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.

Film Review - Lust For Life ( 1956 )

Lust for Life (1956)
122 min -
Biography | Drama -
26 December 1956 (Sweden)

 Ratings: 7,3/10

The life of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent van Gogh.

Director: Vincente Minnelli
Writers: Norman Corwin (screenplay), Irving Stone (novel)
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald



In brief, the plot of this film ( as I've understood ) is one of Gogh's creative periods, showing us his magnetic power as an artist with some insane inner world, his relationships with his brother and the society. It starts with the life of van Gogh as a missioner worker, who had a very bad health status ( actually, his mind was in gloom ) He's lost all his possessions, goods, was nearly extreme conditions of living, the period of a real crisis - but eventually he was supported by his brother Theo , who found his relative , sinking up to the down of social man - he took him away to Netherlands . At home,  Vincent decided to concentrate his powers to the field of painting  , and so he isolated himself from the outer world just to produce things, that can bring humanity to people . He couldn't live for a long without some care and support, so he tried to live with somebody - but his attempts were fails, he wanted to be with family, and even tried to ask his cousine to live with him - but she had to dismiss his proposal. He worked hard, tried to use his imaginary world to create something more ambiguous, filled with paint of your own soul, like a skinned with yourself body . He found a young prostitute to live with him ,who had become his model and his housekeeper.He acquired some technical proficiency confining himself almost entirely to drawings. Theo continued to help and support his brother financially . He visited his cousin Anton , a landscape painter - who offered brother Vincent to teach  how to work with color and oil With time he had improved his skill in oil painting more and came to Paris in order to join some separate artists to use some new techniques and discuss some new features in painting . Vincent met Gauguin,  and others painters , who had some similar aims to do. He knew much new about the world of post-modernist France and worked together with Gauguin , they had similar features, but they were too distant from each other in ideas and thoughts . After some time he had to come back home and continue his work in Netherlands. Theo, who had understood the status of his brother especially sensitive could ask for a doctors help. During his last years Vincent van Gogh began to drink much , and especially an absent - the poison of a "green fairy", the potion, which had lead to some serious epileptic disease and Theo decided to bring his brother to a hospital  and after a year back to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, and in that period , during  a walk he suddenly shot himself with his last words in the hospital ( where the doctors were trying to save him) , which Theo reported , - last words as "The sadness will last forever."

Well, I like this film and plot of this story, as the life of such world-famous artists will always be interesting for people, who are really fond of esthetic beauty . The life of van Gogh is shown without any unnecessary features,  a bright canvas was combined with the mediocrity of his day, and the flash joy of his mind was slowly fading by a very sulfur palette, so as we are have to live in the modern world.

The director of this film, Vincent Minnelli ( by the way a famous husband of a famous Judy Garland and with their famous daughter - Liza Minnelli ) could transform the story of Irving and some biographical notes of Theo on the screen - to give a chance for a mass to live several hours in the world of Gogh's post- modernism - to show us the beautiful world of art . And of course, the cast is really favotable, Kirk Douglas, as  Vincent van Gogh, Anthony Quinn  as Paul Gauguin and James Donald as Theo van Gogh could create a special mental trio, playing with our thoughts and senses. This film is my first time, when I can observe and discuss the life of a famous artist ( Jack as an artist in "Titanic"  does not count :D) and this experience is very bright.

Pleasure Reading . "A Tale of Two Cities" by Dickens. Book the Second: The Golden Thread Chapters 14-24

One day a man, Cruncher, who worked for a Tellson's Bank saw a strange group of people, going down the street ( actually it was a funeral procession ).  The dead man was Roger Cly,  a person, who was against Darnay in the court case several years ago. After the bury, Cruncher, a simple mind man, (but rather sharp mind )and with a desire to avenge a comrade, he went to the cemetery and  dug up the body of that man, just to sell it to some black-scientists. During this night adventure, his son was also with him, following father's steps and as a young boy was surprised 'cause of such deal and told his father, that he'll be a "ressurection man" and father was.  At this time, in Paris, Defarge had found the hidden place of Doctor Mannete in the wine shop and joined other people. The also had known a stroy about poor man , who assassinated  Marquis ( Gaspar)  . He was on the run for a long time, but unfortunately had been caught and  hanged  in the middle of the town. The time period was unstable, but aristocracy  was in blind state.  Defarge and his wife toke the mender of roads to Versailles to see King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. Mender was absolutely pleased and praised the king . This performance pleased the Defarges, who had understood, that aristocracy was on the wrong way, believing in  peasantry's obedience .Then, they had returned to their home, continuing their secret mission to raise the mass in the name of Revolution ( but they had to meet an opponent , the spy Barsad, who came to their shop as an ordinary revolutionary .He told them about Lucie's marriage. Doctor Mannete was absolutely happy 'cause of such great daughter Lucie and her future husband and began to forget about his past times in prison. Few days before the marriage Doctor Mannete came into strange health stage, he became lost and pale, and a new pair of Lucie and Charles was afraid, that they had to stay with the father, despite some plans to  go on a honeymoon. The relapse was caused by the Mannete past times - the main item , which had an ability to restore Doctor's painful memories was the forge with its tools, and by the Lorry's scenario they had to keep Doctor away from that thing  ( to go on a honeymoon ) and just to destroy them during the absence of a Doctor. After the Darneys arrival back home they were met by Carton, who wanted them to forgive him and to establish good relationships, as it was some years ago. Darnay was angry , but nevetheless he claimed his wife to respect Carton and forger about past mistakes. After some years the Darnay family has a new member - their daugher Lucie.  By 1789, the echoes reverberated “from a distance” and made a sound “as of a great storm in France with a dreadful sea rising". The revolutionary times has come. The Bastille Castle was under the attack, and the leader of one group of people was the Defarge family, who captured the building, killing guards and rescuing imprisoned people. The furious fire of the mass was lighted up and the country of France became the area, surrounded by revolutionaries. A wealthy man in the town of Saint Antonie was found dead in at his own house by the mod, leading towards the landowners by madame Defarge with her new nickname - the Vengeance. The rage of the mass was unlimited and the whole countryside was attacked by peasants army. An old note with unknown name Jacques - was the symbol of this rebellious mass, and each revolutionary was named Jacques. The fire of saint rage was around the castle of Evremonde - the murder, revenge, revenge and madness continued. After some years of instability  in France, an England had become a safety land for many people a good political and economical shelter. Tellson wanted Lorry to go to France and establish there a stable status of a Tellson's bank filial and to protect many of papers and notes from fire and crazy citizens . Darnay didn't want to leave Lorry alone and decided to accept this mission, only if Crucnher would go with him ( and Lorry received a strange letter from Evremonde, and had no chance to understand the location of this man, but actually Darnay was that person in fact, but he decided to hide this fact from Lorry and created a legend of a friend. A pea of Darnay, who was imprisoned in France, chanted for a help and Darnay decided to save his old friend.

 

Pleasure Reading . "A Tale of Two Cities" by Dickens. Book the Third: The Track of a Storm Chapters 1–15

Charles Darney came to France and rapidly was stopped by the revolutionaries and imprisoned to the castle, even despite his  protests, connected with with Evremonde roots. His legend was secret and guards transported him to his new home - an isolated camera. During the period of transportation he met Defarge and and tried to find some support from him, but all what he's got was the pure ingorance and actually Darney thought, that he was already dead man. Mannete family understood, that a husband and a son-in-law was imprisoned and the only chance to save him to use Doctor's past period ideas or just to raise a rebel, but without any strong idea they decided to go to France . In order to save his business and life of innocent , Lorry went to new apartments with Lucie, her daughter and miss Pross and told Cruncher to protect them from any evil. The Defarge family came to England and Lucie have had a note about her husband imprison and begged madam Defarge to show some mercy to her husband, but Defarge said, that there is no mercy during the rage of revolution. Doctor Mannete, who visited La Force castle transformed from a poor old man with some insane features to full of strength and confidence mature warrior, who could keep Darnay away from his death ( he was hired to this prison and have an ability to visit and communicate with Charles and could be nearly for year and more ).  As times went by, Lucie had found a good way to visit her husband and talk with him , up to the day of Darnay's trial court. The day of Charles's trial had come, and the crowd was happy to see this kind and prosperous man with his gentle father-in-law Mannete. The court had established, that he disapproved his dirty title  and gave to a discuss a list of Darnay's respected things he did  and in addtition to it - he was a loving husband with beautiful family, daughter and today's reputation and so he was released  and  the crowd carried Darnay home in a chair on their shoulders. But even after such victory a group of soldiers came to Darnay's house to arrest them - by the wish of madam Defarge and some other unknown people. Carton tolrd Cruncher and Lorry about Darnay's second arrest , but he had a plan to save him - the plan, that he must be convicted , as he threatened to expose Barsad as an English spy ( actually Barsad was Pross's brother? with a true name of Solomon, a spy , working for a Republic forces ) and so Carton finally made him to accept his plan to save Charles. Lorry had known about Cruncher's "dark deals" with corpses and told him a lecture, giving him a thought to escape this dirty thing. Carton decided to visit Darnay shortly before the trial and walking all day long, digging inside his mind, floating over different thoughts and ideas. At the morning of the trial start, the judge began their work. The main item was the note, hidden in the tower of Bastille, one of Doctor Manette's notes, written during the period of imprison. It told us a story about two Evremonde brothers, Charles's father and uncle, who hires Manette to heal a younh peasant woman, who was near the state of death and her brother, who was critically damaged. And Charles's uncle raped this poor woman and backstabbed her brother and after telling this story with some different features, Darnay was sentenced to death, to payback for what his father and uncle did. Darnay was send to the room, to await his execution the next morning and the friends of Charles tried to use their finals ways and attempts to save him, but without any success. Then Carton went to Defarge in the state of shock and suddenly he heard the talk of madam Defarge, who wanted to find good way to accuse and eliminate the lack of Darnay-Evremonde family with their old Doctor Manette - she was the sister of that woman and man, killed by the Charles's uncle and father. She rapidly returned back home to hurry up Lucie and her daughter to leave this town. At the morning of execution Carton came to camera of Charles with some clothes and some mysterious potions - and both of them , Darnay and Carton understood the situation. They switched their clothes ( with Barsad help ) , gave him a final-word letter and forced him to use a flask with sleeping pills - and Barsad went away, delivering  a real Darnay to his family and Lorry, helping them to escape from this town. Madam Defarge, following her plan to eliminate the lack of Darnay's family came to their home and just met miss Pross and Cruncher. The anger of fail came to Defarge's soul and she tried to kill both of them, and during the fight with Pross, old lady shooted her with a gun . The hour of the execution has come and Carton was forced to reach the guillotine  - without any fear and terror, without any agony and sadness of his last minutes , without pain and cold fewer - just with bright eye and strong confidence, with blessed thoughts and pure mind - the man, who had fails and made some epic mistakes. He imagined the beauty of Darnay's family , the power of friendship and love, he could see the future of happiness , he understood, that he would always be in the hearts of such gold-hearted men . He died with a thought, that the world would be much better in a few decades . The history was over and old friends and family of Darnay had returned to London.

Pleasure Reading . "A Tale of Two Cities" by Dickens. Book the Second: The Golden Thread Chapters 7–13

A lord Monseigneur came to Paris with all his pathos and superfluous bravado, guarded by dark-minded people - the greatest corrupt individuals both in Britain and in France. During the official reception at his house, filled with much excessive mush, one of the guests, marquis Evremonde decided to escape from this place and take a carriage. On the way home his carriage suddenly crashed into something. And it was a young child, already dead after the hit. In order to compensate the loss, Evremonde gave a coin to dead child's father  ( and another coin he gave to Defarge, who was near to console the  torture of a man. ) Then Evremonde came to the village of his patron ( an area with complete oppression and dictatorship politics ). During his way he had to meet some of peasants, asking him to help ( to give a stone in order to make a common grave and so on) , but the ignorance of marquise was eternal. The only thing he wanted that time - to know something about Charles Darnay  - who was marquis's nephew, just taking another surname .( Out of disgust with his family, Darnay shed his real surname and adopted an Anglicised version of his mother's maiden name, D'Aulnais ). Charles came to his with a strong desire to restore the family name and to get an inheritance and to destroy the bad fame of their Name, the Name of terror and fear, damaging living creatures bodies and souls, but the first answer of Evremonde was negative - he thought, that Charles should be natural and just to accept his destiny. After the incident on the road with the death of young boy, the victim of a gloom mind - the father of a boy, Gaspard decided to follow Evremonde's carriage , full of rage thoughts and revenge ideas. He could climb to his room later at night and gave marquise a critical deadly backstab with a knife, leaving a little note, saying  "Drive him fast to his tomb. This, from Jaques." A The time had passed and after some events Darnay became a teacher of French language at London school, having warm relationships with Mannette family  (especially with Lucie - he felt in love passion )  Doctor Mannet was confident in Charles's positive intentions to his daughter, and it was moment, when Charles even told them the true legend of his person and open the secret of his family, but nevertheless he didn't. (He will hear Darnay’s secret on his wedding day.) And in that time Carton also had feelings to Lucie and in his arrogant manner told Stryver during the drink-time, that he had a wish to marry Lucie. And the next day he went to Mannete house, but suddenly had to meet his old friend Lorry and opened the secret of his mission - but Lorry advised him to slow down a little , in order to understand future words of Lucie ( Lorry understood , that she was in love with Charles ). And he just give him a sign, that if Carton were to propose, the Manettes would reject his proposal. But nevertheless she came to Mannette house and had a talk with Lucie and told her, that she was the last dream of his gloomy and gray way. giving some heat to his life. With all Lucie's tenderness she could save his damned soul and bring a salvation light.