'Living with Star Wars' by Mark Burman
29 May 2020
I was nine years old when the original Star Wars film was released in 1977. My friend Anthony won tickets in a Manchester Evening News competition to attend the Manchester premiere at the city centre Odeon and took me as his guest. So we were the first children in our school to see this incredibly anticipated blockbuster, which made us (all too briefly!) extremely cool. I became understandably obsessed with the film and devoured everything I could find out about it. One of my most treasured LPs is still the original John Williams soundtrack featuring the legendary London Symphony Orchestra brass section. This week I have been wallowing in nostalgia, listening to The Documentary Podcast from the BBC World Service, ‘Living with Star Wars’. Originally broadcast in December 2019, this programme by Mark Burman explores the making of ‘Star Wars’, talking to many of those involved (including some no longer with us). It’s interesting to remember how revolutionary the film was at the time and to hear how independent low-budget film-maker George Lucas struggled to realise his vision within the constraints of a major studio movie. I was intrigued by the links to ‘Apocalypse Now’ and Kurosawa’s ‘The Hidden Fortress’ (in which the story is seen through the eyes of the servants, leading to the idea of Star Wars starting as a tale of two droids caught up in the middle of a galactic battle). If you are as geeky as me about ‘Star Wars’ you can enjoy listening to ‘Living with Star Wars’ on BBC Sounds:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct03mr Labels: Radio
'House of Cards' by Michael Dobbs
21 May 2020
I’ve enjoyed reading ‘House of Cards’ – the 1989 novel by Michael Dobbs which led to acclaimed television adaptations on both sides of the Atlantic. I was familiar with the story of Francis Urquhart’s ruthless pursuit of power from the 1990 BBC TV series starring Ian Richardson, but it was good to rediscover this manipulative anti-hero after so many years. The novel, despite having been revised by the author to adopt the alternative ending used in the TV version, feels incredibly dated. Newspaper reporters at the Party Conference have to queue for a free telephone box to phone in their stories and the idea of looking up anything online is still some years away. The plot seems a bit predictable now, and the political skulduggery feels tame compared both to more recent fiction such as ‘The Thick of It’ and to the real political events of the last few years. Nevertheless Francis Urquhart is a great charmingly evil character and the novel is great fun.
Labels: Books
‘Concerto for Piano and Orchestra’ by Francis Poulenc
15 May 2020
Yet again I am grateful to Jess Gillam’s BBC Radio 3 podcast ‘This Classical Life’ (reviewed here in January 2020) for alerting me to some wonderful music I wasn’t previously aware of. I’ve quickly fallen in love with the ‘Concerto for Piano and Orchestra’ by Francis Poulenc, which was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to try to improve relations after the Second World War. Poulenc’s music is melodic and playful with lush orchestrations and beautiful tunes. The concerto is an interesting, witty piece, full of surprises but with a gentle, calming feel to it. The slow movement has some of the romantic grandeur of a Rachmaninov concerto while the finale is an intricately rhythmic frolic with a typically cheeky Poulenc ending. You can listen to the Poulenc Piano Concerto at:
https://open.spotify.com/album/5Y0jrP57LzsEwfwtqkAiWo?si=FJlUxqOTSQC6Pp41ElHQTw or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q0PDy86jHI
Labels: Albums, Music
'Flowers for Mrs Harris' by Rachel Wagstaff and Richard Taylor
1 May 2020
Most of the live recordings of shows being shared for free online by theatres at the moment are each only available for a week. So it is difficult to make recommendations here for something you will still have time to watch. Thankfully Chichester Festival Theatre’s brilliant production of the recent musical ‘Flowers for Mrs Harris’ is still available to view for free until 8 May and I would urge you to watch it. ‘Flowers for Mrs Harris’ is based on the novel by Paul Gallico with book by Rachel Wagstaff and music & lyrics by Richard Taylor. Clare Burt stars as Mrs Harris, a widow in post-war Battersea who cleans other people’s houses to make ends meet. Her constant positivity and optimism disguise her continuing struggles with grief at the loss of her husband. Catching sight of an elegant gown by Christian Dior, in one of the grand houses she cleans, makes her dream of having something similar and sets her on a quest to achieve the seemingly impossible. It’s an unlikely premise for an incredibly funny, emotional, feel-good tale. The Guardian review of the original Sheffield Crucible production described it as “like experiencing The Wizard of Oz, Pollyanna and Powell and Pressburger’s war-themed films, all rolled into one – triumph over adversity, hard work rewarded, generosity repaid, the transformational power of art and self-belief, affirmation that loving relationships are the stuff of happiness”, to which I would add something of Willy Russell’s ‘Shirley Valentine. Richard Taylor’s music reminded me of a Stephen Sondheim musical – no big numbers but beautifully sung dialogue. This is a singer’s musical with very little dance but Louis Maskell demonstrates incredible movement, reminiscent of Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. At one point I was convinced he must be supported by wires like a marionette (he wasn’t). And you would need a heart of stone not to weep at the ending. If you want to cheer yourself up watch ‘Flowers for Mrs Harris’ now while it’s still available:
https://www.cft.org.uk/flowers-for-mrs-harris-broadcast Labels: Musicals, Theatre, Website
