Rossellini part 4

The Flowers of St Francis (1950), was a little strange for a Rossellini movie from 1950 as it didn't star Ingrid Bergman!
Nether the less it was a fine tale of a group of haphazard medieval monks who through naivety got themselves into all sorts of trouble but of course the grace of god was always there to save them.
It was Simpicity as a virtue, there was no glory of god crap. It was a bit like slapstick comedy, something Italians are very good at.
Took a little to warm to but I though it a very beautiful movie.

Rossellini Part 3

MoMA's Rossellini retrospective continues with Germany, Year Zero (1947).
A bombed out Berlin serves as a backdrop for the tale of a twelve year old boy who in order to survive engages in petty crime. He's presented with an ideology similar to that of the Nazis and feels compelled to act.
Fear(1954), starring Ingrid Bergman was an attempt to show the material and moral state of Germany 9 years after the end of the war. Munich is shown as a bustling and vibrant city, but it's inhabitants experiment on rabbits and double cross and blackmail each other to no end!
Was the last film Rossellini and Bergman made together. Not just their best work(so i though anyway).

Blogger's Blogs of Note

Bloggers Blogs of note lists the following blog, there r some amazing pictures

The National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs, has awarded DAVID RUTH one of this season's Artists and Writers grants for travel to Antarctica. The project, studying ice textures and forms, will take place at Palmer Station, Antarctica from November 16th to December 23, 2006.

davidruth.blogspot.com/

Rossellini part 2

Europa '51, Rossellini's post war take on the story of St Francis , with Bergman in the lead.Bergman's husband, a wealthy newspaper man, can't understand his wife's charitable instincts.
Was dubbed with the most unusual mix of accents, Bergman dubbing herself, the wealthy speaking well to do English, and the poor Brooklyn-Italian. Bergman though is totally watchable.
All in all I though a great movie.

Christmas Windows

From Bergdorf Goodman's window, 5th Avenue.

A trip to the Met

Today I went to one of my favourite places in New york, The Met. I went to see a new exhibition of German portraits from the twenties titled Glitter and Doom. It was just so friggin busy I bailed pretty quick and spent time in some of the other galleries there. The South East Asian wing was as usual totally deserted. In a crazy city like New York it is a real place of solace.
Statue is from Java, Majapahit kingdom ,15-16 c.

December 01, World Aids Day

25 years on, it's still very real, the need to play safe is more real than ever.