Rendering - Week 8

The article was published on the website of the newspaper " New York Times" on April 4, 2013, by Charles Isherwood, which is called "A Captive of Human Nature "Kafka’s Monkey"" and tells us about a new perfomance at Baryshnikov Arts Center.

It's necessary to point out, that portraying a creature stranded between a human present and a simian past in “Kafka’s Monkey,” a spellbinding solo show that opened on Thursday night at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Ms. Hunter has so thoroughly assimilated the postures and physical tics of the “ape” her character once was that the author would have sworn she had managed, through serious dedication to certain yoga poses, to stretch her arms somehow so that they hung below her knees permanently.

Isherwood  emphasizes the fact, that  people may come to share that feeling by the conclusion of “Kafka’s Monkey,” which is adapted by Colin Teevan from the short story “A Report to an Academy,” and directed by Walter Meierjohann. Moreover, presented by Theater for a New Audience, this production, originally from the Young Vic in London, offers an hourlong immersion in Kafka’s grim view of civilization, that  delivered with such slyness that the dark messages about humanity’s bestiality come through gently, almost insidiously.

Moreover, the author proves the fact, that people in the audience are a scientific assembly gathered to hear the remarkable story of how monkey became man, gazing occasionally at a large projection of his original form as he begins his tale, he becomes quietly rapt, as sadness, curiosity, embarrassment and amazement flicker across his agile features.

n addition to that, the author can't deny the fact, that Hunter’s performance is perhaps the most physically remarkable he's ever seen on a stage with Red Peter moving his white-gloved arms in smoothly choreographed arcs, and occasionally breaks into a dance step or two, he alternately reverts to his more apelike behaviors, including at one point scampering up to a woman in the front row and picking through her hair for tasty morsels of lice, which he then offers to share with others, as a delicacy.


To draw the conclusion, the author says, that one should, however, not forget that this is much more than a feat of actorly athleticism, it's a wry wisdom, a touch of cheeky humor and, above all, a sense of dignity just slightly tinted with melancholy at the isolation that Red Peter’s forced march up the evolutionary scale has brought.

In my opinion such perfomance is a extremely useful way for different people to see the nature and the essence of humanity - to allow yourself to be stabbed with a knife of satire, but with a smile on your face to be healed and cured from the wound of irony.

Film Review - Anonymous

 
Anonymous (original title) - 2011

 130 min  -  Drama | History | Thriller 

The theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays. Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion against her.

Director:

 Roland Emmerich

Writer:

 John Orloff

Stars:

 Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis 

The plot of this film is based on the Shakespeare authorship question that is the argument about whether someone other than William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon wrote the works attributed to him. The setting was established during the period of the end of the Elizabethan era, the time of political struggle between the whole kingdom and several most influent counts , and so the Tudors dynasty had to protect its name from the poison dagger of Cecil family . And the main hero of this story,  Edward de Vere had to live with Cecil family from the early age. His prominent talent woke up just in the beginning of his life, showing us the very stunning depths  of his works. He also had an bad opportunity to marry an unloved woman and by the  William Cecil he was forced to stop his works and writing at all, because this craft gave some evil seeds ( De Vere came to live in his household as a ward of the Queen at age 12 and became Burghley's son-in-law at age 21) . De Vere later became the Queen's lover (unknown to him – an illegitimate son of her, as the incest act was very common for that time, especially with such woman) . Banned for life , De Vere decided to give his manuscripts to his friend  Ben Jonson, but after the dismissed proposal, a young actor William Shakespeare had  decided to use his knowledge to blackmail De Vere - a dirty deed, but De Vere had to pay this man a real cash in order to create a mysterious image of anonymous - to be sharp blade of the society in the darkness of robe. William, who was full of bright and audacious plans built the Globe theatre to put "his" plays on its stage. Aa acute and conflict play as "Richard III" , written by De Vere was a first serious step and also a subtle hint of ruthlessness to Cecil family. After Christopher Marlowe's found out the real essence of Shakespeare's inexplicable talents hide the genius of another hand, he was found  dead, with his throat slit. The fame of the play made Essex  to march with the Earl of Southampton to the Palace in order to capture the castle , but their attempt failed , 'cause of betrayal of Johnson  and the queen easily could take them as hostages and the Queen wanted them to be hang on the rope . Robert Cecil told grief de Vere, that he was one of those Elizabeth's bastard sons ( and actually he was the man, who had an incest with her own mother). After the private communication during which the Queen was forced to save Southampton , but de Vere had to be anonymous up to the end and use Shakespeare as a shield. William came to Stratford to become a businessmen, the Queen was dead and the rule gloves came to James I and  de Vere finally had died in 1604, giving all his papers to Johnson, but Cecil was in roar and went to the Globe theatre in order to burn it to the stones, but the manuscripts were saved and the essence of a  hidden truth was covered  by the veil of secret. 

Well, I think that this film is very vivid and interesting interpretation of the William Shakespeare authorship question, as it gives us another way to thing and to understand the themes, ideas, conflicts of those people, who were connected with the genius of that "anonymous"  - but the issue of manuscripts is very controversial. I can't agree or disagree with such interpretation of such a burning theme, but to my mind the appearance of all these papers with plays and stories give us a chance to understand - that the genius of the Middle Age is a 100% fact.

The cast of this film is extremely accurate, Rhys Ifans as Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was the man of thought and the man of ideas, with such deep look. The whole provoke of Emmerich was rapid and strong, because he was really brave to show this ultimate English question on public. The atmosphere of that epoch was summoned by the mastery of working group . The streets are covered with mud and garbage, poor people in dirty closes, the breath of damned air, stone castles, wooden features, the mess of the Middle was shown really propositional. I liked that film , I liked that story, but nevertheless , even after the escape of that tail - I'm sure, that William Shakespeare was the real author and genius of Elizabethan's  time - but this vision was also stunning performance, and there is no any sense to complain Emmerich , because it's not a documentary production - it's a good  PSEUDO-historical drama. 

Rendering - Week 7

This article was published on the 29th of March, 2013  on the site of
The Guardian paper  by James Corden  and called  "Richard Griffiths - goodbye Rizzo – we miss you already" which tells us about  Mr. Griffiths, the comedian and actor who recalls fun, kindness – and Uncle Monty's brief return – in tribute to Griffiths, who has died aged 65.

The author firstly met  Richard Griffiths ,standing in the vast space of rehearsal room 2 at the National Theatre and about to begin his first day as a History Boy , clutching his script and hoping that his northern accent was up to scratch when Richard walked over. What is more, the author didn't know that day what the play was going to become or quite how much time they as a company were about to spend together.

 The author can't deny the fact, that the whole process lasted about three years, and Richard was at the centre of its success. In addition to that, we knew, that he  had became the ninth History Boy: and they nicknamed him Rizzo.  Furthermore, we shouldn't forget that the author emphasizes the idea, that Griffiths was the man of a brilliant soul, inviting author with friends  to his dressing room for cocktails after the show or even the odd poker game ,  joking , making sure , that they were  enjoying what they were doing – that they knew how very special this moment was for the group of friends and colleagues.

The author also can't ignore the fact, that Richard's performance as Hector, like every other performance he gave in his career, was perfect – and he was quite unaware of how brilliant he was. Audiences and critics loved him from the very first scene.

 The author points out the fact, that Richard had an ability in even the biggest comic creations to give his characters a humane quality – he always played the truth of the scenes, never the jokes and  saw Monty for what he was, a lonely man in desperate need of company.

It wouldn't be unfair for Corden not to say, that  he never stopped asking him and he never stopped saying no, until one day, when they were performing The History Boys in Sydney and during one of the classroom scenes the author said one of hislines too early and accidentally cut two of his, been mortified and   but as soon as the curtain came down he rushed to his dressing room to apologise. And it's a noticeable and memorable  fact that   Griffiths  placed his hands firmly on author's shoulders, squinted and in that deep voice of Uncle Monty telling him about his forgiveness.

The author draws conclusion, remembering one of play's scenes  when Richard had to began to speak but paused for a moment, with  voice cracking under the emotion, when the lines were so meaningful it was as if he wanted these eight young actors to really hear them.

A very sad news and to my mind, Richard  Griffiths was one of the most influential  actors of his generation in Britain.The most powerful emotion can be born only at the stage of a theater, and only a prominent professional can arise a burn inside the heart and appeal to our minds in order to create our own special emotional status and he did it his way, with glance and success.