Well, dear readers, this week has flown by, like a gazelle trying to put a revue together in a week and seeing the week fly by like a gazelle with second sight. Does anyone still have second sight? I have first sight and third sight, and, of course, I have this here site. I gotta tell you. The month is half over, I am still in a fog about the revue, although I’ve arbitrarily put numbers here and there in my two-act structure and have assigned two-thirds of the songs, but the balance isn’t right yet and I still need a few more songs of certain kinds so that it doesn’t feel repetitious. I’ve got to find my Newley/Bricusse Peter Pan DVD and see if there’s anything else at all in there. Otherwise I may have to grab a solo Bricusse song or two from Dolittle or Scrooge – we shall see. I did have a very good meeting with our musical director, who is very jazzed about doing the show. We went over a few things and he’ll begin doing the vocal arrangements right now, so we have a few things to teach on Tuesday night, the first of our group rehearsals.
I only got about seven hours of sleep last night – too many things in Ye Olde Cranium: The revue, the new book, packaging approvals, readying a release announcement, so many things just rolling around in there like golf balls in search of a hole. Once up, I answered e-mails, had a telephonic conversation with Sandy Bainum and wished her a good show, and then I had the work session with our musical director. After that, I picked up one package and then came back home and stared at my song list, moved things around and also had a telephonic conversation with Muse Margaret. She had a thought about one of the lead characters in the new book, and while I didn’t love the thought for that character I did see how it could work for the hero of the book and she loved that idea and it’s kind of fun and unique. And that’s why I love Muse Margaret.
Then I had a little work session with an adorable eight-year-old girl – really fun and boy is she talented. After that, she and her dad and I went to Jerry’s Deli for a meal – I had the patty melt and no fries or onion rings. I never had time to do a jog because by the time I was done with the meal I had too many other things to think about. I think I’m now in the place where jogging every other day feels good to me. I then got the packaging approvals on two projects, so we’re good for the next four weeks. Then I decided I needed a little break, so I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux Sans Visage), a French movie from France, directed by Georges Franju, and starring Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli and Edith Scob. I discovered Eyes Without a Face sometime in the late 1970s, I think. I was completely bowled over by it and fairly amazed and some of the imagery for a 1960 film. But 1960 was a watershed year for that kind of cinema. You had that film, you had Black Sunday from Italy, you had Peeping Tom from England and you had Psycho from the US, all game changers and all major pushers of envelopes. In one way or another, all four films are masterpieces – Black Sunday is Mario Bava’s finest achievement. Peeping Tom, directed by Michael Powell, effectively put an end to his career because the movie was so reviled in his home country (with one idiot critic who suggested it be flushed down the toilet), but found popularity among cineastes several years later and is now considered a classic. Psycho was, of course, Mr. Hitchcock’s most successful film at the box-office, a masterpiece any way you look at it, and, for its time, a completely unique film that changed everything for horror films that came after. And then there was Eyes Without a Face, released in 1960 in France but not in the US until 1962, where it had slight edits made and was retitled The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus (there is neither a horror chamber or a character called Dr. Faustus), which played on a double bill with The Manster. I fell in love with the film viewing it for the first time, and I proceeded to own it in every home video format and every time I’ve watched it I grow to love it more. If horror and poetry can co-exist in film, Eyes Without a Face is the poster child for it.
I’ve written about the film many times in these here notes, in fact within the last year, when I got the French Blu-ray release, which didn’t have subtitles, but which I watched anyway since I know the movie so well. It’s got some horrific imagery and some stunningly beautiful and poetic imagery. There’s never quite been a film like it, even though many, many films have been influenced by it – John Carpenter has said the mask in Halloween was inspired by the mask in this film, Face Off has plenty to thank Eyes Without a Face for, and on and on. So, what makes this film work so brilliantly and makes it so unique and unlike any other film? Not the plot, not the wonderful performances of Pierre Brasseur and Alida Valli – no, it can be summed up in two words: Edith Scob. Whatever alchemy was at work here, Miss Scob is the heart and soul of the film. Disfigured in a car accident, her character has nothing but eyes and a sort-of mouth and hideous scar tissue. Her father, a doctor and pioneer in skin grafting, was the cause of the accident and he’s been doing bad things to young women by removing the skin from their faces and attempting a graft onto his daughters. None of it has worked, but on he goes. Miss Scob wears a mask for all but ten minutes of the movie, and yet you feel every emotion she wants you to feel (the mask itself is brilliantly designed) – this she does with her hands, the way she walks or tilts her head or shifts her body. After a graft that at first seems completely successful, we finally see Miss Scob, who has one of the most beautiful and angelic faces ever put on the screen. Her eyes are so soulful and luminous it’s almost heartbreaking to look at them. She has a fragility about her that makes the audience want to protect her at all costs and makes them want the graft to succeed. I’ll say nothing further.
I’m happy to say that the transfer appears to be exactly the same as the French Blu-ray, and that’s a good thing. In fact, it’s an incredible transfer – sharp, with gorgeous black-and-white images (and beautiful grays) – one of the best black-and-white transfers ever. I can’t say enough about the score by Maurice Jarre – like the film, it’s completely unique and works perfectly and it sounds great on the Blu-ray. For me, in a year of extraordinary Blu-ray catalog releases, this will be in the top five and may even end up as number one. I cannot recommend this film highly enough and if you’ve never seen it, I encourage you to take a chance.
After that, I had a teeny-tiny bit of mac-and-cheese and a like amount of rice with peas for my evening snack. Sandy called to tell me the show went really well and she had a nice-sized crowd, too, so I’m glad I badgered even though I know I was probably obnoxious about it – I just didn’t want her playing the show to four people. I had to do some more revue stuff, and I did a little research reading for the new novel (trying to figure out exactly where to set it), found out that we can do the Kritzerland matinee if the cast and MD are okay for it on November 3, so we’ll announce that tomorrow if everyone is.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s sleep, I shall definitely jog, I’ll eat something light but amusing, hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, I’ll prep our new release announcement, but mostly I’ll sit with my song lists and keep playing with the structure and order. I have three more days to solidify something rough to go into rehearsals with – after we begin those, then I’m sure things will morph and change, as they always do.
Tomorrow and Sunday are both going to be filled with revue work and then we have a meet and greet at Genghis Cohen on Sunday night. Then next week we begin rehearsals every night. I realize we scheduled seven days in a row, so I think we’ll have to give everyone Friday night off, which will be fine as I’ll have full days on the weekend.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, prep a release announcement and work on the revue for many hours. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, too many to name. Blu and Ray, next up will be The Hitchhiker and The Stranger. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall have first, third and maybe even second sight.