My-52-Book-Year #23: The Virginian

The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, by Owen Wister was published in 1902, and is said to be the first ‘true Western’ ever written. As such it can also claim to have been the precursor to a new genre of novels that has since gone on to spawn a million others. 

The book is dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt who, judging from the dedication must have read early drafts of the book and provided comments and feedback to Wister.

The Dedication reads: Some of these pages you have seen, some you have praised, one stands new-written because you blamed it; and all, my dear critic, beg leave to remind you of their author’s changeless admiration.

The story begins with the arrival of an unnamed narrator (the Tenderfoot) in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and his encounter with a tall, handsome stranger (the Virginian), who remains nameless throughout the novel—tho’ late in the book he is referred to as ‘Jeff’ by one of the other characters, although it is not clear if this is his real name. 

The novel revolves around the Virginian and the life he lives, first as a cowboy and general hand, and then later as a foreman on the ranch of Judge Henry Taylor. Woven throughout the book, which covers a period of around five years, is the Virginian’s barely controlled conflict with his arch enemy, a man called Trampas, as well as the Virginian’s romance with the pretty schoolteacher, Molly Stark Wood. 

All the Western tropes are here, gunfights, Indian raiders, cattle rustlers, rattlesnakes, hangings, and an on again/off again romance between two seemingly mismatched lovers from vastly different backgrounds and social classes. With all these elements to play with, Wister skilfully weaving together a tale of action, violence and betrayal, hate and revenge, and love and friendship.

By and large I enjoyed the story, and thought that Clint Eastwood in his younger days would have played the character perfectly. I’m surprised Eastwood never directed himself in the film. Actually, now that I think of it, Eastwood did direct himself in other variations of this story. While not always nameless, as played by Eastwood the tall, dark stranger turns up in movies like Pale Rider, High Plains Drifter, A Fistful of Dollars, For A few Dollars More, and other great Westerns.

But back to the novel. I did think the Virginian was just too perfect for the setting and the historical period in which the book is placed. He was slow to anger, rarely raising his voice about anything, and was calm and measured in his responses to whatever affront may have been directed at him. He was self-assured, knew his strengths and weaknesses (not that he had any weaknesses), was clear-headed, decisive, a complete gentleman and … on and on and on. Seriously, this guy was simply too perfect for the period being written about.

The only lapse in his demeanour came when he was frustrated enough about something or someone to occasional utter a curse or two, although always under his breath. The narrator/Wister however did not feel that it was proper to actually share these curses with readers. It seems that the delicate dispositions of readers at the turn of the 19th century would not have been able to cope with this. The closest we get to a real curse comes when Trampas calls the Virginian a son-of-a-bitch (although that curse is written “…son-of-a—.” Clearly the word ‘bitch’ was deemed too coarse to spell out for the delicate eyes of readers in 1902!

By the way, the Virginian’s response to this epithet has become quite famous in its own right. Laying his pistol on the table at which he, Trampas and other cowboys have been playing cards, the Virginian delivers the now classic line, “When you call me that, smile!”

Several other passages from the book caught my attention, and I couldn’t help wondering at their origins. For example, in one passage of dialogue the character, “Scipio le Moyne, from Gallipolice, Ohio”, while referring to the villain Trampas says:

“Trampas is a rolling stone,” he said. “A rolling piece of mud,” corrected the Virginian. “Mud! That’s right. I’m a rolling stone. Sometimes I’d most like to quit being.”

Now I don’t for a minute assume that this is the first time the words, “I’m a rolling stone” are appearing for the first time in print—but then again who knows?

Some other brief quotes took my fancy as well. 

“When yu’ can’t have what you choose, yu’ just choose what you have.”

“In bets, in card games, in all horse transactions and other matters of similar business, a man must take care of himself, and wiser onlookers must suppress their wisdom and hold their peace.”

In other words, don't butt in when it's none of your business.

While the language of the novel is a little dated, The Virginian: A Horseman of The Plains is still worth setting aside some time for. The book is available as a free download from the Gutenberg Project website, as are eleven other titles by Owen Wister. Click here to download the eBook… 

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Note: The cover illustration above is from the Early Bird Books eBook edition. This is not free but can be download from the iBooks store for just ninety-nine cents (higher charges may apply via iBooks stores in countries other than the United States).

NYC Arts Round-Up #5: MoMA, Barberini Tapestries, Studio Museum in Harlem

Making Space: Women Artists and Postwar Abstraction

Through August 13, 2017

The Museum of Modern Art

The exhibition Making Space: Women Artists and Postwar Abstraction shines a spotlight on the stunning achievements of women artists between the end of World War II (1945) and the start of the Feminist movement (around 1968). In the postwar era, societal shifts made it possible for larger numbers of women to work professionally as artists, yet their work was often dismissed in the male dominated art world, and few support networks existed for them. Abstraction dominated artistic practice during these years, as many artists working in the aftermath of World War II sought an international language that might transcend national and regional narratives—and for women artists, additionally, those relating to gender.

Drawn entirely from the Museum’s collection, the exhibition features nearly 100 paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, prints, textiles, and ceramics by more than 50 artists. Within a trajectory that is at once loosely chronological and synchronous, it includes works that range from the boldly gestural canvases of Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, and Joan Mitchell; the radical geometries by Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, and Gego; and the reductive abstractions of Agnes Martin, Anne Truitt, and Jo Baer; to the fiber weavings of Magdalena Abakanowicz, Sheila Hicks, and Lenore Tawney; and the process-oriented sculptures of Lee Bontecou, Louise Bourgeois, and Eva Hesse.

"Making Space" shines a spotlight on the stunning achievements of women artists between the end of World War II (1945) and the start of the Feminist movement (around 1968). Join us for a conversation with MoMA director Glenn Lowry and curators Starr Figura and Sarah Hermanson Meister for a discussion on the opening of the exhibition.

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The Barberini tapestries, scenes from the Life of Christ.
Detail from "The Consignment of the Keys to St. Peter." Photo: John Bigelow Taylor

Barberini Tapestries Return to Cathedral of St. John The Divine

By Val Castronovo

Cardinal Francesco Barberini (1597-1679), nephew of Pope Urban VIII, commissioned the works, which were produced at the tapestry workshop he founded in Rome in 1627. The series was woven over a 13-year period from 1643 to 1656. The massive weavings measure roughly 16-feet high and 12-to-19-feet wide and stand testament to the political and cultural power of the Barberini family.

Ten tapestries from the 12-panel Life of Christ series adorn three of the chapels within the Cathedral. At the Chapel of St. James, seven of the wool-and-silk-woven panels are wrapped around the room, providing a panoramic view of scenes in the life of Jesus — namely “The Annunciation,” “The Nativity,” “The Adoration of the Magi,” “The Baptism of Christ,” “The Consignment of the Keys to St. Peter,” “The Agony in the Garden” and “The Crucifixion.”

The adjacent Chapel of St. Ambrose houses the complementary pieces, “The Rest on the Flight into Egypt” and “The Holy Land” (a woven map). Behind the high altar, the Chapel of St. Saviour concludes the exhibit with a single tapestry, “The Transfiguration,” depicting the ecstatic scene, described in the Gospels, after Jesus climbs a mountain and appears to three of his disciples in shining glory. (Two darkened fragments from “The Last Supper” are in a display case nearby.)

If You Go

“The Barberini Tapestries: Woven Monuments of Baroque Rome”

The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine

1047 Amsterdam Ave., at 112th Street

Now through June 25, 2017

ONLINE: www.stjohndivine.org 

Read the full story here…

How Radical Can a Portrait Be?

Vinson Cunningham writes about two new exhibitions, both at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

“One, “Regarding the Figure,” curated by Eric Booker, Connie H. Choi, Hallie Ringle, and Doris Zhao, and drawn largely from the museum’s permanent collection, is a reflection—mercifully free of neurosis or worry—on what faces and bodies have meant to art’s recent and distant past. Here, figures are art itself, no mere phase or moment in time. Henry Ossawa Tanner’s lithograph “The Three Marys” presents the women at Christ’s tomb as a study in developing sorrow: three faces, three stages of grief. The Mary closest to us—she must be the Virgin—is just in the middle of raising her hands.

The other exhibition is Rico Gatson’s Icons

“Icons,” a solo exhibition of recent works on paper by the artist Rico Gatson, curated by Hallie Ringle, takes this ecstasy in personhood and makes it as visible as people themselves. Gatson appropriates old photographic images of famous black Americans—Zora Neale Hurston, Gil Scott-Heron, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye—and surrounds them with bright, colorful lines that shoot outward from the personages to the borders of the page. Each of his titles is a simple, familiar first name. Purple, black, yellow, and red sprout from Zora’s scarved head. Bird’s horn shouts out black and white. Sam—Cooke, that is—has lines shooting out of his shoulders and his toes.

More Information

Regarding The Figure...

Now through August 6, 2017

Rico Gatson: Icons 2007-2017...

Now through August 27, 2017

Studio Museum in Harlem...

Read the full story here…

Surfing The Web: Roller Coasters, Baby Elephants, Tips For The Travel Weary

A Shiny New Ride Above the Sand at the Jersey Shore

The repercussions of the shocking destruction wreaked by Hurricane Sandy late in 2012, is still being felt along the eastern seaboard of the United States, with some damaged infrastructure still waiting to be permanently fixed. Just in time for the coming summer season, one of these rebuilt projects sees the replacement to one of the Jersey Shore's most famous attractions. Nick Corasaniti takes up the story for the New York Times.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. — It was one of the indelible images of the wrath of Hurricane Sandy: a famous Jersey Shore roller coaster reduced to a twisted, mangled wreck in the surf off Seaside Heights, its decades-old iron and steel slicing the coming waves.

It was removed months later, but the gash along the coast remained for years, the emptiness above the rehabilitated pier an ever-present reminder of the worst natural disaster to strike New Jersey in decades.

Now, perhaps quicker than some expected, there is a new coaster where the old one once stood. And this one is different. Gone are the classic dips and turns of the rickety old Jet Star, the thundering vibrations of its cars rippling through the boardwalk wood.

In its place is a shiny new ride that looks as if it was plucked from the fields in nearby Jackson, where the Six Flags Great Adventure theme park sprawls for acres. Called the Hydrus, it is a twisted green behemoth, featuring a steep inverted drop, a full loop and two more inversions. The coaster’s new tracks run eerily silent, the faint hums of the rail car often drowned out by the high-pitched squeals of riders.

Read the full story here...

Kenyans Work To Save Baby Elephants

Back in March, in a piece about ending the slaughter of elephants I wrote about the ongoing campaign to protect these magnificent creatures from poachers. The following article from the HuffPost continues the positive news about this vital fight.

“We take care of the elephants, and the elephants are taking care of us.” Jesselyn Cook, World News Reporter, HuffPost

Had the members of northern Kenya’s Samburu tribe encountered an injured or abandoned baby elephant a year ago, they likely would have left it to die. Today, with the support of the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, locals are working to save endangered calves.

Photojournalist Ami Vitale traveled to the baby elephant orphanage to document community relations with the animals for National Geographic. Reteti opened in August as part of a network of community groups in the region working to foster sustainable development and wildlife conservation. Elephant keepers there try to rehabilitate wounded calves and reunite them with their herds, when possible.

Elephants are ecosystem “engineers,” Vitale notes. They feed on low brush and bulldoze small trees, which promotes the growth of grasses and attracts other grazing animals.
But ivory poachers have caused elephant numbers to dwindle, with the African elephant population plummeting by more than 110,000 over the past decade, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. At least 33,000 elephants are killed for their tusks annually.

Read the full story here...

Travel Fatigue: 10 Tips for Road-Weary Travelers

My go to website for the Solo Traveller which I thought might be useful for those travellers who enjoy the luxury of extended travel.

To travel alone for two or three weeks is one thing. But to travel alone for two or three (or five or ten) months is quite another. It takes a different attitude and a different pace. And even when you do it well, it can result in you becoming road-weary.

Travel fatigue is a kind of rattled feeling. It’s a need for stability and a wish for home. Fortunately, there are things other than returning home that you can do to feel good. 

Among the eleven suggestions:

• Stay still: that is, settle into one place for a while.
• Settle where you can speak the language: the rationale is that you will feel more relaxed if you are not constantly struggling with language. Of course, if you are trying to learn the language of the country you are visiting, then the best way to do that is to immerse yourself in the life of the country you are in and work on those language skills.
• Repeat yourself: return to a city you’ve already visited and loved.

Read the full article here…

Move, Breathe, Fly, Float...

To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
to gain all while you give,
to roam the roads of lands remote,
to travel is to live.

~ Hans Christian Andersen

Ten Desert Island Films

If you had to spend a year on a desert island, and could only take 10 movies with you, what would they be? Here, in no particular order are ten of my favourite films (by genre), with brief explanations for why I chose them. 

War: Apocalypse Now 

Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece. There as so many great moments in this movie. Everyone's favourite moment is when Robert Duvall's character, Col. Kilgore utters the famous, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning..." line. But my favourite line, also spoken by Duvall/Kilgore comes soon after that napalm line: "Someday this war's gonna end." There is so much regret in his voice when he says this, that you know Kilgore, and many people like him are going to miss the war, and the positions of power and influence it gives them.

I actually prefer the original version. The longer Redux version has lots of extra footage but much of it just gets in the way of the storytelling. While it was nice to see the much talked about French Plantation scene, and the Playboy Bunnies scene, I don't think they add a lot to the main story. In fact, I think the French Plantation scene actually makes the movie look dated when viewed today.

As for Marlon Brando's performance as Colonel Kurtz - I think it is great. It's perfectly fitting that this man Kurtz, who is slowly going crazy in his lair, deep in the Cambodian jungle, spends most of his time sitting in the dark brooding over his actions, while waiting to 'suffer the consequences' of these actions.

Favourite Scene: This movie is full of great scenes, but for sheer heart thumping excitement you can't go past Wagner's Ride of The Valkeryies as the choppers sweep in to attack the Vietnamese village early in the morning. I can never hear that music now, without thinking about that particular scene.

Other Contenders: Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket; and the brilliant German film about life on a German submarine during the Second World War, Das Boot (The Boat). If you are going to look for Das Boot online, do yourself a favour and find the original German language version, not the dubbed into English one.

Sci-Fi: Blade Runner

Why do I like this film so much? It is a combination of great acting, stunning sets and cinematography, and a story line with something real and meaningful to say. Ridley Scott's sci-fi noir masterpiece stars Harrison Ford, as the Blade Runner of the title, and Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Daryl Hannah as replicants (life-like robots), trying to find their maker before their working life runs out and they 'die'.

This is another movie I never get tired of re-watching. Of course, you should make sure you get the Directors Cut, which is probably the only version you can get on DVD anyway.

Favourite Scene: Batty/Rutger Hauer's final speech. "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to die..."

Other Contenders: Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, is an obvious choice. Less well known is another of my favourite sci-fi movies, Dark Star, a precursor of sorts to Ridley Scott's obvious contender, Alien.

Drama: Brazil

Terry Gilliam's classic movie of a not too distant dystopian future where a huge monolithic bureaucracy (which seems remarkably close to the vision George Orwell created in his book, 1984), controls every aspect of daily life. Staring Jonathon Price, Michael Palin, and Robert DeNiro, is Brazil just a bizarre dream? A terrifying nightmare? A figment of Jonathon Price's over active imagination?

Whatever it is - you may never view the comic genius of Michael Palin in the same way again. But that's already telling you too much if you haven't yet seen the movie, which I urge you to do - not once, but many times. In fact, you will need to see it multiple times to pick up on all the things you missed the first and subsequent times you watched it.

Like all of the films on this list, I never tire of watching this movie, but I have to be in a certain frame of mind before I do so. It's not the sort of film that leaves you with a good feeling - however brilliant it undoubtedly is.

Favourite Scene: I'm not sure if it's possible to have a favourite scene in this movie. It is at times bizarre, hilarious, bleak, terrifying, hallucinogenic, and much more besides. In deed, Sam Lowry's (that is, Jonathon Price's) first day in Information Retrieval is probably all of those adjectives and more, so I will select that as my favourite, although every scene is a winner.

Other Contenders: Louis Malle's Days of Heaven; Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate.

Musical: Little Shop of Horrors

I love musicals. I think this goes back to my childhood when I fell head over heels in love with Doris Day, after seeing her in the Western musical, Calamity Jane! In fact I was so besotted with her that my very first vinyl album (bought with the financial assistance of an older sister), was the soundtrack to that movie.

Little Shop Of Horrors is the musical version of the Roger Corman film of the same name which famously featured a cameo performance from a very young Jack Nicholson. This musical remake stars Rick Moranis, and Ellen Greene (who also starred in the original Broadway show). It also has cameo performances from Steve Martin, John Belushi, Bill Murray, and others.

I like it this movie so much I watch at least twice a year! Viewing it is guaranteed to brighten my day, and put me in a good mood if I'm feeling down, or put me in a super mood if I'm already feeling 'up' and looking to get really charged.

Favourite Scene: Bill Murray as the masochistic dental patient is an absolute scream, especially when pitted against Steve Martin as the sadistic dentist! Be warned. If you have a phobia about dentists, close your eyes and block your ears for the duration of this scene.

Other Contenders: The Rocky Horror Picture Show; and West Side Story.

Gangster: Miller's Crossing

The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, could have been represented on this list several times, and in several genre's, but I've settled on this gangster epic because I love everything about this movie. The performances, the cinematography, the plotting, and especially John Turturro's "Look into your heart..." speech.

Favourite Scene: Have I mentioned John Turturro's gut wrenching "Look into your heart..." speech, as he is about to be shot and left to rot in a forest? Classic stuff, this.

Other Contenders: Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas; the other Coen Brothers classic, Blood Simple; Coppola's The Godfather; and one of my all time favourites, Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America.

Which is a good lead in to Sergio Leone's western masterpiece...

Western: Once Upon a Time in The West

Sergio Leone was the director that made Clint Eastwood famous after he cast Eastwood in his trilogy of 'Dollars' films: A Fistful of Dollars; A Few Dollars More; and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. But as good as these films are, I think Leone was still working out what he really wanted to say about the American West and the people who populated it. For me, all this comes together perfectly in his epic masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in The West.

Right from the opening credits, you know you are in for an experience like no other. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, it's almost impossible to adequately describe the first ten minutes of the film as three gunmen wait for a train at an isolated railway station.

Then there are the film's four main actors; Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, and Jason Robards. What a great line-up of stars. Henry Fonda playing 'against type' as Frank, the cold blooded killer is a revelation. All this, and Ennio Morricone's brilliant score make it one of my all time favourite movies.

In fact, I've watched this film more times than I can remember, and every time I watch it, I discover something new in it. If you haven't seen the movie, you are the poorer for it.

Favourite Scene: So many scenes - so many favourites. However, my most favourite scene is when Jill/Claudia Cardinale first gets off the train, and begins her walk along the station platform, into the station office (where she pauses briefly to talk to one of the staff), then out through the front door of the station, and out onto the dusty street of the western town she has just arrived in. All this shot in one long gorgeous take, set to Ennio Morricone's wonderful theme written especially for her character (all the main characters have their own musical theme). I never get tired of watching this scene. Never.

Other Contenders: Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven; Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch; and Sergio Leone's already mentioned, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Comedy: Monty Python and The Holy Grail

There are people around who can quote great tracts of dialogue verbatim from this film. I can't, but there is much to like about this movie and the motley crew of errant knights roaming the countryside in search of the Holy Grail.

Flying cows; the black knight and the black plague; witches and damsels in distress; Trojan rabbits; Knights who say, "Ni"; all this and much more, mixed together in a strange brew that only the Monty Python team would dare to concoct. If you don't find this film hilarious, you need a funny bone transplant.

Favourite Scene: Scene 4: Constitutional Peasants: wherein Michael Palin's peasant mud collector swaps some great lines with Graham Chapman's, King Arthur.

Palin: "Supreme executive power, derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
King Arthur: "Be quiet!"
Palin: "You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just cos some watery tart threw a sword at you."
Arthur: "Shut... up!"
Palin: "I mean, if I went round saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away."
Arthur, (grabbing hold of Palin): "Shut up! Will you shut up?"
Palin: "Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system."

Other Contenders: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Steve Martin and Michael Cain is a delight; and the Monty Python team's other classic, The Life of Brian.

Rom-Com: My Best Friend's Wedding

This would almost qualify as a musical itself if there were a few more songs in it being performed by the actors. There is so much to like about this film, I'm almost embarrassed to go on about it in case I look like I'm gushing!

Julia Roberts, Rupert Everett, Dermot Mulroney, and Cameron Diaz bring so much to this movie that it's hard to imagine anyone else taking their places in the film.

I love the way Julia Robert's character is frustrated at every turn by her own attempts to stop the impending wedding of her 'best friend', Dermot Mulroney to Cameron Diaz. I love how Cameron Diaz's hopelessly out of tune attempt at karaoke is turned into a triumph (it's so bad, it's good). Then there is Rupert Everett's restaurant scene when he starts to sing Dione Warwick's, Say a Little Pray For You, and all the other customers in the restaurant join in. Then there is the...

Well you get the picture - or if you haven't already got it - you should. One of my all time favourites.

Favourite Scene: Apart from those mentioned above, I love the way the film ends with the phone call between Rupert Everett and Julia Roberts, and their final dance together. What a great way to end the movie.

Other Contenders: yet another Coen Brothers classic, Raising Arizona, and of course,that perennial favourite, The Princess Bride.

Doco: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

The newest addition to this list, Martin Scorsese's three and a half hour documentary exploring Bob Dylan's formative years in New York City is a revelation in every sense of the word. Containing lots of previously unseen footage of the young Dylan, including many great performances and interviews old and new, this doco is a must have for all Dylan aficionados.

Viewed together with D. A. Pennebaker's 1965 documentary, Don't Look Back, both films paint an extraordinary portrait of the artist as a young man as he reshapes the musical landscape around him. Watching this film you get a sense of the enormous pressure Dylan was under to shoulder the burden of 'spokesman of a generation'. A role he didn't ask for or want, and which he is still trying to fight against.

Even today, 40 years after turning his back on folk music, I know people who still haven't forgiven him for 'selling out' the folk protest movement, and carving out his own unique musical path. Thank God, he did ignore all the carping and criticisms; the constant booing from unthinking fans, and the stupid inane questioning of media reps to follow his Muse wherever it chose to lead him.

Favourite Scene: I was blown away by the power of some of the early concert performances we get to see in this film, especially Only a Pawn in Their Game. Dylan sings with such focus, such power and conviction, that it is easy to see why he garnered so much attention and interest in those early years in New York.

Other Contenders: Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz; and Woodstock (the original movie), for which incredibly, Scorsese also filmed some concert footage.

Drama: The Mission

Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons both star in this stunning movie. The fact that the film also has a wonderful score composed by Ennio Morricone only adds to the pleasure one gets from viewing this beautifully photographed film.

Made when the concept of Liberation Theology was gaining much prominence among the established western churches in the late 1970s and early 1980s (especially in the Catholic church), the film focuses on a small group of 18th Century Spanish Jesuits - played by Irons and DeNiro - who go into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against Portugese slave traders.

The ending will not leave you feeling good, but thankfully the makers of the film stayed true to the story, and resisted the typical happy Hollywood ending.

Favourite Scene: It's almost impossible not to be knocked out by the scene where Robert DeNiro, as the character Mendoza, a former slave trader, does penance for his past sins by dragging a huge and heavy bundle of swords, armor, helmet, and clothing to the top of a high valley as water spumes and pours down around him every step of his weary way.

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This has been a real challenge, selecting ten of my favourite movies. As the alternative titles listed under Other Contenders indicate, for very movie chosen I could easily substitute several others in each category. Still, it was an interesting exercise. How about you, dear reader—what are your 10 most popular movies?

TED on Tuesday: Ben Saunders - Trek to The North Pole or Stay at Home?

Ben Saunders is one of those all too rare individuals who has taken life ‘by the horns’, to use a well-known phrase, and pushed his mind, body and spirit to what the rest of us would consider to be the limits of human endurance. To Ben Saunders, his monumental treks to both the North and South Poles were about testing himself and his ability to live his life to its fullest.

The two TED talks below complement each other well. The first talk, Why did I ski to the North Pole?, was filmed in 2005, the year following this successful venture. In the second TED talk, Why bother leaving the house?, recorded in 2012, Saunders explains the reasons for embarking on his epic Arctic and Antarctic treks.

There are lessons in both these talks for everyone, and maybe the most important one of all is that we are all capable of far more than we have ever allowed ourselves to image. It is certainly true that the vast majority of the human race uses just a fraction of the huge potential inherent in each of us—and yes, I am including myself in this assessment.

Ben Saunders urges audiences to consider carefully how to spend the “tiny amount of time we each have on this planet.” And while we may never aspire to push ourselves to the same limits that Saunders has tested his own abilities, I hope these talks will inspire you (as they have me), to challenge yourself to do, and be more than you ever thought you could possibly be.

Ben Saunders is an explorer of limits, whether it's how far a human can be pushed physically and psychologically, or how technology works hundreds of miles from civilization, his message is one of inspiration, empowerment and boundless potential.

“Humbly framed as the ambitious undertakings of an ardent athlete, [Ben's treks offer] visceral first-hand accounts of just how much things are changing in the Arctic -- the 'barometer of global climate change.'” — Worldchanging.com

At TED: https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_saunders_skis_to_the_north_pole

At TED: https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_saunders_why_bother_leaving_the_house

Home: bensaunders.com  Wikipedia: Ben Saunders  Twitter: @polarben

36 Hours In Havana, Cuba

Screen shot from the New York Times video

Another in the New York Times series 36 Hours In… This time we’re visiting Havana, Cuba. Damien Cave writes:

Havana is no longer frozen in time, at least not completely. With Cuba’s guarded openness to private enterprise grabbing hold, classic American cars and salsa singers now share the cityscape with new and inventive offerings in food, culture, night life and hospitality. No other city in Latin America, or perhaps the world, can claim to be having just the kind of moment that Havana is experiencing now after so many decades gasping for change.

For visitors, the capital is a mash-up of past and present, freedom and restriction. It’s a city of architectural decay, but also creativity, where artists have turned a defunct cooking-oil factory into a performance space, bar and music venue that on any given night makes Brooklyn look as cool as a suburban Ikea. It’s a city where finding ingredients for a stellar menu requires feats of Promethean ingenuity; where opera is subversive, and kitschy too; where the Internet is just arriving, fully formed and censored; and where young Cubans without money are fleeing, while those with connections and ideas await great success.

Officially, some limits for Americans remain in place. Despite restored relations with Cuba, tourism is still banned by the embargo. But for those who reach Havana under the 12 categories of legal travel, or without permission, and for the rest of the world, the city is ready to entertain and confound.

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• Read the full article here…

Telling The Story of Slavery in America

The magnificent oaks of Oak Alley. Image: Jim Lesses

During my 2012 American trip, I spent five nights in New Orleans and among the numerous activities I engaged in during my stay in the Crescent City, were tours that included the Laura, and Oak Alley plantations. Being the political animal that I am, I was very much aware of what seemed to be the ‘whitewashing’ of history associated with both these beautifully preserved sites, and the part they must have played in supporting one of the worst stains in human history—the institution and maintenance of organised slavery on a massive scale.

It is not as if the history of slavery was completely ignored at these former plantations, and others like them, but more that the legacy of slavery was left to the imagination of the visitor rather than bringing it front and centre. The beautifully maintained plantation homes, and the well manicured lawns and gardens, might leave visitors with the impression that life on a pre-American Civil War plantation wasn’t all that unpleasant. In fact, the Oak Alley Plantation can be hired for weddings, corporate events, and overnight stays—“A tranquil retreat in the heart of Plantation Country”—proclaims one caption to a series of images on the site. While life may have been very pleasant for the plantation owners, it was far from pleasant for the slaves.

John J. Cummings III; Screen shot from the New Yorker video.

Since my 2012 trip, I am delighted to see that at least one former property—the Whitney Plantation—has now been set up as the first memorial of its type in America. The New Yorker magazine, under the byline of Kalim Armstrong ran an item and video in February 2016, Telling The Story of Slavery from which the following quote is taken:

John Cummings, a lawyer who founded the [Whitney Plantation] museum, spent sixteen years planning and over eight million dollars of his own money to restore this site, which honors the memory of those who were enslaved on plantations and whose labor helped build this country. The Whitney Plantation is not a place designed to make people feel guilt, or to make people feel shame. It is a site of memory, a place that that exists to further the necessary dialogue about race in America.

The Whitney Plantation was founded in 1752, and is located in Louisiana along the historic River Road, which winds down the Mississippi toward New Orleans. Here is the New Yorker video:

It wasn’t hard to find other videos detailing various aspects of slavery and the plantation system online, and the following 28-minute video is from what appears to be a made-for-television series called Weekends With Whitney. Independently produced by Whitney Vann, the program focuses on the story behind the Whitney Plantation and supplements the New Yorker video very nicely. Note: This show has three advertising breaks built into the video, but thankfully they are short and almost unobtrusive.

If You Go

The Whitney Plantation

5099, Highway 18, Wallace, Louisiana.

Open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day except Tuesday

(The museum is also closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, New Years Day, Mardi Gras, Easter Sunday, and July 4th.)

Note: the website states that, “There are no self guided tours at The Whitney Plantation.” And further that, “The only way to visit The Whitney Plantation is through a guided tour.” Tours are given every hour between 10:00am and 3:00pm.

Prices range from $10.00 to $22.00 (see website for full schedule)

Online at: www.whitneyplantation.com/

The World Is Big...

The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark. ~ John Muir

At The Movies: The Eagle Huntress

Photo: Asher Svidensky

The Eagle Huntress 

This spellbinding documentary follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old nomadic Mongolian girl who is fighting to become the first female eagle hunter in twelve generations of her Kazakh family. Through breathtaking aerial cinematography and intimate verite footage, the film captures her personal journey while also addressing universal themes like female empowerment, the natural world, coming of age and the onset of modernity.

The above synopsis comes from the Internet Movie Database entry for this film. 

Immediately after watching The Eagle Huntress, I had my doubts as to whether the film was an authentic documentary, or merely a reconstruction of events that had already taken place earlier in the life Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a young girl who dreamed of becoming a hunter and trainer of eagles, a role that has traditionally been reserved for boys and men on the chilly, windswept steppes (large areas of flat, unforested grasslands in South East Europe or Siberia), in a remote corner of Mongolia. However, after a couple of hours searching for, and watching interviews with Otto Bell, the director, I am more than satisfied that the events depicted in the film are captured pretty much as they happened.

Otto had seen a series of photographs on the BBC website by the Israeli photographer, Asher Svidensky which immediately sparked his interest in Aisholpan’s life. He was also quick to see the cinematic possibilities of telling her story and bringing this to a wider world, and I’m very happy he did because the film is definitely worth seeing. 

The remote setting and natural scenery (the towering Altai mountain ranges of Western Mongolia, and steppes stretching off to the far horizons) are simply stunning. The rituals and routines of daily life, and the work of herding, milking, and hunting seem hard—but not so hard as to make one grateful they don’t live in that environment. Scenes of family life are generally presented as tough, but they also come across as romantic and wholesome. Here is a family that works hard and plays hard. Their material possessions are reduced to the basic and essential. We don’t see a television anywhere, although we do see several portable radios. There are also motorbikes, vehicles of various types, a portable solar panel or two—and horses. Lots of horses.

Oh, and of course, eagles. A lot of eagles as well.

I was very impressed with Aisholpan’s ability to work with and relate to the young Golden Eagle she caught with the help of her father, Rys. These magnificent creatures are not like the pigeons and doves that flap gently about our city streets. These are large, heavy birds that weigh up to seven kilograms (15 pounds), and grow to have 7-8 foot wingspans. The trainers and hunters must be able to bear the weight of these birds as they sweep in and land on their outstretched arms with a force that I suspect would knock pasty-faced city boys like myself flying off their feet. But Aisholpan handles these flying missiles with a wide smile and nary a quiver. That she was able to do this at just 13 years of age is an even greater achievement in my opinion. Clearly, they are brought up tough on the Mongolian steppes.

The eagle hunters capture the young birds just before they are able to leave their aeries, and according to tradition, will release them back into the wild after a number of years of captivity. In fact, the film begins with a scene in which Rys, Aisholpan’s father is depicted as doing exactly this.

There are scenes in this film that may distress some viewers. Hollywood movies involving animals usually have a sentence buried in the end titles that say something to the effect that,’no animals were harmed during the making of this film.’ The Eagle Huntress carries no such note. After all, the eagles are trained specifically to hunt. Rabbits mostly, but also foxes and other small game. They also have the ability to hunt animals as large as wolves, which I have to say amazes me no end.

Here's the official movie trailer for the film

I went looking on YouTube for more clips about the film and about Aisholpan in particular, and was pleased to find several very good videos that included interviews with her and her father. These took place during their visit to the Sundance Film Festival where the film was receiving its premier screening. The Eagle Huntress is beautifully shot, and Aisholpan, her father, and her family are all natural actors who are proud to share their culture and traditions with the wider world.

The Eagle Huntress Featurette - Documentary (2016)

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If you have a chance to see the film at your local cinema, or streaming on Netflix or another online streaming service, do so. You won’t be disappointed.

Updated: May 17, 2017

Just after uploading this post, I went looking for the original 2014 BBC News story that featured Asher Svidensky’s photographs of the young eagle huntress, which you can read here. 

I also happened upon a more recent article about the film that mirrored my opening paragraph doubts about the authenticity of the film with regard to it being a true documentary. This article, Is the Eagle Huntress really a documentary?, also on the BBC News website raises genuine questions about this issue, but again as I indicated above, I am still “…satisfied that the events depicted in the film are captured pretty much as they happened.”

And finally, both articles above carry discrepancies with regard to the spelling of Kazakh names. In the first article, the young girls name is spelt Ashol-pan, not Aisholpan, though the second version is used in the second of these articles. Also the IMDB gives her father’s name as Rys, while the second article on the BBC News site gives his name as Agalai. For now I have chosen to use the same spelling as that used on the IMDB site.

TED on Tuesday: The World of Caves

Screen shot from the Jill Heinerth TED video

Cave diver Jill Heinerth explores the hidden underground waterways coursing through our planet. Working with biologists, climatologists and archaeologists, Heinerth unravels the mysteries of the life-forms that inhabit some of the earth's most remote places and helps researchers unlock the history of climate change. In this short talk, take a dive below the waves and explore the wonders of inner space.

More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places that Jill's exploration has taken her right here on the earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never-before-seen ecosystems inside giant Antarctic icebergs, to the lawless desert border area between Egypt and Libya while a civil war raged around her, Jill's curiosity and passion about our watery planet is the driving force in her life.

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Screen shot from the Eddy Cartaya TED video

A ranger at Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, Eddy Cartaya not only solves cave crimes — he also explores the ever-changing system of caves within Mount Hood's Sandy Glacier.

Much of Eddy Cartaya's life takes place in caves. A ranger at Deschutes National Forest in Oregon, in charge of law enforcement and investigations, he solves crimes that happen in caves. This can range from investigating the theft of lava formations that date back 6,000 years to tracking down a group of people who covered over ancient cave art with spray paint. 

Cartaya and his climbing partner, Brent McGregor, also explore the frozen, icy caves created in the Sandy Glacier as it slowly slides down Oregon's Mount Hood. In 2011, the pair identified and explored three caves which they named Snow Dragon, Pure Imagination and Frozen Minotaur. Together, the caves create 7,000 feet of passageway through the glacier. Experts think this may be the longest glacial cave system in the United States outside of Alaska.