- Albert Einstein
If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
- Albert Einstein
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Horatio Hornblower is a fictional character about whom the author CS Forester wrote a series of ten books. He is an officer in the British navy, and the books follow his career which spans the years of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The only one I have read is the sixth of the series, Mr Midshipman Hornblower, which details his earliest years in the service, when he's- obviously- a midshipman. What I have watched, and then purchased, is the complete series of A&E made-for-TV movies based on three of the books, including Mr Midshipman Hornblower. These are great movies- lavishly mounted and well acted, the cast a veritable who's who of British actors. It's easy to see that its creators loved the source material, even if they don't always stick closely to it. I can't speak to all the changes made, as I haven't read all the books, but the parts I noted as differing from the source material of 'Mr Midshipman' were actually better for the changes. The Horatio Hornblower movies are stories of swashbuckling (I had to use that word at least once) adventure on the high seas. They follow the development of the protagonist- Horatio- from a seasick midshipman who is unsure of himself and his abilities, to a skilled seaman and strategist, and a leader able to inspire confidence and loyalty in those who are under his command. It's easy to admire Horatio as the naval hero he becomes, but what humanizes him and endears his character to us are his flaws. He is frequently afflicted with self doubt, which he strives to hide from the men he must lead and inspire, and sometimes his sense of duty wars with his finer feelings. He also makes blunders and missteps but is usually able to escape serious consequence by his ability to think- and act- quickly. While the Hornblower films contain a good deal of humour, they are not all lighthearted adventure. In a time of war, battles are lost, friends killed, and decisions must be made which are sometimes morally troubling. As well, while times such as these bring out the best in some men, they can bring out the worst in others, leading to sometimes horrific consequences. Starting next week, I intend to review one of the films a week until I work through the series. I haven't watched any of them in quite a while, so am looking forward to getting started. August 4th was Natal Day in Nova Scotia, and as we had a long weekend, three of my sisters and I packed up and went camping on Prince Edward Island. For Nova Scotians, P.E.I. is a great destination if you only have three days: close enough that the travel time isn't prohibitive, yet far enough away that you actually are getting away. It's a pretty easy trip, especially since the Confederation Bridge opened in 1997, which spans eight miles of open sea between New Brunswick and P.E.I. Back in the day, the only way on and off the Island was by ferry, which takes a lot longer. The bridge is certainly more convenient, but truth be told, I still enjoy the ferry trip more. Usually when on the Island, I stay away from most of the touristy places, preferring to spend time on the shores, or hiking some of the beautiful trails- which we certainly did on this trip as well. We had, however, another objective on this trip: we brought along our eldest niece who, being ten, is reading the Anne of Green Gables series. We had promised her on her birthday that we would take her to see Green Gables during the summer, so this trip was planned with that in mind. Green Gables farm was owned by the MacNeill family, who were cousins of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables. The farm and surrounding area were her inspiration for the setting of the book, and now the rooms are set up to be just as those described in 'Anne'. There is also a barn on site which contains a cafe, some really pretty gardens, and several walking trails which will be familiar to any readers of the novel: the Haunted Wood and Lovers' Lane. And of course, there's the inevitable gift shop. I hadn't been to Green Gables in years, and wasn't in any great hurry to return- it's always busy, and I'm not big on crowded tourist attractions- but my niece's excitement was infectious. She was delighted to be able to see the house and grounds that she had been imagining as she read the books. And they've done a great job in making the decor of the house accurate both to the time period and to Montgomery's descriptions of its rooms. She was particularly tickled to see Anne's room: a dress with puffed sleeves hanging on the closet door and the remains of a broken slate lying on a small footstool. One of the great things about kids is that they give you an excuse to revisit works of fiction which you loved as a child, and recapture some of the pleasure you found in those books (or movies) by sharing theirs. Whether you're reading aloud to them, or as they get older, lending them your favourites and discussing them afterwards, it's kind of like you're vicariously experiencing these books again for the first time. Visiting Green Gables with our niece was sort of like that as well. When I got home on Monday, I started unpacking my bag in my bedroom, and found my eyes drawn to the bookshelf containing my L.M. Montgomery collection- not just the Anne series, but all her other novels and short story collections, too . My favourites are instantly recognizable by their dog ears and cracked spines. It's been a long time since I picked any of them up, but I think it may be time to reacquaint myself with Anne... and Emily... and Valancy... and Rilla.... Louis Armstrong was born on this date in 1901 and became one of the greatest jazz trumpeters and singers of all time. The video clip below is of Louis giving some background information at the beginning of the movie "High Society". It's not one of my favourite movies, but Louis is great in it, naturally. I'm also not generally a fan of exposition in film, but if you have to have it, this is the way to do it: The other night, I watched the movie 'Frequency'. I had seen it once before- probably about ten years ago- and remembered the basic story, though I had forgotten most of the particulars. And I really enjoyed a second viewing of it. The first thing watching this film requires is the Willing Suspension of Disbelief. You have to be able to take the premise and roll with it: solar flares and northern lights enable a father and son to communicate through time on a ham radio. Well, O.K... why not? It's funny how we- or at least, I- accept the impossible in works of fiction I enjoy, but scorn it in ones I don't. In 'Forever Plaid', four singers come back from the dead to perform a final concert due to aligning stars and holes in the ozone layer. Right, good, fine...I'll buy that... on with the show! On the other hand, in Star Wars, tiny life forms called midi-chlorians live inside people and give them the Force. Yeah, right. And expecting anyone to believe that the girl would prefer Hayden Christensen to Ewan McGregor? Ha- fat chance. Where was I... oh, yeah. Frequency. It's also a good idea not to think too deeply about the time thing because it will make you crazy. For example, at one point in the movie Frank burns a hole in his desk in 1969, and John watches it appearing on the desk in 1999. But if it was done in 1969, wouldn't it be there already? Or would it... hmm. Also, why is John able to remember the changes to the past while no one else can? Is it because he caused them? But if they never occurred, how can he remember? As I said, best not to over-analyse it. In any case, how it was done isn't as important as why it was done. The mechanics don't really matter, because that's not the focus of the film. In the end, even the murder mystery is secondary: the heart of the story is the relationship between Frank and John Sullivan. One of the best scenes in the movie is the one in which father and son talk to each other for the first time, knowing that they are father and son. Their connection reaches across the years, strong despite their separation and loss. Prior to this moment, Frank has only known John as 'Little Chief,' his young son, and John only knows his father through his childhood memories, tragically cut short. In this scene, however, they begin to see each other differently: Frank becoming acquainted with the man his son has become, and John with the man his father is- or was- whom he never got to know. What makes this work are the strong performances by Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. Quaid brings Frank to life as a warm, open guy. He has no trouble expressing his love for his wife and son, is quick to laugh and quick to care. He's also quick to anger if someone threatens his family. Caviezel's portrayal of John is quite different. He is self-contained and hard to read, even by those who care about him. Wary of commitment, unwilling to risk himself by caring too much, we see him struggle to regain that emotional confidence, letting the changes to the past change him as well. Although 'Frequency' is a drama, it is not without its funny moments. For example, police officer and family friend Satch is forced to suspect Frank of being a murderer because he was at a crime scene, and then of being crazy when he tells him about talking to future John on his ham radio. His reaction when he realizes- through a Series game, of course- that Frank has been telling the truth is a humorous combination of relief, disbelief, and delight. Also, in the midst of all the action, 1999 John takes a moment to help his financially strapped friend Gordo: talking to six-year-old Gordo on the ham radio, he tells him to memorize one word and then go write it down and save it..."Yahoo." To sum up, 'Frequency' isn't a perfect movie, and it has some logic problems, but it's a good story and it's heart is in the right place. It has strong performances by all the cast, and is engaging enough to make you forgive its flaws- though I must say that I could really have done without the sentimental Garth Brooks song playing through the final scene. Very distracting. But it's a film definitely worth watching, and would be a great choice for Father's Day. |
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