Well, dear readers, I’m getting my second wind. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I, BK, am getting my second wind. My first wind went the way of the Dodo bird and I had no wind and I was sitting here sans wind when all of a sudden my second wind arrived and just in the nick of time. So, now I’ve got my second wind and I feel twitchy and bitchy and manic, and yet it’s almost time for bed. Such is the way of the second wind. Speaking of the second wind, yesterday was a strange little day. I got up around nine-thirty (I’d gone to bed quite late) after a night of the strangest dreams. I attended to a few things, then started writing, but again, I’m in a section of the book where I’m having to constantly stop and think about things and make sure everything I’m doing is correct. The first two pages are always the most difficult, and it took me about two hours to get them right – then I did five more and they were certainly easier than the first two. I also did some errands, ate some lunch, made some telephonic calls, and answered e-mails. I had to replace two count them two ink cartridges in Ye Olde Printer, as well. Finally, the day was done and I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture entitled The White Dawn. I somehow missed seeing it back in 1974 and I’ve always meant to catch up with it, and I was, in fact, surprised to see that it had come out on DVD three years ago – I had no idea. So, I got a copy and watched it last night. I must say, I was quite taken with the film. It’s about three whalers whose boat crashes in Canada, and they’re rescued by some Inuit Eskimos in 1896 or thereabouts (based on a true story). The three whalers learn to live with the Eskimos, although all three have very different reactions to doing so. The portrait of Eskimo life is fascinating and the film is beautifully shot on location. The three whalers are played by Timothy Bottoms, Warren Oates, and Lou Gossett, Jr. and they’re all wonderful. All the Eskimos are played by non-professional real Eskimos and they give amazing performances. And then there’s the score by Mr. Henry Mancini, one of his finest efforts. What a great film composer he was, and it’s a shame that most people think of him only in terms of the “pop” versions of his famous soundtracks. The fact that very few of his scores have been released in their actual versions is pathetic. Sadly, The White Dawn’s score has never been released on CD, and since it’s a Paramount film, it most likely never will be. What a shame. There are a few extras on the disc, which I checked out and which have some interesting stories told by director Phil Kauffman and producer Martin Ransohoff. The transfer is not top-notch, but it’s fine. Sound is excellent. If you’re in the mood for something a little different, I think you might enjoy this film.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep for tomorrow is a jam-packed day or, at the very least, a jelly-packed day.
I gotta tell you. This second wind is amazing. I just did the Lambada (The Forbidden Dance) and then the Limbo, and it’s not easy doing the limbo by yourself.
Today, I have a work session, then I must write as much as possible, then I’m supposed to hear an arrangement done by Mr. Ron Abel for one of the Kevin Spiras shows I’m directing, and then I’ll have to finish writing when I get home. Then I have to go over pages and finesse and clean and revise and futz, then I have to print out the latest batch and deliver them tomorrow morning to my muse Margaret. And then it’s really the home stretch of the last fifty to sixty pages.
Tomorrow I have an early lunch meeting, otherwise it will be a day of writing. Thursday I have an early breakfast meeting at Nate ‘n’ Al’s in Beverly Hills – I haven’t been there in about thirty years, I think.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, have a work session, write, hear an arrangement, write, finesse, print, and then perhaps watch a motion picture on DVD. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite exotic films, films like The White Dawn or The Savage Innoncents – films of nature and other customs that you found interesting and that showed you a whole different culture you knew nothing about, yet also entertained? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as I continue to enjoy my second wind.