tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28712991120326758422024-02-06T22:17:09.307-08:00Critical Round-up"I am nothing if not critical" – Othello (2:1)Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-36615295002112220392010-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:002010-10-18T09:41:08.621-07:00They Had the Power<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
Did you ever notice how some things simply change our culture to the nth degree? It seems the older I get the more I realize just how true that is. I was thinking the other day about what sort of things have come into our world since I can remember ... velcro, microwave ovens, home videos, cell phones, personal computers, internet, and a bloggosphere. The list goes on and on. That’s progress, I suppose. And, it’s okay.<br />
<br />
Something really weird happened in the 1980s. There was a cultural shift that was the counter-part of everything the 60s and 70s had to offer... and then some. It went beyond the really big hair, fake everything, and supper tight jeans. So many things were changing fast and as a young mother I was on high alert to protect my kids. Of all the things I controlled for my children I have to say the television was most passionately limited. I allowed a half hour of tv entertainment five days a week and the programs offered were Looney Tunes, Muppets, Mr. Rogers, or Sesame Street. We had a few VCR tapes and PBS reception was fine enough for what limited amount was seen.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfi1WrE5HUvQLwhOH5TQYlt2wZDVX5WJl1BRzUaxw0Zux-uJqR_5o9C3NYtmD1VhtxAo0S6MQ4_LqqF2zcKRYjdjvquKDzLRCObAMfc3hG5xQa8LCe15CYDKoCNe5N7gfdKgfOMMUuKt0/s1600/atar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfi1WrE5HUvQLwhOH5TQYlt2wZDVX5WJl1BRzUaxw0Zux-uJqR_5o9C3NYtmD1VhtxAo0S6MQ4_LqqF2zcKRYjdjvquKDzLRCObAMfc3hG5xQa8LCe15CYDKoCNe5N7gfdKgfOMMUuKt0/s200/atar.jpg" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atari - a popular game in the 80s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Those darn Mario Bros and Donkey Kong were introduced then, too. I found myself horrified with the many parents who were sitting their children in front of entertainment boxes, letting them play computer games and Atari for hours on end. I personally couldn’t find the benefit of using that sort of day-care for my kids so we instead found ways to use our imagination and simply play in the real world. It seemed everywhere I turned folks were telling me I was depriving my children of progress. Progress ... there’s that word again.<br />
<br />
Marketers figured something out in the 80s ... they understood that Baby Boomers still controlled the dollars, and the children of Baby Boomers controlled their parents. It was obvious that whatever toys these kids wanted, they would get – just research the Cabbage Patch Doll, Coleco years, and you’ll see what I mean.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI0E3Ywk0Z55ihtpkxvV9O2GCPMXEUKOQLflMKYzlA9x1ijXMb0pGhSSLBS8glI-lhep4va2jZeYV8U2tLHHQ9I_aoD6dB0r2-LBF9u-2B3RpO6821EKrnyTYScx1SrUuSx3YkLZnxow/s1600/cab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI0E3Ywk0Z55ihtpkxvV9O2GCPMXEUKOQLflMKYzlA9x1ijXMb0pGhSSLBS8glI-lhep4va2jZeYV8U2tLHHQ9I_aoD6dB0r2-LBF9u-2B3RpO6821EKrnyTYScx1SrUuSx3YkLZnxow/s200/cab.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cabbage Patch Doll even hit the UK!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, how does one better market to the children? Mattel’s Product Development Department had worked up a line of action figures listed under the series called “Masters of the Universe”, and they sold remarkably well. However, sales could be boosted still further with some clever entertainment coordination so the Marketing Department took control. I do believe that Mattel got more than they parleyed for when they approached Filmation Studio and proposed a deal to produce a cartoon show based on the popular action-figures ... <b><i>He-Man and the Masters of the Universe</i></b> was born.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfItRzeXghcJWbzGyqAALtDiWVNq6IcUn8e-Wi3UmVfIjxATb9PNmVy3IHgI96raZaLdWncDmslH_oBhWDipWVXWzHLDiqtQ0f1E8LwD2QqdFDguCQOZWkxLOnObGuS5AFjERyQ5F9PPY/s1600/he-man-figures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfItRzeXghcJWbzGyqAALtDiWVNq6IcUn8e-Wi3UmVfIjxATb9PNmVy3IHgI96raZaLdWncDmslH_oBhWDipWVXWzHLDiqtQ0f1E8LwD2QqdFDguCQOZWkxLOnObGuS5AFjERyQ5F9PPY/s320/he-man-figures.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>Filmation Studio was an impressive power-house at that time. Their seasoned animators produced an extraordinary amount of quality work when they created the first season of He-Man. By painstakingly rotoscoping live action footage, they created a library of stock character movements that were simply superb. The background artists produced dazzling and dream-like settings for the action to play out. Combine all that with haunting and melodious music and this new cartoon had a style and sensibility that was stunningly different from others ever seen. <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfItRzeXghcJWbzGyqAALtDiWVNq6IcUn8e-Wi3UmVfIjxATb9PNmVy3IHgI96raZaLdWncDmslH_oBhWDipWVXWzHLDiqtQ0f1E8LwD2QqdFDguCQOZWkxLOnObGuS5AFjERyQ5F9PPY/s1600/he-man-figures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span>He-Man’s storylines were not typical either. In the beginning they were straightforward enough, but a few episodes in to it the scriptwriters took the simply typical characters and began to explore who they were as people. The personalities grew as they struggled with human issues like parental pride, personal usefulness, friendship, adoption, and learning to cope when things seemed frustratingly wrong. <br />
<br />
During the first season of He-Man there was a lot of controversy over the series. Many people were more than unhappy once they understood that corporations were marketing directly to children. Was He-Man nothing more than a salesman directing a half-hour Mattel commercial that was manipulating children for a profitable end? For me, I immediately saw the blurring of that imagined line that defined distinctions between art and commerce. I have never believed in that line. Picture making has always been used for commerce, even Michelangelo and de’ Vinci knew that truth. The question, really, was how inappropriate was it to market to children? As a young mother I set out to truly ponder this concept; to understand how this He-Man character could be thought of as anything different from Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, Smoky Bear, Charlie Brown and his Great Pumpkin, or what ever. Children have been marketed to for a very, very long time and the only unusual thing that happened in the 80s was over-seas cheap mass production of toys and new technological entertainment tools that virtually reached for potential fans (kids). The protest that got me was when Dr. Thomas Radecki, of the National Coalition for Television Violence, insisted that the He-Man series was "a blatant attempt to sell violence to children through the peddling of violent action toys... The brutal barbarian is still held up as a model."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoqGOMC6ibmQAAkeDHqrI6a57GvBt_DibAl6ZwaQEu7oXgPhN7MXX1pMP_j6ylXZAelw1hZA88_EddpYlMQ4dk3iFPvVNJf7bQzbRRh5Fe64c_Xh9b91E3OuLRmivWUB_iK-0jHDQRMw/s1600/shera2_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoqGOMC6ibmQAAkeDHqrI6a57GvBt_DibAl6ZwaQEu7oXgPhN7MXX1pMP_j6ylXZAelw1hZA88_EddpYlMQ4dk3iFPvVNJf7bQzbRRh5Fe64c_Xh9b91E3OuLRmivWUB_iK-0jHDQRMw/s320/shera2_2.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>What? I had to ask myself ... where were the parents? Must we depend on a national coalition to tell a business what they can or cannot try to sell because a parent can’t say no? Is that product development team so supreme that they are controlling children by preaching buy, buy, buy while parents are stunned helplessly on the side lines in disbelief? I had to see that power for myself, so I sent my kids to their room every afternoon for a week while I watched He-Man to learn how violent and barbaric this muscle-bound character was. What I learned was that reasoned discussion was ignored while polarizing rhetoric ruled the day. I didn’t just approve of He-Man, I thought it a marvelous and entertaining thing that I could comfortably show my children. Since we were in Alaska and riding behind times in the lower-48, our first year for He-Man coincided with the first year of She-Ra, so both shows where played back to back each afternoon from 3:00 to 4:00. My children’s entertainment time instantly doubled to one hour, five days a week.<br />
<br />
For the record, standards during those years did not allow either He-Man or She-Ra to be violent characters. They could not use their swords as offensive weapons, nor could they directly punch or kick anyone. Only robotic enemies were allowed to be destroyed. When pushed, simple body throws where shown, though most often both He-Man and She-Ra cleverly outsmarted their adversaries. Moral lessons were shown at the end of each episode which promoted good civic behavior on many levels ... no littering, no lying, clean your room, think of the consequences, be respectful, courteous, kind, and forgiving.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-5khVmPcIjHdJiTw2CdkkSK7Ff6Cbtp89hF9Z-qNOhUEHEGP-tPjEpTcbc8_3whYaz7MscKOWrq2W6YfMUIsWhT0rofGyDiVWL3VXA0NGK3tWPwWofw95ri69p4myvRMi6lvVJps3U0/s1600/he-man-movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-5khVmPcIjHdJiTw2CdkkSK7Ff6Cbtp89hF9Z-qNOhUEHEGP-tPjEpTcbc8_3whYaz7MscKOWrq2W6YfMUIsWhT0rofGyDiVWL3VXA0NGK3tWPwWofw95ri69p4myvRMi6lvVJps3U0/s400/he-man-movie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Both of my children adored He-Man and She-Ra and for many years their play did reflect those cartoons. They also drew them and, at the end of it all, those heroes played a very big part in my girl’s young lives. I did the unthinkable and purchased He-Man and She-Ra cartoon bed linens for them, and play swords, masks, and shields (I never did buy the action figures though, I’m too practical for that). They never whacked each other with the toy weapons, they only held them high, touching tips as they’d bellow, “For the honour of Grayskull ... I ... HAVE ... THE ... POWER!!”<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcxVPaaXMjnC6vdPKK7WEPZ7v8TuAe1P9YeNXoOYEb8GUu6PVP8j5_on5myk3A3M2-217p57Tcmd9evwru2P9yFIO1f06mB-eMhOWVHKfu7jminfTvnssMQkYBYzmFJfRI6LI_ZLucs8/s1600/19576_1355878221995_1382658695_963342_8326066_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcxVPaaXMjnC6vdPKK7WEPZ7v8TuAe1P9YeNXoOYEb8GUu6PVP8j5_on5myk3A3M2-217p57Tcmd9evwru2P9yFIO1f06mB-eMhOWVHKfu7jminfTvnssMQkYBYzmFJfRI6LI_ZLucs8/s400/19576_1355878221995_1382658695_963342_8326066_n.jpg" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My children showing how they have the power.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Years passed and my children grew into wonderful young women. I owned and worked a Giclée print shop and one of the artists who used our services was a lady named Karen Grandpre. After a time we were comparing art stories and I was delighted to learn she was an animator for He-Man and She-Ra (specifically responsible for Swift Wind, She-Ra’s horse).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUZuAf4Cdc8GDymYguDmTPGj2TIHS1mN0qKQL_jmLmsRStF9fEnBwTFTLFabgt11xFTFaTGhkK3zwFDzioUGvcRk_WYBek6M9OEw92cGvwshHXLSPhe6PX0NI1ZdAm5U9tTsyjukIx8U/s1600/Swiftwind-02.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUZuAf4Cdc8GDymYguDmTPGj2TIHS1mN0qKQL_jmLmsRStF9fEnBwTFTLFabgt11xFTFaTGhkK3zwFDzioUGvcRk_WYBek6M9OEw92cGvwshHXLSPhe6PX0NI1ZdAm5U9tTsyjukIx8U/s320/Swiftwind-02.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animation sketch for Swift Wind by Karen (Haus) Grandpre</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I was able to thank her for the good influence her work had on my children, and I eagerly questioned her about animation work and process. I learned her masterful hand also animated such notables as Uncle Sam McGoo, Robin Hood (Disney animated movie), The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Horton Hears a Who (original), Wonder Woman, Peanuts, Tarzan, Lone Ranger, Zorro, Tom & Jerry, Mighty Mouse, Fritz the Cat, The Archie’s, Fat Albert, and much more. She worked with three of the world’s top animation studios: Walt Disney, Hanna-Barbera, and Filmation. Karen’s credit name is Karen Haus and she is one of the finest draftsmen I know. She can draw a horse from any angle without reference or animal at hand. She knows design and form so well it’s no different than taking a breath. When my grown children heard that I had met that lady who brought She-Ra and He-Man to life they begged that I introduce them. The girls dug out their old pillow-cases and asked Karen to autograph the fading cotton images. They were still in awe of the lady who made the magic they enjoyed as children.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYP7vCsgw2PKBybDB6fq7zf2DnV0_fqLB9B5faxhWfdOOD4zT4QueISMpWtZMUErvH4R5kLGGMxeThEw2kr9LFhJnpMdNQBqd2PYzb1pwYBYbc0yrZcdAIbfNr3ao6wOjJ1nItDecTEE/s1600/She-Ra-and-Swiftwind-flyin.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYP7vCsgw2PKBybDB6fq7zf2DnV0_fqLB9B5faxhWfdOOD4zT4QueISMpWtZMUErvH4R5kLGGMxeThEw2kr9LFhJnpMdNQBqd2PYzb1pwYBYbc0yrZcdAIbfNr3ao6wOjJ1nItDecTEE/s320/She-Ra-and-Swiftwind-flyin.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working out details of Swift Wind, a flying unicorn horse. <br />
Studio sketch by Karen (Haus) Grandpre</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This past week She-Ra turned 25 years old. I found myself thinking about progress ... those microwaves, cell phones, internet, and personal computers ... How they have changed our lives. I also thought a lot about art and creation, heroes and raising children, responsibility and good civic behavior. He-Man and She-Ra were attacked back in the day because they represented a shift in the state of commerce. They were accused of marketing to children simply because a toy came first and the parents couldn’t say no.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ihgzbT6w3c-CLN-soEKT9lHLkRdedUODxybJLRKyxZ1RH3Tv1kycGzJ-NCvShqpRhXGagsdPlxD18TN1gZtodwb7orY72B1x3TIgKcuGP2lEDnrsD_yqZKOxwhngoPLoiY2c3OOiGkM/s1600/Story-board-with-Skeletor-0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ihgzbT6w3c-CLN-soEKT9lHLkRdedUODxybJLRKyxZ1RH3Tv1kycGzJ-NCvShqpRhXGagsdPlxD18TN1gZtodwb7orY72B1x3TIgKcuGP2lEDnrsD_yqZKOxwhngoPLoiY2c3OOiGkM/s400/Story-board-with-Skeletor-0.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A story board for Skeletor. All story lines were well worked through before the animators took to their tasks and created the cartoons so many children loved. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I disagreed about the badness of the cartoon back then because I saw that it built it’s own personalities and situations, and those were centered on a good moral base that encouraged children to be the best people they could be. That aspect of this story was very good. The bad aspect was the parents who spoiled the child and paid a thousand dollars for a stupid Cabbage Patch doll ... the ones who let progress babysit while not teaching the wisdom of moderation and good sense. I called Karen and asked if I could spend a little time with her, hoping to capture a sense of who she is for the tale I wanted to tell about animation. We spent a couple of afternoons talking and going through old sketches and drawings. I asked what she thought about modern animation and she quickly and pointedly stated they are “retarded cartoons with too much agenda” ... from her perspective, progress is destroying her craft ... Progress.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMOPE-Q-2GgYZ0MARwnNrNVvn4IOiPrt-Sogju0CAKqTnCBLsU7ni3d7VndklipCJSejiOAOKtQEtcOWcqILSVLuKEsLzcP-DRBW7WpwLkq214XfCcSygXDVONUN3rpgPmblNw0M2M70/s1600/Skelator.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMOPE-Q-2GgYZ0MARwnNrNVvn4IOiPrt-Sogju0CAKqTnCBLsU7ni3d7VndklipCJSejiOAOKtQEtcOWcqILSVLuKEsLzcP-DRBW7WpwLkq214XfCcSygXDVONUN3rpgPmblNw0M2M70/s400/Skelator.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many episodes ended with Skeletor feeling down in the dumps about the turn of events. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The story of how He-Man ended sums up the fate of good animation better than I ever could. He-Man was a victim of his own success because once corporate manufacturers understood his ascendency came about through the merchandising of toy-based cartoons, greed took over and everyone seized the opportunity to profit from an out of control parental base that could not satisfy their whiny children without giving the brats whatever they wanted. Within two years the syndicated cartoon market was saturated and programs began to hopelessly fail while newer and flashier things where constantly introduced. He-Man was one of those casualties.<br />
<br />
Filmation sold it’s animation studio to a French cosmetic company, L'Oreal. This cosmetic firm wasn’t interested in actually doing any new animation, they simply wanted the European rights to past-productions. In one day L’Oreal cut off Filmation’s future by firing the entire production staff. On a Friday afternoon all of the artists were told to put down their pencils and leave. The doors were closed and production was silenced on February 3, 1989. Two hundred and thirty employees (mostly animators) were cast out without warning and the end of an era was at hand.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtxgusPGJogytgUhOsJwKETsdctUSmtZ6Zzqiakd_qpB9xqZdk6CxNtLIznzbTSxnXXaAua2b3lvK0YTyRRMvaPoi1n2WhAeLMZ-yKG93APlHO5ibQXGItIhmqw6Q53749-3NxL6b3r0/s1600/Arrow-Running-Sequence-2-15.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtxgusPGJogytgUhOsJwKETsdctUSmtZ6Zzqiakd_qpB9xqZdk6CxNtLIznzbTSxnXXaAua2b3lvK0YTyRRMvaPoi1n2WhAeLMZ-yKG93APlHO5ibQXGItIhmqw6Q53749-3NxL6b3r0/s400/Arrow-Running-Sequence-2-15.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This animation sequence is for Bo's (She-Ra's friend) horse running. <br />
Karen (Haus) Grandpre was the master horse animator for many years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
When I think of progress, I often think of greed. He-Man or She-Ra would have done a moral of the story about this, if they were only given the chance. Instead, films like Avitar neglect traditional production processes and let computers build a sterilized and perfect world where the agenda rules supreme. Ironically, this old gal thinks a big-budget CGI movie can't stand in comparison to the low-budget animated TV series which spawned it all. Now that is something worth thinking about.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">_____________________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
*The drawings included in this blog have never been shown public before. They are but a very few of the collection that Karen keeps at her home today. I had the great privilege of scanning nearly 100 of them, as well as enjoying seeing hundreds more when I recently spent a day with Karen. Not only He-Man and She-Ra sketches are there, but so were Fat Albert, Daffy Duck, Charlie the Tuna, The Archies, and more horse sketches than I thought possible for one artist ... the list goes on and on. Honestly, a good animator is truly a champion draftsman. Thank you Karen, for sharing your creations with me, and allowing me to post a few for my friends who enjoy this blog and good creativity. You are simply the best.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7e_JKQ4np61NEmjTTrYPrQnlcf17uS2VSuAyHzCkc62UIH8X_rKKF5RrkuxhgIALeg36jtl9OR8aNWXxcisZ_4HK8w8shunwfbYS3I9_Dv7pWK0DzVwQznO78X8DkW9J-239IDSuDMI/s1600/Swiftwind-01.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7e_JKQ4np61NEmjTTrYPrQnlcf17uS2VSuAyHzCkc62UIH8X_rKKF5RrkuxhgIALeg36jtl9OR8aNWXxcisZ_4HK8w8shunwfbYS3I9_Dv7pWK0DzVwQznO78X8DkW9J-239IDSuDMI/s320/Swiftwind-01.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arabian horse was the breed for Swift Wind. Karen's knowledge of horse anatomy is very evident in her study works for full blown animation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-iwbzlvic9v_jk_ZeU7wc14ml9ts56EfSXh8-e2R9dpRtVoEP-Cg6zeWpieN5hyovdDAybxPOds8U0Aql7h5OckcdtfbSKY9H5lcsjqgmG87pUwnDRaIQUA_HoVhnHOb7FD65soTKXQ/s1600/He-Man-Running-01.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-iwbzlvic9v_jk_ZeU7wc14ml9ts56EfSXh8-e2R9dpRtVoEP-Cg6zeWpieN5hyovdDAybxPOds8U0Aql7h5OckcdtfbSKY9H5lcsjqgmG87pUwnDRaIQUA_HoVhnHOb7FD65soTKXQ/s320/He-Man-Running-01.gif" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left, He-Man is running into the frame - his figure is more refined than the next entry animation (right), which is shown in an early stage of working out details.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgSqEAzgZWjsTdqse6QP91J3tzV8N6-g6UghVW5PujlcErCn9tTTYbESNRT6oytyABmswlWK2ij_xAFFnvnEQ2qgIw9RIfZecdXgmFi6UMiOyTILxgTLbPOhqZBHxI3r5hTN1FaHBkkQ/s1600/He-Man-05.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgSqEAzgZWjsTdqse6QP91J3tzV8N6-g6UghVW5PujlcErCn9tTTYbESNRT6oytyABmswlWK2ij_xAFFnvnEQ2qgIw9RIfZecdXgmFi6UMiOyTILxgTLbPOhqZBHxI3r5hTN1FaHBkkQ/s320/He-Man-05.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I remember this episode! Vines just about took He-Man out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbUL0wbPvs49d0fdLyJb73w7ETJ_Ywvtvg5lmXww5lm7_BLXEfyYGe45r0xZPInqKDbOmjIZJWxaPIX-hGY0peoYYCNS1xxyctPzuvEf0EMDvibFh3aO-xVBUyl4HNw0Bztu8HILl2YY/s1600/He-Man-01.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbUL0wbPvs49d0fdLyJb73w7ETJ_Ywvtvg5lmXww5lm7_BLXEfyYGe45r0xZPInqKDbOmjIZJWxaPIX-hGY0peoYYCNS1xxyctPzuvEf0EMDvibFh3aO-xVBUyl4HNw0Bztu8HILl2YY/s320/He-Man-01.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But he kept on struggling ....</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtch0tWmkU92fUKirI1mSVhASiMXLljd3E4_y0AzPnsgUoQ8OGDLPwLdfLCm9itZQ9TC_6A_QFrj_H06Sq6xaydTMWEEmwt79hdIdxTjePVXw8qzKEbMfmnPunuKFL46q8c9w7Ghw20U/s1600/He-Man-07.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtch0tWmkU92fUKirI1mSVhASiMXLljd3E4_y0AzPnsgUoQ8OGDLPwLdfLCm9itZQ9TC_6A_QFrj_H06Sq6xaydTMWEEmwt79hdIdxTjePVXw8qzKEbMfmnPunuKFL46q8c9w7Ghw20U/s320/He-Man-07.gif" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and struggling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-76250984334693997372010-10-14T16:43:00.000-07:002010-10-14T20:15:53.989-07:00All for One, and One for All<div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">The following is a recently published article I wrote for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Women in Racing magazine</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> (Australia). The subject of this story is Donna Hillman-Walsh, who was also featured in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">There's No Crying in Baseball (</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Blog post May 25, 2010)</span></blockquote><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In 1974, twenty-five year old American jockey </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna Hillman was invited to participate in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the first-ever International Female Jockey </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Race in Brisbane, Australia. A field of twelve </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">rode; representing Australia, Canada, England, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Ireland, New Zealand, and the USA. Hillman </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">energetically remembers, “The crowd cheered </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">loudly as we entered the track. The air was thick </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">with excitement.” She pauses a few moments, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">then guns a conclusion home. “What it all boiled </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">down to was … we not only brought in the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">crowds … </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">they loved to bet on us! It doesn’t get any better </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">than that!” After the race, headlines around the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">world proclaimed “Lady Jockeys Have Their </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Day” announcing that Pam O’Neill placed first </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">for Australia. Undoubtedly, that Australian run </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">wrote another significant page in the exciting </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">history of horse racing.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuBaDE2kavXirVsS0oXO6nAS4tMD01tWPRSTNJf_QaWIBXleA47QKjh8QBf8VPEpT3uLrozJWPf3KqynITiQd2cv2eJaWM_u3mHH_uL-PoI3Q6qcGBr-YYLojUErrMl89KkgcpwPfjes/s1600/NP+clips-Aus+Race+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAuBaDE2kavXirVsS0oXO6nAS4tMD01tWPRSTNJf_QaWIBXleA47QKjh8QBf8VPEpT3uLrozJWPf3KqynITiQd2cv2eJaWM_u3mHH_uL-PoI3Q6qcGBr-YYLojUErrMl89KkgcpwPfjes/s400/NP+clips-Aus+Race+collage.jpg" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1b1c20; font-size: 9px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1b1c20; font-size: 9px;"><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Donna (Hillman) Walsh newspaper clippings about her</i></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>riding in Australia.</i></div></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #94c469; font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Racing Down Under was “a fantastic experience” </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">for the young athlete and she remembers as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">though it were yesterday. By that time in her </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">career, Hillman had ridden many top eastern </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">US tracks, including Belmont and Aqueduct, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">and was the leading female rider at Calder. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">As thrilling as racing was, in 1976, Donna </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">turned in her silks for canvas, retiring from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">horse-racing and forging a solid career as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna Walsh, fine artist.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Racing was not part of Donna’s life again </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">until 2008, when Jason Neff asked her for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">interviews for his upcoming feature length </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">documentary, JOCK, which tells the stories </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">of pioneer female jockeys. Through Jason, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna was asked to once again touch </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">an extraordinary moment of ‘first’ in the world. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Pimlico Race Course (home of the Preakness </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Stakes, 2nd leg of the Triple Crown) in Baltimore, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Maryland, would host the first ever parimutuel </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">race consisting of retired female jockeys, The </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Lady Legends Race for the Cure.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #94c469; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #94c469; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Jason Neff grew up in the horse-racing world hearing stories about pioneering female jockeys and admiring them for all the challenges they overcame to follow their passion. His feature length documentary, JOCK, tells how they fought for the right to ride as professional jockeys</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>. </i></span></span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #94c469; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On May 14, 2010, eight ladies saddled up for </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">one last hurrah and a chance to thunder across </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">the finish line. They would come from around </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">the US, setting aside jobs and family for training, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">and to compete in this historic allowance race. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna would not ride that day, but knew the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">names and talents of those that did:</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>PJ Cooksey</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, 52, the third all-time leading </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">female jockey with over 2000 wins and breast </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cancer survivor. </span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Gwen Jocson</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, 43, record </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">holder for the most wins in a single year by </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a woman. </span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Andrea Seefeldt</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, 46, Kentucky </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Derby and Preakness jockey. </span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Barbara Jo </b></span></span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Rubin</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, 60, first woman to win against a man </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">at a recognized racetrack. </span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Jennifer Rowland</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">57, top pioneer female rider on the Maryland </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Circuit. </span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Mary Russ Tortora</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, 56, first woman </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to win a Grade 1 stakes race.<b> </b></span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Mary Wiley </b></span></span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Wagner</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, 46, top five apprentice jockey in the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">nation in 1987 and breast cancer survivor. </span><span style="font: normal normal normal 7.5px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Cheryl White</b></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, 56, the first African-American </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">female jockey.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuId7ctYgJnVKM_Q5UDkuOffEc0aLAdCFOVBkxNpaa-95a3WWRA9DjcUzkRcyQ911hFBzZukEUCkyysDr0T-wez3KdfnLLgOvfQW9JwYQXGiMF2ER-5_T8NmI-2F-YL0l-zFK27cDt650/s1600/All+Racers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuId7ctYgJnVKM_Q5UDkuOffEc0aLAdCFOVBkxNpaa-95a3WWRA9DjcUzkRcyQ911hFBzZukEUCkyysDr0T-wez3KdfnLLgOvfQW9JwYQXGiMF2ER-5_T8NmI-2F-YL0l-zFK27cDt650/s400/All+Racers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>Lady Legends Jockeys – (from left) Mary Russ Tortora, Andrea Seefeldt Knight, Barbara Jo Rubin, Jennifer Rowland, Mary Wiley Wagner, Cheryl White, Gwen Jocson, Patti Cooksey.</i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Lady Legends Race served a three-fold </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">purpose. First, it was for a good cause that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">raised money for Breast Cancer Awareness. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Second, it was filmed as the climactic ending</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">for Neff’s movie, JOCK. And third, it gave the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">women one last opportunity to officially reunite </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">with lost friends.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Neff asked Donna to go to Baltimore for the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">reunion, for not only riders were celebrated that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">day, so were many others who were veterans </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of the sport but couldn’t return to the saddle. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">This once-in-a-life-time event gathered such </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">notable names as Kathy Kusner, Diane Crump, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Patti Barton, and more. Donna was touched, yet </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">nervous, about going. It had been many years </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">since she lived the racing world and she couldn’t </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">grasp what to expect.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna, like other non-riding jockeys, had very </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">good reason for not climbing on a horse at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Pimlico. She looks wistful as she states matter-of-</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">factly why she can’t ride, “Plates, screws, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">and pins would never allow my legs to hold. I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">would be a danger on the track.” Diane Crump </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">expresses a similar fate. “My joints were too </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">worn out to take any more stress. I just didn’t </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">think they would hold up to the work it would </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">take to get fit again.” Listening to the voices of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">these gallant ladies, it’s safe to say their heart’s </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">desire to ride was strong, but intellect said </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">racing was impossible. One has to admire their </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">sense of safety and honest evaluation.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The public had great opportunity to meet these </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">retired legends at the autograph-signing the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">morning of the race. At first, only the star eight </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">riders were sitting at tables with men jockeys, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">scribbling their name for fans. Donna and the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">others stood along the ropes with the fans, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">observing, waiting for their turn in line.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">One of the eight at the tables hollered loudly, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">“Hey, Donna, get in here. You’re a legend too!” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna and the rest joined in the signing, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">a long line of people stood waiting to briefly </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">chat with them and have their prized posters </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">autographed. It was overwhelming for Donna, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">“We must have signed, smiled, chatted, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">posed for photos for at least two hours. I had </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">no idea there would be so many adoring fans </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">willing to stand in line so long just to meet us.” </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">When asked about her unexpected time at the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">tables, Donna humbly said, “That’s why I felt </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">so accepted there. They are the best group of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">women you’d ever want to know.” They all sound </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">this way when they speak of each other: All for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">one, and one for all. That may be a little corny </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">for some people, but I think it gives a clue as to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">what these women went through together, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">how bonded they actually are.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">By race day, all the ladies were having a great </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">time getting reacquainted and comparing </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">stories. Some had never met and they were </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">curious about what they would find. "I always </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">wondered if they were remarkably strong </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">women, or just crazy to ride when they did,” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Andrea explains about the earliest riders. “After </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">meeting them, I found we were all like-minded. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">They are remarkable women who, like me, just</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">wanted to ride races.” Others, like Cooksey found </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">satisfaction in comparisons. “I was honoured </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">to be in the presence of such accomplished </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">horsewomen, and to share our stories of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">trials of competing in a male-dominated sport.” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Their time together before the race most likely </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">helped them mentally find their zone. The eight </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">riders went to the jockey room to prepare. The </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">others found their places in the VIP area and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">waited for the pre-race parade.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna could hardly hold still as she anxiously </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">paced by her seat. She knew many things could </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">go wrong that day. The pilot must be an ace </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">when reading her mount, with many decisions </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">snapped in nano seconds. The wrong move </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">would spell disaster; injury or death could </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">happen in the blink of an eye. There’s a fine art </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">to horse racing and the idea that a 100-125 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">pound human could control a speeding, 1200 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">pound, high-strung thoroughbred is amazing </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">in itself. Add to that, the truth is all risks were </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">amplified that day. Those ladies had been away </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">from the game for many years and their strength </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">and reflexes could come into question because </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">of that. How could they be as sharp as they were </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">10, 20, even 40 years ago?</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">The crowd roared as the jockeys emerged from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">the saddling paddock, making their way to the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">track. Aboard their ride, each lady paired with </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">their pony-horse and all eyes watched as they </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">began warming-up their mount. The crowd went </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">wild and hollered individual names; Barbara Jo, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">PJ, and so on. And every early rider there noticed </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">how the yells from the audience had changed </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">from their racing days. What used to be, “Go </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">back to the dishes where you belong!” turned </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">into “Go girl … we’re with you!” Ambivalence </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">had changed to support and fans and jockeys </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">were loving this!</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Feeding off energy, the jocks smiled and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">responded, encouraging the excitement that was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">building stronger by the moment. Jocson played </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">it up with particular flair. She knew why she was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">there, “I love the crowd. If it wasn’t for them there </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">would never have been an us.” It wasn’t until they </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">made their way to the starting gate that grins </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">faded and serious concentration took hold. The </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">horses, girls, and crowd were ready.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna stood at ramrod attention and stretched </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">for a better view. For a fleeting instant she was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">back on a horse and part of this momentous </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">occasion. Yearning pulled at her heart with </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">that ever persistent desire to ride and compete </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">again. She was beyond proud of those that were </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">racing, and she could still hear the voice from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">earlier that day. “Hey, Donna, get in here. You’re </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">a legend too!” Her friends were making history </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">while she watched from a distance. It was highly </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">emotional for her as they started loading at the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">gate; the announcer saying each jockey’s name </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">in turn … all for one … and one for all.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Donna had been welcomed as one of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Legends by these ladies, even though she </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">couldn’t ride that day. Aggressive competition </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">had mellowed and now the girls were comrades </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">in a tough sport that had been hard on them all. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">A uniform desire to perform well and support </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">each other was being fulfilled, and Donna wiped </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">a small tear from the corner of her eye as the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">drama of it all was at crest. She prayed no one </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">would be hurt. The gates where about to open </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">and everyone would soon know if the ol’ girls </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">could be as sharp as they needed to be.</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">“And they’re off!” the announcer boomed. She </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">stood with the cheering crowd as the horses </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">rocketed out the gate. The audience was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">pounding louder as a good clean break led to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">a race along the backside, where riders jockied </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">for position. As they approached the Club House </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">turn Gwen Jocson took the lead from Mary </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Wagner, and was in great order when Andrea </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">came flying up from way off the pace, closing </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'ITC Bookman';"><span style="font: normal normal normal 8.5px/normal 'ITC Bookman Light';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">fast. She couldn’t quite catch Jocson, though, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">and a very electric rider in white/red silks took </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">home the final win of her career. The crowd </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">erupted in response, cameras flashed from every </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">angle, news crews and interviewers descended. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">The race was everything people hoped it would </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">be. Andrea expressed it well when she spoke of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">her part, “Before we loaded into the gate, I was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">still apprehensive. Not sure if I was fit enough.” </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Once in the race she quickly found her truth. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">“The doors opened and it all came back to me. I </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">felt strong riding, came from behind and passed </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">horses to finish second. It was thrilling.”</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'ITC Bookman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3eE9aLBWXlOk4Y27N5ymJohhLBOI2GWl-DWqcQYKTSN9Atjtr04MgUS9X2FLEJ48lqRikdpSiLdgX8baoq3x2qC6GDhATW_f-qfTYCFhBhvj_Wx3dCkvH1NBLa6OdYFeluk7-xzyuPE/s1600/Down+the+Stretch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3eE9aLBWXlOk4Y27N5ymJohhLBOI2GWl-DWqcQYKTSN9Atjtr04MgUS9X2FLEJ48lqRikdpSiLdgX8baoq3x2qC6GDhATW_f-qfTYCFhBhvj_Wx3dCkvH1NBLa6OdYFeluk7-xzyuPE/s400/Down+the+Stretch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>Down the Stretch – Mary Russ Tortora (green and white silks), Gwen Jocson (red and white silks, blue helmet), Patti Cooksey (green and </i><i>yellow silks), and Barbara Jo Rubin (turqouise and white silks).</i></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 6.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Credit: Scott Serio/Eclipse Sportswire</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'ITC Bookman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px ITC Bookman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px ITC Bookman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The end of this event was a heart-felt moment </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">for the girls. They gathered at a local restaurant </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">that is famous for it’s Maryland blue crab cakes </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">and steak, and spent the evening bonding and</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">securing lifetime friendships. At one telling </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">point, they all looked at their picture on the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">cover of America’s turf authority, and Cooksey </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">made a notable observation, “In the 25 years </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that I rode, I was never on the front page of The </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Daily Racing Form, until today!” It was as though, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">finally, the Lady Legends gained a little respect </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">from the Racing community, which is something </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">they were always fighting for.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKxN6tpd1uN05w5OW6f6dfI8_Wn1JFM4XBCDNoqylJviZvdTUrhpcX9rSDy69w4LDOHSsO5rYDnCQycjm6pxzrqqe1ISJl9za2kdmW31aI_6yD4NWvs6fiy6ummZsxLEtZMzoO5NZ4Z4/s1600/legends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKxN6tpd1uN05w5OW6f6dfI8_Wn1JFM4XBCDNoqylJviZvdTUrhpcX9rSDy69w4LDOHSsO5rYDnCQycjm6pxzrqqe1ISJl9za2kdmW31aI_6yD4NWvs6fiy6ummZsxLEtZMzoO5NZ4Z4/s400/legends.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 9.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><i>Pioneer reunion – Diane Crump (first woman to ride against men on a recognized race track in the US). Mary Russ Tortora (first woman </i><i>to win a Grade 1 race in the US), Barbara Jo Rubin (1st woman to win against a man on a recognized race track in the US), Kathy Kusner </i><i>(was part of the US equestrienne team that participated in the ’64, ’68, and ’72 Olympics – silver medalist. She spent over a year in the </i><i>court system fighting the Maryland Racing Commission for the right to ride. Shortly after winning, she broke her leg at a horse show at </i><i>Madison Square Garden.), Patti Cooksey (3rd all-time leading female jockey with over 2,100 wins).</i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1b1c20; font-size: 9px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These women have proven they have the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">courage and strength of champions. Diane </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Crump sums up their significance when she </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">spoke of her own career, “It’s quite awesome </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1b1c20; font-size: 9px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">when you look back and know that you were </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">a true part of American history and possibly </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">women’s history around the world.”</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1b1c20; font-size: 9px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span>Donna came home to her studio with a renewed </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">understanding of her racing past. Her time </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">with memories and friends gave her a gift of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">appreciation and pride in something that had </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">lived in her closet for years. As she studied her </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">newest piece on the easel, one representing </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">Barbara Jo in her blue riding silks and pigtails, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">she thoughtfully considered the purpose of her </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">art, “This painting will forever be a fond reminder </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of that great experience at Pimlico, that exciting </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;">race and the best of times!”</span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxV7n4vWOvEg9k5tGmWtal89od_xkpZdNY0Lw2DaCVLKwMg30rTOsQiTlg5ciOHOjUBYQ22ZeoiWcoX3VcBMP2o6MQdilra7WIda9Jv4SbVIvsRBNs9jph4yDBI7x-hSRauQeXrljDG0/s1600/Donna+and+Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxV7n4vWOvEg9k5tGmWtal89od_xkpZdNY0Lw2DaCVLKwMg30rTOsQiTlg5ciOHOjUBYQ22ZeoiWcoX3VcBMP2o6MQdilra7WIda9Jv4SbVIvsRBNs9jph4yDBI7x-hSRauQeXrljDG0/s400/Donna+and+Painting.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br />
</span><br />
<div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This article was published in Women in Racing,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Spring/Summer 2010 ISSUE 7</span></span></span></div><div style="color: #1b1c20; font: 8.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 8.5px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Women-in-Racing-Magazine/91330094573"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Visit Women in Racing magazine on Facebook </span></span></a></span></div><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-74512366571072784042010-09-24T10:11:00.000-07:002010-09-25T22:55:57.150-07:00Two for One - part III had to watch the second Affleck movie a second time since the double feature night of quite a while ago. It’s not that this movie is bad, nor that Affleck did a terrible job ... it actually is, in my opinion, one of his best performances. As I said in part one, I think this movie helped me understand what it is that I don’t care for with Ben Affleck’s acting. There is a thing I call ‘regional nuance’ that everybody takes on. For me, I am a northern girl with about as much social class as a rock. For Affleck, he’s an east-er who has a certain polished sense about him. Perhaps it’s the way he speaks, the slickness of his hair, the stylish way clothes hang on him, or maybe his voice just isn’t quite low enough to feel truly manly and commanding. Maybe it’s a combination of all those things. Whatever it is, the aspects of regional nuance helped make this movie more enjoyable for me simply because I believed all the characters the performers played. Yes ... even Ben Affleck. But why have I not been able to write about it?<br />
<br />
As I batted excuses around in my brain this week I believe I came up with the reason. Honestly, I think this movie hit too close to reality for me. Many things written into this drama that were meant to twist and surprise the viewer are part of our everyday way of life, and my moments to escape took me nowhere but to the here and the now. After the movie, I think the first thing my husband and I said to each other was, “Why the hell can’t we find a reporter like that today?” And then it hit me .... that’s what they <i>WANTED</i> me to think! All the cliche good guy/bad guy stuff is in our face and I refuse to play into the emotions of military bad, newspapers good, corporations bad, politicians slimy, bloggers bad, police stupid, uhhh ... wait ... what was that politician slimy part? I might buy into that! Seriously, though, if you forget any sort of agenda and simply follow the tale along, the movie is entertaining and thought provoking. I don’t mean social conscience sort of thought provoking – I mean once all the pieces fall into place I had to sit and ponder to try to figure out who in the story knew what and when .... especially the politician’s wife. I enjoy being intrigued that way.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQjIQqGc39a2BvX29RKXLgVyencaUgB8aJ1HRzBNHkfzn42QZHms5PPW-p4wtDWWnpk3eIykp-QCDXBlfwVhsOChazuNpMP70eymfWEzB-XzHedoK4QuFJupjB2ID2vH7rm226yh8oLA/s1600/c_sarrisstateofplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQjIQqGc39a2BvX29RKXLgVyencaUgB8aJ1HRzBNHkfzn42QZHms5PPW-p4wtDWWnpk3eIykp-QCDXBlfwVhsOChazuNpMP70eymfWEzB-XzHedoK4QuFJupjB2ID2vH7rm226yh8oLA/s400/c_sarrisstateofplay.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck play their parts well in <i>State of Play</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The movie I’m talking about is called <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/State-Play-Russell-Crowe/dp/B002DU39GW?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">State of Play</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002DU39GW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b></i> (2009). It stars Russell Crowe as a street-smart Washington D.C. reporter (Cal McCaffrey), Ben Affleck as the slimy congressman (Stephen Collins), Rachel McAdams as the feisty little blogger/junior political reporter (Della Frye), Helen Mirren as the totally in control ruthless editor (Cameron Lynne, of the Washington Globe),<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIO68hPDG0AdEcFwfI6QaCqNOuhyphenhyphenMnQhJT9ISiPSEs4nm7rY5MP4D7OLs5zaP3VwCeyVztAZoC5g1aXoLO8kUena3GA84qi3q8a2NGcDo9PrQo2WdaiYpPZog-nHbr64WJcX65e0UEgo/s1600/state_of_play_2009_1024x768_78976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIO68hPDG0AdEcFwfI6QaCqNOuhyphenhyphenMnQhJT9ISiPSEs4nm7rY5MP4D7OLs5zaP3VwCeyVztAZoC5g1aXoLO8kUena3GA84qi3q8a2NGcDo9PrQo2WdaiYpPZog-nHbr64WJcX65e0UEgo/s400/state_of_play_2009_1024x768_78976.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen Mirren maintains queenly control over her newsroom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
and we mustn’t forget the memorable performance by Jason Bateman as a wealthy pill popping bisexual public relations executive (Dominic Foy) who has information Cal McCaffrey really wants. Finally, who is it that plays the nut-job killer in this thriller? Michael Berresse handles that role and he’s just too creepy to talk about. Though I will mention this is the biggest role he ever landed. Good job, Michael.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPm8qY6cGY77QGgxaqWphLR3itomkZNBIQN4lwEx9v4zZ9AUdOHI9oM-dF6TSvYsv7vl5iJ3s8N4MRazWBRIjLpLbbgganSkgYKswauyhhW_TJR9nOkUbDVnU-pkD-h5MZoOez4d03d4/s1600/state-of-play-rachel-mcadams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPm8qY6cGY77QGgxaqWphLR3itomkZNBIQN4lwEx9v4zZ9AUdOHI9oM-dF6TSvYsv7vl5iJ3s8N4MRazWBRIjLpLbbgganSkgYKswauyhhW_TJR9nOkUbDVnU-pkD-h5MZoOez4d03d4/s400/state-of-play-rachel-mcadams.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel McAdams is marvelous as Della Frye. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
There are other players, of course, who make this film work (the police, national media with some cameos, other politicians and minor bad guys) but they were so typical there’s no need to high-light them. What is truly an interesting thing in respect of this motion picture is the truth of what it could have been had certain people had their way. Russell Crowe was not the expected lead player. That was Brad Pitt. He signed on to the script in August, 2007 but dropped out of the production one week before filming was to begin. He didn’t approve of a re-write and wanted the film delayed until after a writer’s strike was settled and a compromise script could be created. No dice, the director said, and he instead spent his time going to Australia so he could talk Russell Crowe into acting the lead. There was nearly a scheduling conflict, since Crowe was then filming Nottingham (later released as <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Robin-Hood-Single-Disc-Unrated-Directors/dp/B003U0AHBO?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Robin Hood</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003U0AHBO" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>), but the studios managed a schedule that allowed Crowe’s participation in both films. The biggest problem for <i><b>State of Play</b></i> was Russell’s need for exceptionally long hair. It was cut pretty short for his part in Nottingham and that required him to spend three hours a day in Hair and Make-up trying to create new length for his mop (which explains his funky hair in this movie).<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2Z7NQk8YnTjfz8hRGRGHfQzeffqSKVH9G2ijqEb9sVSmosN6pPBWnJAN4ghWilUgqckRB9wrFMVyWWYa5ldkGkExYAZ8iWWv9fgnnCcRPqtP2wzSAK2urdpgEqelggnewAMlteOstCc/s1600/kgZbc494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2Z7NQk8YnTjfz8hRGRGHfQzeffqSKVH9G2ijqEb9sVSmosN6pPBWnJAN4ghWilUgqckRB9wrFMVyWWYa5ldkGkExYAZ8iWWv9fgnnCcRPqtP2wzSAK2urdpgEqelggnewAMlteOstCc/s400/kgZbc494.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Messy Crowe looks like every report whoever interviewed me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The Pitt fiasco set the film’s schedule back by one week. The original actor who signed on to play the slimy politician was Edward Norton ... the delay created a scheduling conflict for him and he had to leave <i><b>State of Play</b></i> under amicable conditions. His agent also represented Ben Affleck and the new east-er was quickly signed to play the roll of congressman Collins. Affleck rushed to Washington D.C. to prepare, meeting with Nancy Pelosi and other notable politicians. He said to perfect his character he drew on the experiences of Gary Condit, Elliot Spitzer, and John Edwards (I can see that in his performance ... especially John Edwards).<br />
<br />
For certain, <b><i>State of Play</i></b> would have been a much different film had Brad Pitt and Edward Norton played the leads. I don’t think I would have watched it. As a general rule, I don’t care for political thrillers unless they are from a time long, long ago. (Like, how about something de’ Medici, Hollywood?) Most modern films stress too much about the ‘message’ ... rather ... spend too much energy tilting a story to promote their message and I think we get enough of that from every other turn. This film would have media bias, parallels regarding questionable home-land security deals (Blackwater?), corporate greed, calculated political coverups, etc. I could just watch some evening news or other television dribble for that. But, I like Russell Crowe enough and have come to learn that he has a wonderful sense about scripts and story lines, so I brought this one home. I figured Ben Affleck would suck ... but he didn’t. He is completely believable as a slimy up and coming politician.<br />
<br />
I have to say, too, that the fellows who played the other politicians were marvelous. Many times I thought they were actual sitting elites who simply stopped in to give a sense of authenticity to the film ... especially the fellow who played Rep. George Fergus.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyu9QlqsxRtAQ1gw4RfiXTklBF0kFanTtCgjLvH4ADTnkX57eywOpmbA_pCJWB1NEnjB5n7WzITHrTNnZAFqG8e8cW7tLu580NWqrWkjWbb9mpoxLxBhmmWcbOfYQHxocXDswz717RJU/s1600/photo_31_hires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyu9QlqsxRtAQ1gw4RfiXTklBF0kFanTtCgjLvH4ADTnkX57eywOpmbA_pCJWB1NEnjB5n7WzITHrTNnZAFqG8e8cW7tLu580NWqrWkjWbb9mpoxLxBhmmWcbOfYQHxocXDswz717RJU/s400/photo_31_hires.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know that politician on the left, I KNOW I do!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Another thing I truly enjoyed about his movie is the manner in which it was filmed. As it plays, you should notice that while you are in the reporter’s world, it feels grimy, dingy, the lighting is a bit harsher and often the rains are driving hard. While you are in the congressman’s world the space feels cleaner, depth of field has deeply shifted, and the crispness of a well ironed world is amazingly strong. It’s an attitude displayed visually. To pull this off, the director of photography shot media scenes in the anamorphic format on 35mm film, while the world of politics were shot in high-definition video using digital cameras. The effect is pretty cool and very cogent.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaGUYhOUau12rq07iDSSE0JG_DQAtKufpLmFsvAOhru4GkC_5FWauedUX5BH8qItcvNK9oNHTKzfN6vv2MXrEgtoV4dtJE3RqSWNZfpMVeJ5-BbSPSEQ1vgiq8HUmC1mJ4VLlrBXjieU/s1600/1znmtsy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaGUYhOUau12rq07iDSSE0JG_DQAtKufpLmFsvAOhru4GkC_5FWauedUX5BH8qItcvNK9oNHTKzfN6vv2MXrEgtoV4dtJE3RqSWNZfpMVeJ5-BbSPSEQ1vgiq8HUmC1mJ4VLlrBXjieU/s400/1znmtsy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jason Bateman's character is about to learn the will of the press. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
As the story goes, this is a high-paced thriller that holds attention well. There are so many twists, turns, and added information that it’s important you pay attention. It starts with a random and apparent drug dealer pop-off, then leads to a seemingly unrelated capital-hill-lower-level-employee suicide. As the reporting characters piece the puzzle, we are walked through the ethical struggles of old time investigative reporting versus modern shoot-from-the-hip blogging. I did enjoy the idea that the old-school would take the time to mentor the new school and the resulting product was good and honest. Too bad it’s make believe. The part that’s not make believe, and is shown honestly in this story, is the relationship between the media and politicians. It’s grittingly harsh to hear deals made and stories tilted according to the reporters whim. We all know it happens, and I think Crowe plays that angle of the tale really well – especially when he confronts Jason Bateman’s character. It makes sense that he would ... Crowe has a bunch of experience with real press. Regarding his attraction to this role, he explains:<br />
<blockquote><i>"I wanted to explore the ambiguity of journalism... It's a kind of a conceit that journalists live under, that they remain objective. That's never been my experience. They're all too human, all too emotionally affected. Someone could write absolute rubbish about you because their aunty's having a problem with cancer or something. It's the way they re-balance themselves. So I think examining that conceit and examining the true input of human experience in the journalism that we read, it was very interesting for me." </i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">** quote from “Blazers Brush with Fame” by Anika Manzoor - Silver Chips Online</span></i></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmTJnAqjIB4pyPPH3RYaNJ0-KhMdmcEQxoLFHT_clf5nF5AEgsr6fgsok255-vY8FxNVuBL4wRd95c0d3x3oyitNu8ngMiLPjQJdcGHUQY0hbLC8JzXe2jxVKZJR2QsnhiHLBaFfUwxQ/s1600/bilde.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmTJnAqjIB4pyPPH3RYaNJ0-KhMdmcEQxoLFHT_clf5nF5AEgsr6fgsok255-vY8FxNVuBL4wRd95c0d3x3oyitNu8ngMiLPjQJdcGHUQY0hbLC8JzXe2jxVKZJR2QsnhiHLBaFfUwxQ/s400/bilde.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the reporter's apartment hints to the notion that a newsman's personal life may well affect his work. Notice the campaign sign pinned to the bulletin board in the back.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Again, Russell Crowe carried a movie well, as I expected him to. Ben Affleck for the first time surprised me and I liked that. If you want to see a good movie centered around modern times and problems ... check this one out ... it really is worth your time.Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-55946221017723678322010-09-07T15:02:00.000-07:002010-09-07T15:45:20.054-07:00Two for One - Part IOne of my least favorite actors is Ben Affleck. He is a thespian I would describe as one-dimensional and when I see him in a film I can never step out of the idea that I’m seeing Ben Affleck on the screen. He never convinces me that he is someone else for even a moment or two and I don’t like that.<br />
<br />
Maybe he’s like John Wayne, in a sense, because it’s true I had the very same feelings about that American icon. It didn’t bother me with the cowboy, though – probably because Mr. Wayne always played the cowboy and what they called him in the script didn’t matter at all (Who remembers anyway? McClintock is the only character name that comes to my mind at the moment and I’ve seen every one of his westerns). And, I met John Wayne when I was young and he was exactly as I thought he would be. When he said to me in that very familiar drawl, “How ya doin’ little missy” I knew I was standing next to The Duke.<br />
<br />
Maybe I’m more comfortable with the essence of a western cow-hand than the perceived snobbish ways of an east coast elitist? Even when Affleck played a non-elitist, as in his roles in <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dazed-Confused-Widescreen-Flashback-London/dp/B00029RTAI?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dazed & Confused</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00029RTAI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> or <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Will-Hunting-Miramax-Collectors/dp/6305216088?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Good Will Hunting</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=6305216088" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>, he was not as grungy or natural as one would hope he’d be. Not even a little bit. I am wondering now, am I simply sensitive to the nuances that make up a regional personality? That possibility didn’t strike me until a week or so ago – after I watched a double feature with two fairly new Affleck movies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
First, I watched <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hollywoodland-Widescreen-Adrien-Brody/dp/B000KWZ7JC?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>Hollywoodland</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000KWZ7JC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> (2006) and, yes, I’m the one who brought that home. I love subjects like the unexplained elements of an actor’s mysterious death, and anything showcasing the golden years of Hollywood will get my attention every time. The story of George Reeves, who was found dead in his home in 1959, definitely held a perfect MO for me. Sometimes I figure the story could be good enough to overlook what will probably be a weak performance and perhaps, if I’m lucky, this will be the breakthrough script for a stuck-in-a-rut actor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCvIMkgcxeU4ZtZDY-M_IDYUOpFKrrlEQQ0GHkjHRltLoDfZyKeOda-6bG23FMmLeEgkL0FZwDVUpxJ16AQEhxWGhq9t0klO2dMNUJyNgCrhG967bdUv8XwG-8CaFgO9ueJWGxqwSTF8/s1600/george-reeves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCvIMkgcxeU4ZtZDY-M_IDYUOpFKrrlEQQ0GHkjHRltLoDfZyKeOda-6bG23FMmLeEgkL0FZwDVUpxJ16AQEhxWGhq9t0klO2dMNUJyNgCrhG967bdUv8XwG-8CaFgO9ueJWGxqwSTF8/s400/george-reeves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
It wasn’t. What charisma Mr. Reeves had did not shine through in Affleck's performance and I just didn’t believe him as the <i><b>Adventures of Superman</b></i> actor. If I were friend or family of the original star I do believe I would hate the film just because of the lack of personalty given to Reeves. Otherwise, though, the film wasn’t half bad. Historically it covered a lot of bases and does give the most notable possibilities regarding what happened the night of Reeves’ death. It lessened the evidence that points to murder, and amplified aspects that lean toward suicide and I found that a little unfortunate. There are missing clues that are worth researching after you watch the film, if you have a mind to dig a little further.<br />
<br />
As for Affleck's performance, he did receive some pretty good reviews but I think most critics simply emphasized with Ben the actor. Many of them draw a parallel between the two stars, who both struggled tirelessly to overcome the doldrums of a not so exciting acting career. With Reeves, he was a descent film actor stuck in a less than respectable TV star persona, and a relationship with a powerful and married woman. With Affleck he’s a descent looking guy stuck with the morphed nickname Bennifer simply because the world-wide-gossip-media found way too much interest in his relationship with Jennifer Lopez. In a strange sort of way, the two had something in common. At least according to a lot of critics.<br />
<br />
A couple of inaccuracies within the film are worth shedding a little light upon. One, audience derision and heckling towards Reeves at a test screening for <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Eternity-Burt-Lancaster/dp/B00005JKF6?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">From Here to Eternity</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005JKF6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>, which led to the consequent cutting of his scenes, is really nothing more than urban legend. No test screenings ever took place for that film and the finished movie includes all of Reeves’ scenes from the original script.<br />
<br />
And two, on the night he died, all three scenarios imagined by a private detective showed George playing his guitar and singing ‘Aquellos Ojos Verdes’ in Spanish and off-key. George, as were all Hollywood contract players in that era, was well trained in singing and never would have been off-key; and Leonore Lemmon (George’s girlfriend and fiance at the time) said before she died in 1989, that George never came down from his bedroom that night at all. That scene did nothing more than make George look pitiful, which was far from what he actually was.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1Eo_vcLPhtqrUww5X4n9Q3jpurrydlxTkLVn_pAu3P-8vBUTN2ie2uOIvjmQCqiMmcxJii2vBI3OL7jGtSGSkv9d03vzKGFVpn8g6uZb6qFzQUh6IRyctDNDs8Ckt9ooTSzKw8Gpta8/s1600/georgeandlenore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1Eo_vcLPhtqrUww5X4n9Q3jpurrydlxTkLVn_pAu3P-8vBUTN2ie2uOIvjmQCqiMmcxJii2vBI3OL7jGtSGSkv9d03vzKGFVpn8g6uZb6qFzQUh6IRyctDNDs8Ckt9ooTSzKw8Gpta8/s320/georgeandlenore.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Reeves and Leonore Lemmon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>What was interesting to me was that a second-rate character (a down-and-out private-eye hired by George’s mother after his death was ruled suicide) became the most interesting personality of the film. That should never happen in a bio-pic, but it certainly saved this film from complete disaster. Adrien Brody cleverly played a believable investigator who was interested in making a fast buck while, perhaps, even making a name for himself. By the end of the film he became not only sensitive to the personal tragedy surrounding George Reeves, but his own self-evaluation brought a certain conclusion to his own personal family disaster. I felt more sorry for him than for George ... which was weird, except when I realized that the suicide of Superman was actually traumatic for middle class America, I found it made a bit of sense. If a speeding bullet can bring the hero down, then what is left for the rest of us?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWLKDki5i_zIdrcZ6fk93OWJkM2ZGriyM-x-7hN7ARQZzaf4NvapbBIBn-fuzkIi3lyGHBHUgpF7k-sECBtJbkOD__BJn0diw76ODjRZJCWmq5r4DqqwnHkJXHrOqQLwRYmkpMh_d8KE/s1600/hollywoodland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWLKDki5i_zIdrcZ6fk93OWJkM2ZGriyM-x-7hN7ARQZzaf4NvapbBIBn-fuzkIi3lyGHBHUgpF7k-sECBtJbkOD__BJn0diw76ODjRZJCWmq5r4DqqwnHkJXHrOqQLwRYmkpMh_d8KE/s400/hollywoodland.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Diane Lane (who played Toni Mannix, George’s married mistress) nearly stole the show with her predatory way, speaking with a hauntingly forced yet not over played Hollywood accent, and gracefully expressed herself with a refined and manicured demeanor. The essence of movie making in the 1950s was quite strong and I enjoyed the sets, props, clothing, and stylish film-making. Visually, it is a wonderful film to experience.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpObBNUHeGeipBTfkLLrtcvTpkiCXcptemrEsG_cLfl3I2CAejdIFrDi6q6qllJYkrH1LcdfJs3XBhFSvevgTQgpHq4OOsmodGaTPoees_pbn2I5V1YVhcGbsnPepr_aDKbijhlcxFwjM/s1600/35887_gal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpObBNUHeGeipBTfkLLrtcvTpkiCXcptemrEsG_cLfl3I2CAejdIFrDi6q6qllJYkrH1LcdfJs3XBhFSvevgTQgpHq4OOsmodGaTPoees_pbn2I5V1YVhcGbsnPepr_aDKbijhlcxFwjM/s400/35887_gal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
So, here I am recommending a Ben Affleck movie, not because of his performance at all, but because other players did a marvelous job stealing the show from the star. More than that, George Reeves is one we should learn a little more about. He is another of those Hollywood tragedies that seems to be buried back there, somewhere, and it feels to me that he’s never really been given a fair shake.<br />
<br />
In the coming second half of this two for one, I’ll explore the east-coat elite side of Affleck by comparing him with none other than Russell Crowe.Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-58297205774654118202010-08-24T21:07:00.000-07:002010-08-24T21:07:34.077-07:00Busting a Gut - part IVLaughing ––<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Part I, absurd. </li>
<li>Part II, utterly senseless. </li>
<li>Part III, slapstick silly.</li>
<li>Part IV, satire.</li>
</ul><br />
Satire is a rather dangerous sort of comedy. Frankly, it’s intent is to shame individuals, or society itself, into improving by using constructive social criticism through wit. The weapon of wit is truly a subjective thing and sometimes it carries a wallop quite similar to the bite of dog; rather than the more noble nibble of a sheep. In that case satire more closely resembles sarcasm and that kind of humour is generally down right mean.<br />
<br />
I do believe Americans love satire ... at least those of my generation. I never thought much about it growing up but, now that I’m older and a bit more reflective, I understand the difference between Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and the original Saturday Night Live. For sure, good satire will offer lighthearted humour full of irony or parody, and follow that up with a serious after-taste. In simpler terms; make people laugh, and then encourage them think.<br />
<br />
When I began creating the Wilderlife Series I intended to use satire to make fun of both the pompous art world as well as the smarter than me biologist types. That in itself was very easy to do, yet once my family and I began really exploring the imagination we sometimes went a bit farther than I ever planned. A great example is the two shrew-type critters. I believe it was Goldie who began the idea that we should create opposing cultures similar to the relationship shared between England and France. (Put this in historic context, if you will ... over the centuries those nations across the pond have been contentious neighbours who often sound like the Bickersons. What fun to play with that idea!)<br />
<br />
Take a read and see if you get what I mean:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8f3t0DomI1Dk9eSJWMFG0ORj2RxJ1oEDOkMM60j_TvsmfzS24fdvgnnl-3nfEnpUo7d4ecV7LDW50HYqhuyRREm0s0hlrw_tqUjtbf4N3nSqNjRVOQU4PvaYGASmDxIHCbQt7UvbxtE/s1600/GreatHornedShrew.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8f3t0DomI1Dk9eSJWMFG0ORj2RxJ1oEDOkMM60j_TvsmfzS24fdvgnnl-3nfEnpUo7d4ecV7LDW50HYqhuyRREm0s0hlrw_tqUjtbf4N3nSqNjRVOQU4PvaYGASmDxIHCbQt7UvbxtE/s640/GreatHornedShrew.gif" width="396" /></a></div><br />
<b>COMMON NAME:</b> Great Horned Shrew<br />
<br />
<b>Species:</b> Tres hornicus rodenteon. Other names include little big horn, half pint, wee body, shrewy wooy, and knuckle buster. The great horned shrew can be confused with it’s close relative, the grey horned shrew.<br />
<br />
<b>General facts:</b> Great horned shrews are hyperactive omnivores that grow 1 and a half to 2 inches long from butt to nose and weigh between 5 and 7 ounces. They feed primarily on grass seeds, but also eat other things such as ear mites, noseeums, fly larvae, and rabbit. They are surprisingly successful pack hunters that can cleverly take down a 10 pound mammal. With an excellent sense of smell and hearing, the scout-rodent identifies potential prey and communicates direction to his fellow pack members using teeny squeaks and whisker wiggles. The pack will then position itself around the target and charge with a mighty lunge. In the midst of the frenzied activity, few who fall pray to a shrew-trap can escape. Using razor sharp teeth and jaw pressure of 87 pounds, a large rabbit will be dismembered in less than 20 minutes. Contrary to popular belief, their horns are not used when hunting. Like dahl sheep, their head adorns are used when fighting for mates, communication, and back scratching. <br />
<br />
<b>STATISTICS:</b> Great horned shrew live in colonies that range from 2,200 to 5,702 animals. They have a feudal social structure that is comparable to 12th century France. Basically, it is many mini-kingdoms controlled by one. The highest level of their society does not have to hunt at all. Serf hunters of the pack give most of their catch to the vassals, who give some of that catch to the lords, who in turn contributes a little bit more to the hierarchy’s cache. Generally speaking, great horned shrew have a snooty disposition, again relating to 12th century France. They have an unusual sense of family structure, appearing to be big on courtship and giving little regard to monogamy. It is difficult to tell the genders apart and statistical information on the animal count is nothing more than mere speculation. Their greatest enemy is the grey horned shrew that resides just across the river.<br />
<br />
<b>HABITAT:</b> North America and parts of Canada. Resides just about anywhere it can get away with. Most sightings have occurred in Quebec and the interior of Alaska. It is rumored that they were once abundant in Louisiana, most specifically in and around New Orleans. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><i>** Morning Glory</i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Gouache on Bristol Board</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">_____________________________________________</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_X3cOF5VYwx2iwxV-mC8noH_opkbjFRwdA6dNL9AiBZdTSkMLqCrK-BH47rStfbVhbjoUzcB0kznALE3j3j-zQnSb1dv0OAFaM6O3bBuI-MJRacPmXN1HvSX_w9xeavct5_rcWfizok/s1600/ProcreationCongrigation.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_X3cOF5VYwx2iwxV-mC8noH_opkbjFRwdA6dNL9AiBZdTSkMLqCrK-BH47rStfbVhbjoUzcB0kznALE3j3j-zQnSb1dv0OAFaM6O3bBuI-MJRacPmXN1HvSX_w9xeavct5_rcWfizok/s640/ProcreationCongrigation.gif" width="452" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>COMMON NAME:</b> Grey Horned Shrew<br />
<br />
<b>Species: </b>Nutralous hornicus rodenteon. Other names include english shrew, quarter pint, ye body, winston, and knobby nibbler. The grey horned shrew can be confused with it’s close relative, the great horned shrew.<br />
<br />
<b>General facts:</b> Grey horned shrews are lethargic omnivores that grow 2 to 1 and a half inches long from butt to nose and weigh between 7 and 5 ounces. They feed primarily on berries, oysters, and other aphrodisiacs, but also eat other things such as fleas, wild lettuce, green m&ms, and rabbit. They are surprisingly successful scavengers that can cleverly take food from their enemies. With an excellent sense of smell and hearing, they can detect the enemy approaching and run like the wind. The pack hunts only at night, taking full advantage of slumbering neighbours’ unguarded caches. During day hours this shrew never strays far from it’s home and behaves like simple gatherers searching for berries and other pleasurable things. Grey horned shrew are never seen alone and are easily identified by their never ending attentiveness to their mate. They are very affectionate creatures, constantly petting, doting, and caring for other members of their clan. <br />
<br />
<b>STATISTICS:</b> Grey horned shrew live in colonies that range from 5,702 to 2,204 animals. They have a monarchy social structure that is comparable to 12th century England. Basically, it is huge kingdom controlled by one. The highest level of their society does not have to hunt at all, for it is adored by every member of the group who will gladly give all they own to the apparent lordship of them all. Generally speaking, grey horned shrew have a refined disposition, again relating to 12th century England. They have a traditional sense of family structure, appearing to be big on monogamy and giving little regard to courtship. All their nests are built near by the wildflower known as Forget Me Not. It is speculated that the scent of the blooms perform a major function during the mating season. Perhaps it is an aphrodisiac, or maybe it just looks pretty. The grey horned shrew’s major enemy is the great horned shrew, that resides just across the river.<br />
<br />
<b>HABITAT:</b> North America and parts of New England. Resides, or has resided, in just about every region of the world. Most sightings have occurred in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and in smattered locations throughout South Central Alaska. It is rumored that they were once abundant in Massachusetts, most specifically in and around Boston. Evidently, there still seems to be a thriving colony on the Faulken Islands.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><i>** Procreation Congregation</i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Gouache on Bristol Board</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">_____________________________________________</div><div><br />
</div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-62357548416453335332010-08-21T10:27:00.000-07:002010-08-21T10:59:26.822-07:00Busting a Gut - part IIILaughing –– Part I, absurd.<br />
Part II, utterly senseless.<br />
Part III, slapstick silly.<br />
<br />
Slapstick comedy is a shameless sort of humour that is considered lowbrow and better suited for children. As silly as it is, do you know what is the funniest thing about it? Answer: The pleasure of slapstick is universally shared among pretty much everybody I’ve talked with regarding humour ... which means nothing more than we all laugh at it.<br />
<br />
The basis for this kind of joke is pain ... you know, people falling down, smacking into a brick wall, knocked in the shin with a bat, a potted plant falls on your head, a tumble down the stairs, a frying pan upside the head, or a slip on a banana peel and land on your butt kind of thing. I don’t know what it is exactly, but for some reason that sort of stuff just makes us laugh and laugh. We even laugh at ourselves when we are the victim of a smack or a whack or a trip, go figure.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, and this is something I say in my own defense all the time, laughing IS a natural pain killer. I prefer to think that when I laugh at the bozo who fell down, I am actually expressing thoughtful support by giggling because I know laughter is also contagious and, like it or not, the boinked one will ease his own pain by laughing right along with me. I am grateful for the scientific study that gave me this excuse, and I’m sticking to it.<br />
<br />
The term ‘slapstick’ actually describes a common stage prop used during the vaudevillian era and was, litreally, a piece of wood that had been split on the long side - like a sword with a cut all the way down the blade on the thin edge. When one guy whacked a second guy with the stick, the two pieces of wood slapped against each other and the impact sound was emphasized by the wood hitting against itself. What sounded like a wicked hit was actually rather harmless and pain free. But, the audience’s perception was audible inflicted pain and they roared at the idea of that.<br />
<br />
Vaudeville was not the first to implement such a theatrical prop; it was just the most notable generation where that style of comedy was explored extensively and, because of technical advances during that age, the ‘golden era’ of black and white silent movies spread this style of comedy far and wide. Wacky characters flash in our minds whenever we hear their name: Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, the Keystone Kops, and the Three Stooges. If we dug for the root of this goof-ball practice (pain via stick whacking as humour), we’d find a slapstick sort of prop at least somewhat present in Ancient Greece, Rome, even in the Middle Ages where rejuvenation of theater in church liturgical dramas had actors beating the devil right off the stage. Renaissance carried it forward with Shakespeare incorporating many chase scenes and beatings into his comedies. It seems like the halarity of pain and suffering is a primitive emotion that goes right to the bone of who we are, and it’s been with us since the beginning of recorded time. I imagine and believe, actually, that cave men whacked each other with a club just to hear the other clan members gawfaw at the pain ... I wish that were etched or painted onto a cave wall so my point would be proven without a doubt.<br />
<br />
It has always been a big hit for children, too. Animated cartoons such as Tom and Jerry and Looney Tunes taught us all about how funny it was to trip a friend, then point and laugh as they lay on the ground crying. I got in trouble for doing that a lot as a kid. It took me a while to comprehend that the fun of the joke was the illusion of the thing and not the real hitting, and encouraging a friend to learn a stunt roll or a hollywood smack saved at least one of us from a trip to the principal’s office ... because his stick was not a slapstick and that bona fide butt-whacker hurt like hell. The point here is, no matter how lowbrow or simpleton one makes this sort of humour out to be, truth is it kept us kids playing hard while honing our minds to be sharp as a tack.<br />
<br />
And with that, here is the wilderlife critter that honours the slapstick. Sit back on your whoopie cushion and enjoy:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDb7qWl9PpIeMxbUf6dNJ9HcE7jLgfneQ6cvvbQ8DeKjtxrMle3jbo51RY53XeFFbq2XlTUGnr15-dlpD8Tm-09KSGWunj8B3VXxIF-rfXcPMdQpzVRbsbfMl7-BQzOYu8hT3Kml8VqQ/s1600/OnaLimb.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDb7qWl9PpIeMxbUf6dNJ9HcE7jLgfneQ6cvvbQ8DeKjtxrMle3jbo51RY53XeFFbq2XlTUGnr15-dlpD8Tm-09KSGWunj8B3VXxIF-rfXcPMdQpzVRbsbfMl7-BQzOYu8hT3Kml8VqQ/s400/OnaLimb.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>COMMON NAME:</b> Chipundale<br />
<br />
<b>Species:</b> Jesterian smartassicus rodentian. Other names include tree clown, lil’ buger, chuck monk, Ivan and the punk. The chipundale can be confused with it’s less humorous cousin, the chipmunk.<br />
<br />
<b>General facts:</b> Chipundales are daylight omnivores that grow 4 to 7 inches long, including the bushy tail, and weigh between 2 and 15 pounds. They feed primarily on bird legs and nuts, but also eat other creatures such as bunnies, crickets, ants, locus, and butterflies. Highly developed senses of humour and irony allow this excellent tree climbing nut to annoy other members of its clan. It’s greatest advantage is keeping its predators amused long enough for the chipundale to get away. A forest prankster, it is not unusual to see one sneak up behind another and push him off a limb, or simply say ‘boo’ and then laugh as the unsuspecting butt-of-the-joke jumps with a start. Apparently, the greatest prize of all is to actually force a competitor to fall to the forest floor. The echoing cackle of their laugher can be heard on any given day. It sounds like ‘yuck, yuck, yuck’ (swallow your tongue when you try this).<br />
<br />
<b>STATISTICS:</b> Chipundales live in dens called funhouses. Their homes are full of booby-traps that keep competing critters from stealing stored grub. Traps include, but are not limited to: false floors, stairs that turn into slides, doors that lead nowhere, and trick mirrors. It is unknown where the mirrors come from, however, they do say ‘objects are closer than they appear’ along the bottom edge. They have dribble glasses, flowers that squirt water, and whoopie cushions. Palm buzzers stopped being used weeks ago, and these forest rodents do seem to be fond of fake lottery tickets. Migrating along with the circus, these critters love using discarded clown wigs as bedding and furniture stuffing. Their natural enemy is the paper cup. They often get their head stuck inside and the other chipundales laugh and laugh, seemingly too amused to help the critter out of his bind. Their mating habits are unknown ... we assume they are humorous. For some unexplainable reason, our view of them always fades to black before the big finale. We do know they have litters, or clutches, of up to 89 off-spring, often including siamese twins. <br />
<br />
<b>HABITAT:</b> North America and surrounding regions. Resides along the normal migratory trails of reputable, or not so reputable circus troops. When over populated, they occasionally frequent county fairs and political rallies. As strange as it may sound, most sightings are witnessed by fishermen from Alabama. Go figure.<br />
<div><br />
</div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-70284422900733998502010-08-16T17:05:00.000-07:002010-08-16T17:19:40.241-07:00Busting a Gut - part IILaughing –– Part I was absurd. Part II is utterly senseless.<br />
<br />
<br />
When you really think about what makes a person laugh you may come to realize that it’s not just a ‘joke’ that does it. Many things play a roll and I am one who has come to believe that the laugh should be associated with far more than simple merriment. There is no doubt that laughing feels good (unless you do it so much that your side feels like it’s splitting and your cheeks are about to burst), but is that all there is to it? Sigmund Freud wrote a general explanation regarding laughter that he called the <i>Relief Theory</i>, in which he summarized that laughter releases <i>tension</i> and <i>psychic energy</i>. Considering this, the theory explains why busting a gut can be a coping mechanism for any person who is upset, angry, or even sad. But, I’ll not delve too deeply into that part of the psychology of the laugh right now .... today we need to remain utterly senseless - or, in plainer words, insane. We’ll focus on the idea that when confronted with an inconsistency with reality any person can bring a successful solution by solving a cognitive riddle in a satisfactory way, and most of the time solving the riddle is what brings laughter and a sense of understanding.<br />
<br />
There is a point that I understand well and attempt to conform my silly creations to, and that is a basic law of comedy which is called <i>exactness</i>. Exactness will never allow the audience to be confused because, if they are, they will never laugh nor even begin to understand the joke. Before I introduce you to the second Wilderlife critter, I will first illustrate a complete humour-communication-failure with one of my insane painted jokes. I call this cartoon <i><b>Joe and the Artist</b></i>, and it was created after I read a small newspaper article about a copyright lawsuit involving Philip Morris and Billy Coulton, the artist who created Joe Camel.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vPNqE-_i7s0fCVBChN-YMrgy_P3-WtoBgCHuHJFgQc0AUgTYCNlqj7erHgB29VFayVt1oPVn3bcBEgTsSmSY8dVddG29TYyIKj1ZbfbQaXLQGOkWykoUDOLEaWdUd22DLNzXVb2nARg/s1600/Joe-Camel.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vPNqE-_i7s0fCVBChN-YMrgy_P3-WtoBgCHuHJFgQc0AUgTYCNlqj7erHgB29VFayVt1oPVn3bcBEgTsSmSY8dVddG29TYyIKj1ZbfbQaXLQGOkWykoUDOLEaWdUd22DLNzXVb2nARg/s400/Joe-Camel.gif" width="355" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I put a lot of thought into this gag of a painting ... drug an old firewood chunk and some dried-up field grass into our living room; then bribed my husband to dress in a tank top, tuck his blue jeans into his motor-biking boots, then hold still as he knelt before and stretched his neck across the stump as though he were laid out for a chop. The insane joke here is that an artist, which (in a sense) is god-like, intends to violently snuff the life out of his own creation. The joke today does not work because the average viewer does not possess a full accounting of the real-life courtroom drama that happened nearly 20 years ago; and, since the time of my cartoon’s creation smoking has become public enemy number one. What was a play about copyrights and monetary gain from a creator’s tangible form of expression has turned into a nasty public statement about the dangers of smoking. That is an unfortunate turn of events for my cartoon and these days more people turn away in disgust rather than try to unravel the cognitive puzzle that is my image of <b><i>Joe and the Artist</i></b> ... the very European artist who felt quite cheated by the giant American company named Philip Morris (Joe was born in Europe in 1974 and was originally created to be a mascot for a French Advertising company. The artist sold him, and all his copyrights, for fifty bucks ... the fool).<br />
<br />
What was re-confirmed most from this cartoon is that not every amusing thought has a long shelf-life. Social condition and controversy shift on a whim and what is funny one day may be offensive the next. Although, I have to say <b><i>Joe and the Artist</i></b> does bring me sick pleasure these days and I often chuckle in my own sadistic way ... when I’m watching someone uncomfortably spying this thing while they try to find a polite way to say it really sucks. We’ll talk about that sort of humour in a later post.<br />
<br />
For now, my Wilderlife Series has proven to be <i>resolved inconsistency</i> for most people viewing it - even an image as insane as the creature we call the Lurky. This painting proves how the theory works in the case of visual humor. The joke is the insanity of a turkey and lizard combined and viewers will automatically try to understand what this picture is supposed to say, or doesn’t say, or implies. Thanks to movies like <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jurassic-Park-Adventure-Pack-World/dp/B000BCE918?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Jurassic Park</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000BCE918" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> and the vicious critter called velociraptor, the Lurky is not too far removed for comfort. I can not tell you how many times I’ve heard people explain the painting to me that way. Surprisingly, I’ve never heard the words, “that’s just wrong” associated with this piece.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKr9feLKbmR_cU40C1ShA2Mznp2jxGjNyfBbmyD3Oj0aMT2V0BQlRXZg0Nv87OV8asJowSS3m15Z4pZTba7CMjflriz1KGoB1AdDIBATx57rB_1-iYkep_yXX28dORjI2ze4N8Z3uVEg/s1600/ForestGlen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKr9feLKbmR_cU40C1ShA2Mznp2jxGjNyfBbmyD3Oj0aMT2V0BQlRXZg0Nv87OV8asJowSS3m15Z4pZTba7CMjflriz1KGoB1AdDIBATx57rB_1-iYkep_yXX28dORjI2ze4N8Z3uVEg/s400/ForestGlen.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>COMMON NAME:</b> Emerald Lurky<br />
<br />
<b>Species:</b> Voloptar turkilearian rapteus. Other names include glen, bob, o’brian green socks, and mayflower. The lurky can be confused with descendants of the velociraptor.<br />
<br />
<b>General facts:</b> Lurkys are diurnal omnivorish creatures that grow 1 and a half to 3 feet tall and weigh between 40 and 60 pounds. With a wing span of just three inches short of five feet, they are capable of hitting 60 mph, or a tree, provided they can get off the ground. They feed exclusively on pansies and rabbits, but have been rumored to eat dandelions and slugs during lean seasons. Highly developed senses of touch and go allow excellent ariel dynamics that confuses and stuns its prey. Hunting only during the hours between 1pm and 3pm, Lurkys are seldom seen due to the siesta rituals of the Oasis regions in New Mexico and limited areas in Nevada. The main enemies of the Lurky are humans because they discovered the beast tastes a lot like chicken, and their feathers are highly coveted by show girls in Las Vegas and ritualistic Miatec priests.<br />
<br />
<b>STATISTICS:</b> As ground nesters, the Lurky commands much space to spread their wings and protect their young. Wings are used as umbrellas, blankets, cozies, and sunscreen. Occasionally, young chicks can be seen atop the parent’s unfolded wings practicing their touch and go proficiencies. The average clutch is 2.3 eggs that are about 6 inches in diameter. They are highly prized in logging camps and back-woods resorts. The birds reach maturity at pubirdy, which is 6 weeks after they discharge their shells, and will quickly find a mate and remain monogamous throughout their very long lives. In the wild, Lurkys live an average of 27 and half years. They have never been domesticated because when they are separated from their mate they will die of a broken heart. Or some such.<br />
<br />
<b>HABITAT:</b> North America and surrounding regions. Resides mainly in forest glens along the edge of botanical gardens. Most sightings have occurred in nooks and crannies in the Oasis regions, or in a drunken state, though a few have been seen partially sober. It is strongly advised you never look up during the hours of 1pm to 3pm for reasons good taste will not allow us explain. Also, avoid the fields beside the glens during those same hours. A 60 pound bird hitting 60 mph hour can command overwhelming damage should it hit you. <br />
<br />
_____________________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>** Forest Glen</i></b><br />
Gouache on Bristol Board<br />
<br />
When I recall the pleasure of making images and words for this series, <b><i>Forest Glen</i></b> holds one of the fondest moments for me. Me, Chris, and Goldie sat around late night at our print shop and simply laughed until we cried, each of us adding another outrageous trait or action to give our imaginary raptor bird. My family is so very funny and once we get started the concept of contagious laughter holds true. For me, that is one of the best things in life.<br />
<br />
I chose to combine a turkey and lizard simply because I wanted to make the most outrageous combination of animals possible, and discover if I could make it even somewhat believable. Apparently I pulled it off.Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-88331001938719237692010-08-11T22:44:00.000-07:002010-08-17T07:41:30.591-07:00Busting a Gut - part ILaughing –– What a funny little thing that is. It’s a special, primitive, and universal language that can transcend all other barriers between human beings. Every culture laughs. Even some animals laugh. A good laugh is equivalent to a ten minute workout on a rowing machine. Some people laugh really loud and hard, others are rather quiet, while a few will only snort now and again. One thing is certain ... I love a good laugh.<br />
<br />
I am on a mission for the next month or so to try to deeply understand the laugh. I want to know what makes us do it ... and whether or not I can learn to somewhat control it (either my own laughter, or others’). There are many reasons for the gawfaw and I’m going to begin with a thing I understand well.<br />
<br />
The absurd.<br />
<br />
Most of the time I am a wildlife painter and I’ve found over the years that most artists, patrons, and supporters take their jobs far too seriously. Granted, using the skill to help animals in rehabilitation centers, or educate city dwellers about life in the wild, is all a good thing. But, once in a while, we really need to let go of the seriousness. I had somebody tell me one time, when looking at my drawing of a duck, that I had the incorrect number of feathers at the base of the neck and I really ought to make gunk like that correct. Well, damn it man! I’m not generally a feather counter. I don’t ever want to be a feather counter. I just want to paint my pictures.<br />
<br />
So, that’s what I did for years until, some time ago, I was one of those ‘fortunate’ painters who was ‘discovered’ by an international fine art print publisher. It was, I was told, every wildlife painter’s dream so I signed the contract with high hopes of building a reputation as one of the chosen best of the best. Funny thing (and not funny in a way that makes one laugh, funny, as in – <i>ironic</i>), my new publisher wanted me to be something I was not. Robert Bateman. Carl Brenders. John Seerey-Lester. He sent tear-sheets and instructed me to copy subject and style. I didn’t take that sort of direction well and my five year contract was in jeopardy before this horse ever shot out of the gate.<br />
<br />
What did I do? Since every wildlife painting I created during the life of the contract was to be first considered by the publisher, I opted to find a new sort of creation – and I went all out. My family and I busted our guts while we made up the most absurd critters, including scientific data, as well as a new public image for myself. I began with an anonyomous bio, which accompanied a ridiculous photo where I tried to sport a mullet-like hair-do with style. I will not bore you with the long, full version but will, instead, just pull a couple of paragraphs to illustrate my pompous point:<br />
<br />
__________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPY5DHFeLLdQhBQa5LEx5CziH-xMzcKzvuNGwGmVOUcPDG8EHonlvzBukbegJ7pQRMA6HN9iat8gXezRJrhSntWHGrQHWtVBctsy3Xf2IvdGY6_x2q8bkaTIqjM7cqwIoAe3pPf53OgQ/s1600/Livvy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPY5DHFeLLdQhBQa5LEx5CziH-xMzcKzvuNGwGmVOUcPDG8EHonlvzBukbegJ7pQRMA6HN9iat8gXezRJrhSntWHGrQHWtVBctsy3Xf2IvdGY6_x2q8bkaTIqjM7cqwIoAe3pPf53OgQ/s320/Livvy.gif" /></a></div><b><i>Livvy - A Different Treasure of Another Kind</i></b><br />
<br />
Like many wildlife painters in America, Livvy has come to her craft through an emotional and intimate familiarity with our natural surroundings. She was raised in the nearly uninhabited surroundings of Nikiski, Alaska and responded more directly than the average person to the fundamental appeal of the wild. Unlike most sourdoughs, however, she expressed a natural aptitude for drawing and her relentless wanderings on paper weaved the larger story of her vicarious journeys. Though she continues to paint mainly wildlife subjects, the collection of paintings gathered for this volume reflect an extravaganza of sorts; a focus that is a little less on the typical, and a little more on nature as seen through the lens of the mind. Primary emphasis is placed on Livvy’s rich messages relating to her youthful foreground of local habitat that may be, perhaps, closer to her heart than the heritage of any other part of the world.<br />
<br />
Today Livvy, who now lives in the sort of southern part of the Pacific Northwest, is a semi-public figure and the recipient of many compliments and accolades. She is regarded by many as a premier nature artist and fervent conservationist. For others, she remains an enigma. However she is observed, her prime directive for her aesthetic compositions shall possibly serve as an inspiration to provide opportunity to explore more fully the complex beauty and sublimity of our own natural world. It is a mission she accepts with pleasure, vowing to always stay true to her brush above all else, for the beauty, peace, and truth found there have no equal.<br />
<br />
Livvy says that her art has very much to do with perceptibility, which forms the basis for many beautiful wildlife paintings. “It is hard to see an animal in the wild,” she explains, “Cuz they always run away.” Often, the only chance to get close is to postulate the harmonies of colour and texture, and then paint that and share the experience of being within the intimate world of the animals. As an artist, it’s important to take advantage of the creator’s biggest advantage and render the scene with such reality that the impossible becomes possible.<br />
<br />
No truer words are spoken for Livvy, for her infinite patience and delight in caressing her brushes against the Bristol, or just caressing her brushes, give us all a glimpse into her moments in paradise. Most surely, if she thought more detail would make her work more beautiful, she would strive to visually articulate more detail. In a sense, perfectionism is her disease and the consummate venue to allegorize her reverence for the wild and infinite beauty of nature and fantastical things within her.<br />
<br />
–– Anonymous<br />
<br />
__________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My publisher blanched when he read my pompusly verbose new bio ... and I’m saving you an abundance of annoyance by only posting half of it here today. Still, as with him, I’m sharing with the bio a collection of twelve paintings which brought my point home. I will post them over the coming weeks, one by one, along with the 'scientific' data and story behind how it came to be. Back in 1997 I was pained by the thought that for five long years I’d have to leave my natural inclinations behind and avoid painting straight up wildlife. Fortunately, I found a way to use humour to lighten my load. The beautiful thing about humour is ... laughter is a natural pain killer, and that’s especially true when one is dealing with a pain in your butt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfMw_Q63dXiQUfd8ktSFMR1d2NjC5IQ7R_b_adMHSwu1t6FM2E2i415tG7jcqDTOusbuoDPEU1kwz0A9f5X7B9Fp8bTUP4lf-M6-BYRuIuTtCXGRT8URxybXORG7eeellW51gYzg7MhU/s1600/Sunrise.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfMw_Q63dXiQUfd8ktSFMR1d2NjC5IQ7R_b_adMHSwu1t6FM2E2i415tG7jcqDTOusbuoDPEU1kwz0A9f5X7B9Fp8bTUP4lf-M6-BYRuIuTtCXGRT8URxybXORG7eeellW51gYzg7MhU/s640/Sunrise.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><b>COMMON NAME</b>: Polarcam<br />
<br />
<b>Species:</b> <i>Arcto humpteus camealious</i>. Other names include spitter, double do, snot rocket, magnum, and polar rover. The polarcam can be confused with the middle eastern desert dog.<br />
<br />
<b>General facts:</b> Polarcams are arctic carnivores that grow 8 to 12 feet tall (including the humps) and can weigh up to 1380 pounds. They feed primarily on arctic hare, but also eat other creatures such as ice worms, arctic fox, seal, and the mighty beluga whale. Their greatest and most feared weapon is their projectiling spit-balls. Whether hunting or defending themselves, they can quickly work up a mouth full of saliva and spit with remarkable accuracy. The subzero temperatures of the arctic region almost instantly freezes the warm mouth fluids and the resulting flying balls can range from 1 to 4 inches in diameter, weighing up to 3 pounds each. With an amazing target accuracy of 98.7 percent at 25 yards, the polarcam fears very little and never tolerates anything found near his home range. The distinctive double humps act as a food cache that holds devoured meats and allows the beast to live up to three months between meals. It is speculated that arctic penguins once shared the range of the polarcam, but found themselves defenseless against this large and aggressive animal. They can run nearly 53 mph hour and may swim up to 4 miles in ice laden waters.<br />
<br />
<b>STATISTICS:</b> Polarcams sleep standing and have no recorded social order at all. Always solitary, it is unknown how they reproduce or develop. No female has ever been seen and it is speculated that they live in a harem type situation in some sort of ice cave, perhaps being tended to by a dominant male, or servant of the dominant male. In one reporting, a secret mission brought a researcher within 25 yards of a large male that was frolicking in apparent play on a field of drifts. The 8.3 minutes of satellite feed showed a delightful animal at ease. Unfortunately, the beast detected the human and much desired analyzation of the spit ball phenomenon ensued. The scientist has not been heard from since.<br />
<br />
<b>HABITAT:</b> North American Arctic and surrounding regions. Resides mainly on the arctic coastal plain and most sightings have occurred around and about the Point Barrow area. It is strongly advised to never approach this animal. It is orally recorded that 13 humans have been killed by the polarcam and wounds inflected on survivors appear quite similar to a gunshot wound from a 357 magnum pistol.<br />
<br />
__________________________________________________<br />
<br />
** <b><i>Sunrise on the Arctic Coastal Plain</i></b><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span> Gouache on Bristol Board<br />
<br />
In 1977, at age 16, I was allowed to visit the Arctic Coastal Plain at Point Barrow. One of my fondest possessions is the certificate that proves I crossed the Arctic Circle during a time when non-oil-industry citizens were not permitted. What impressed me most was the frigid cold in July and the truth of the midnight sun. The place was absolutely desolate. I felt so tall in a land without mountains or trees, standing on frozen ground and spying the curvature of the earth from my five foot five viewpoint. No plant grows over six inches tall there. It is a frozen desert, really. I wasn’t allowed to explore and did not find any animal life at all. I could not get over the idea of a frozen desert, though, and imagined the perfect animal had I only been permitted to go find it. When creating the crazy wilderlife in 1997, I dug up the memory of that place and included a Polarcam for fun. It is true. I don’t like to paint what I have not seen, yet sometimes my mind supplies pictures far too fantastic for my own good. I can’t help it. I am Alaskan.Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-6160396460153240642010-08-02T21:50:00.000-07:002010-08-03T09:00:23.746-07:00Changing Your Stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Chelsea Clinton got married yesterday. Lindsey Lohan sat in jail. Mel Gibson’s chaos has quieted down a bit. Michael Jackson conquers death with a new album due out in October. And, I’m wondering what to write about today.<br />
<br />
I look around and I’m just not inspired with the cultural side of life these days. I’m apparently going to continue to sound like a broken record, pining for the good ol’ days when culture and class ruled everything. I am pondering this because I ran into a dilemma this week in respect to what would be a good and appropriate movie for my six and half year old grandson to watch with me. The choices are tough, I think.<br />
<br />
Foremost, I am boycotting animation. I’m sick of ‘em. I want to see real people performing amazing scenes. I want to believe in the magic of the human spirit again. I want my grandson to experience that, too. For him, at his father’s he’s been fed animation and superhero crap all his life; bombarded with flashing weapons, sped-demon vehicles, and monsters made from machines or hatched from a fiery dragon’s lair. In the old days our heroes were cowboys, astronauts, explorers, muskateers, firemen, and cops. I often recall what my daughter tells her son again and again, “No matter how many times you dress up like Spidy, you are never going to stick to the wall.” Doesn’t that just say it all?<br />
<br />
When I first approached my daughter with my dilemma I was taken aback by the movie she suggested. I love the film and think it’s one of the most cleverly written adventures around, yet I thought it might be a bit too rough and mature for a little one. She reminded me of the movies and ‘toons the boy sees at his dad’s. Considering that, I suddenly found myself wondering if he would be too bored to really get the point of this tale. That wouldn’t be good, for the point of the story is truly the treasure of it. We grabbed the reins and charged ahead with pizza and rootbeer floats, ready for our movie night. I showed my grandson the DVD box and waited for whatever reaction he might have.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The tag-line of the movie certainly helped the little one’s interest:<br />
<i>“From peasant to knight; one man can change his stars”</i>. Thanks to the Backyardagains he knew what a knight was, but he had to ask what it means to change the stars. What a wonderful opportunity to begin to help him understand the beauty of hopes and desires, and how we have the will to charge towards them and make our life whatever we want it to be. I quickly gave him a snippet of the story thread ... a poor boy (William) is given to a rich man, to be his servant, and he will travel the world and learn as he works as a valet. His father sacrificed by giving his only son, offering him hope and possibly a better future. As the boy got ready to leave, his father encouraged him, “Change your stars and live a better life than I have.” William sadly said, “Father, I am afraid, I won't know the way back home.” Father replied, “Don't be foolish, William, you just follow your feet.” Then the story really begins.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYxEdkAzM4f3ZdadWIao78b8GQQmkD03PKiFr2_rvvYViF7CrGUWe_xzLzaqsTzQQs3LRUuQriUQ4BrQp7nnK4NCEaEDNx1GocoVnUHhUicMn3W6-Qi2FMFak923FGfN2kL1cEEF_3XY/s1600/246984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYxEdkAzM4f3ZdadWIao78b8GQQmkD03PKiFr2_rvvYViF7CrGUWe_xzLzaqsTzQQs3LRUuQriUQ4BrQp7nnK4NCEaEDNx1GocoVnUHhUicMn3W6-Qi2FMFak923FGfN2kL1cEEF_3XY/s400/246984.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
That is all I told my grandson about the movie we were ready to watch. As he walked across the living room to sit next to his mom the soundtrack and menu screen began playing. Rock music pounded, knights in shinning armor charged along the rail and rammed lances into the chest and heads of opponents, unseating them. In slow motion the lance tips exploded into splinters while the riders careened and fell. Some hit the ground. Some lay back on the horses’ rump. Another slid along the rail. My grandson stopped in his tracks and simply stared in awe at the looping promotional opening. He did not move until we stopped the menu. Once he found his seat he breathed a reaction, “This is going to be so cool.” I thought to myself “That answers that ... this movie has his attention, now can it capture his heart?”<br />
<br />
The production I am talking about is, of course, <b><i>A Knights Tale<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00000F4ZY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knights-Tale-Special-Heath-Ledger/dp/B00000F4ZY?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00000F4ZY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00000F4ZY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. I’m not going to spend my time going through the plot or providing a synopsis, and there’ll be some spoilers in here, too. I figure most have seen this flick and, if you haven’t, what’s wrong with you? It’s got great costumes, adventure, heroes, a bad guy, a princess, and head-banging music to boot! Sure, there are TONS of continuity issues ... like the scene where Geoff has some cloth stuffed up his left nostril to stop a nose bleed, then it switches to the right side in the next shot, then back to the left. Or, during that last joust the horse’s armor switches from old leather in a close up to the new metal one in the next take. There are so many continuity errors that you could make a drinking game of it, which is why it all seems in spirit with the movie’s intent anyway, so who cares? This movie is just plain ol’ fun to watch.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeFWY-ft91MxCD0t9jOrztC90EzpIfRcc6KuH_IPvUSWdBFZJ01Xyvv6km3GvO7ICzJ2B6nA_b0HxOhiUtF1Hd5HG-c9MPyVGrLrOCOVvUTmH5_iAwLtu7RjkrxR4UrlhYfH5MOGSpuk/s1600/knights_tale_xl_04--film-A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeFWY-ft91MxCD0t9jOrztC90EzpIfRcc6KuH_IPvUSWdBFZJ01Xyvv6km3GvO7ICzJ2B6nA_b0HxOhiUtF1Hd5HG-c9MPyVGrLrOCOVvUTmH5_iAwLtu7RjkrxR4UrlhYfH5MOGSpuk/s400/knights_tale_xl_04--film-A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
What makes it an interesting choice to share with a little one was my daughter’s reasoning for allowing it. My first instinct was to say, “No way!” simply because it carries a PG-13 rating. But then, movies from even a few years ago where rated by stricter measure than they are today. I understand that. I’ve seen recent made-for-kids-movies in animation that utterly shocked me when considering content and choice of words, so what do I know about ratings? My daughter put it plainly:<i><b> A Knight's Tale</b></i> is all about not having to worry about sticking to a wall. It has a hero that is working to better himself, and he is just a human. He doesn’t need a special suit to be exceptional (although, his new fancy armor might actually qualify!) This hero (who is William) decides what he will do to change his stars, then practices for perfection and competes in sporting events to better his standing and financial condition. He doesn’t just take it, he earns it. Along the way he consistently shares with his friends. Sure, the script has the ‘s’ word in it (that’s ‘s’ for Shite, which is cute, if you ask me) and a couple for God’s sakes - I think there is a BS, too. All in all, it really is tame in the language department.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintGoLhFc1JEpsMR9ZIg67Z6eYJKAikoHval_tfJG8GGKXUiNXiEYYSCetAehr89Hr9yqHvdmdZ2yysasDcpVtyDLVgrAViXdW6n8EG4jHUDk74m80396gKVhPjHa_ipfnTkLDZUSBXmc/s1600/displayimage.php.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintGoLhFc1JEpsMR9ZIg67Z6eYJKAikoHval_tfJG8GGKXUiNXiEYYSCetAehr89Hr9yqHvdmdZ2yysasDcpVtyDLVgrAViXdW6n8EG4jHUDk74m80396gKVhPjHa_ipfnTkLDZUSBXmc/s320/displayimage.php.jpeg" /></a></div>The bad guy (Adhemar) isn’t really that bad when compared to the bad guys that my grandson sees at his dad’s in other sci-fi adventures. He is a jerk, yes. And, he cheats to win. He’s an elite snob. But he doesn’t try to rule the universe and he wasn’t enhanced by any super power what so ever. More importantly, he doesn’t kill. In one scene where he ‘tips’ his lance with a hidden sharp point, and that point drives through William’s old armor at the shoulder joint, and the armor is removed after the run, there is only a small amount of blood and it’s obvious no life threatening event took place (another continuity error in this scene - when first shown, the padding under the armor has a hole with blood around it, moments later the hole is gone and only a little blood remains).<br />
<br />
We do see a naked man’s butt from behind and from the side, but it’s done in a way that’s not shocking and no frontal nudity shows at all. The character reinforces well the idea that people should not be naked in proper society, and teaches the lesson that gambling is bad for a guy. One can, quite literally, lose the clothes right off your back. My grandson vocalized the moral lesson learned right after the gambling in town scene. I was impressed at how well he understood the concept, relating how unfair it was for the gambling friend to expect someone else to pay his way. As the boy said .... that’s just not right. The character learned and behaved quite admirably the rest of the movie and my grandson noticed that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpDDByLYPQBW4d8FUmJ7GvZFeP1_O6-kryRgsaxJbFYBj98YQoVEtQJ4Vztv_yyIJ0ESALmMjqRjSmzEjcTEQ0OvLpzR4a8ETe1MBEoUnS9ZPN5SZ-qCkkgnWBag4e4HJzfXtkujUHb8/s1600/pic4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpDDByLYPQBW4d8FUmJ7GvZFeP1_O6-kryRgsaxJbFYBj98YQoVEtQJ4Vztv_yyIJ0ESALmMjqRjSmzEjcTEQ0OvLpzR4a8ETe1MBEoUnS9ZPN5SZ-qCkkgnWBag4e4HJzfXtkujUHb8/s400/pic4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Of course, how could I mention this movie and not talk about the music? That part of this creation, I think, was brilliant and I knew it would give my grandson the emotion of the story, especially if he couldn’t understand all the words that were being said ... which many times was the case for him. Take, for example, the thread that asked early in the film, “What do you mean, dead?” The reply simply stated, “The spark of his life is smothered in shite. His spirit is gone but his stench remains. Does that answer your question?” Combine those clever words with a strong English accent and you have gibberish a child will not understand. My grandson asked me, “So, is he dead?” To which I replied, “Yes.” Early in the film we had to clarify what was happening. Soon, though, the intent and story shone through well enough for the boy to understand what was happening.<br />
<br />
I imagined this movie would do for my grandson what Romeo and Juliet did for me as a kid (That movie also showed a butt, by the way, go figure). If the story was filmed perfectly, and the actors played their parts naturally well, then a good understanding of the tale will come, even when verbal comprehension is lacking. That did happen with Romeo and Juliet for me, and it happened for my grandson in <b><i>A Knight’s Tale</i></b>.<br />
<br />
The music in the film gave everything to the emotion of the players. Watching fans in stands at a jousting match as they clapped and chanted along with Queen, singing <i>We Will Rock You</i> loudly; or seeing William and the Princess dance to David Bowie’s <i>Golden Years</i> was rather funny, considering the costumes and such, yet it definitely enforced the attitude of the people in their time. We related to the emotion immediately and it didn’t feel weird at all. Just ... funny ... and entertaining. Brilliant. If they would have played a renaissance ditty my brain would not have gone to the energy driving rhythm that fans produce at sporting events. It was important we felt like we were working our way to the superbowl of the day and this film did that better than ever.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPiwNwR_GDexvCYGFKxG2Uh5CV1csAdBoPMh7oWrtIxUw1ik5M3M7rR3hy84xSI-NsrBLpFf10WjK-2EQCNXdNFeeb1rZU7v4ELBNovgMLEYpoinnYJ6t_yyG4yUI4-kaqRvT_QWLYnc/s1600/pic7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPiwNwR_GDexvCYGFKxG2Uh5CV1csAdBoPMh7oWrtIxUw1ik5M3M7rR3hy84xSI-NsrBLpFf10WjK-2EQCNXdNFeeb1rZU7v4ELBNovgMLEYpoinnYJ6t_yyG4yUI4-kaqRvT_QWLYnc/s400/pic7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
In the end, my grandson said that was the best movie ever. It’s his new favorite and he’s said a couple of times since that he is going to change his stars. He may not totally understand what he is saying, but he’s got the idea that he can control his life. I think of the line William’s friend said to him when he first heard the plan for future glory, “We're the sons of peasants. Glory, and riches, and stars are beyond our grasps. But a full stomach, that dream can come true.” We will never better ourselves with that attitude, and I think my grandson understands that on his elementary level. My tough job now is to find more entertaining movies to watch with him that will reinforce it.<br />
<br />
** Don’t forget to fast forward through the credits at the end. There is a fart joke that really captured the little one’s funny bones ... we had to watch that little snippet 4 times.<br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=criticalup-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00000F4ZY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-61401158718045402122010-07-17T19:33:00.000-07:002010-07-17T19:44:43.961-07:00Ghosts of Artist PastSometimes I read movie reviews and wonder how a person gets a job like that. How can they be paid to put words to paper that bash creative ones, or pump-up others to an insane degree? More importantly, why is it that a movie’s success depends on the critics at all? Couldn’t a great movie withstand the hoopla of critic bashing and still perform well? Unfortunately, most of the time they don’t, especially if that movie was not produced in Hollywood. I’m going to introduce to you what I think is a great movie that critics have soundly trashed. There will be some spoilers in here, but knowing parts of the story will not ruin the movie for you. This film is fiction based on truth and I think the human behavior aspect of it is simply priceless.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Goyas-Ghosts-Javier-Bardem/dp/B00116GEJ8?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b>Goya’s Ghosts</b></a><b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00116GEJ8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00116GEJ8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b></i> (2006) has several elements that made it attractive for me. First positive element: It is a story told from an artist’s point of view and that’s a natural interest for a mind like mine. I love art … particularly art history. Granted, Goya is not one of my favorites – I find most of his work repulsive and dark. But, why wouldn’t it be? He lived through the Spanish Inquisition and saw things few humans could stomach, so of course his paintings colourfully depict brutality and nightmarish visions.<br />
<br />
Francisco Goya is fascinating in the sense that he is regarded as both the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. He was a painter of royalty on the one hand, and a macabre printmaker on the other, whose prints created images depicting, what he called, “...the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society, and from the common prejudices and deceitful practices which custom, ignorance, or self-interest have made usual.” They were very dark visions.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kTQomF3cmsnP-Eov-FQmU0WNpT0xiKLb9lJq4DaPX0t47VrSXZHVDMV8wYfD7X8iT7UwW2VVpBu1oXbs9vgxs0A5gVPVaK5So0hbNKW6XIbJbiKt2njMN-Mf2uvuP7XcimrSLU0hQ_w/s1600/goya+at+easel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kTQomF3cmsnP-Eov-FQmU0WNpT0xiKLb9lJq4DaPX0t47VrSXZHVDMV8wYfD7X8iT7UwW2VVpBu1oXbs9vgxs0A5gVPVaK5So0hbNKW6XIbJbiKt2njMN-Mf2uvuP7XcimrSLU0hQ_w/s640/goya+at+easel.jpg" width="411" /></a></div><br />
The movie does a fabulous job showing the artist working at his craft ... it is played so naturally that you don’t realize what you are seeing. Printmaking, for example, is shown step by step with process explained through doing. The same holds true for oil painting and sketching. As an artist, I appreciate a certain ‘realness’ when art production is shown and I like to understand how things are made. Goya would have painted just as it was played for the movie – it’s a very traditional process that has nothing to do with the modern directive of inner visions or personal emotions. It is always delightful to watch an artist properly work in the context of actual historic processes.<br />
<br />
Second positive element: The movie was directed by Milos Forman. A few of my all time favorites where directed by this man and his sense of visual interests and story-thread certainly appeal to me … <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Flew-Over-Cuckoos-Nest/dp/0790732181?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0790732181" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/People-vs-Larry-Flynt/dp/0800141865?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>The People vs. Larry Flynt</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0800141865" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </i></b>(a surprisingly good movie). <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Moon-Ws-Jim-Carrey/dp/B00003CWTL?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Man in the Moon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00003CWTL" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amadeus-F-Murray-Abraham/dp/6304712936?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Amadeus</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=6304712936" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> … Every one of these is a psychological study of human condition and reaction. I did not doubt that <i><b>Goya’s Ghosts</b></i> would deliver in that respect as well.<br />
<br />
After a few Milos Forman movies I found myself wondering what it was that drove him to concentrate so intently on the psyche of an individual human mind under stressful conditions, and how it relates to others’ minds as they weave and interact through life. Most notable in his history is the truth that his parents died in a concentration camp under Hitler’s regime. Could that be his driving force? Perhaps. Certainly, I’ve never seen another who could so effectively develop a stressed character like Milos can – a character that is intensely portrayed by the subtlest of gestures, the nuances of body language, the inflection of vocal tone. I do not understand how he draws this quality from actors, he just certainly and consistently does it.<br />
<br />
Third positive element: The movie was produced and filmed in Spain, not a Hollywood production. Hollywood can tire me sometimes, with their fast paced and visually intense productions – especially with epic historical dramas. I do enjoy costumes and panoramic sets, though sometimes those can overwhelm the story. This tale was about an era that was grungy, harsh, yet beautiful. Having Spaniards tell me about it would add a bit of authenticity, and I liked the thought of that. It could feel grand without trying so hard and every detail in the backdrop could be just right. I was eager to experience Spain.<br />
<br />
Forth positive element: Critics absolutely hated it. I think it is one of the most dissed films I’ve ever read about in reviews (right up there with Amelia). None complained about the acting, nor the costumes and sets, in fact they liked that stuff. They just expected more and complained that it was undercooked. I don’t know what that means.<br />
<br />
Here’s the truth about this film. It’s more accurate, historically, than most any film out there. There were only two glaring errors that I could see: One, the film begins in 1792 with the inquisition examining the “Los Caprichos” etchings. Goya did not create those until 1797. Two, when Goya unveiled the unflattering portrait of Queen Maria Louisa she was deeply offended and huffed out of the room. In reality, she loved the painting so much that she promoted Goya to first court painter. Both of those twists on reality where done to direct the story certain ways and I got through them without complaint. This story wasn’t a biography of Goya’s life and career. It was a study in human behavior and it involves three characters that are figuring out how to survive a time of extreme chaos and turmoil.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YcMUv3SVR8lagQytgV_OOYJR-QczSI82sgYeXYVBcTlLzCRHl3cG1U-tPWYUEkMj_E1J7i4LZARJ6e9z6FZcOzYsjRuzcwLeFi_U8WoP8EwNBhiaFkYqaXfbD8fOMIt4dWx5H9Xrr5Y/s1600/Milkmaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YcMUv3SVR8lagQytgV_OOYJR-QczSI82sgYeXYVBcTlLzCRHl3cG1U-tPWYUEkMj_E1J7i4LZARJ6e9z6FZcOzYsjRuzcwLeFi_U8WoP8EwNBhiaFkYqaXfbD8fOMIt4dWx5H9Xrr5Y/s320/Milkmaid.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>Visually, everything worked. Natalie Portman was cast as Ines after Milos Forman recognized her likeness to the girl in Goya’s painting “Milkmaid of Bordeaux”. She played a wealthy merchant’s teenage daughter whose portrait was painted by Goya, and who also sat for him as a model for angels in public murals and such. Portman does her part so well one could say she actually plays three roles in the film … pre-Inquisition Ines, post-Inquisition Ines, as well as her grown daughter, Alicia. There is a certain madness that Milos seems to appreciate and showcase, and Portman naturally provides that element to the film. She does hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology (Harvard) so I suppose her mental probing of the character would be the expected thing for her to do. She does seem to delight in the insanity of it all. There are times when you watch and think, man, the girl is completely mad and moments later she comes across sharp and clear, very aware of what is happening in her world. She sort of fades in and out of reality as the story moves along, in a not so obvious way. It’s brilliantly played and rather charming, in a weird kind of way. I ended the film feeling empathetic for the Ines, and loving her for all her madness. It’s funny … I reflected Goya in respect to the girl and found myself thinking about her for days after I watched the movie.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviu0eQ1PdqTQSrQa8t8aRaFJZ_GsLgCqXbiVmtrMPHpUv8yEQlfj9MQaN6fCelSrE8ZRPJVUwch6I167zVPH_VU5yxX6PhUoHxNfOym06q3z52yabcHJH5dY9hqvxMkCF_bxgoMbil4M/s1600/goya+self-portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviu0eQ1PdqTQSrQa8t8aRaFJZ_GsLgCqXbiVmtrMPHpUv8yEQlfj9MQaN6fCelSrE8ZRPJVUwch6I167zVPH_VU5yxX6PhUoHxNfOym06q3z52yabcHJH5dY9hqvxMkCF_bxgoMbil4M/s320/goya+self-portrait.jpg" /></a></div>As for Goya, Stellan Skarsgrd looks very much like the painter. What I enjoyed about him was the complete normalcy of the man, both in appearance and in action. He was simply a painter who networked and searched for whatever commissions he could find. He was not a handsome and dashing Spaniard (as Hollywood probably would have cast him), just an average looking fellow who finagled himself through the chaos. He was portrayed as decency incarnated, which is everything I imagined Goya to be.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The third arm of the triad of characters is Lorenzo, played by Javir Baldem. Lorenzo is a person that is easily hard to take, yet as his character developed I began to understand his motives, and I did wrap myself around his persona before the movie was through. I liked Baldem in this role … a lot. He has a nice perspective on his job as an actor, once saying, “I truly believe that what I would like to portray on-screen are human beings, and human beings usually are not as handsome as movie stars.” Again, it’s all about personality studies and this movie was perfectly cast. Just watch the transformation of Lorenzo, from the opening scene to the last ... it is an astonishing journey of a man searching for conscience of faith.<br />
<br />
The historical setting for this movie is huge. We experience the rebirth of the Spanish Inquisition, then turmoil at the end of Catholic rule as Napolian’s army invades and conquers Spain, and finally England barrels in and frees the Spanish from French occupation, and the liberated ones bring back Catholic rule in the end. What a waste through war, is what we see, and all things that turn around come around again. Goya’s etchings, which are shown throughout the movie, reflect things he witnessed – both the brutality of war and life in 18th century Spain. What Goya drew and painted is shown on film and whether you realize it or not, his eyes directed Forman in respect to set, just as Forman’s mind directed the psychology of it all. And, throughout that process, the three primary characters are continually finding each other’s orbit as we walk through this truly disturbing part of history.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBzI0ToYf-3za1KO5AzWF5AVKAPJ2KAHaAHJCD5UpmQkj3WFAgR2I4srbuGr3FLxtPo-H6w3RnTzLmGLdG6HhTXCw-aIkpg1POd93yCyx59xFQNvVv2amFoppAaNBU599aYUBqxwi0xU/s1600/Goya-Guerra_(39).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBzI0ToYf-3za1KO5AzWF5AVKAPJ2KAHaAHJCD5UpmQkj3WFAgR2I4srbuGr3FLxtPo-H6w3RnTzLmGLdG6HhTXCw-aIkpg1POd93yCyx59xFQNvVv2amFoppAaNBU599aYUBqxwi0xU/s400/Goya-Guerra_(39).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I wonder what critics are thinking sometimes. Are they more concerned about a movie being enlightening, or cutting-edge, or faster or brighter or louder or more animated than the last one, or … what? What does under-cooked mean, anyway? The movie is almost there? It’s not well exicuted? One theme I caught through all the reviews I read was that every one of them missed the entire point of the film. This is NOT about Goya or his muse. The title even states that clearly. It’s about ghosts. Not Goya’s ghost. Goya’s ghosts ... more than one haunting person that belonged to the man. It’s not a history lesson about the ups and downs of the Spanish Inquisition, either, or foriegn occupation or political upheaval at all. A ghost is not events or time or space or subject matter. It’s a haunting person. More than one is haunting people. … and haunting generally indicates a troubled soul ... unable to rest.<br />
<br />
When watching a movie like this, which is really a movie about pshychological evaluation/penetration, I find myelf examining things like being ‘put to the question’. What would I do should that have been me? Whould I say I love pork after all, or that my mother was a monkey? Or would I hold faith so dear that I’d suffer the pain? I must ponder piety, morality, civic duty, and basic survival to find that answer. And even then, I know I would have to live it … to feel the pain for the truth of it all is more than I can imagine.<br />
<br />
Grasping this concept is not hard. Goya was an artist who chronicled a time. His paintings and drawings share with us what touched his heart through eyes that saw things few ever see. His ghosts are with us today – on his canvases. He gave us souls who struggled and suffered and most did not survive. His people. His country. Ines could easily represent his homeland as a victim who never gave up. Lorenzo would be the heart of the country that forever searched for conscience. And Goya is the steady and decent soul.<br />
<br />
You must look at this movie from an artist's eye and it will make more sense than any critic can imagine.Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-53168146904127972102010-07-04T19:42:00.000-07:002010-07-04T21:08:25.408-07:00It's Not Easy Being GreenI saw something very strange the other day ... it made me stop and stare in a way that I knew was impolite, but I couldn’t help myself. Walking along the sidewalk was a young man, somewhere between the age of 15 and 22 (It’s hard to tell these days). He was very skinny and looked like he’d never had a healthy meal in his life. The pants he wore were baggy-assed jeans, where the crotch came in at the knees and boxer-shorts stuck out the top (still showing butt-crack, go figure). His body looked twice as long as it should have been, and his legs appeared stunted (reminding me of Dorf, that very funny character Tim Conway used to perform back when). I wasn’t sure if his slouchy posture had to do with simple laziness, or if it were an effect caused by trying to keep his pants up (either way, when that kid gets old he’ll be shaped like a letter ‘c’, no doubt). Adding to the silly effect of body proportionment, he walked with his legs spread as far apart as possible (which wasn’t that far - his crotch was at his knees, for cripe’s sake), not bending his knees at all ... just a waddle, like a penguin out of water. I actually laughed out loud for a moment.<br />
<br />
As I watched him I thought, “How strange. Is that good looking today? Does he gaze in a full length mirror in the morning before he goes out and say ... damn .... I’m hot?” And then I wondered, “What is wrong with young people today?” That frightened me because suddenly I sounded just like the old people did when I was a teenage girl. Crap.<br />
<br />
As usual, one little visual like that can make my mind ponder and cogitate so many different things. No matter what angle I thought about, things always came back to a notable point. I was trying to figure out exactly when it was that our sense of good taste collapsed.<br />
<br />
Good taste is relevant, I know. So are good art, good movies, good books, good music, and anything else made from a creative mind. I had this debate in collage years ago, where an art history professor tried to convince me that the isms of our times were brilliantly conceived by exceedingly enlightened individuals. I thought not then, I think not now.<br />
<br />
But, let’s think about this kid for a moment. Let’s average what I thought and say he’s 19 years old. What was it like for him to grow up? He would have been born in 1991. He would have been terrified at the year 2000. (Y2K, remember?) He would have grown up with computers and 180 or so channels on his tv. In school he would have sat at round tables with 8 other kids and the smart one would earn the grade for them all (this kid wasn’t the smart one, I could tell - and yes, I’m profiling - that’s ok, too). Political correctness would rule his day and dooms-day prophecy regarding earth and warming and destruction would all pick at his little brain. The only presidents he would have known were named Clinton or Bush. His early years were much different than the early years I experienced.<br />
<br />
I was born the year the Berlin Wall was erected. I was terrified of the Russian communists and the cold war kept our bomb shelters fully stocked and loaded. Computers were a fantasy that blinked and blipped on Star Trek; and I typed on an IBM monster of a machine learning finger positions and speed without errors (I could compose and type a formal business letter before I hit puberty). Television, on a good day, gave us 3 fuzzy channels and programs made family friendly the only game in town. In school we sat at single-student desks, in neat alphabetically ordered rows. I even had to take etiquette classes where I learned table manners and how to eat soup without slurping. Polock and Irish jokes were heard daily and dooms-day prophecy regarding earth and cooling and destruction would all pick at my little brain. The presidents I knew were Nixon, Carter, and Reagan (kind of a conservative, liberal, conservative treat; where Carter was the gooey center between a couple of really tough cookies). But, there was something else about my childhood that is missing for people like that 19 year old I saw wabbling down the sidewalk.<br />
<br />
When I was in third grade a visitor came to our school and performed a puppet show for us kids. It was a charming presentation; funny, thoughtful, and held my attention better than most things could. The puppeteer’s name was Jim and he was promoting a new show that would begin airing on television soon. He wanted us to tell our parents about it, and hoped we would watch. After his performance we were allowed to go speak with him if we wished; ask questions and look closely at his puppets. He sat on a folding chair near the middle of a large gym. Most kids sprang off the bleachers and headed for the playground, running widely around the fellow who just spent a good while entertaining them.<br />
<br />
I was very curious about the puppets and shyly walked over to the bearded man. “Hi.” he said as he smiled at me. “Hello.” I awkwardly replied, very quietly. I wasn't comfortable talking with a strange bearded man and he could tell. So, he switched his voice to the puppet’s on his right hand, and the imagined creature with his happy-go-lucky attitude spoke directly to my face. “What’s your name?” the frog asked me. I blushed and tried to stare at my feet as they shuffled. But, I couldn’t help but look at the puppet. It was making faces at me … cocking it’s head and puckering and crunching it’s nose. “I’m Kermit. Did you like our show?” I shook my head yes and found myself really rather amused by this ... sock of a thing that somehow seemed alive.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>My shyness was lessening as I leaned in and tried to see how it was made. The frog leaned into me and began checking out my head. Startled, I jerked back and shot a quick glance at the puppeteer. He was pretending not to see me and I was getting a bit annoyed by it all. I did not like being teased, so I glared at him, furrowing my brows to really let him know I didn’t like him after all. The puppet raised his voice a little, “Hey! Can I ask you something?” I looked back at the frog who appeared to be staring at me, tilting his head a little while he waited for me to answer. After a moment, I nodded a little yes, feeling more embarrassed and hoping none of my school friends were seeing this. “Why’d the elephant sit on the marshmallow?” he asked. Paleeeze … I thought … that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I pursed my lips and stared at the puppet, not saying a word. “Huuuummm....?” the frog urged me on. “I don’t know.” I finally whispered. “So he wouldn’t fall in the hot chocolate!!” Kermit joked, then he laughed and laughed, mouth open wide as he bounced, his arms flying about. It was infectious, and before I knew it I was giggling with the frog.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUCReDcdSMXwfv2_APas9fs2AUBSF6H8kjrb7_ImpMamGgyAmtsKKlot3ffZn_9R_Id-mI9MBjhoaEDsaI4SpcJmBLI0SYy5g30sWg-rzGOou09DFx39QBYzqzhQqrZzFJlEm-lcSba0/s1600/Jim-Kerm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUCReDcdSMXwfv2_APas9fs2AUBSF6H8kjrb7_ImpMamGgyAmtsKKlot3ffZn_9R_Id-mI9MBjhoaEDsaI4SpcJmBLI0SYy5g30sWg-rzGOou09DFx39QBYzqzhQqrZzFJlEm-lcSba0/s320/Jim-Kerm.jpg" /></a></div>When he calmed from his own self-amusement, he began chatting with me in a rather adult way. “What do you like to do,” he asked? “I like to draw pictures.” The conversation went on as I explained how I found master paintings, and how I liked to copy them. And I wanted to grow up and be a master painter, too ... even though I was a girl and everyone says girls can’t do that. We actually dialogued as the puppet flowed with expression and questions for me. Kermit gave me some really good advice. He told me, “Do what your heart wants you to do. No matter what anybody says, your dreams are yours and if you think you can do it, then you can do it; even if you are different from other people who paint. That’s ok. Look at me. I’m green and you still talk to me.”<br />
<br />
Somewhere during our conversation I ended up on the puppeteer’s lap and became so engrossed in my moment with a very grown-up cloth-frog that I didn’t notice anyone else in the gym. Something snapped me back to reality and I looked around, suddenly realizing that very few people were there. I was the only kid left. The puppeteer was smiling with the kindest of eyes as I timidly said to him, “It’s just a ... puppet.” And Jim said, “A puppet that tells the truth.” I hoped off his lap and said goodbye to the frog, promising them I’d always remember and follow my dream. And Jim Henson rubbed the top of my head and encouraged me to keep practicing my drawings so I would become the painter I wanted to be. And I did practice harder because I believed them … the frog, and the man that could make it talk.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtDJSbJkYJOsUUD0aDzlbmaLIF4g0OV_lJjB6uM10wywESCxwdPlOYlFrGS_MKk7fSSFgtlxy9Wj1fX_HRky-4czvoPn2Oz1DkuT7eyWkr2lCPARzNlp38KVDGoEnY6hKbWf4fdmmEsQ/s1600/Kermit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtDJSbJkYJOsUUD0aDzlbmaLIF4g0OV_lJjB6uM10wywESCxwdPlOYlFrGS_MKk7fSSFgtlxy9Wj1fX_HRky-4czvoPn2Oz1DkuT7eyWkr2lCPARzNlp38KVDGoEnY6hKbWf4fdmmEsQ/s320/Kermit.jpg" /></a></div>I watched the first episode of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sesame-Street-School-Vol-1969-1974/dp/B000H6SY8C?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Sesame Street</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000H6SY8C" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> because Jim would be performing Kermit and I loved to watch the magic of a new way of puppeteering, not to mention I felt like they were my friends. I saw every show I could, and was delighted to share them with my children when they were small. Grover taught us all so much, and Grouch and Cookie Monster were simply delightful. We ended up watching full featured <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Muppet-Movie-Kermits-50th-Anniversary/dp/B000ATQYTM?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">muppet movies</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000ATQYTM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Muppet-Show-Season-One-Special/dp/B0009ULBGS?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">prime-time adult comedy show</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0009ULBGS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. The success of the muppets was historic and astounding, and it proved to me that every word <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Henson-Works-Magic-Imagination/dp/0679412034?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mr. Henson</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0679412034" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> shared with a little 8 year old was true. He became the greatest and most well known puppeteer in the history of the world … because he lived what he preached.<br />
<br />
And then, in 1990 at the age of 53 ... he died unexpectedly. I was stunned. I couldn’t imagine life without Kermit and I spent some time reflecting on why I was so incredibly sad. I was lucky to have met them when I was young, and I felt a certain pride in all the successes that Mr. Henson found. He wasn’t family, but he sure felt like a friend.<br />
<br />
My kids were young enough to still appreciate his company’s work and I tried to remain open to the idea that another voice was playing Kermit. I’d have to bite my tongue when the frog appeared. It wasn’t my frog anymore. This one would belong to a new generation of people, not mine. <br />
<br />
Sometime later I saw Kermit being interviewed by several people, among them was Jay Leno. I don’t like Leno, I find his humour sexist and crude and, frankly, I can live without it. Not surprisingly, he could bring out the worst in the new Kermit. Sex jokes and nudity humour was unbecoming for the frog and I’d get angrier each time I saw stuff like that. I stopped watching anything Kermit or the muppets a few years after Henson died, and I’ve never regretted it. I rather like the frog and man I met when I was a kid and I prefer to remember them that way.<br />
<br />
How does all this relate to the 19 year old and what he never experienced as a kid? It’s really simple, in a complicated way. Our culture has become such an ‘anything goes’ place that dress or hair or tattoo, or whatever, can’t shock the meekest of us any more. Sex has infected every aspect from movies to videos and books, and even children’s show characters. People are the complete opposite of beautiful, in looks and behavior. It’s like we’ve given up sensuality for dirty nudity and it’s come to the point of ‘who cares?’ anymore. They’ve made viagra for men to get them excited, and now they’re developing it for women, who need the sensuality more than ever in this very crude society. The fix isn’t drugs or pills or dirty naked people. The 19 year old may never figure this out, because all he’s ever seen is this modern side of chaos. That’s too bad for him. It’s pretty nice strolling on the beach, holding hands, talking sunsets with a person you love.<br />
<br />
There was a time when clever words or general appearance invited appreciation and respect. And, those of us being inspired had a better life because our heroes cared about us and taught us well. I would bet dimes to dollars that the 19 year old’s heroes only care about themselves, or their own fame and how much money they can make from absolutely no talent. I hate to sound like the old people of my youth, but I’m saddened by what I see out there. Kids, like the 19 year old, who have very little respect for themselves, spend most of their time with a ‘bud’ in their ear, a video on their ‘pod’, and talk only about winning a never ending virtual game of fantasy war. Their world is violet and ugly, in an imaginary way, and that sort of creativity is destructive as hell. It certainly doesn't help it's students become the very best that they can be and with those thoughts I say thank you, Jim Henson, for inspiring so many little ones while you were here.Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-28939609481514117072010-06-22T06:29:00.000-07:002010-06-22T17:24:55.529-07:00Do Women Yearn to be Tamed?Not too long ago I was discussing the women’s movement with my older daughter. From her point of view that movement has done more harm than good to the family structure of America, and she yearns for the day when women can stay home and be mothers and wives again. Part of me agrees with her. I’ve spent some time trying to imagine what it must be like for girls her age ... to never have known pointed and hurtful sexism on a very personal level. To be thought of as second class citizens. To never have a credit score of your own. To be so dependent on a man that basic things, like owning a home, are beyond your reach. She has grown up knowing she could be anything she wants to be and all is possible for a girl. I am glad she has that, though I do recognize that now most women have to work outside the home, married or not, and that does hurt the structure of a healthy home-life for kids. For those who wanted to keep the idea of traditional womanhood alive, we have, for the most part, failed them.<br />
<br />
I grew up fighting for the right to work and did my share of tough assignments. I was ‘first’ woman on several jobs, standing my ground through pickets, insults, and flying objects. I never thought about the real long haul of it, only about the moments when I knew I could do a job better than the guy standing over there. And I did my best, always.<br />
<br />
My job for a long time was commercial illustration and product development (1990s - mid 2000’s). In that position I had to think about who decided on what to spend disposable income. It was generally understood that women held the pocket-book keys ... or, at least she’s the one men would have to persuade should he want a specific toy or treat for himself. And, most significantly, she was the one the children would bug until she caved. On one hand, it felt like developers believed women had a lot of power in the home. On the other, I understood very well that women were being profiled as a group, and we were evil bitches who didn’t want to be persuaded and fawned over. I kid you not, product development meetings really were all about how to trick a woman into parting with some money all while we adhered to the new politically correct thought control standards. We analyzed colour trends, marketable subject matter, style ... all things that made up a package for toys or food or whatever.<br />
<br />
The idea that I participated in those meetings is really rather bizarre, when I think about it now. I worked for top international companies and my images generated hundreds of millions of dollars each year. I was sought after and held marketing secrets close to chest. I wore a hat that said, “Respect my authority”. I wore soccer shorts and a Xena tee-shirt that read, “Chicks Kick Ass”. I had product developing men hit on me, and lesbians, too. It was a brutal job, really, and one I was somewhat happy to leave behind. But, even though it’s not my duty anymore, I still think about trends and look for marketing angles all the time. How we sell things says everything about who we are as a society. And with that in mind, I’ve been searching for vintage ads with the intention of sharing with my girl how women were viewed before. Old ads will tell very well why many young girls joined the women’s movement during the late 1960s and 1970s.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH7llXnas8hHjk9ZjrwnDf5n_U5sfPJGDnRMjfyYwEaIPp30WHiSZ38VnTXJ37CBenFcky1KKcTVPr8Ysq268oRgSAkdFBTVKOHU9BCgsOO-Pgo6JpwkkS9SzyVp7OSl_rWByluagEXs/s1600/ad_levis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH7llXnas8hHjk9ZjrwnDf5n_U5sfPJGDnRMjfyYwEaIPp30WHiSZ38VnTXJ37CBenFcky1KKcTVPr8Ysq268oRgSAkdFBTVKOHU9BCgsOO-Pgo6JpwkkS9SzyVp7OSl_rWByluagEXs/s320/ad_levis.jpg" /></a></div><br />
For example, look what the 1970s did to Levi jeans. It’s bad enough they pin-striped them, showing two Woody Allen-looking dorks standing in near super hero poses – what <i>is</i> that woman doing there?... in a bikini, to boot, nestled right between the leader of the pack's legs? She’s small and subservient, barely dressed, and looking ever so lustfully bashful. No doubt, men were in control when this ad was made. They could tell a woman what looked good and they knew how to dress to catch us. They also knew what to drive:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmapxR8zWMAPqj_yg4_I48Kmq2f6dca9Y1IAsRHtISFo9zc9Fa22gk6F1SfbPOappTNCdCLOpDRPJhZGefylB8db54YXE6UXICpn2rYMz5qDpnpEE8yHWzzEgZDlbfWYXDqssyETaj0c/s1600/vintage-ads-1970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmapxR8zWMAPqj_yg4_I48Kmq2f6dca9Y1IAsRHtISFo9zc9Fa22gk6F1SfbPOappTNCdCLOpDRPJhZGefylB8db54YXE6UXICpn2rYMz5qDpnpEE8yHWzzEgZDlbfWYXDqssyETaj0c/s320/vintage-ads-1970.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
What about that nearly naked lustfully bashful gal that sits nestled between a fella’s legs? She’s a spirited woman who’s yearning to be tamed. Just like a Subaru. A man would feel pretty good knowing he could drive either one of these things home. But, he’s got to catch that gal’s attention first, reel her into the Subaru so he could take her home, or to a motel ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7bwNHzYA_f1a_f1qSn3DP9VFFovXmlEsClXLmjWfKIZtcSSHayhyphenhyphenY7pMC5gwo_7YaOqQzED11TPEckFhBjTA9znb1CIEOf87uD63dcpBFSt9rVXIAh4VWpLrxPlsbVNWCq0xb88_VuQ/s1600/ad_tipalet_slideshow_604x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7bwNHzYA_f1a_f1qSn3DP9VFFovXmlEsClXLmjWfKIZtcSSHayhyphenhyphenY7pMC5gwo_7YaOqQzED11TPEckFhBjTA9znb1CIEOf87uD63dcpBFSt9rVXIAh4VWpLrxPlsbVNWCq0xb88_VuQ/s320/ad_tipalet_slideshow_604x500.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br />
Yes. What woman doesn’t like second hand skinny cigar smoke blown in her face? I know I’m getting all tingly just thinking about it. A puff in her direction and she will follow a fella anywhere. The only thing finer than smoke blown in your face is kissing an ash try and, frankly, I think they dropped the ball on this ad. She’s leaning into him, yes, yet her eyes are not rolling back in shear delight and anticipation. Because, you know, once that gal follows the smoke to the fella and then slides in beside him in the Subaru, taming can commence, with or without the motel room ... and that man is prepared:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEHD144DRjpvW4ctMll5Nklwujebs7wyJ3ixNsuFe7j80yrJDV0FlDgEdCqco9K1Ndkzsm0ApEcDWKJ51U2ScdPnDhCMBkJ87XVpNOUBuTYr4PF8-tON5dm9RF0E_4hlgyG470XB6BUQ/s1600/vintage-ads-disease.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEHD144DRjpvW4ctMll5Nklwujebs7wyJ3ixNsuFe7j80yrJDV0FlDgEdCqco9K1Ndkzsm0ApEcDWKJ51U2ScdPnDhCMBkJ87XVpNOUBuTYr4PF8-tON5dm9RF0E_4hlgyG470XB6BUQ/s320/vintage-ads-disease.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Wow. I don’t even know what to say about this one. Women are slutty, always have been? We pack the diseases? We can’t resist any man? I think this ad was made especially for very optimistic men. I know I’ve met a lot of those in my life and, honestly, they never needed what this ad promotes ... they pack those things in their wallets just so other guys believe they tame the wild girls. Trust me, all you men reading, they don’t.<br />
<br />
Normal fellas? They didn’t bother with the rain coats. They instead put on their most powerful scent. [And, why does this ad say at the lower bottom, left corner “Found in Mom’s Basement”? Does the shape of this bottle and that little remark imply what I think it implies? We women are really, REALLY, wild and sexual animals – so tame us!!]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7x4UYUUJXi3BtUWJO2uMM534FCMSSu8oJqpCh9tQaSuSLVoFebIYvXGR_BwUz63l2OPXpJ3npQTv9HO2EBEjxn9rqMVrroulBF6rsJbKWO4dKeWgPP52PmHyszcFjp1PW_UC8gNXbhk/s1600/ad9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7x4UYUUJXi3BtUWJO2uMM534FCMSSu8oJqpCh9tQaSuSLVoFebIYvXGR_BwUz63l2OPXpJ3npQTv9HO2EBEjxn9rqMVrroulBF6rsJbKWO4dKeWgPP52PmHyszcFjp1PW_UC8gNXbhk/s320/ad9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I nearly lost my train of thought with this one ... sorry, it’s hard to keep my composure through this ... to re-cap, Levi’s are pressed (mom did it, in the basement), irrasistible scent is on, the fella hops in his Subaru and, while puffing his skinny cigar, makes haste for the nearest library. You know, that place where really wild single women work. It’s one of the only job gals are allowed to do.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxI-TyxjMjTZxtdoemPWs2kuvnUxFhtSrZ9kc-IwgE1DOp6RePn9u7IpaDbiNpVFRJjr_tWHEIwgemdPkFaooMb7NnfgbE_fqmGSWkS4JHA_E_YIBpopgJSBqQokXhkXPAAhP-wZD8fmA/s1600/ad1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxI-TyxjMjTZxtdoemPWs2kuvnUxFhtSrZ9kc-IwgE1DOp6RePn9u7IpaDbiNpVFRJjr_tWHEIwgemdPkFaooMb7NnfgbE_fqmGSWkS4JHA_E_YIBpopgJSBqQokXhkXPAAhP-wZD8fmA/s320/ad1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
He rescues the long legged lady from that bore of a job and soon becomes the center of her world, because there is one thing he knows ... he’ll always be hungry without her.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE1DMhWxFszs3kYMUpxBmjbjdsD9OxycgPHPIJ0exkq3LEdIKSwC9sQOkHUwZSjaEAS6dBdsxOFPl-L02n_MF-BzLOXdLU4eU1S7ehPoSA7KwZUQbLsbE8XYjwNVyw6xEiTUbKoKgqNw/s1600/ad10-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE1DMhWxFszs3kYMUpxBmjbjdsD9OxycgPHPIJ0exkq3LEdIKSwC9sQOkHUwZSjaEAS6dBdsxOFPl-L02n_MF-BzLOXdLU4eU1S7ehPoSA7KwZUQbLsbE8XYjwNVyw6xEiTUbKoKgqNw/s320/ad10-1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
That’s a good reason to own a wife, don’t you think? The fella did dream long and hard about an alternative and that made him happy, but he is a realist in the end. It’s illegal to have two of them, after all, but a fella can dream even after he’s married.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA94k4SL60Q8_gk0RU_no5uC0widv3rySpVqYe1GhU1eqWkngGEKTrDk59l0jZtHT7R3Zl-tjePPlIdzZKQqax-o-UCZHNs8g4bbUkC0peb7XqubQrUQe4Otj9uFLkMbwoPrFPFEi9L2o/s1600/3058587614_be17895221_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA94k4SL60Q8_gk0RU_no5uC0widv3rySpVqYe1GhU1eqWkngGEKTrDk59l0jZtHT7R3Zl-tjePPlIdzZKQqax-o-UCZHNs8g4bbUkC0peb7XqubQrUQe4Otj9uFLkMbwoPrFPFEi9L2o/s320/3058587614_be17895221_o.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Oh, yeah ... those ad makers dreamed ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyVycK-1Saya6xaJBhhrVPnaT1_HwFP5I_70pGMQW4Xpo_kr5HHIZ6JFf-gmx45IDORtO6aEZiHkBcd71Im8kG69PcfmKzSZM7QYAZwwywQMv7vLHKeVo5-u1EzcR5r9P-v5_dV1LhQQ/s1600/ad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyVycK-1Saya6xaJBhhrVPnaT1_HwFP5I_70pGMQW4Xpo_kr5HHIZ6JFf-gmx45IDORtO6aEZiHkBcd71Im8kG69PcfmKzSZM7QYAZwwywQMv7vLHKeVo5-u1EzcR5r9P-v5_dV1LhQQ/s320/ad2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
... and dreamed ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7YQmDSmbcLRokHogtmNyCWCYNeKvUdWLbUCpw81vnV2RewKTJW1AnfzvdwZjBi2-T2JnhFrFZwNhrwSjgWdY_hKYuj5mjahFnZxr8_ignSVxlMTFHHWCSp7tQHp3YH-tC72h0HuvG-0/s1600/ad_coffeespanking_slideshow_604x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7YQmDSmbcLRokHogtmNyCWCYNeKvUdWLbUCpw81vnV2RewKTJW1AnfzvdwZjBi2-T2JnhFrFZwNhrwSjgWdY_hKYuj5mjahFnZxr8_ignSVxlMTFHHWCSp7tQHp3YH-tC72h0HuvG-0/s320/ad_coffeespanking_slideshow_604x500.jpg" /></a></div><br />
and made us feel completely inadequate, weak, and stupid.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeyWB6s63gSxxHHinfP3FKmVwSMY_s8wl8ZNLv_uvRvgj_BmAg66mIvhGnbhm69OU5RoEEx8SiyxDBzq2-p2gb2i5S0sWNr3sSppnkuBbBYCWfAHg5GveniuIOAUETLW-dtYMM9Nz1LI/s1600/delmonteo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeyWB6s63gSxxHHinfP3FKmVwSMY_s8wl8ZNLv_uvRvgj_BmAg66mIvhGnbhm69OU5RoEEx8SiyxDBzq2-p2gb2i5S0sWNr3sSppnkuBbBYCWfAHg5GveniuIOAUETLW-dtYMM9Nz1LI/s320/delmonteo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And the best thing he could do to pick up our spirits is ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mVqNyYd7XUDIrvQoe7rY0p3b5NvMbshkdHEF4pFuIOk0_THUXuHltixAGRE169Pwbp7-aA2K6ICTKXUCHPJEcHoSmB8c2vo4YzxtwFUCiX4wX64xTGcrbY59KkbyxTBl6UYiywatII8/s1600/ad_blatzbaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mVqNyYd7XUDIrvQoe7rY0p3b5NvMbshkdHEF4pFuIOk0_THUXuHltixAGRE169Pwbp7-aA2K6ICTKXUCHPJEcHoSmB8c2vo4YzxtwFUCiX4wX64xTGcrbY59KkbyxTBl6UYiywatII8/s320/ad_blatzbaby.jpg" /></a></div><br />
give us and our newborn some beer.<br />
<br />
In the end, men remembered one rule that changed their world forever ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgeEUxSSA4OVfphUr1I3Or-qmRl3OSGbSPkWHDLktaL4BEcTzaWPecGb0Kw8579le4p_jO0cLwwXYAgbHbYe6-FeWr1O32swHJjxZUXMJetHg3isrBeLOoJkFClTaE5FQmD7VwUiKKxg/s1600/ad_pitneyboews_slideshow_604x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgeEUxSSA4OVfphUr1I3Or-qmRl3OSGbSPkWHDLktaL4BEcTzaWPecGb0Kw8579le4p_jO0cLwwXYAgbHbYe6-FeWr1O32swHJjxZUXMJetHg3isrBeLOoJkFClTaE5FQmD7VwUiKKxg/s320/ad_pitneyboews_slideshow_604x500.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Go figure ...<br />
<br />
<br />
It’s important for young women to realize that we gals who supported and pushed for women’s rights weren’t people who wanted special treatment. We didn’t want to become men, nor did we wish to give up femininity or the option to choose a family life. We simply wanted to be recognized as equal people who are capable of many more things than we were allowed to do. We expected to have to prove ourselves, just as men did. And we wanted paid the same for equal work. We wanted to buy a house, or a car, or hold a credit card with our name. We wanted our own name. I wanted to be Olivia Schemanski, not Mrs. Christopher Schemanski. And, it’s not because I was ashamed of the man I married, I actually adore him. I just wanted my identity, too. But I never dreamed we would lose so much by gaining what we thought were reasonable rights. I think the world functions like a pendulum. We keep swinging to the extremes and I don’t think that's a very healthy way to be. Why can't we calm that pendulum?Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-31856724206368241922010-06-15T07:57:00.000-07:002010-06-15T10:50:25.473-07:00Extraordinarily Ordinary - What Do Dreams Know of Boundaries?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">A new movie about Amelia<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=criticalup-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0030E5NJ6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> was released in October, 2009. I, of course, waited patiently for the film to be released on DVD so I could bring it home and enjoy it at my pace, with my own really cheap and lightly buttered popcorn. I had a hunch I was going to like this movie simply because the reviews that followed it’s opening gave insight regarding style and content that actually sounded great to me. I’m going to spend a moment or so with crit</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">ics’ words, if I may, and defend a movie that has been brutally bashed since it opened. </span></span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><b><i>• </i></b><b><i> </i></b><b><i>Frustratingly old-school; Hollywood-style </i></b><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Entertainment Weekly:</span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> Ok, I understand that today many people like fast-action-jerky film work, or weird experimentations from the ‘sundance’ crowd. Truth is, some of us completely enjoy still-camera cinematography; we like to build a story visually, piecing things like costumes, sets, and audio tracks together with a steady, and I mean steady, accumulation of information. Perhaps that is old school, but I’m old so who cares. I like it. In <b><i>Amelia</i></b>, it’s one of the most charming aspects of the film. I can watch it and not become nauseated, which is amazing because I hate to fly and there are a lot of shots that are way up there looking down.</span></span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><i> </i><b><i>• The movie is imprisoned in safety</i></b><b><i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">NPR:</span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><b><i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> The movie stays right on the truth the entire film. It ignores urban legends and myths and, instead, concentrates on a nine year span of Amelia’s life which is mostly shown as her personal reflection of events that brought her to that fateful flight in 1937. She is winging around the world while she remembers. What else would the woman have done? If I were in her shoes I would have been full of retrospect, and this point-of-view has to limit the story to an absolute and safe place. Amelia’s diaries and log-books were heavily quoted and the voice of the aviator comes across clearly, even ordinarily quaint some times.</span></span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><i> </i><b><i>• The script smoothes over the many controversies surrounding her life, including her open marriage to Putnam, her rumored bisexuality, and whether or not she was a spy.</i></b><b><i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Jezebel</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Oh, my ... um ... let’s start with the open marriage. Yes, Amelia and George had an open marriage, which was more than unusual during their day. The proof of that is the letter she wrote to Putnam when she finally accepted his sixth marriage proposal.</span></span><br />
</i></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQUbIuZcVbbEYrrbdB_QB-tLJtRK_LnYnUwcnCtBu2e6GBaNUUDchX988Hr0XGICDF1XzBikHm55zWvTzoGMJIcGcCZarTK5p1pCAaUEkXgVq-E8wted9NriFIp44HhfbJ7m-oECKaVY/s1600/amelia+and+george.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQUbIuZcVbbEYrrbdB_QB-tLJtRK_LnYnUwcnCtBu2e6GBaNUUDchX988Hr0XGICDF1XzBikHm55zWvTzoGMJIcGcCZarTK5p1pCAaUEkXgVq-E8wted9NriFIp44HhfbJ7m-oECKaVY/s400/amelia+and+george.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">"You must know again my reluctance to marry, my feeling that I shatter thereby chances in work which means so much to me. . . .In our life together I shall not hold you to any medieval code of faithfulness to me, nor shall I consider myself bound to you similarly . . . .I may have to keep some place where I can go to be myself now and then, for I cannot guarantee to endure at all the confinements of even an attractive cage."</span></i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><b><i> <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> The movie showed her writing that letter and giving it to her husband to be, and the idea of an open marriage was covered pretty well in this script. The only things missing were wild sex shots and in your face social judgments and lecturing. Frankly, I don’t want to imagine Amelia doing that and, in my opinion, she never did. Listen closely to her letter and you may hear a gal who was concerned about being </span>owned<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">. Remember the year (1931); understand what was expected of women back then. Amelia was fiercely independent and wanted to remain that way. She wanted to fly.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> As for bisexuality and being a spy? That is pure speculation not founded on any provable truth. For folks who want to see this sort of story, you ought to write a script and call it Stella ... base the story-line on Amelia but add your fantasies for fun. You could have your steamy Ewan McGregor sex-shots, sultry leads, wild explosions ... CGI the plane ripping apart as it bounces across the ocean, what the hell. Stella could parachute out in time (not the navigator, though ... a man would not think quickly enough) and land on an itty-bitty South Pacific island, be a castaway for a while surviving by her own American-heartland-wisdom, drinking cocoanut milk and eating killer crabs she wrestled with her bare hands before the Japanese found, imprisoned, then lastly shot her dead-by-firing-squad for being a spy. Dammit! That is filmmaking -101 ...<br />
<br />
But that’s a different story ... let’s get back to </span><i>Amelia</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> and the critics.</span></span><br />
<br />
• </i></b><b><i> I'm not suggesting that Mira Nair should have invented anything for Amelia. It is right that she resisted any temptation. It's just that there's a certain lack of drama in a generally happy life.</i></b><b><i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Chicago Sun Times:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> This movie is not about Amelia’s life. It’s about a nine year span that lead from the first woman to sit on a plane flying across the Atlantic to a woman who was piloting a plane while trying to circumnavigate the globe. Yeeesh ....</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> There are aspects about Amelia’s early life that are very interesting to ponder, and they follow a trend most surely. For example, Amelia did not grow up in a normal home with mother and father. She was sent to live with her grandmother, then on to finishing school. Dad was an alcoholic and that unsettled Amelia’s world on many levels. The same kind of thing was true for the other strong ladies I wrote about earlier in </span></span> </i></b><a href="http://criticalroundup.blogspot.com/2010/05/there-is-no-crying-in-baseball.html"><b><i>There’s No Crying in Baseball</i></b></a><i><b>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Dottie (Dorothy Kamenshek) went off to play baseball at 17 years old. I can’t find any information about her childhood or family relations, but how many 17 year old girls would have been allowed to go alone to Wriggley’s Field to play baseball during WWII? And then there’s Donna Hillman-Walsh, who grew-up the daughter of a Hollywood starlet and was sent away to finishing school at 14, then headed out to New York to learn how to race thoroughbreds. Research either of these ladies and you’ll find very little information about early family life and relationships. Truth be told, all these girls were extremely independent tomboys who’s goal in life was to be the very best that they could be, doing what only men were allowed to do. All were highly motivated, and all were very good. I would be interested in watching a film or documentary about this sort of stuff. But not in a film about a nine year span that lead to Amelia’s final flight. For now, let us focus on this movie and understand that Amelia was generally happy to be flying. Ok. What’s wrong with that?</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b>• Amelia is a by-the-book bio-pic. By following the template, it's as safe and straightforward as one could possibly get, without narrative flourishes and with minimal exaggeration to satisfy Hollywood's appetite for fictionalization.</b> Reel Views</i> <br />
YEAH!!<br />
<br />
<i><b>• When it comes to some of the wild speculation that has arisen over the years about what happened to Earhart during that final flight, the movie doesn't even go out on a limb, opting instead for the sort of vague, open ending that, is historically safe and cinematically dull.</b> The Washington Post:</i><br />
It is true, this movie does not dare to try to answer what happened at the end. Amelia simply flies away. This movie is true on fact and as such, how could it speculate an ending?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymTi0N5unWvKiioat5ZgDbCXewkgGy79A6geyoijnHXkSkCylQSybOLXKRI3FGFVTieNre-9Bf_mlzzdH6GUjaug01kcXWlwgZlwk4PpIKJCdG4qcu4GdnhbxE2tso83PjMDXsOtM-a4/s1600/Amelia_Earhart_Electra_enlarged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymTi0N5unWvKiioat5ZgDbCXewkgGy79A6geyoijnHXkSkCylQSybOLXKRI3FGFVTieNre-9Bf_mlzzdH6GUjaug01kcXWlwgZlwk4PpIKJCdG4qcu4GdnhbxE2tso83PjMDXsOtM-a4/s400/Amelia_Earhart_Electra_enlarged.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><i><b>• ... old-fashioned, star-powered bio-mush</b> Variety:</i><br />
<br />
<i><b>• ... an object lesson in the follies of the conventional biopic, which puts mindless recapitulation of historical data above analysis or insight.</b> A.V. Club:</i><br />
Did this critic just say that opinion should rise above historical data? I say, save the imagination for fantasy scripts. A film like <b><i>Amelia</i></b> should be held to standards of accuracy just in case some young person who knows nothing about Amelia sees it! Entertainment can teach and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, wouldn't we be prudent if <i>more</i> films aimed to educate?<br />
<br />
I could go on and on with these reviews, but you get the point. How about we simply consider the film without the disappointed critics’ ramblings about what they wish it had been. True, anyone who ever researched Amelia knows the story going in, and comes away with no new information. The tale is what it is, why expect more? If you can’t handle that sort of thing don’t bother watching this movie. You would miss a beautiful film if you opted out, though, and just seeing the old-time news reels morph into modern day, full colour actors is a truly sweet effect. <br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiV6XgF1wo8VA_oaE-EytsTphxfnfPUGJecZz2MTEMxp5TSfyPOSLlR44tjsTK64EsyR3kXscVt7xtROIcOa3aCP1gtlBjMfJbVyDGuPzyFCUsfN2E1BHQh3jeghEhomU9GhQcdyikWto/s1600/Women_Who_Risk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiV6XgF1wo8VA_oaE-EytsTphxfnfPUGJecZz2MTEMxp5TSfyPOSLlR44tjsTK64EsyR3kXscVt7xtROIcOa3aCP1gtlBjMfJbVyDGuPzyFCUsfN2E1BHQh3jeghEhomU9GhQcdyikWto/s320/Women_Who_Risk.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"> Hilary Swank does a marvelous job becoming Amelia, though at times I could swear I heard Katherine Hepburn dialoging in aviator costume. As a girl I had a vision in my head that was Amelia and Swank nailed it for me; her big goofy grin, the confident swagger, the midwestern speech-halting accent, the kind of shy yet public figure, the in-love with her man though not publicly showing it woman.<br />
<br />
In truth, there was only one person cast in this film that I wish had been just about anyone else. Whenever I see Richard Gere (he plays Putnam) in a film I see only Richard Gere, never the character he’s trying to play. The sets, costume, and filming technique all took me back to another time and I loved that. Richard Gere would rip me right back to my time and I hated that. George Putnam was a ground breaking fellow who, with Amelia, presented the very first public relation/image building situation and made her a star. He had a certain charisma and style. Richard Gere is frumpy (I thought so back when I first saw him in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Gigolo-Richard-Gere/dp/0792160347?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>American Gigolo</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0792160347" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, I’m just sayin’). And, not even considering his acting, the guy is just too old for this one and does not look good in 1930s costume. Still, even with that, I like this film very much and would recommend it to anyone who wants to know about, or simply remember, Amelia.<br />
<br />
As for her fate and the open-ended conclusion of the film, I think it’s our job to research and dig and learn. For sure, the truth is not settled yet, though many people think they know what happened. Some still cling to spy notion, others to the drowning theory, and some (like me) are convinced that Nikumaroro (Gardner Island) will prove once and for all that Amelia Earhart was a damn good pilot who didn’t survive because the United States Navy failed her.<br />
<br />
Consider all the evidence I mentioned in part one of this story, and add to them this:<br />
<br />
• Amelia’s last radio contacts where strong and clear, which indicated she was very near Howland Island and had the seaman on duty the night before not left certain tracking equipment powered on, the battery would not have been dead and the Navy could have pinpointed exactly where she was during every last moment of her flight. (yes, this is shown in the movie)<br />
<br />
• Amelia’s very last transmission said "We are on the line of position 157 337. Will repeat this message on 6210. We are running North and South." That put the Electra on a navigational line that coincides with the Phoenix Islands, with Nikumaroro (Gardner Island) specifically. The plane had more than enough fuel to get there, and the tide was low and the island’s reef was dry during the time they would have arrived, and that island is much easier to see from air than Howland. The reef is big and smooth enough in places to permit a bumpy, yet safe landing. As far as Amelia knew, the navy could track her. Landing was a smart thing to do.<br />
<br />
• Credible radio distress calls were heard over the next four nights. Those transmissions coincided with times when the tides were low enough to allow prop clearance for an Electra’s engine to run. Why is that significant? The engines running at a certain speed would charge the batteries needed to send out signals. And, if the plane ditched into the ocean no signals could ever have been sent. All electrical systems would have failed if the plane did not sit on land, with undamaged landing gear beneath her.<br />
<br />
Directional bearings of nearly 200 distress calls, taken by Pan American and the US Coast Guard, pinpointed those distress signals in the vicinity of Nikumaroro (Gardner Island).<br />
<br />
• US Navy search planes did not fly over that island until a week after the plane disappeared. By then, distress signals had stopped. The pilots of the search planes noted “signs of recent habitation” on this officially uninhabited island. They saw no aircraft, but a photo of the island taken during the search shows the tide was very high with rough surf on the edge of the reef. If there were an aircraft on that reef, it would have been hidden by the surf.<br />
<br />
• A colony was established on Nikumaroro (Gardner Island) in December, 1939 and residents from there report that aircraft wreckage was on the reef, as well as in the lagoon, when they came. They, apparently, stripped many parts from the crash and used them to fabricate things for themselves. A US Navy pilot saw island locals using an airplane control cable as lead fishing line. He asked them where they got the cable, they said from the plane wreckage that was there when they arrived.<br />
<br />
One part of the Amelia story that truly annoys me are the words repeated by the fellows who let the lady down. They were very quick to point fingers at her, claiming she was a terrible pilot without the skills needed to complete her mission. Truth is, some fellows simply could not take orders from a girl, nor would they ever accept that a female out-performed them. Amelia was an amazing pilot during the time when aviation was new and extremely dangerous. She did things men died trying to do, and I believe she landed that plane on a small island out in the middle of nowhere, and the Navy did not heed reports of distress signals or take the Gardner Island theory serious in the days following her disappearance. She is my hero, as most strong and independent women are, and I am grateful for sky trails she blazed all those years ago. I encourage you to watch <b><i>Amelia</i></b> with those sort of thoughts in mind. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">And we'll leave this post with her words ...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><b><i>"[Women] must pay for everything .... They do get more glory than men for comparable feats. But, also, women get more notoriety when they crash."</i></b></span><br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-14924641070909168802010-06-12T00:45:00.000-07:002010-06-15T09:36:08.192-07:00Extraordinarily OrdinaryThere are names that always stir the imagination. Zorro brings visions of a black mask, cape, horse, and dashing sword-play. Neil Armstrong perpetually gives us one giant leap for mankind, and Kermit keeps insisting that it’s not easy being green. For me, there are dozens and dozens of names that trigger cogitation on a wide variety of subjects, revolving around a broad collection of people who inspired a little girl from the west. When a name from my inspiration-list appears anywhere, I stop and read or look and learn some more. Recently, the name Amelia has come two fold. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGNESMxD-jgzgs41ifrD7qtNkr5cFnEpRTEyGeC7Ks3-B2Vxsf_yAvaR6_dZ5hL3F4BBQJpo8FSSPRBVZ74kGqd3x42ncMrpvO9firAB9liSG6oE7i1HmtAz8EJIT8dd2rDEHtsjVdPY/s1600/825.254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGNESMxD-jgzgs41ifrD7qtNkr5cFnEpRTEyGeC7Ks3-B2Vxsf_yAvaR6_dZ5hL3F4BBQJpo8FSSPRBVZ74kGqd3x42ncMrpvO9firAB9liSG6oE7i1HmtAz8EJIT8dd2rDEHtsjVdPY/s320/825.254.jpg" /></a></div>We all know who Amelia Earhart was; the female champion who flew far and wide to show the world that girls could tame distance just as well as the boys. Her story is the legendary tale of record breaking, cutting edge technology, tough as nails and still as pretty, love and dreams and tragedy kind of thing. I ate that up as a little girl. I wanted to be Amelia. Well, I didn’t want to fly, but I wanted the courage to do what I dreamed of doing; to go beyond being just a girl; to find the bravery to look a challenge in the eye and spit on it.<br />
<br />
Young women today may not really comprehend how significant those rebellious thoughts of mine were. Just consider, for a moment, that when Amelia was hired to be the first woman to ‘fly’ across the Atlantic in 1928, she was not allowed to control the plane. She sat in the back and looked out the window. Though she had her pilot’s license, the idea of a female having the stamina to perform a trans-Atlantic flight was incomprehensible. Amelia was distressed by the attention she got for just sitting there:<br />
<br />
<i>"I was a passenger on the journey...just a passenger. Everything that was done to bring us across was done by Wilmer Stultz and Slim Gordon. Any praise I can give them they ought to have...I do not believe that women lack the stamina to do a solo trip across the Atlantic, but it would be a matter of learning the arts of flying by instruments only, an art which few men pilots know perfectly now..."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbedglrord5L0a5yRsyYHBIM81pBh99Iwna_fzdnjJehfkTZO8zqm65WDKH7-3lUDa3V1uuGGRFZKXORGn8T-9X1t_uX_Y5hjl8oKobHM4IQSUrI915yIW6khzoJgawO_fcgxpUZwuDY/s1600/ae_full2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbedglrord5L0a5yRsyYHBIM81pBh99Iwna_fzdnjJehfkTZO8zqm65WDKH7-3lUDa3V1uuGGRFZKXORGn8T-9X1t_uX_Y5hjl8oKobHM4IQSUrI915yIW6khzoJgawO_fcgxpUZwuDY/s320/ae_full2.jpg" /></a></div>Do you hear that? She believed a woman could learn the art of flying better than few men pilots knew how. When I was a little girl women still had very few opportunities to pursue any dream that existed outside of the prescribed idea of the perfect woman’s world. She was the first person who helped me understand that in order to play with the boys I would have to be many times better just to receive half the recognition. And, living like that as a girl was possible to achieve.<br />
<br />
When I first heard her name she’d been missing for 30 or so years and was still very much an enigma. I loved her ... her tomboyishness, her fashion sense, the truth that she was as ordinary looking as anyone else in the world. And, I loved the idea that she found a man who supported her ambition and was seemingly fine living in her shadow of fame and popularity. Yes, Amelia gave hope to little girls who would rather play with a frog than a doll.<br />
<br />
So, as I grew I always acknowledged any new information about Amelia. We all know her Electra disappeared as she attempted to fly more than 7,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. She had already flown 22,000 miles and this part of the journey would take her to Hawaii, and then to California where she would be praised for two major firsts...she would be the first woman, and she would travel the longest possible distance, circumnavigating the globe at its waist.<br />
<br />
But, she never landed for refuel on Howland Island. The world has since asked, “Amelia, where are you?” Several theories continue to circulate:<br />
<br />
• Amelia was on a spy mission for President Roosevelt, was captured by the Japanese and forced to broadcast to American GI’s as “Tokyo Rose” during World War II.<br />
<br />
• She purposely drove her plane into the Pacific.<br />
<br />
• She lived for years on an island in the South Pacific with a native fisherman.<br />
<br />
• In 1961 it was thought that the bones of Amelia and her navigator had been found in Saipan, but the bones turned out to be those of Saipan natives.<br />
<br />
• Amelia secretly finished the mission then moved to New Jersey, assumed a new name, married a different fellow, and lived out her life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3pjNHK_wSH6XGHow6TxArDUGrq4tl3gj_S0AuP1sd_ua7VswQhk4XpYxgZxcJd8l1LUYG21hv6GUMwQSO3c4J6qSk152Ju4iOPv0dTnVHNHP7diFEu8fjNo7m9Pd5-04_YlCRGzHvws/s1600/amelia-earhart-plane-2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3pjNHK_wSH6XGHow6TxArDUGrq4tl3gj_S0AuP1sd_ua7VswQhk4XpYxgZxcJd8l1LUYG21hv6GUMwQSO3c4J6qSk152Ju4iOPv0dTnVHNHP7diFEu8fjNo7m9Pd5-04_YlCRGzHvws/s400/amelia-earhart-plane-2-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
• And, the most exhaustive inquiry into Earhart’s fate since the US Navy’s 1937 original search has been (and is continuing to be) by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), who are attempting to conclusively solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance with investigation procedures that employ rigorous standards of evidence and documented facts. They are focusing on a remote, uninhabited Pacific atoll of Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner Island, which is where garbled transmissions believed to be from the electra happened for 4 days after she failed to find Howland Island) and have recovered physical evidence that suggests the Earhart flight may have landed there on July 2, 1937. In 1940 a partial skeleton and an old fashioned sextant box were found under a tree on the island’s southeast corner. The skeleton was eventually lost in Fiji sometime after 1941, but detailed measurements of the bones indicate that they belonged to a “tall white female of European ancestry”. Other artifacts include improvised tools, an aluminum panel (possibly from and Electra), an oddly cut piece of clear Plexiglas which is the exact thickness and curvature of an Electra window, and a size 9 Cat’s Paw heel dating from the 1930’s, which resembles Earhart’s footwear in world flight photos. In 2007 TIGHAR performed another high-profile expedition where they were reported to have found additional artifacts, including bronze bearings which may have belonged to the aircraft, and a zipper pull which might have come from her flight suit. All this evidence is circumstantial, but quite interesting when you consider the island is uninhabited. <br />
<br />
Today, there is continuing promise with TIGHAR’s research. That is part one of the two fold that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. TIGHAR’s team will be on the island until June 14, 2010 and they are releasing new finds continually. I encourage you to follow TIGHAR’s <a href="http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/NikuVI/Niku6dailies.html#n607">2010: Niku VI Expedition</a> updates, and to read this <a href="http://news.discovery.com/history/amelia-earhart-island-artifacts.html">Discovery News</a> article that was released on June 3, 2010.<br />
<br />
New hard truths about the real Amelia continue to tickle our hopes that someday, and maybe soon, we'll know for sure if she was a castaway on Gardner Island. This moment reminds me of the days right before they found the remains of the Titanic ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8IuC1snrM0Skfy3oA2RotVixPb3NVVFh_28witGLnBQQYiy41uVsG31l7uZcdfFaXlRXAsx_nJ_UW06HDYWBM2PzCbSF7-UmcBQMQhY-GU92O9daUQg8bXDXnPqpeeW1kur81-Tu1hY/s1600/amelia_earhart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8IuC1snrM0Skfy3oA2RotVixPb3NVVFh_28witGLnBQQYiy41uVsG31l7uZcdfFaXlRXAsx_nJ_UW06HDYWBM2PzCbSF7-UmcBQMQhY-GU92O9daUQg8bXDXnPqpeeW1kur81-Tu1hY/s320/amelia_earhart.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
(Part two, of my two fold story, will be coming next posting)<br />
<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-6026133265586803392010-06-07T13:34:00.000-07:002010-06-07T14:56:46.026-07:00A Lesson in History - RembrandtFrom time to time I have an urge to share some truths I've learned over the years. This is one of those posts, which contains adapted excerpts from my book <i>Of Fur & Feathers - An Artist Passing Through</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PYQUfRUwXwFBhlfClZl4khgJyYD3Er-_u4hChNtPieJcqjcb9w4Mo8D-kYyPqR4wGWsdbDvBlt9B4eHF5zVKaUUTu2iMwSZ3qtxYlxMRmc3-drJoLy5swN0WxAbVuDeWA2vCjE-zjPs/s1600/Rembrandt-as-Apost.-Paul-2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PYQUfRUwXwFBhlfClZl4khgJyYD3Er-_u4hChNtPieJcqjcb9w4Mo8D-kYyPqR4wGWsdbDvBlt9B4eHF5zVKaUUTu2iMwSZ3qtxYlxMRmc3-drJoLy5swN0WxAbVuDeWA2vCjE-zjPs/s400/Rembrandt-as-Apost.-Paul-2.gif" width="331" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This story is about Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606 – Oct. 4, 1669). Rembrandt was a Dutch painter who is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history. His contributions to art came in a period historians call the Dutch Golden Age.<br />
<br />
Having realized youthful success as a portrait painter, his later years were marked by personal tragedy and financial collapse. Throughout his lifetime his reputation as an artist remained high and for twenty years he taught nearly every important Dutch painter. Rembrandt's greatest creative triumphs are epitomized in his self-portraits, in which he surveyed himself without vanity and with unconditional sincerity and truth.<br />
____________________________________<br />
<br />
When I was a very little girl I found a mentor. Rembrandt. He was the first master that I copied and when I learned to read I began to understand his history and purpose. Everything he was has everything to do with who I am as a painter today. Why?<br />
<br />
In the beginning I had only the pencil. I could hold it and with concentration it would mimic the lines I saw on a piece of paper. Coordination was the first step and, like everything in life before the pencil, it was a doable thing with practice. Basic lines, shapes, and added values were practiced daily. I was limited to only the technique of creation by imitation until words began to enlighten the mysteries of art. Once I could read I began to study everything I could about painting, with Rembrandt consistently remaining at the center of my interest.<br />
<br />
In all honesty, I found that Rembrandt and other masters were like gods to me. They were beings who turned simple pieces of paper or canvas into perfect dimensional worlds of beauty and drama. Their humanness didn’t become clear until I could research and dig for the truth. I had to know – what made them so great? Could their time have been so different from ours that their brilliant minds rose above and beyond what simple folk like me could achieve? What gave them such passion to learn to be the best? In all my studies I found there are links from there to here and each master is but one piece of massive puzzle. And, here is one piece to serve as an introduction to a brilliant mind:<br />
<br />
<b>Greatness Was Born</b><br />
<br />
Rembrandt was born at a most opportune time, when his world was a newly formed country that pulsed with the fever of expansion and growth. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands">Netherlands</a> had recently won an eighty-year war of independence with Spain, and Europe was beginning to recognize it as a country in its own right. The artist was born to a miller in Leiden on July 15, 1606, the ninth of ten children. He was the only van Rijn child to go to the University of Leiden (at age 14), and his training there was probably geared towards preparation for fine citizenship in Leiden – perhaps as a preacher, or civic councilman. Or, maybe he was placed in the University to avoid service in the town Militia. Rembrandt’s father had injured a hand as a town soldier, and his oldest brother had problems while in the Militia, as well. As a University student no service was required, and one received a good ration of free beer to boot!<br />
<br />
After a short stay, Rembrandt dropped out of the University and enrolled as an apprentice in <a href="http://www.enotes.com/oxford-art-encyclopedia/swanenburgh-jacob-van">Jacob van Swanenburgh</a>’s studio to learn the craft of picture making. No one really knows why his schooling at the University was cut short right before its finale; but I imagine he may have found ‘classical’ training boring and desired to satisfy a passion for painting. His parents allowed and supported this direction for his life.<br />
<br />
There are no surviving paintings from his earliest years in that studio but, surely, what he learned there were the basics every artist needed; how to grind paint, size canvases, clean brushes and palettes; and how to stroke with a brush, draw with chalk, and compose a painting; how to render drawings from live models, or make copies from early masters. Swaneburgh had spent time in Italy and surely the Italian influences began for the budding artist in this studio.<br />
<br />
Rembrandt stayed with Swaneburgh for three years, then did a brief six months apprenticeship with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Lastman">Pieter Lastman</a>, a famous master in Amsterdam. Lastman had recently returned from Italy, where he was strongly influenced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio">Caravaggio</a>’s use of lights and darks (chiaroscuro), as well as works from the famous masters <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci">Leonardo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo">Michelangelo</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael">Raphael</a>. There is no doubt that Caravaggio’s techniques, taught by Lastman, had a profound effect on the very young artist from Leiden.<br />
<br />
After his stay with Lastman, Rembrandt returned to his home town and appears to have opened a studio with a fellow Lastman student named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Lievens">Jan Lievens</a>. In that studio, the two painters often rendered paintings of the same subject, using the same models and props, and their resulting works have been a challenge for historians in respect to attributing certain paintings to either artist. They were friends with the same goal in mind; become a better painter and find success as masters in their own right.<br />
<br />
By 1627, Rembrandt began taking on his own students (most notably, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_Dou">Gerrit Dou</a>). In 1629, the statesman Constantijn Huygens, came to the Rembrandt/Lievens studio and purchased a few paintings from each, then secured a commission for Rembrandt that began a series of Passion Paintings for the Court in Hague, which was concluded in 1646.<br />
<br />
By the end of 1631, Lievens left for England to become a Court painter, and Rembrandt moved to the new business capital of the Netherlands – Amsterdam. There, he began an association with an art dealer named Hendrick van Uylenburg and found success as a practicing portraitist. He also met and then, in 1634, married Hendrick’s cousin, Saskia van Uylenburg.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiqyFutCj1AHyzkGOaj10Zs5OxgWzJCGoRbbw2Cfa4YiV3G9eETqxCBIxzhHPLLbnIq6_Ibl1HZV0ZRCgEr8SBx1rxhgBjDMV27ppdnz6wgX5Obz6PPA2Zv-Ya5cXyHEuxP0BKgluH6Y/s1600/Saskia.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiqyFutCj1AHyzkGOaj10Zs5OxgWzJCGoRbbw2Cfa4YiV3G9eETqxCBIxzhHPLLbnIq6_Ibl1HZV0ZRCgEr8SBx1rxhgBjDMV27ppdnz6wgX5Obz6PPA2Zv-Ya5cXyHEuxP0BKgluH6Y/s320/Saskia.gif" width="237" /></a></div>It is easy to imagine his life to this point. He was a very young man with a driving interest in painting, and by his mid-twenties he was a sought after portrait painter with a stunning reputation. Success was not only at his fingertips, it was clinch-fisted and strongly held by an extremely confident young artist.<br />
<br />
The training that brought him to success is an interesting point. Rembrandt got a late start in his education as an artist. Most young people at that time began at the age of eight or nine and were well advanced by the time Rembrandt apprenticed at his first studio at the age of fourteen. By nineteen he seems to have learned all that he could from Swaneburgh and Lastman and his work quickly surpassed his teachers. Still bucking the established system, he did not dream of going to Italy to learn directly from those thought to be the best. It is said that Rembrandt, when asked when he planned to visit Italy, replied that there was no need for that. All of the old masters’ work was coming to Holland and he could study what he needed right at home.<br />
<br />
After he moved to Amsterdam, before he married Saskia, a very significant event happened that tells us much about his disposition and personality. He was commissioned by the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons to produce a group portrait that would represent Dr. Nicolaes Tulp as the director of a human dissection. Prior to Rembrandt’s <i>Anatomy Lesson</i>, those sorts of paintings held a simple row of men, all looking equal in importance and rather boring. This artist took the composition to a place never before seen. He built a pyramidal setting where each person within the canvas space expresses a different emotion and purpose. Dr. Tulp is the only fellow wearing a hat, and his hands are absolutely perfect and delicate in every way. He was the leader of the group, both in reality and in this painted recording.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw99du2nNUiPIpzAXi1B8zX1Y4LAbyyMHBcXwlZdpeyhvV3Ju-TjGs-tBFlUDBrvtQuhPnF0fu7kdzWrYN0NZXaKpNQKJ_w4O9aJDHqUE-z79Icq6VcEzhSJin20v1nAUfhD6boID776g/s1600/anatomy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw99du2nNUiPIpzAXi1B8zX1Y4LAbyyMHBcXwlZdpeyhvV3Ju-TjGs-tBFlUDBrvtQuhPnF0fu7kdzWrYN0NZXaKpNQKJ_w4O9aJDHqUE-z79Icq6VcEzhSJin20v1nAUfhD6boID776g/s400/anatomy.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When looking at this <i>Anatomy Lesson</i> it’s easy to believe that much effort was made to create a fantastic portrait of each individual man, even the poor criminal whose body is being taken apart for the sake of scientific discovery and teaching - he lies motionless wearing his ashen skin rather naturally.<br />
<br />
One element of the painting that is often over-looked, but fascinating none the less, is that the right arm of the corpse is too short when compared to the rest of the body. This is the only imperfection I can find when reviewing Rembrandt’s <i>Anatomy Lesson</i>, and modern x-rays of the arm reveal that it was originally painted as a stump without a hand, which reflects the truth of the situation. The criminal’s hand was chopped off as part of his punishment for being an armed robber, and then he was hanged. What this tells us is that Rembrandt most likely attended the actual dissection in preparation for his painting, and the missing hand was painted over the arm-stump later. Why did the painter do this? Did the surgeons wish to pretty-up the painting? Or was it Rembrandt’s decision? When one studies the work closely, from the rich flesh-tones of the living to the blueish-gray of the dead, including all the clothing and instruments and props, and the expressions of every body within the space, the conclusion has to be that it was at the direction of the surgeons.<br />
<br />
Whoever delegated the alteration, a puzzling point still remains. Why did the artist simply make a hand on top of the stump instead of extending it from the wrist joint as it would naturally be? Rembrandt was a realist who painted the truth as he saw it, whether it was ugly or beautiful. He painted from nature, always. More than that, when he considered composition, he combined inspiration from nature with elements from those he admired most; Caravaggio and the other Italian masters. He was an intellectual artist who calculated every inch of his canvas and painted accordingly. My gut tells me that Rembrandt thought that the painting was perfect with the stump, and the hand was simply painted because he had to do it to please the patrons, so he placed the new limb in an area that did not affect the white loin cloth of the dead, or any other space around it. It’s the only part of the piece that is not true to life.<br />
<br />
With <i>The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp</i>, Rembrandt believed he hit his stride and this painting was proof to the world that he was a master equal to the Italians everyone loved. He signed his forename for the first time in the upper right hand corner of the canvas. Rembrandt. In his mind, he must have believed he belonged with Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Caravaggio, and the world needed to know him on a first name basis. The rest of Amsterdam society believed Rembrandt to be great, too, for the Anatomy Lesson was a huge success that propelled him to the status of Holland’s absolute best portrait painter. His reputation was established and he settled down into a life as a wealthy, successful man. All the self-portraits he executed during this period show the content painter loaded with confidence and faith in his future and position as a master artist.<br />
<br />
When I first read the story of Rembrandt’s early years I became fascinated with the idea that he didn’t follow the established rule. His schooling was short and influence from his teachers limited. He took the basics, then walked away to find his own interpretation of technique, and didn’t seem to admire his contemporaries enough to follow them. Rather, he adored the work of the Renaissance masters and hungrily sought examples from them to emulate. In reality, he was combining the very new with the very old and the end result was a stunningly powerful mix that would push him to a place of high honour. Are his paintings the thing that makes high honour so? Or is it the artist himself?<br />
<br />
After all my years of study, I have come to believe that his nature has everything to do with our respect for the painter from Leiden. And, his nature was all about process and understanding. I admire his steadfastness; his ability to pick up his brush and simply paint as he wanted to paint; his urges to explore beyond examples left by the masters before him, as well as contemporaries around him; his will to survive which allowed him to continue during times when most people would have crumbled; his tendency to buck the established system and never bow down for the sake of money; most of all, I admire his sense of self.<br />
<br />
He dares us to look at him, with all his self-portraits. This man is an enigma who has challenged historians since before he died. His life was devoted to painting and teaching, yet he left no journals or books that speak of his processes or intent. He does not tell us how the applications came to be, or why. Even with our scientific brilliance we cannot understand his simple act of impasto or varnishing techniques. We can only study the paintings. Those tell us he followed the general process of <i><a href="http://www.essentialvermeer.com/technique/technique_drawing.html">inventing</a></i>, <a href="http://www.essentialvermeer.com/technique/technique_underpainting.html"><i>dead colouring</i></a>, and <i><a href="http://www.essentialvermeer.com/technique/technique_working_up.html">work-up</a></i>. Everything about his paintings follow the rules set forth by the traditions of painting, as well as rules established by the art scene of his day. Yet, everything about his application has a twist. Rules are bent and subjects are a reflection of the raw world around him, not a classical ideal at all. With this in mind, one can only think that in Rembrandt’s mind process was important and good, yet the individual perspective must provide a balance of honesty in an otherwise cookie-cutter world. If I were to advise anyone who wishes to become a painter, I’d tell them to build a strong foundation of technical prowess, then search their soul for the honesty one needs to find the perfect place of self, for what is seen through those eyes can only be beautiful and good.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>suggested reading: </div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=criticalup-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0810943174&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-58049542360792674452010-06-03T12:03:00.000-07:002010-06-03T17:24:16.547-07:00Aesthetically, A Resting<div style="text-align: left;">Paintings are such special things. Have you ever seen one that you immediately came to adore and you knew as time passed you’d find yourself thinking about it, wishing you could have found a way to make it your own? I was musing about one like that today, about a precious little pastel depicting sea lions on rugged ocean beach rocks. It was one of the last paintings mastered through our print-shop and as it went through the process I sat with it for a long while – just looking. The colours were so gentle. The animals naturally congregated for moments of rest and relaxation. The hand that applied the chalk knew so surely how to sculpt her vision as she used the velvety-quality of a well done pastel to her advantage.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWt8mDvAHffySODsZtiWR6YCW34cqfkcq3LLxYRQUdmGLltUm8U11CfbT0PR5gLvAT-6C6EsQUIqafWiGdQ0Y2tRUB5sk_K364ioQoLFXBfRdt4aSTp8V1Q4FHwespHpdkorSuV5Csrg/s1600/At+Rest%C2%A9InaProsser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWt8mDvAHffySODsZtiWR6YCW34cqfkcq3LLxYRQUdmGLltUm8U11CfbT0PR5gLvAT-6C6EsQUIqafWiGdQ0Y2tRUB5sk_K364ioQoLFXBfRdt4aSTp8V1Q4FHwespHpdkorSuV5Csrg/s400/At+Rest%C2%A9InaProsser.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><i><b>"At Rest" </b>by </i></span><a href="http://www.artandsoulgallery.com/artists/iprosser.html">Ina Prosser. </a> © <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All rights reserved.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Accepted into the <i>15th Juried Exhibition of the International Association of Pastel Art - 2010</i></div><br />
The piece is titled <i><b>At Rest</b></i> and I know the artist made it as she remembered her walks along a California beach years ago. For me, this painting did something that few paintings can do. It brought forth pure emotional reaction. I was amazed as I held my breath and let my eyes dance over the many little dashed lines of colour ... so gentle, so controlled. Technically it was sound in composition and colour work, the balance was solid and atmosphere believable, but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted to feel it.<br />
<br />
I think it may be that this painting came into my life at a moment when I needed the freshness of its concept. There is this thing called an aesthetic experience that we painters constantly strive to achieve, and viewers sometimes capture through our work. Some call it an <i>Aesthetic Arrest</i>. It’s tough to describe because it lives in a place that is not definable with words; it is not the same for each person; nor even the same for the same person every time. It’s a mental experience that requires complete surrender of the left side of the brain to the right. Women have a better chance to achieve it simply because of how our brains are built, but men can capture it, too. When we are working in our studios and find the ‘zone’, we are actually plowing through artwork as an aesthetic experience guides what our hands and eyes are doing. We have no sense of time. We forget how to perform simple life functions, like going to the bathroom, eating, drinking, or even talking. In my prime painting days my zone time would last from 8 to 16 hours. I had learned ways to enhance and maintain the experience by fueling-up on protein and carbs before I’d begin; having a thermos or two of coffee and lots of water at hand; no telephone lines or doorbells allowed; and a constant stream of violin and piano concertos by Mozart. I’d end a long session all sweaty with aching hands, shoulders, and very tired eyes. At the end of those days I’d shiver with a chill, then wrap in a blanket where I would fall asleep so soundly twelve alarms couldn’t stir me in the least. I had extreme aesthetic experiences in my studio and that made me an extremely prolific painter. <br />
<br />
As business and responsibility took over my world those experiences were less and less, and so was my production. The last year of our business became so stressful that I believe I forgot how to stop and enjoy the moments a painting can give. With my own art, I only painted one day a week, pulling out six hours of production, tops. Meanwhile with business, hundreds of paintings a month used to flow through the print-shop, the recession took away 90% of that flow. I wasn’t the only artist constrained by the cash-choke-hold and chaotic economic times. Every painter I knew was suffering.<br />
<br />
Right about the time it became obvious that our print-shop would not survive, this little painting came through and it caused me to pause and remember. It wasn’t painting or art or business that I thought about, nor my studio or easel or brushes. But a moment. A moment of fresh air and rejuvenation. Time with my dear family and nature. Simple beauty. I marveled at the delicate perfection of the human hand and mind, the sensitive nature that lightly placed periwinkles and golden yellows in ways that expressed form and life. Life ... breathing animals at peace for a moment just by the side of the big and open world of moving tidewaters, wind, rain, and fog. A rest.<br />
<br />
The most amazing thing to me about an aesthetic experience is the truth that all of my senses participate. In the case of this little painting, I smelled salt while I was zoned with it. I felt the ocean breeze and heard the distant gulls. The power of nature could be heard as water swells gurgled against the wet sand. I was transported by feeling to another place, another time, another moment. <br />
<br />
That is what a painting can do for a viewer. It does the same for the creator, too. There is no doubt that when a painter feels the groove of an idea, that comes through in the finished product. It is especially so with a technically sound artist ... one who knows how to design and draft so well that those qualities can take a back seat and perform beautifully while the brain plays in the land of emotion. Ina Prosser made the little sea lion piece and all her years of learning and doing came together to build an aesthetic experience for me. Beauty, in her own humble words, is a result of life experience:<br />
<br />
“ We all respond to the ocean, sand dunes, green forests, sparkling water, fields of flowers, colors of fall, snow, warm fire, and a bountiful table, as well as all the tragedies of our lives. Some will write about it, some will make music or sculptures, and some will paint. As a result of our life experiences we will each express ourselves in our own way. That is the beauty of art.”<br />
<br />
Appreciating art comes from that very same perspective. I cannot tell you how many times a patron came to me, seeking to hire a commission where I would imitate a painting that moved them years ago. They’ve been seeking that feeling, or subject, or idea, and cannot find anything that stimulates them like the original. Perhaps I could do that for them? The answer to that is always, “No. I can’t.” Nor could any other painter, not even the artist who created the first one that began the quest. Every painting experience is unique, so is every finished work of art.<br />
<br />
If you, as a patron, find yourself so amazingly moved in the moment with a painting or drawing or whatever, find a way to take it home right then. It’ll end up being a part of your memory, otherwise, and regrets will come if you don’t. More than that, good artists need support these days, and I don’t mean the artists that critics claim are the great ones of our day, nor even ‘museum’ copies of previous masters that you’ve been taught to love. I mean those quiet artists that live in your community, who are trying to find a why to make enough money to pay the bills, buy more paints and supplies.<br />
<br />
I wish I could have purchased Ina’s painting. It is a masterpiece I would surely have cherished as it allowed me to take a moment of rest when I needed it most. Instead, I am a patron stuck with a just the memory ...Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-31090559409344625442010-05-31T08:50:00.000-07:002010-06-03T17:07:32.128-07:00And We Throw the Remote Because ....When was the last time you watched one of those movies that just pissed you off? Not pissed because of content or storyline, just pissed because you felt you’ve been duped and wasted nearly two hours of off-time. And, what’s worse about the pissy movie is the truth that the previews didn’t look all that bad and you know it could have been lightly entertaining, or at least mildly cute. Expectations weren’t that high anyway, simply because it was just a silly romance/comedy. How hard could it be to make one of those that is palatable? <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Notting-Hill-Collectors-Hugh-Grant/dp/B000023VTP?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>Notting Hill</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000023VTP" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> did it. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/50-First-Dates-Widescreen-Special/dp/B0001Z3TXE?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>50 First Dates</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0001Z3TXE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> did it. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weeks-Notice-Widescreen-Snap-Case/dp/B00008NRI8?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>Two Weeks Notice</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00008NRI8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> pulled it off. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Special-Cary-Elwes/dp/B00005LOKQ?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>The Princess Bride</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005LOKQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> felt like a classic while doing it.<b><i> </i></b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Big-Fat-Greek-Wedding/dp/B00006FMUW?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00006FMUW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> was exceptional at it. Even in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Splash-Tom-Hanks/dp/6305291500?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>Splash</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=6305291500" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> it was ok to watch a fella fall for a fish. But this thing I saw last night ... oh ... my .... gosh!<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>What in the world is up with Sarah Jessica Parker? </div><div><br />
</div><div>I confess I had never seen her in anything before and couldn’t pick her out in a crowd of ten. I heard she was in something rather popular called <b><i>Sex in the City</i></b>. I think that was a television show, but I don’t watch TV so I wouldn’t know about that. They might have even made a movie or two out of it. I just don’t positively know. However it comes, I’m not one who will give time to something called <b><i>Sex in the City</i></b>. If sex is different in the city, I don’t want to know about it. If it’s not different in the city, what’s the point of putting it to film? I admit, here and now, I could be very wrong with this opinion. I only know I stopped watching TV by choice for a specific reason a long time ago. I will probably dig into that subject one day, but today, I’m rather inclined to talk about the movie that pissed me off. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The thing that can make a movie work, even if the writing is ordinary, or the sets are cheesey, or the director is clumsy ... is the cast. If chemistry between people can be found then things like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Pie-Movie-Pack-Collection/dp/B0009ZE9VW?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>American Pie</i></b> </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0009ZE9VW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />can have success. If chemistry falters, then colossal failure can make the best of scripts go bad. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This movie had Hugh Grant as comedy/romantic lead. He’s a given okee-dokee for this sort of role. Easy as pie, he can pull it off. Sam Elliot played a ranch hand and State Marshall. He rode horses, shot a gun, and tossed horse-shoe-ringers like batting a bug. Wow! That’s another easy as pie. Two for two. Mary Steenburgen played the roll of Elliot’s wife and she looked just like a ranch-hand lady I know, even talked just like her (Hi, Teresa) ... pulled it off. Easy as pie. But the female lead ... Parker. She parked the film dead in it’s tracks.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Why so harsh, you ask? Have you seen her try to act? Have you heard her voice drone on and on ... apparently never shutting up while her hands constantly touch her hair? For the first time ever my family and I hit mute when her speaking parts came, and would only resume volume once we saw her co-star’s eyes glazing over and the camera switching to the next scene. What is strange about that is none of us felt like we missed any of the story. Add to it, I’ve seen Hugh Grant in many films and, sure, he’s a stiff English guy that always looks uncomfortable around girls, but there’s a consistent sense of likability between characters. Not in this film. Grant and Parker have all the chemistry of pint-sized mosquito and a horny-toad. It was really painful to watch and I don’t hold that against Hugh Grant. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So, I’ve had a day to simmer with this stupid movie. That’s probably why I’m pissed because, now, it’s taken far more than the nearly two hours I spent with it last evening. I’m trying to understand why I had such a bad reaction to this actress. How could the first ten minutes of the film tempt me to throw the remote at the TV and run away screaming? And why didn’t we just turn it off once we saw what it was?</div><div><br />
</div><div>I know, for me, it’s the ying/yang thing. You can’t see the light without the dark. You can’t have an up without a down. You can’t miss what is gone if you don’t see the now. Parker is the now.</div><div><br />
</div><div>What is gone? Beautiful, classy, mannered, respectful, magic, intelligent, stimulating, mysterious, well dressed, healthy.</div><div><br />
</div><div>What is now? Painfully fake, rude, ugly, disrespectful, predictable, ordinary, boring, self-centered, frumpy, judgmental.</div><div><br />
</div><div>What is gone? Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn, Maureen O’Hara, Vivien Leigh, Natalie Wood, Raquel Welch, Joan Crawford.</div><div><br />
</div><div>What is now? Sarah Jessica Parker, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston, Angelia Jolie, Pamela Anderson, Sharon Stone, Lindsay Lohan.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Take a moment to think about that.</div><div><br />
</div><div>You know, it never really mattered how physically pretty an actress was back in the day. She always looked good – just by the clothing, hair and, most importantly, the manner in which she carried herself. The same was true for the men. I miss that ... The biggest rebels of them all (like Francis Farmer, for instance) bucked the system a bit and didn’t play the game by letting Hollywood choose their name or who they’d marry for public relations. But they always looked good (In Francis’s case, at least until they put her in an asylum and hid her away ... but that’s another story). From the point of view of the kid who sat at the theater munching popcorn, those people who acted were simply amazing and perfect humans. Today I often want to throw the remote at them. </div><div><br />
</div><div>It shouldn’t really matter how Hollywood presents it’s players, but it does. Young people imitate what they admire and Hollywood heroes influence far more than we give them credit for. It goes deeper than that, though ... deeper than the superficial “this is how I’m going to dress and wear my hair and talk” imitation sort of thing. I’m thinking of simple behavior. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I’m not sure when that element of our society changed, exactly, though I suspect it had something to do with curtailing descipline (I don’t count time-outs as discipline), the halting of teaching of etiquette (yes, I walked around with a book on my head and learned to eat soup without slurpping), and twisting a truly defined sense of masculine/feminine (don’t read into this one, I’ve always supported equality and women’s rights - I’m talking about simple balance here, like nature balances). </div><div><br />
</div><div>That’s brought us to a place where, I don’t know about you but, I’ve come to detest going where little kids may be simply because it’s difficult to tolerate the screaming, running, whining, demanding little people. I watch many young mothers and it’s pretty easy to see that they don’t know how to parent, they have no control, the kids control them. The sad part is that the children are not bad, and neither are the young mothers, they just don’t know any better. There’s a generation that dropped the parenting-ball somehow and those resulting lost young ones are going to have to figure things out on their own. In the mean time, all the Hollywood hoopla pushes the condition by using toys, clothing, foods, and whatever else they can, as vessels to slap the latest-greatest movie character onto. It is their intention to drive the demanding kids to beg the young parents to buy, buy, buy. It’s working. And it’s killing our society. It’s killing it faster than Joe Camel could have ever dreamed.</div><div><br />
</div><div>In my ponderings you are going to find me talking about movies that have survived their opening season and are now only available on DVD (except for special occassions when I may go to the theater). I’m inviting all who will listen to try this approach with me. Stop playing Hollywood’s hoopla game and spend some time at home, with your family, watching thought provoking productions. Skip the commercials and sales pitches, fast forward through previews that scream and flash and push mediocracy. Consider the players; learn who’s writing, directing, making costumes and sets. Verify movies based on truths and find yourselves talking about life and people. (It's like reading a good book together if you play it right) It doesn't matter how much money is spent on a film (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Will-Hunting-Robin-Williams/dp/0788814664?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>Good Will Hunting</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0788814664" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0788814664" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>), it doesn’t even matter if the star is well-known. What really matters is quality. So much of the time it’s about money, it seems, and who pulls in the most on opening week. Forget about that and let’s enjoy things that have stood the test of time, either short term or long. Let’s reward creativity of the mind, not of the marketing. ‘Cause, dang it! Sarah Jessica Parker is a terrible actress ...</div><div><br />
</div><div>And Sarah Jessica Parker makes me think of these things. Damn. <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">** The movie is called </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Did You Heard About the Morgans?</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I recommend you avoid this one ... **</span></div><div> </div><div><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"></span></span>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-65007095976645844942010-05-27T23:26:00.000-07:002010-06-15T09:30:17.451-07:00It’s Time for Your Close-upI sat in the dentist’s chair this morning waiting for my turn with the tooth man, when the assistant asked if I’d like a magazine to read.<br />
<br />
“No, thanks.” I said. “I’ve read all in the rack.” <br />
<br />
The selections were rags about <i>Outdoor Camping</i> (as opposed to what? Indoor?) and <i>How Things Work</i>. Pretty simulating reads for a dentist’s visit and interesting enough three months ago. She said she had a new magazine in her car and proceeded to fetch it for me. It was <i>People</i>. Sorry, but I think that is some of the most boring dribble out there and I’m too old to begin to appreciate the faces on the pages. I really don’t know any of the modern ‘stars’ and I don’t watch TV. I go to the movies about once a year for a reason. I like to buy DVDs after the newness wears away and they cost what they are worth. I like to watch my movies at home with the volume set at a place that doesn’t rattle my brain. I like to fast forward through really bad previews that I’ve seen again and again. I like my popcorn fresh with real butter on it (not too much), with a cup of perfectly warm coffee on the side, and chase that with icy cold and yummy water. I like movies that are well written and played, especially stories about exceptional people in extraordinary situations ... I don’t care about special effects or who’s the ‘hotty’ of the day. I’m an old dork, actually, and I’m ok with that.<br />
<br />
None the less, there I sat with <i>People</i>, thumbing through the pages and catching glimpses of terribly dressed and apparently famous young people with names I do not know, feeling incredibly aged and out of date. There was the Sandra Bullock story, er ... Jesse James story, but I don’t care how he feels at all. I like Sandra’s acting and think he has too many tattoos. But, who cares how he <i>feels</i>? Not me. I was only happy that I actually recognized those two people in that <i>People</i> magazine. I found myself more fascinated with the advertising, honestly. At least those felt creative so I kept on thumbing through. Then, just a few pages from the back, I came across an advertisement for an HBO movie that’s soon to air. I recognized Michael Sheen’s face right away and immediately snapped to attention. I like Michael Sheen. A lot. <br />
<br />
The film advertised is called <b><i><a href="http://www.hbo.com/movies?cmpid=ABC290#/movies/the-special-relationship">The Special Relationship</a></i></b> and it is about the friendship between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. Sheen, naturally, plays the part of Blair. It is the third major film in which he performs that character and I’m wondering how long it will be before Americans actually <i>believe</i> he <i>is</i> Tony Blair. He looks very similar to the politician, and plays him so believably well. The part of Clinton is portrayed by Dennis Quaid, which has me a little concerned but, by the photo in the ad, Dennis pudged up a bit, grayed his hair, and if he pulls off the Clinton speaking style then maybe I’ll believe enough that it’s him. Maybe.<br />
<br />
After catching the actors and the general subject, I read that this film was written by Peter Morgan. That, right there, is the reason I will make a point to find this movie once it comes out on DVD. If you do not recognize Morgan’s name, you may be familiar with some of his work. Two of my all time favorite films were written by Morgan, and both of those starred Michael Sheen.<br />
<br />
The first was produced in 2006 and Helen Mirren won an Oscar for her performance as <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Helen-Mirren/dp/B00005JPAO?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Queen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005JPAO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. Sheen, naturally, played the part of Blair. The plot reflects an intimate, behind the scenes struggle between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair after the death of Lady Diana in 1997. The Royal Family wanted to keep the tragedy private, while the public demanded an overt display of mourning. Most of us know the story well. Most of us remember the week after Diana died. Few remember that Blair had been Prime Minister for only three months and the handling of public relations would set how the world perceived the man, and modern Royalty for that matter.<br />
<br />
The story isn’t what I liked about the movie. I’d seen several others regarding Lady Diana and Prince Charles and found them tired and tedious. This film had a freshness about it, an authenticity that lead me to believe I really was peeking in on their world. Helen Mirren was fabulous as Elizabeth. Combine solid performances with Peter Morgan’s story telling style and you end up with what feels somewhat like a documentary. And, I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. I mean it in the sense that it’s an honest documentation of real and specific events. Watching the movie brought back many memories of the week Diana died and I just wanted to say one more ‘amen’ for her at the end of it. That was a nice feeling after a movie like that.<br />
<br />
The second Morgan film taught me that what was special about <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Helen-Mirren/dp/B00005JPAO?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Queen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005JPAO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> was equally true for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frost-Nixon-Frank-Langella/dp/B001TH92N4?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>Frost/Nixon</i></b></a><b><i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001TH92N4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> (2009). I almost didn’t buy this film because I hate the way Hollywood portrays Richard Nixon. It’s not that I love Nixon, or that I’m saying I agree or disagree about whether he was the worst president ever or that he was he overly villianized. I simply don’t like it when a movie and it’s performers tilt a story to make me believe it their way, and when they present Nixon they generally make a goon out of him. I’m not interested in seeing Nixon the goon ... I’ve seen enough of that already. I want to know what really happened. <br />
<br />
I was 16 years old when Nixon sat down for an interview with David Frost and I remember well the moment the former President broke.<br />
<br />
“I let the American people down. And I'll have to carry the burden the rest of my life."<br />
<br />
I wanted to thank him for saying that back then. I wanted to thank David Frost for finally getting someone to sit down and talk about the chaos our politicians had delivered. Because, after that interview, it seemed America could finally move on and we did, and that was that.<br />
<br />
What prompted me to buy <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frost-Nixon-Frank-Langella/dp/B001TH92N4?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Frost/Nixon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001TH92N4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> was knowing that Peter Morgan wrote it, which led me to hope it would be as honest as <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Helen-Mirren/dp/B00005JPAO?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Queen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005JPAO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>, and Ron Howard directed it (No matter what you think of Ron Howard’s politics, you must admit his movies are entertaining and pretty honest). And Sheen, naturally, plays the part of David Frost. I was hoping for a little insight not about the Watergate scandal (that’s another subject that’s been over-done and worn out), but about what prompted Nixon to sit down for hours of taped interviews with a British jet-setting playboy. When watching the original airing of the interview I did sense the battle of wits going on, and the moment Nixon uttered those truthful words we all understood his political career was over. He gambled, and he lost. Just as Frost gambled, and he won.<br />
<br />
Morgan, just as he did in <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Helen-Mirren/dp/B00005JPAO?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Queen</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005JPAO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>, interweaved actual archived news footage from the time period and wrote his script in an almost word-for-word narration of the real thing. Both he and director Howard let the actual events speak for themselves and that really was refreshing to see. I did learn what drove the interview. Sheen played Frost so well I quickly forgot Tony Blair, and Langella delivered the essence of Nixon so well that when that final interview brought the lingering close-up, I grinned in remembrance of the moment Nixon realized it was all over for him. Even knowing the story and remembering the infamous line, the time spent with this film felt like a pay-off well worth it.<br />
<br />
Political films are beasts I generally try to avoid, unless there may be some truth in them that is free from political agenda. The two mentioned above are examples of the best sort of docudramas out there. I have high hopes for <b><i>The Special Relationship</i></b>. Again, I’ll be watching some history from my time, with characters and events I followed as they were happening. The media, as media does, tried to sway my opinion then by feeding limited and sterilized information. The ‘other side’ tried to persuade by outrageous claims and accusations. I have my sense of the truth about it, but do look forward to verifications and enlightenment. For sure, I’ll already be inclined to believe what I see, simply because Peter Morgan is so darned authentic.<br />
<br />
And that’s what I learned at the dentist today.Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-42240177842823382562010-05-25T17:10:00.000-07:002010-06-15T09:31:01.860-07:00There is No Crying in Baseball!As I was looking over the news the other morning I was caught by the headline “Player portrayed in 'A League of their Own' dies.” I really did enjoy that movie but, more than that, I enjoyed the portrayal of women who stood in the face of criticism and followed their dreams. In their day there wasn’t much opportunity for that but it seems like when opportunity did arise, some gals went beyond just being good at something ... they excelled. It’s true, the movie was a fictional account, but the characters in the film were composites of real ball players living through real incidents. One must still understand that the original players who consulted for the film, or who spoke in interviews later, all agreed that Dorothy Kamenshek was the main inspiration for Dottie (played by Geena Davis).<br />
<br />
Dorothy was the clear superstar of the real women’s league and was chosen as one of the Top 100 Female Athletes of the Century by <i>Sports Illustrated</i>. She played first base (in the movie she played catcher position) and was a slugger of a batter who could hit with power, or bunt gently when necessary. She was a smart, tough, player who stole 109 bases in 1946, and was so beautiful that she did wind up on the cover of <i>Life </i>magazine. She would perform stunts (like doing the splits when catching a ball) and that helped drive the popularity of women’s professional baseball to the point of tens of thousands of folks filling the stands as the women played.<br />
<br />
The evening after I read that Kamenshek passed I dug out the old dvd and watched the movie again. I wouldn’t have thought a film like <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/League-Their-Own-Special/dp/B0001GF2CE?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">League of Their Own</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0001GF2CE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> would hold up so well over time, but it does. It is kind of sentimental storytelling, and sitting through anything with Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna is a tough concept to anticipate. Still, both were likable back then and the story of women’s strength is powerful as ever. It is funny and thought provoking and those are wonderful traits in any film. Actually, this movie was well cast and if you read about what was removed for the sake of time, you’d probably agree that editing was superb. <br />
<br />
I often wonder how young women today feel about characters like Dorothy and her team-mates. Is there any concept of the strife and pain the gals faced? Of the physical and mental demands? As a female who grew up in the middle of women’s movement, I was ‘first’ girly in a ‘man’s’ job and was picketed by folks who objected. I had things thrown at me and was taunted daily about how I should stay in the kitchen and make babies. Today, young women can work pretty much anywhere they want, and their wages closer reflect what the male counter-part makes for the same sort of work. Like it or not, women such as Dorothy Kamenshek made that possible.<br />
<br />
There were more than Dorothy, though, and many of them are nearly lost in hubbub of our fast-paced entertainment industry. I’m going to introduce to you a woman who performed well in the Sport of Kings – who helped open the doors for generations of girls with a dream. She had the strength of character to ignore the taunting, to perform through broken bones and spills while she kept flashing that winning smile, appearing in commercials for <i>Lady Clairol, Dutch Masters Cigars, A&W Rootbeer</i>, and <i>Burger Chef</i>. She was also featured on <i>To Tell the Truth</i> and <i>What’s My Line</i> and was written about in popular magazines including <i>People</i> and <i>Sports Illustrated</i>. It seems especially notable that in the dirty world of sports it is important for the Powers That Be to include and promote the pretty ‘girly’.<br />
<br />
When this lady was tops in her sport she was known as Donna Hillman, and was one of the first generation professional female horse jockeys. As it was for all women racers, she struggled to get mounts and traveled from track to track until, in Atlantic City, she had the leading win percentage of all riders. In Jamaica, during three months there, she rode twelve races a day and won many daily doubles, earning her the nickname “Double Donna”. In 1973 she represented the USA in the Inaugural International Ladies Race in Australia. Hillman rode professionally from 1971 through 1976, and is justly being recognized for her efforts in an upcoming feature length documentary titled <b><i><a href="http://www.jockthemovie.com/">Jock</a></i></b>, which is about the first generation of female jockeys who, in the late 60's and early 70's, fought for the right to ride professionally.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4uY9XPXS9IrAqGNfTR8c4eck35QrqmvtyZrp_7dg0IG5TNgAKN7op9vyNRS3q9ORv2CakFdo3oCCvYu3QonCmbNoBbYylYlwQdAnzBciGtdn09rwN_3F1ve_xrfoKRjIG6Srfkp8erY/s1600/13306_114613745224107_100000264457416_191748_5262496_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4uY9XPXS9IrAqGNfTR8c4eck35QrqmvtyZrp_7dg0IG5TNgAKN7op9vyNRS3q9ORv2CakFdo3oCCvYu3QonCmbNoBbYylYlwQdAnzBciGtdn09rwN_3F1ve_xrfoKRjIG6Srfkp8erY/s200/13306_114613745224107_100000264457416_191748_5262496_n.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>To get a little perspective on the importance of someone like Hillman, one must realize that in 1968 horse racing was the most popular American sport. It attracted more attendance than football, baseball, or auto racing. Most notably, it’s long history and traditions precluded women from ever becoming professional jockeys. They were considered the weaker sex. A director of the Jockey Club said, “They’re not strong enough to be good riders. They’ll freeze. They’ll panic.” Another trainer continued “ .... all women are like housewives. If you watch a woman at a stop-light, she’s the slowest one to accelerate because her reflexes aren’t as good as a man’s.” It took a lawsuit regarding sexual discrimination to change that pompous control and in early 1969 the Sport of Kings became fair game for either gender. <br />
<br />
The United States became the first nation in the world to allow women professional status as horse jockeys and to run against men. Of course, the male ego was threatened and they boycotted. They threw rocks and bricks at the ladies. They held back opportunity and mounts. But ... it was only a matter of time. Those pioneering women who blazed the way tolerated the intense pressure that they stay in the kitchen and played by the rule that they had to be better and more perfect than any man. As gals, we need to tip our hat to them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTj_9K2XUSKdSCI0dhptNpmDaJiAe7sMoCSCLyt3Fg6DjpYZ2yYcCVI1MDiHSwKuMNcK5x72At4x6CBXMfLB5aFasxOZANmAWrzzp04Edl3vxC1Xlzj-_KvL5-nKnU6AM1IbnnJif65Dw/s1600/13306_114580731894075_100000264457416_191651_6247990_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTj_9K2XUSKdSCI0dhptNpmDaJiAe7sMoCSCLyt3Fg6DjpYZ2yYcCVI1MDiHSwKuMNcK5x72At4x6CBXMfLB5aFasxOZANmAWrzzp04Edl3vxC1Xlzj-_KvL5-nKnU6AM1IbnnJif65Dw/s400/13306_114580731894075_100000264457416_191651_6247990_n.jpg" width="400" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> Donna Hillman and Dun Pen, her first winner, breezing at Belmont</span></a></div><br />
Surely, there are those asking, “What does this have to do with creativity?” The answer is simple. As I stated in a previous post, I’ve met a lot of different kinds of creative people – one thing they have in common is an intense desire to be the best they can be. They don’t follow the <i>norma</i>l rules set up by those that run the society ... and those that run the society seem to believe that the more creative we are in our thinking, the worse off society would be. Well, I don’t agree with that at all and I think our general urge to be creative and different is something that struggles for realization all the time. Pay attention to the traits you find in creative people and look for any relationship that ties perfectionism and purpose to creative product. Music. Movies. Writing. Painting. Performance. What you will find as relationship is worth understanding.<br />
<br />
In the case of Donna Hillman, let’s first call her by the name she is known by today. It is Donna Walsh and she is a good friend of mine. I love to talk racing days with her but, beyond all that, we enjoy discussing painting (both hers an mine) whenever we can. Donna began her relationship with horses through her love of art. She, at the age of 14, sold her first two paintings and bought a horse, which lead her to the race track, and on and on. That is not normal behavior for a 14 year old kid. But, Donna did not grow up with normal boundaries of society. Her mother was a movie starlet in the ‘30s and ‘40s known as Joan Barclay. As typical, creativity for Donna didn't fall far from the family tree.<br />
<br />
When Donna retired from racing she devoted her energy and time to painting. Over the years she’s developed a style that is charged with passion, holding a delightful grasp on that most wonderful thing known as value. In laymen’s terms, her sense of dark to light is strong and exercising that quality in a controlled manner does give each two dimensional work a delicious sense of depth. I would wish for everyone to meet Donna on those days when she emerges from her studio, still smeared with paint from head to toe and pacing almost nervously as she chats on about whatever is exciting her at the moment. You can see her brain working, feel the energy of a person who is bursting with desire to express charges that are racing through her mind. When she focuses that energy to accomplish an end, it’s powerful.<br />
<br />
Over the years it has been my job to meet artists, help them become better at their craft, critique their handiwork, seek inspiration, and explore ways to self-promote. When I consider all that I’ve met, I have to say that Donna is the most tenacious, always eager to drift in another direction if it appears a better route. I know she understands very well that there are many paths up that proverbial mountain, and the view from the top is still the same. She will do whatever needs done to get there. Most importantly, she constantly works on fine-tuning her skill with the brush so every painting she makes seems to be better than the last. That is the ideal state for an artist. <br />
<br />
When I view Donna’s body of work I find I am drawn to two paintings in particular. One, called <b><i>Hawg Dawg</i></b> is an oil showcasing her dog, Peetie, looking like he’s ready for a ride on across country. Her love of animals is evident in many of her works, but this one brings that notion home just a little bit stronger. Her point of interest is in our face, and I like that. I’ve met Peetie. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7D42ngmujCkQGOskxk3RXOheMXb07mEwULq8FgdedfVAMSsCqhqq604EiOMUmPGyiae9vCj604bIUJgG0XtH_hsR9J9hwliGuAJk5xva7vrqPt51Ex9E2TEVP-nvtLQJ0sIbxAYjPKjw/s1600/13306_114093748609440_100000264457416_189568_5765419_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7D42ngmujCkQGOskxk3RXOheMXb07mEwULq8FgdedfVAMSsCqhqq604EiOMUmPGyiae9vCj604bIUJgG0XtH_hsR9J9hwliGuAJk5xva7vrqPt51Ex9E2TEVP-nvtLQJ0sIbxAYjPKjw/s400/13306_114093748609440_100000264457416_189568_5765419_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The second work that strikes me as prime is a piece she calls <b><i>Horsing Around</i></b>. Lighting in this, as well as <b><i>Hawg Dawg</i></b>, is supreme and well controlled. A level of nervous energy emits from both, too, by means of confident brush work and design. When I see these art works, I see Donna’s persona shinning through. That is how it should be in art.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQCQ1OnwfurnY79NUPtPmdZzUogABebi3Kr1M-q_vmrUQiYCwrj9dIBtboVQTX_Wd90Hj66n7OQLHN81uzx6_N1B-lfVgvBiGE658FQyPNAsuX-Lzh7yLl_6Z5RjLfsTHX5lHnbcGL80/s1600/24781_116675141684634_100000264457416_199082_2166973_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQCQ1OnwfurnY79NUPtPmdZzUogABebi3Kr1M-q_vmrUQiYCwrj9dIBtboVQTX_Wd90Hj66n7OQLHN81uzx6_N1B-lfVgvBiGE658FQyPNAsuX-Lzh7yLl_6Z5RjLfsTHX5lHnbcGL80/s400/24781_116675141684634_100000264457416_199082_2166973_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I know there are many who like to believe that we painters should be reflecting what is happening in our society .... I think that is more like social journalism and nothing more than reporting what is outside of ourselves. Then there are those that believe we painters should be simply searching for expression that is not recognizable by representational things – few can paint that way successfully, I think. Those sort of artists must be a chaotic mess of expression to reflect that in a painting (previous post Jackson Pollock is a perfect example of that concept). When I study the timeline of art and honestly search the human element of painters and personalities, I’ve come to believe that our art works really need to reflect who we are as individuals. As people. As thinking and feeling beings. Some of us love beauty and struggle to express it. Some seek perfection. Some are inventive with expression and explore unique approaches of application. The best of them all are honest with themselves. <br />
<br />
Donna Hillman-Walsh is honest with herself and worries about her work being misunderstood. She never wants to come across as a fool, though if you see her at any public function you’ll marvel at her level of confidence and never see the apprehensions she probably feels as you look over her intimate paintings. Knowing her, I do believe we are watching the training her previous career has given. Think long and hard about the difficulties she stood up against back in the racing days and realize her drive is a trait every one of us should possess. As I told my girls many years ago. Never give up. Never surrender. Never say die. Be the ball. It is true you must be twice as good for half the recognition. That was reality in the early-girly horse racing days, and in the days of Dorothy's baseball momma-drama. It’s doubly as true in the world of art today. Let’s tip our hat to Donna and Dorothy for blazing trails many years ago, and especially to Donna for honestly sharing her drive with all of us today. Beautiful art is a beautiful thing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
To view Donna Walsh’s work online: <br />
<a href="http://www.hipart.com/walsh1.html">HIPART.COM</a> or <a href="HTTP://WWW.TMFINEART.COM/">TMFINEART.COM</a><br />
<br />
To follow the production of the movie Jock, visit:<br />
<a href="http://www.jockthemovie.com/">jockthemovie.com</a>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-27726649706533165032010-05-20T23:37:00.000-07:002010-06-15T09:31:38.724-07:00Conception Versus Sterilization - Paint it or Abort!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span>Throughout my life I’ve met many different kinds of creative people. I marvel at most of them. Always, I can’t seem to get enough of their product and find I’m increasingly fascinated by those skills that have plumb evaded me (Like singing ... especially operatic numbers). I have been trying to understand creativity since I was very young and over the years I’ve come to understand that the craftsmanship of creating holds a fundamental truth, no matter the means by which it comes to life. And, that truth is as simple as conception.<br />
<br />
Conception, literally defined, is the act or power of forming notions, ideas, or concepts. A creative person is one who can harness that power.<br />
<br />
Another way to consider conception is to define the word thus: origination; beginning.<br />
<br />
I hurt my brain when I try to think about the conception of conception ... or, the origination of forming notions, ideas, and concepts. It is necessary for me to parcel things down in socratic method and compartmentalize my thoughts to get any sort of handle on this notion. The interrelation between those compartments is a bond worth noting and I work on developing recognition of those ties all the time.<br />
<br />
What makes me vocalize these thoughts today? <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Avatar-Sam-Worthington/dp/B002VPE1AW?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Avatar</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002VPE1AW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. So many people seem to think I really need to watch that film and love it. I am an artist and I will adore the beauty of it. I don’t want to love it. I am turned off by it. Why? One word comes to mind. Sterilization.<br />
<br />
Sterilization, literally defined, is the act of sterilizing; A condition of being sterile or sterilized.<br />
<br />
Another way to think of sterile is to stretch the definition in a botanical (living) sense and say thus: not productive of results, ideas, etc.; fruitless.<br />
<br />
The ironic thing about this thought-line of mine is that <b><i>Avatar</i></b> is considered the very first to pull off 3-D animation of the human form in a fluid and believable way (I’d call it 2.5-D, myself, but that's another story). I have seen trailers for it and can vouch that, yes, it’s more fluid than previous attempts and CGI-ing the human form. I recognize that I am way outnumbered in my lack of interest for this film and that’s ok with me. I have a love for another kind of animation that has been a part of visual creation for a very, very long time. I’d rather talk about that.<br />
<br />
When one thinks of early animation, what first comes to mind? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? Mickey Mouse? I think the answer will depend on the age of the person being asked. Or, perhaps, it will depend on the level of creativity that person holds. I know, for a solid fact, that those of us with the sketching bug used that skill to draw stick men along edges of our text-book pages in school so we could watch them bounce balls and run as we flipped the sheets of bound paper during the teacher’s ever so boring lecture on whatever inane subject was on the docket that day. That’s a long sentence for a big idea. Why so big? It took evolution a long time to teach the human race how to make a stick figure run. So, let’s compartmentalize this idea and figure out how <b><i>Avatar</i></b> came to be, creatively speaking.<br />
<br />
Animation is illusioned movement using still drawings. To find the first invention of such, we have to dig back and back into the history of drawing to look for indicators showing some sort of imagery depicting the same figure with superimposed positions. A drawing like that would indicate that the draftsman conceived movement and struggled to express and suggest it. Believe it or not, that sort of drawing can be seen in Paleolithic cave paintings where animals were shown with multiple legs in superimposed positions. Paleolithic is prehistoric. That is the Old Stone Age ... like, 35,000 years ago or so. Our brains have been trying to figure this out for quite a long time.<br />
<br />
Continuing through the ages we find artists in places like Iran and Egypt suggested implied motion the same way ... so did Leonardo Da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. None of the known samples up to Leo’s time could actually make a stick figure run, though. All moving positions where drawn on the same rock, or wall, or piece of paper. Sometimes there were cartoon-like strips where figures would change position from panel to panel, indicating movement in a very still way. Other times there were lines or arrows added next to the multiple-limbed figure to further indicate motion. That is all that evolved.<br />
<br />
I just laid out about 35,000 years where nothing really changed. Rock to paper was good inventive development, but the actual motion within a drawing remained pretty much the same. I like to think of this as the primitive stage. The beginnings.<br />
<br />
Now, if we dissect animation we find that even a modern creation’s beginnings are really the very same. We just call the primitive stage something else. A Story board.<br />
<br />
One of the greatest (many say <i><b>the</b></i> greatest) Story Board artist was an American Post-Impressionist genius named <b>Mentor Huebner</b>. His prolific-self conceptualized film production for over 250 movies, he had more than 50 one man exhibits (for his fine art), designed 10 theme parks, created more than 2,000 paintings, and produced over 40,000 drawings. He was a powerhouse of creativity. His wife (Louise) is the official witch of Los Angeles, and his son’s (Gregory) left hand was the stunt-double for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s during his Hollywood film making days.<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Film Production, Conceptual Design, and even Visual Development are forms of illustration, and that’s how Mentor Huebner made his living. The key to this sort of work is that the subject matter drawn is beyond the draftsman’s control. The artist must illustrate someone else’s story and look for visual stimuli, or flaws, before final production begins – hopefully saving the studio multiple thousands of dollars in the process. Story Boarding is the way to do this, which is tedious, intricate, and was developed at Walt Disney Studios in the early 1930’s. Huebner worked for Disney at that time and participated in the animation of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Seven-Dwarfs-Adriana-Caselotti/dp/B001AQT11M?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: none;">Snow White and Seven Dwarfs</span></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001AQT11M" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (1937). That movie is considered by many as the first animated feature ever made. (Actually, there were 8 produced before, Snow White was the first successful one. This was also the first movie to use cells for animation.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLP9_zdOrnJb4TrMo_kh4q_DBYVwquo24c9QQxfwFzYEV21le3uVVIsWEPzjjzYdMvB5ufPLy8OHKsY8bMT98VoAVQDDPq__kiElIUuVAe-SeDsGKtuMhDX431hGMmQ69N_DZd1WAAnU/s1600/NbyNW+boards+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLP9_zdOrnJb4TrMo_kh4q_DBYVwquo24c9QQxfwFzYEV21le3uVVIsWEPzjjzYdMvB5ufPLy8OHKsY8bMT98VoAVQDDPq__kiElIUuVAe-SeDsGKtuMhDX431hGMmQ69N_DZd1WAAnU/s400/NbyNW+boards+11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Story Board by Huebner for Hitchcock's "North by Northwest"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i><br />
</i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">As animation goes, the first time someone drew on separate pieces of paper, then flipped those pages to make the stick figure run was in 1868. That breakthrough brought about rapid growth in the entertainment industry.</div><br />
Story Boarding and animation grew together through the 20th century: In 1906 the first animation to film happened, showing a cartoonist interacting with a face that came to life on a chalk board. 1914 brought the first cartoon where an animated character seemed to think and have feelings. The first animated feature film happened in 1917. A film-short of the Three Little Pigs, in 1933, was the first to utilize Story Boarding to outline story sequence. And, 1937 introduced the first animation to have synchronized sound. Understanding the benefit of laying out production, Hollywood brought Story Boarding to live action films in 1939, with (some say) the first completely Story Boarded film being <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Two-Disc-70th-Anniversary/dp/B002M2Z3BA?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Gone With the Wind</a>.</i></b> This process became extremely popular in the early 1940’s and it has since grown into the standard process of movie making. So much so, that when today’s animation directors work on their films, Story Boarding is used so extensively that they have replaced actual scripts.<br />
<br />
The artist behind the Story Board is important to developing the emotional impact of the visual product. If you consider the list of movies Huebner visually conceived, for example, you’ll find a ‘theme’ or ‘mood’ that is all ‘Huebner’: <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Apes-Charlton-Heston/dp/B000E6ESEO?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Planet of the Apes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000E6ESEO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soylent-Green-Charlton-Heston/dp/B0016I0AJG?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Soylent Green</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0016I0AJG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Planet-Two-Disc-Special-Pidgeon/dp/B000HEWEDK?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Forbidden Planet</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000HEWEDK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Total-Recall-Arnold-Schwarzenegger/dp/B00070FX5U?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Total Recall</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00070FX5U" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>. <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Man-Iron-Mask-Leonardo-DiCaprio/dp/0792839137?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Man in the Iron Mask</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0792839137" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>, <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Fellowship-Ring-Widescreen/dp/B00003CWT6?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Lord of the Rings</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00003CWT6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b> (Bakshi) ... the list goes on and on.<br />
<br />
This painter made a living illustrating other people’s ideas. And he was good at it. In his spare time he would paint on canvas. His studio was the great outdoors and he’d plein aire close to home in California, or wherever the studios sent him on movie assignments. He never cared about selling his fine art. In fact, he seldom sold them simply because he wouldn’t let his work live with just anyone. He painted for the love of it and did it one way or the other every day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCllH1AekwsFkERqAx8bg6j0MjL-u0Wmvk8OWaMKwVSK644BoRaBeTUKrgIa-rXhdHmvdXHkJhTJ5FumdWUEemQJiOg4iYukf8X5Cb2IKeM1v7P4nt-_L7iGcPq4UQS2iq5SIVS9FdNjs/s1600/Self-Portrait.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCllH1AekwsFkERqAx8bg6j0MjL-u0Wmvk8OWaMKwVSK644BoRaBeTUKrgIa-rXhdHmvdXHkJhTJ5FumdWUEemQJiOg4iYukf8X5Cb2IKeM1v7P4nt-_L7iGcPq4UQS2iq5SIVS9FdNjs/s320/Self-Portrait.gif" /></a></div>One of my favorite paintings of all time is his self portrait, <b><i>The Artist</i></b>, painted in 1946. He worked in front of a mirror, in the traditional way, and gave us a perfect impression of the artist in the zone; thinking, pondering, evaluating. I spent quite a lot of time talking with his wife and son and learned that he was a confident, yet humble, man who was dearly loved by his family and friends. Today you can enjoy their pride and memories, as well as a good collection of Mentor’s work, at the official Mentor Huebner web site: <b><a href="http://www.mentorhuebnerart.com/">www.mentorhuebnerart.com</a></b><br />
<br />
For me, I’m interested in the links of this story of a creative guy. The first movie I ever saw was <b><i>Gone with the Wind</i></b>. That was the first (some say) movie to completely Story Board sequences and, in the beginning, Mentor Huebner helped develop that process (he was the first to draw story panes on large sheets and tack those to a wall for better viewing). The second movie I ever saw was <b><i>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</i></b>. Not only did Mentor work on that film, he developed and completed the ‘off to work I go’ sequence, which was my favorite. Over the years there have been certain movies that stood out for me, on a creative or moody scale of things. Mentor was the production designer in a considerable number of them (<b><i>Planet of the Apes</i></b>, especially special for me). After I’d grown and found myself working in the art business, I met Gregory and first saw the self portrait of Huebner. I feel in love with that painting and recognized that Rembrandt was the Master that inspired Huebner as a young man. That is the Master that inspired me. And through Gregory I came to know Louise. She is a treasure still living in the same house where Mentor lived and worked; missing him and doing all she can to promote and preserve his art. <br />
<br />
Animation isn’t the same anymore, neither is production for motion pictures. When I spoke about sterility above, I didn’t mean it in a mean way. I think it’s just progress speeding along so quickly that those of us from the old days really do miss the nuances of the human hand. It was brought to my attention in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Single-Disc-Chris-Pine/dp/B002HWRYJE?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><b><i>Star Trek</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002HWRYJE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> film released in 2009. Those creators went back to old cameras to allow for light flares and other flaws. Anything that was CGI-ed was given film flaws to match the old camera work used in the real life sequences. I thought that gave it a better Star Trek feel. I was more comfortable with that look, rather than the ultra clean and perfect CGI world most often seen. We artists have been striving for perfection since the beginning of time and I think computers and the digital age have beaten us to it. When I look at the perfection in something like <b><i>Avatar</i></b> I find myself very depressed. It’s as though our purpose is no more. I feel old. I yearn to put a heavy vinyl on the turn-table so I can enjoy the scratchy sounds of years of enjoyment. <br />
<div><br />
</div></div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-56009297163319982382010-05-18T17:57:00.000-07:002010-06-15T09:32:24.985-07:00Paintings, Movies, and a BookTwo painters, two art movements, two movies, and a really good book.<br />
<br />
The principle of Six Degrees of Separation doesn’t apply in my story because the subjects are naturally much closer than that. Creativity has a tendency to intertwine upon itself and when one studies the human factor in the history of arts, the truth that all creators really are related some how, some way, is easily discovered.<br />
<br />
There hasn’t been much talk linking the artists in my story and that bothers me a bit. Both played a vital role in American Art. <b>One</b> is nearly forgotten, the <i><b>other</b> </i>has become a major figure in a relatively short lived art movement. <b>One</b> was a reputable painter who was considered the future of American art by critics in his heyday; his works were highly regarded while his opinions were always noted. He became an influential teacher that would help shape potential up-and-coming-would-be-masters. The <b><i>other</i></b> was a student who was emotionally out of balance, rebellious as the day is long, and drank alcohol until it killed him. He was a shy Wyoming son who spoke very little, to the point of eventually abandoning the practice of titling his paintings with words. He numbered his them, instead. <br />
<br />
<b>One</b> was in the forefront of the Regionalist art movement in the United States. His fluid and sculptural paintings represented everyday life in America and are mostly associated with the Midwest (notably his mural in the Missouri State Capitol). He did create scores of New York paintings and lived in Martha’s Vineyard for years, but most don’t think of him as the East Coast fellow that he really was. Artistically, he declared himself an “enemy of modernism” and, in 1941, he was dismissed from his teaching position at the Kansas City Art Institute for saying that the typical art museum was, “a graveyard run by a pretty boy with delicate wrists and a swing in his gait." He was a very opinionated man who liked to talk.<br />
<br />
In 1930, the <b><i>other</i></b> followed his older brother east and enrolled with him in the Art Students League of New York, where the <b>one</b> mentioned above became this student’s mentor and teacher. Only fleetingly did the teacher’s rural American subject matter influence him, though surely a rhythmic sense of composition and fierce independence became the more lasting guides for this shy Wyoming son. Once he found his way in the American art scene, he often would say that his teacher’s traditional lessons gave him something to rebel against. It sounded like something his teacher would have said.<br />
<br />
The <b>one</b> who was the teacher was a traditionalist who helped shape several notable art movements: Regionalism, Social Realism, American modernism, American realism, and Synchromism. His natural and representational works showcased everyday people and he did not sugarcoat the past or the present for the sake of a pretty picture. Controversy and criticism followed most public works he created. Folks weren’t comfortable with the teacher's including things like Ku Klux Klan members in full costume, the depiction of slavery, and inclusion of unsavory subjects like the outlaw Jesse James, immorally loose women, and political ‘boss’ Tom Pendergast. His sympathy was consistently directed toward the working class and even when Regionalism fell from favour he remained an active painter for another thirty years.<br />
<br />
When the <b><i>other </i></b>left his teacher and set out to find his own place in the American art scene, he was influenced by the avant-garde in New York. In 1936 he was introduced to the use of liquid paint and experimentation eventually lead to what he called his ‘drip’ technique. His process moved away from that which was expected and traditionally taught but, more importantly, his purpose of creation shifted to a place never before seen. He was the founder of the Abstract Expressionist movement. And, though this movement varied wildly from the representational realism taught by his teacher, one must recognize that his organizational principles continued to follow the teacher’s method with forms composed around a central vertical pole, counterbalanced by an equal and opposite form. It is ironic that what pushed Regionalism away from favour was Abstract Expressionism. The student out-did the teacher.<br />
<br />
The story of these two painters have been decently told in both film and book. I would like to introduce you to those, and encourage you to study beyond what I’ve brought you here. These men were truly Americans who followed, in their own way, the American dream and influenced our culture immeasurably.<br />
_________________________________________________<br />
<br />
In 1988, Ken Burns profiled the teacher in his American Stories Series. The episode is called <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Burns-America-Thomas-Benton/dp/B000BITUJI?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Thomas Hart Benton</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000BITUJI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b> and it is available on DVD today. I saw this film on it’s original air date and was stunned to learn about a painter I’d I had never heard of before. I would later ask my Art History professor about Benton and was not happy when I was told both he and his movement were insignificant and not worth considering ... just study Grant Wood and call it good. What? Over the years I’ve made a point to learn all I can about Benton’s contributions and influences, and still try to introduce him to anyone interested in the human side of American painting.<br />
<br />
The Burns film is phenomenally well made and informative. In it, the viewer gets to know the person behind the paintings by listening to patrons and family members remember him and his work. Old interview footage from the 1950s shows Benton explaining why traditionalism will one day be important again as he encourages young artists to remember fundimentals and principles behind well made works. Throughout the film, a good evaluation of his painting style and technique is presented. His process of building plasticine sculptures and painting by those is well explained and would be useful for any painter wanting to learn that technique. For me, I loved learning that he died in his studio, just as he signed his last painting. He left this world with no creation un-done ... what painter could ask for more? This DVD holds a thorough telling of the artist's life and career and I recommend it as a documentary worth owning.<br />
<br />
<b>One</b> = Teacher:<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/ARTIST-AMERICA-4TH-REVISED/dp/082620399X?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Thomas Hart Benton</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=082620399X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b><br />
April 15, 1889 - January 19, 1975 (aged 86)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTHxd9ub-tlrSLu7DTeb2fyP-2SHvfFRpo3ab34a8DqvtdZ_tx1Uz4gnww7S8yAtTmMMqMVgjSe5E21T7AeAwFrg2AVv9H8qPOQsMcpYe8A3bb1KRrNqWlIQAjPgswRFV98NAAefmMBA/s1600/benton-ballad-of-the-jealous-lover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTHxd9ub-tlrSLu7DTeb2fyP-2SHvfFRpo3ab34a8DqvtdZ_tx1Uz4gnww7S8yAtTmMMqMVgjSe5E21T7AeAwFrg2AVv9H8qPOQsMcpYe8A3bb1KRrNqWlIQAjPgswRFV98NAAefmMBA/s640/benton-ballad-of-the-jealous-lover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i>"Ballad of the Jealous Lover of Lone Green Valley"</i> by Thomas Hart Benton. Painted in 1934, collection of the Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas. <br />
<br />
_________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2000, Ed Harris starred in a movie about life and art. It was called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pollock-Ed-Harris/dp/B00005KHJJ?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Pollock</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005KHJJ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Pollock is our student and this film begins the story with a flashback to 1941. The early life of the artist was not told in the film, but the discoveries, achievements, sorrows, loves, and tragedy were so well played that I <i>BELIEVED</i> I was voyeuristically peeking in on the painter’s world. This was not a happy movie, by any means. I did not come away from it inspired to paint at all. It was kind of embarrassing, in a way, like the dirtiest part of the creative self was showcased. What needs to be remembered when watching this film is that art is secondary to the story of mental illness and alcoholism, or it may be the therapeutic by-product of those conditions and that is worth exploring. Self destruction is often associated with creative people, probably because we are always looking for a way to express and release our inner-most turmoils and demons. As hard as this movie is to watch, it’s important to face the story and understand what drove one of the most influential American painters of our time.<br />
<br />
If you rent or buy this DVD, do make sure you have one with Special Features. Ed Harris plays the artist so superbly that you forget it’s not actually Pollock in the movie, and there are special features that show how that came to be. That in itself is interesting. One snippet shows original footage of Pollock painting on a large canvas; dancing around it, challenging the tradition of using easel and brush by instead flipping a paint-dripping stick in eloquent motion. It is Jack the Dripper at his best. Interspersed with that is footage of Harris from the film. It is very hard to tell which is which and I found myself nearly believing in the practice of channeling a troubled soul. I have to say, I found myself enthralled with the skill of Harris the actor. <br />
<br />
<b><i>Other</i></b> = Student:<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jackson-Pollock-Leonhard-Emmerling/dp/3836512769?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Jackson Pollock</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=3836512769" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b><br />
January 28, 1912 - August 11, 1956 (aged 44)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQ0aV1e0OZH_UqGe5H-jKi9uFcK3eZ2UotKKHg-nxkoq00t0v6_tmixvgz_Zn6fhWyL8v-5F3H-TGPXmdyyIVV5tGEDFQImCBsnJ2r0WczAW_oYSvCu2F2Lv26DHkUYob_sdidLjqN-8/s1600/Pollock's+%E2%80%98Convergence%E2%80%99+(.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQ0aV1e0OZH_UqGe5H-jKi9uFcK3eZ2UotKKHg-nxkoq00t0v6_tmixvgz_Zn6fhWyL8v-5F3H-TGPXmdyyIVV5tGEDFQImCBsnJ2r0WczAW_oYSvCu2F2Lv26DHkUYob_sdidLjqN-8/s640/Pollock's+%E2%80%98Convergence%E2%80%99+(.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i>"Convergence"</i> by Jackson Pollock. Painted in 1952, collection of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.<br />
<br />
_________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
To bring all this together, I highly recommend a book that is described as<br />
<br />
<b>“ A groundbreaking portrait of the intense personal and artistic relationship between Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock, revealing how their friendship changed American art.” </b><br />
<br />
This book is poignant and provides personal insights into two of the greatest painters of the twentieth century. When I finished reading mine, I sat back and simply said, “Wow.” Then I turned back to the beginning and started to read it again. I savored words that did not scoff at Benton; no racist baiting, or hill-billy jabs. In the past I’d read dribble like this: “His work, to me, is a sort of corpse that’s been disinterred … To me it doesn’t really exist as an aesthetic object” Written by Hilton Kramer, an influential former New York Times art critic. For so many years Benton has been ignored and it is marvelous to see a modern scholar take him seriously. The two men are finally on equal ground in this book, and that is how it should be.<br />
<br />
The Book:<br />
Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock<br />
by Henry Adams<br />
published 2009<br />
available on Kindle<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfciDZCzqQMtrPCXA_BHDbq-dRnUOSwqZB10mz_TmNSOpkPU-KN4OzV3qji7rGJqhROAqczrhZvsEH_WqIkQCiDJxwEWd-e_x_t8Dklk7rYmbKpXPrn0XmY6D1DpF2lecN0VUJ1HuRwY/s1600/TomJack-cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfciDZCzqQMtrPCXA_BHDbq-dRnUOSwqZB10mz_TmNSOpkPU-KN4OzV3qji7rGJqhROAqczrhZvsEH_WqIkQCiDJxwEWd-e_x_t8Dklk7rYmbKpXPrn0XmY6D1DpF2lecN0VUJ1HuRwY/s400/TomJack-cover1.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><br />
<br />
_________________________________________________<br />
<br />
There you have it. Two painters, two art movements, two movies, and a wonderfully good book. That ought to keep you busy for a while ....<br />
<br />
<div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-39847023625657281322010-05-17T15:51:00.000-07:002010-05-17T15:53:41.528-07:00For the Good of Robin HoodRobin Hood is a balladeer’s tale that chronicles the adventures of a crackerjack archer and highly skilled swordsman. English folklore perpetually portrayed this outlaw as a hero who robbed from the rich to give to the poor, with the oldest references beginning in medieval time and continuing through modern literature, films, music, and television. The earliest ballads link him to identifiable places and many accept he was, more or less, a real person. There are also those who consider the tale as nothing more than muse inspired folklore or legend. For sure, the name Robin Hood has customarily been used to describe an itinerant felon who was really just a figuration shaping the battle for liberty and freedom from high taxation and tyranny. It is a story that seems fit for the ages.<br />
<br />
This is the sort of tale I adore. I delight in the hero; the battle between right and wrong; costumes and time periods; face to face conflicts and brotherhood of man. Still, I’ve never enjoyed modern productions of it. I find them too clean, too cute, and (especially in the case of Kevin Costner) too unbelievable. When I heard Russell Crowe was involved with a new telling I, for the first time, found myself anticipating that there may be a Robin Hood worth watching. <br />
<br />
I have heard folks complain that Crowe is too old (at 45, he's the oldest to ever play this character) and not what one expects for our hero. Really? I don’t think of medieval vagabond-types as Errol Flynnish prancers with Andy Divine voice-over. He should be strong, rough, and grungy. I have seen a sufficient amount of films staring Russell Crowe and know he can do strong-rough-grungy well enough to fool my nose into thinking he stinks. More than that, his acting is based soundly on emotion and he has mastered the art of telling the story with very few words. It’s all in his eyes. Secondary is the unparalleled masculinity and charisma that he commands as he effortlessly performs his role. A believable Robin Hood must have substantial experience to do what Robin must do. The same holds true for the actor who plays that part. When I contemplate this from the angle of <i>what could have really been</i>, Crowe is the most believable Robin Hood I’ve ever seen.<br />
<br />
The same holds true for his merry men. Minimal time was spent developing their part of the story, yet it was easily believed that these ex-soldiers would follow Robin to the ends of the earth and back. That was due not only to Crowe’s masculine bearing, but also to the set-up of Robin as their commander in the Kings’ army at the beginning of the film. They naturally supported and respected him, and merrily drank and frolicked when time allowed. The main grouping also stared with Crowe in <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Alaska-Russell-Crowe/dp/B00003CWUX?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mystery Alaska</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00003CWUX" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></b>, and some where cast members in <b><i>A Knight’s Tale</i></b>. They are all solidly good at their craft and created a believable group of characters built from very little context. It was a pleasure to see them again.<br />
<br />
More than anything, I appreciated Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion. So many times movie makers cast a young starlet next to an older man and I find myself annoyed at the sexism of it all. Here, both characters feel a bit used and worn, experienced and leery. Blanchett and Crowe may not have had the boiling chemistry of young love, but their characters demanded practicality above fantasy, as it should have been. Before love comes trust, and this movie quietly built upon that notion. The underlying idea of self-preservation was actually rather strong in the script, and was played well by the actors. On some level it reminded me of <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Two-Disc-70th-Anniversary/dp/B002M2Z3BA?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Gone with the Wind</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002M2Z3BA" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b></i> – that sort of, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!” kind of thing. I like the optimism of stubborn defiance. <br />
<br />
In this interpretation of Robin Hood, King Richard has been away from England fighting costly crusades for 10 years, leaving the homeland vulnerable to French invasion. Richard and his army are on the final push for their journey home, bombarding a French castle that looks strangely like it came from the set of Timeline, when a cook popped off a lucky shot and brought the King down. The story-line develops from there – which takes Robin from loyal royal archer to – Robert, assumed Lord Luxley of Nottingham who helps save England from French invasion – then eventually to Robin, a notorious outlaw protecting and defending the poor against oppressive tyranny. It’s a predictable story, and I’d be pissed if they changed it. I very quickly surrendered my normal critical self as the film moved along and forgave some obvious flaws in accuracy. I simply enjoyed the film’s visual journey and the actor's performances, even though I am not a fan of Ridley Scott’s shaky camera work and wished that weren’t there during the battle scenes. Even the trite and obvious reference to modern Omaha Beach landing on D-Day as an equivalent to the French invasion was okay. It felt like a struggle to be epic and I suspect folks who wanted the film to succeed on it’s battle sequences might be a bit disappointed. The success of the film was carried on a smaller scale of things: The acting, the costumes, and the city/village/forest sets. In a nutshell, the human factor is high in Robin Hood and I will buy a dvd release and watch it again. <br />
<br />
<br />
“It's almost over it's almost done<br />
And you can't put the blame on anyone<br />
It's almost easy and it's almost fun<br />
Did you get caught with your britches on<br />
<br />
Hi derry day in the month of May<br />
Was the song the minstrel sang<br />
To the good of Robin Hood<br />
Maid Marion and all the gang<br />
<br />
His aim was mean and his shot was clean<br />
And his suit was the sheen of evergreen<br />
The folks he knew hadn't naught to fear<br />
When the sheriff was there they were over here<br />
<br />
Hi derry doon in the month of June<br />
Was the song the minstrel sung<br />
To the good of Robin Hood's<br />
Good name and a place to run<br />
<br />
He loved strong ale and a run down jail<br />
Was the kind of a scene where he never failed<br />
There was no man on the sea or land<br />
Who could get Maid Marion on the trail"<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>––– Gordon Lightfoot, <i>Songs the Minstrel Sang</i><br />
<div><br />
</div>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2871299112032675842.post-19611741320776835162010-05-16T19:32:00.000-07:002010-05-17T08:32:28.172-07:00A Movie Poll for JuneHas anyone else found themselves annoyed with movies of late? Perhaps I'm the only one, but I frankly find the jerky camera work, intensely saturated colours, and overly CGI'd/animated subjects rather tiring. I’ve been thinking lately about the heyday of Hollywood and the notion that there is truth to the idea that “They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.” <br />
<br />
Consider 1939 and imagine having to choose which of the movies produced that year was best. Variety alone is a bugger: <br />
<br />
<i><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Two-Disc-70th-Anniversary/dp/B002M2Z3BA?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Gone with the Wind</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002M2Z3BA" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /></b></i> gave us a landmark epic film that stunningly showcased a panoramic story of history and human strife – not to mention a list of memorable characters like sassy Vivien Leigh, I don’t know nutin’ ‘bout no Hattie McDaniel, and ol’ charm-boat himself, Clark Gable. <br />
<br />
Then there was the <i><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-70th-Anniversary-Two-Disc-Special/dp/B002DYYGQK?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Wizard of Oz</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002DYYGQK" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /><i></i></b></i> which, like <b><i>Gone with the Wind<b></b></i></b>, has become one of the most popular films of all time. It was a fantasy film based on a classic children’s tale that taught grass isn’t always greener on the other side of reality. We all remember the munchkins doing what munchkins do, the wicked witch melting, and that yellow brick road leading us home. More than that, this film gave us one of the most beautiful songs that simply appears when you least expect it (like at the end of <i><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/50-First-Dates-Widescreen-Special/dp/B0001Z3TXE?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">50 First Dates</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0001Z3TXE" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /><i></i></b>)</i>, ‘<i>Over the Rainbow</i>’. Technically, I appreciate the mood filmmakers created when they shot Kansas sequences in sepia-tone, while the Oz sequences were filmed in newfangled 3-strip Technicolor.<br />
<br />
Next we have <i><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Smith-Goes-Washington-James-Stewart/dp/B001GLX6UI?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001GLX6UI" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /><i></i></b></i>. Ahhh – ordinary man, idealistic, standing tall against the corrupt political elite, attempting to restore faith in democracy. Jimmy Stewart’s passionate filibuster in the final moments of this film should be required viewing for everyone ... especially today.<br />
<br />
Before <i><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Stagecoach-Criterion-Collection-John-Wayne/dp/B00393SG0G?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">Stagecoach</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00393SG0G" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /><i></i></b></i>, hardly anyone knew of a man named John Wayne. More importantly, westerns were not considered serious genre. This quintessential landmark film was shot in the majestic Monument Valley and show-cased courage and heroic self-sacrifice. It is hard to imagine a western film being cutting edge, but it was in 1939, and many a great movie would follow in this masterpiece’s footsteps.<br />
<br />
And, last on my list is <i><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hunchback-Notre-Dame-Charles-Laughton/dp/6304698615?ie=UTF8&tag=criticalup-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=criticalup-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=6304698615" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; padding: 0px !important" /><i></i></b></i>. The 1939 version of this classic story is considered by many to be the best film adaptation of this tragic love story. It features a grotesque outcast who rings a bell and a beautiful Gypsy dancer (Maureen O’Hara) who is mistaken for a witch. **spoiler** At least she doesn’t get hanged.<br />
<br />
There were more great films produced that year. The players were beautiful, the costumes delightful, the music divine. There was something for everybody and I know that I, as a kid, aspired to be like those monumental people on the big screen. It’s not that I wanted to be an actress, it was more than that. The images on film stirred my imagination in ways that paved the way for creative things of the mind. <br />
<br />
Hollywood used to bring us magic and inspiration ... and that magic, for me, was the human touch. Today I’m overwhelmed with technology and I am inclined to give a shout-out to the past and a simpler way of telling the story. Seek out any of the movies listed in my poll and I promise solid entertainment and thought provoking masterpieces.<br />
<script src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/s/link-enhancer?tag=criticalup-20&o=1" type="text/javascript"></script>Irelockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15016390498991222668noreply@blogger.com5