Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry for she of the Evil Eye will be here all too soon, and I’m also doing a musical theatre workshop at the Group Rep. As I write these here notes in a hurry, I’m finishing up listening to Mr. Samuel Barber’s opera, Antony and Cleopatra, an opera about Antony and Cleopatra. I really like it a lot. It was lambasted at its premiere and Mr. Barber ultimately did revisions, but it’s a really strong piece filled with gorgeous music. Critics. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live with ‘em. And before that, I’d listened to Mr. Barber’s Vanessa, which is likewise filled with gorgeous music. The Antony and Cleopatra recording is a little muddy sounding, and one wishes it were better recorded, but it’s great to have it. Vanessa is, of course, a classic recording on RCA, starring Eleanor Steber, conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos in glorious early stereophonic sound. That one is beautifully recorded and clear as a bell. I gather the failure of Antony and Cleopatra put Mr. Barber into a funk for many years, which is a real shame. Prior to that, I’d watched a motion picture on DVD, Pretty Baby, another Louis Malle film, this one starring Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine, and Susan Sarandon, along with a strong supporting cast, including Diana Scarwid, whose first film it was, and Frances Faye, who is unique, weird, and wonderful. The film simply could not be made today – it would make the woke of 2021 heads explode. It was controversial even back when it was made and many people decried it, including a really verbal Rona Barrett. Most of that was focused on Miss Shields, who was twelve when she made the film. The controversy was that she was playing a twelve-year-old prostitute – so had Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, but the difference here was that Miss Shields is completely nude in Pretty Baby. But the film is really excellent and it’s telling a story of a certain era – not today – when things were what they were, namely Storyville in New Orleans. You could never get away with having a naked twelve-year-old on screen today, nor would anyone have the guts to make it. Even the 1990s remake of Lolita wouldn’t get made today. Mr. Malle made several controversial films in his lifetime, and several of them are really good, including this one. The atmosphere is great, the photography of Sven Nykvist is great, and the performances are stellar. The film really belongs to Miss Shields and she’s just fantastic in it – she’s rarely off screen (the film is told from her character’s point of view), and she carries it on her small shoulders as well as any adult. Sarandon is fine, and Keith Carradine is, too. I wonder if you can even find this film anymore.
Yesterday was a nice day. I got eight hours of sleep, answered e-mails, and then went and picked up my second try at getting new sneakers from Amazon. Thankfully, this time they got the size right. From there, I went to the bank and did some banking, after which I stopped at McDonald’s, as I wanted quick and easy. I hadn’t been in over a year. I got food that added up to 1200 calories exactly, so that was good. I came home and ate it all up and it was fine and that was the only food I had – no snacks later.
Then I did some work on the computer, had a few telephonic calls, went and found some DVDs to watch, including Pretty Baby. But first I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched a 1965 comedy entitled Never Too Late, starring Paul Ford and Maureen O’Sullivan, along with Connie Stevens and Jim Hutton. The play had been a huge success on Broadway, running over 1,000 performances. But the film version came at a time when these kinds of slick comedies were on the wane. And while the premise is fun, the film is just leaden, thanks to poor direction and pacing by Bud Yorkin. What works is Paul Ford. He is absolutely hilarious. I’ve never cared for Miss O’Sullivan and that includes this film. Connie Stevens isn’t too good, but Jim Hutton is very good. I first saw it at a sneak preview, where the reaction was mild. I haven’t seen it since, as I never got around to watching the DVD. Not a great transfer either.
Then it was Pretty Baby, and Antony and Cleopatra. And right now, it’s two one-act operas by William Schuman, the first of which is The Mighty Casey. It’s a little simple, befitting its subject, but the music is appealing. I’m more interested in the companion piece, A Question of Taste, from a short story by Roald Dahl.
Today, I’ll be up by eight, I’ll shower, and then she of the Evil Eye will arrive and I’ll go pick up the rest of my dry cleaning – I picked up what was ready yesterday, but the laundered stuff, all shirts, hadn’t come in. And then, we do our workshop at the Group Rep, after which I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then relax until Peyton and her mom show up. We’ll then go have our dinner, followed by seeing the playlets at the Group Rep. Looking forward to all that.
Tomorrow is a ME day. Then next week is super busy with all manner of things.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eight, shower, pick up the rest of the dry cleaning, do a workshop, hopefully pick up packages, sup, and see playlets. Today’s topic of discussion: What would you say are the most controversial plays, books, and films you’ve seen or read? And do you think they could be written today? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have seen a controversial film that would make people’s heads explode today.