Well, dear readers, I am in a mellow mood right now, thanks to my choice of mellow mood music – sax player Stefano di Battista with the Vince Mendoza orchestra – just think Claus Ogerman and you’ll know what you’re in for. This was a CD is just too a chance on one day and I loved it and bought all Vince Mendoza’s albums and the di Battista albums that had an orchestra. In any case, I’m in a mellow mood and if I lived in a marsh, I’d be in a marsh mellow mood. Does anyone live in a marsh? Does anyone still eat marshmallows? Does anyone still wear a fern? Does anyone know what the HELL I’m talking about? I did manage to watch a motion picture last evening, entitled Peeping Tom, a new Blu-ray based on a new 4K transfer from the original negative. It also comes with a 4K Blu that I, of course, cannot play, since I do not have a 4K television. It’s hard to believe that my TV is from the year 2008. Where was I? Oh yes, Peeping Tom, a scandalous 1960 film that basically ended the career of Michael Powell, the director of Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death, Colonel Blimp and many others. The reviews in England were so over-the-top bad, with one reviewer saying “the only really satisfactory way to dispose of Peeping Tom would be to shovel it up and flush it down the nearest sewer.” That was one of the better reviews. It was, needless to say, a complete flop. It didn’t come to the US until 1962 and then it played for a week and disappeared forever. Martin Scorsese remembers seeing it back then in a black-and-white print, but his memory is failing him, unless he saw it on TV at some point. All the ads I found (none in LA, and one theater in Brooklyn) say color. Only many years later, in the 1980s did it become a cult film and of course NOW it’s considered a Powell masterpiece. I can’t find a single review of it in the US from 1962. I first saw Peeping Tom in the late 1980s on home video and I thought it was a great film. The funny thing is, the protagonist is a killer who we actually feel sympathy for, rather like the other shocker released in 1960, Psycho. Both have shocking scenes and yet one killed its director’s career and the other was a humungous hit and enriched its already beloved filmmaker and made him more money than any other film he’d made. Anyway, I had the earlier Blu-ray, which was okay but a bit waxy looking. This new transfer is very nice and I’m sure even nicer in 4K. Colors are vivid and correct, opticals are, of course, soft, but there is very good detail. The performances are wonderful, especially Carl Boehm, Anna Massey, and Moira Shearer. Mr. Boehm should have been up for awards, but alas… it wasn’t to be. His next big film was The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. He loved the character of Mark Lewis and empathized with him, as he also had a troubled relationship with his father, the world-famous conductor, Karl Bohm. Anna Massey, daughter of Raymond, is just wonderful in it and Miss Shearer is just as pretty as she was in The Red Shoes. Anyway, it was great to see it again. Powell’s direction is superb throughout.
Earlier, I’d gotten eight hours of sleep, got notified books arrived at ten-thirty, so I dressed in my new and very comfy jeans and went to the mail place and retrieved the three boxes and came right back home. I spent over an hour signing the books that had been ordered and then at one the helper came over and carted them off for shipping. I’m so happy to get this to everyone and am only sorry that it took three-and-a-half weeks to get them. After that, I had a Chinese chicken salad for food, did some work on the computer, then later in the afternoon I had some melon chunks and a tiny bit of low-fat cottage cheese – that was it for food. Then I watched the movie, and here we are, in a mellow mood.
Today, I’ll be up by ten or thereabouts, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll shave, and then we have our first Kritzerland rehearsal, starting at one-thirty, and we should be through by four. I’ll probably wait to eat until then. Then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is a complete ME day and I don’t care who knows it. Sunday is our second Kritzerland rehearsal, same schedule as today, Monday I’ll need to relax, Tuesday is our stumble-through, and Wednesday is sound check and show. I have no idea how many reservations there are but I’ll be doing the big push starting tomorrow.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by ten or thereabouts, do whatever needs doing, shave, have a rehearsal, eat something reasonable, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray/streaming player. I’ll start – CD, just playing random stuff. Blu-ray, The Nun’s Story and Friendly Persuasion. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as I continue to be in a mellow mood.