Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the final minute of Ravel’s Bolero as conducted by Mr. Eugene Ormandy – it’s quite raucous at the end and I really enjoyed it, even though it’s a piece that does do better in stereo. I’m on disc 68 right now. Earlier selections included a quite good Rachmaninoff third symphony, two Beethoven piano concertos with Rudolph Serkin at the keyboard that I actually kind of enjoyed, a weird album of Virgil Thomson music – while I enjoyed the Louisiana Story music, this isn’t anywhere near that level. We had a nice Franck symphony, some Richard Strauss, a wonderful Scheherazade and an even better Gaite Parisienne. It’s just a never-ending bounty of musicmaking. And there are still fifty-something CDs to go. Prior to the music, we had a motion picture, the American remake of The Vanishing. I’d watched it once back when it came out and all I remember was being shocked by how they ruined what was a pretty great Dutch film – in fact, I thought it was a textbook example of bad everything. The fact that they enticed the director of the original to helm this, when the screenplay was by someone other than himself, well, I’m sure they told him it would be a smash and open all of Hollywood’s doors to him. It wasn’t a smash and he’s never made another American film and hasn’t exactly made another film that played here, at least that I know of. But I wanted to see it again, having just watched the Dutch film, because I only remembered pretty much hating the American version. Well, surprise – nothing’s changed. It is as bad as I remembered and perhaps even worse. SPOILERS AHEAD. It’s ineptitude begins with frame one and continues on to the ludicrous happy ending. The screenwriter doesn’t even seem to understand what the Dutch film is even about. Since it’s the same director, you’d think he might have said something. The script is horrible and a product of all those screenwriting 101 manuals. It doesn’t begin with the real story – a guy and his girlfriend are on vacation, they fight, they make up, they stop at a gas station and she goes in to buy some drinks and disappears. THAT is the story that must begin the film, and indeed DOES begin the Dutch film. After that, we begin to discover what really happened. They don’t keep the villain a secret, but they don’t introduce him until after the set up. In the American version, the story begins with the villain, which is so ridiculous and stupid it’s beyond belief. And Jeff Bridges as said villain is, well, terrible, his worst performance. He does some kind of weird accent for no reason. And only after we’ve spent time with him do we meet the couple on vacation. The for a while it hits at least a few of the story beats of the Dutch film. It’s three years later, the guy’s obsessed with finding out what happened to his girlfriend, but he’s got a new girlfriend now – that’s in the Dutch film, but in the Dutch film she’s an ordinary woman and we don’t know much about her, and then she leaves him because she can’t stand the obsession. Naturally, in the American version, the new girlfriend has a meet cute (horrible, and anything but cute), she’s – wait for it – plucky and clever and fun. Then we’re in the final third of the film. Whereas the girlfriend is no longer around in the Dutch film, the plucky girlfriend is determined to save the day. SPOILERS AHEAD. The Dutch film has one of the most chilling and nihilistic endings in all of film. There’s no hope, the villain gets away with everything, and the “hero” of the film suffers the same fate as his disappeared girlfriend. In the American version, plucky girlfriend number two arrives and saves the day and we’re suddenly in something resembling a slasher film. It’s jaw-droppingly bad. So, take my advice, check out the original.
Prior to all that, I got five hours of sleep, she of the Evil Eye arrived, and I moseyed on over to Hugo’s for a bacon and cheddar omelet and a small Caesar. Both were excellent. It seems to be getting more crowded each time I go there, which is kind of irritating. After that, I met a fellow who’d asked if I’d sign his LP of The First Nudie Musical. I hadn’t seen this gentleman since 1974, when he was a young teen actor and was in The Menaechmus Twins that I did that year. So, we reminisced about that show and various people we have in common, I signed his album, and that was that. I went inside Gelson’s and bought a couple of cans of tuna for food this week. Then I picked up a little package, then came home.
I caught up on e-mails and did a first pass at a show order, which seems pretty good, then we had our three Zoom rehearsals – first Adrienne Stiefel, then Robert Yacko, and finally Marc Ginsburg. They all went well. Then I watched half of the movie. At about six-thirty, I ordered a half-slab of ribs from Barbie-Q, my favorite barbecue jernt at the moment. I got two coleslaws as my sides. It arrived about thirty-five minutes later. And boy were those ribs great – a LOT of meat on ‘em and tasty as can be. I enjoyed every morsel. Then I watched the rest of the movie and watched a bit of Hour of the Gun – I always want to like it and I never quite do. Not sure I’ll finish it. Then it was back to music whilst proofing a CD package and the Tonight’s the Night sheet music folio, which will go to the printers in about a week.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, but not really because today is a ME day and it’s also Mother’s Day, so Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there in the dark – you know who you are. I’m sure I’ll eat something reasonable, and then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
This week is all Kritzerland show stuff, writing commentary, getting videos, and I’m going to try and get to the storage facility with a couple of people, to get the excess boxes organized so I can actually find stuff. And if I’m up for it, I’ll go into my personal stuff and start chucking things I no longer have any use for, but nothing important, certainly. I may try to announce some stuff late in the week or early the following week. And hopefully, I’ll get the Tonight’s the Night check disc.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, have a ME day, I’ll eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, wishing all mothers everywhere, even my ex-wife, the happiest of Mother’s Days.