVDs and sup on something light and airy. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite play-to-film translations? The ones that got it just right and either preserved the play’s integrity perfectly or even bettered it. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I began the big preparations for the big Do (patent-pending).