Showing posts with label Historical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical. Show all posts
Behind the Scenes Drama
a kate west review
by Nancy De Los Santos-Reza, with Tomas Benitez
CAP Plaza de la Raza Youth Theater Program
directed by BJ Dodge; choreographed by Marvin Tunney
at Plaza de la Raza, Margo Albert Theater
3540 Mission Road, Los Angeles, CA 90031
contact (323) 223-2475 or www.plazadelaraza.org
MAY 7 - 7:30 PM at Plaza de la Raza, Margo Albert Theater
MAY 8 - 2:00 PM at Plaza de la Raza, Margo Albert Theater
MAY 8 - 7:30 PM at Plaza de la Raza, Margo Albert Theater
MAY 14 - 7:30 PM at Plaza de la Raza, Margo Albert Theater
MAY 15 - 7:30 PM at Plaza de la Raza, Margo Albert Theater
MAY 28 & 29 - 7:30 PM at
REDCAT
Roy and Edna Disney Cal Arts Theater
631 West 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 237-2800
The historical Plaza de la Raza is one of those hidden Angelino treasures that you don't know about it until someone brings you to it. Housed in one of Los Angeles' traditionally neglected playgrounds in Lincoln Park, Plaza has undergone a few revitalizations. And now, by combining its 40 year saga with CalArts Community Arts Partnership of 20 years, you get a sprawling tale of a neighborhood's labor of love. Margo Albert, famed Mexican-born movie actress (married to Eddie Albert), sold her jewelry to keep the performing arts school going back in the 1960's and it has been inspiring young people ever since.
Nancy De Los Santos-Reza, with Tomas Benitez, struggle to put all the components into a cohesive whole and under the direction of BJ Dodge, cast community youth from the program to depict their own origins in, fittingly, "Behind the Scenes Drama". Most of these kids are middle schoolers and from varied backgrounds, so you will see some unevenness. It's also tough to work in all the politics and red tape and still make a dramatically interesting story, so the piece lags at times. And it is naturally rife with inside jokes and inner cultural references, however you do learn an awful lot about the site and definitely gain an appreciation for what Plaza has been doing all these years.
Interweaving, musicians, actors, teachers, parents and of course, the heart of the program, the students, the play demonstrates an intense communal love of the arts and barrio pride and indeed is comprised of alum, current staff and CalArts representatives. The players themselves practically glow with excitement, especially during small moments taken from real life memories and inspirations. It may be a little hard to sit through it all, but while the story could use some editing, the production staff is to be commended for so obviously putting heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into so personal a recital. Can't wait to see what the future holds for them.
Read more!
Ode to Anne Frank
Woman who hid Anne Frank dies at 100
Miep Gies, the office secretary who defied the Nazi occupiers to hide Anne Frank and her family for two years and saved the teenager's diary, has died, the Anne FrankMuseum said Tuesday. She was 100.
In this 1998 photo, Miep Gies displays a copy of her book "Anne Frank Remembered" at her apartment inAmsterdam.
Photo: AP
Gies' Web site reported that she died Monday after a brief illness. The report was confirmed by museum spokeswoman Maatje Mostar, but she gave no details. The British Broadcasting Corp. said she died in a nursing home after suffering a fall last month.
Gies was the last of the few non-Jews who supplied food, books and good cheer to the secret annex behind the canal warehouse where Anne, her parents, sister and four other Jews hid for 25 months during World War II.
After the apartment was raided by the German police, Gies gathered up Anne's scattered notebooks and papers and locked them in a drawer for her return after the war. The diary, which Anne Frank was given on her 13th birthday, chronicles her life in hiding from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944.
Gies refused to read the papers, saying even a teenager's privacy was sacred. Later, she said if she had read them she would have had to burn them because they incriminated the "helpers."
Anne Frank died of typhus at age 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945, just two weeks before the camp was liberated. Gies gave the diary to Anne's father Otto, the only survivor, who published it in 1947.
After the diary was published, Gies tirelessly promoted causes of tolerance. She brushed aside the accolades for helping hide the Frank family as more than she deserved - as if, she said, she had tried to save all the Jews of occupied Holland.
"This is very unfair. So many others have done the same or even far more dangerous work," she wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press days before her 100th birthday last February.
"The Diary of Anne Frank" was the first popular book about the Holocaust, and has been read by millions of children and adults around the world in some 65 languages.
For her courage, Gies was bestowed with the "Righteous Gentile" title by the Yad Vashem. She has also been honored by the German Government, Dutch monarchy and educational institutions.
Nevertheless, Gies resisted being made a character study of heroism for the young.
"I don't want to be considered a hero," she said in a 1997 online chat with schoolchildren.
"Imagine young people would grow up with the feeling that you have to be a hero to do your human duty. I am afraid nobody would ever help other people, because who is a hero? I was not. I was just an ordinary housewife and secretary."
Born Hermine Santrouschitz on Feb. 15, 1909 in Vienna, Gies moved to Amsterdam in 1922 to escape food shortages in Austria. She lived with a host family who gave her the nickname Miep.
In 1933, Gies took a job as an office assistant in the spice business of Otto Frank. After refusing to join a Nazi organization in 1941, she avoided deportation to Austria by marrying her Dutch boyfriend, Jan Gies.
As the Nazis ramped up their arrests and deportations of Dutch Jews, Otto Frank asked Gies in July 1942 to help hide his family in the annex above the company's canal-side warehouse on Prinsengracht 263 and to bring them food and supplies.
"I answered, 'Yes, of course.' It seemed perfectly natural to me. I could help these people. They were powerless, they didn't know where to turn," she said years later.
Jan and Miep Gies worked with four other employees in the firm to sustain the Franks and four other Jews sharing the annex. Jan secured extra food ration cards from the underground resistance. Miep cycled around the city, alternating grocers to ward off suspicions from this highly dangerous activity.
In her e-mail to the AP last February, Gies remembered her husband, who died in 1993, as one of Holland's unsung war heroes. "He was a resistance man who said nothing but did a lot. During the war he refused to say anything about his work, only that he might not come back one night. People like him existed in thousands but were never heard," she wrote.
Touched by Anne's precocious intelligence and loneliness, Miep also brought Anne books and newspapers while remembering everybody's birthdays and special days with gifts.
"It seems as if we are never far from Miep's thoughts," Anne wrote.
In her own book, "Anne Frank Remembered," Gies recalled being in the office when the German police, acting on a tip that historians have failed to trace, raided the hide-out in August 1944.
A policeman opened the door to the main office and pointed a revolver at the three employees, telling them to sit quietly. "Bep, we've had it," Gies whispered to Bep Voskuijl.
After the arrests, she went to the police station to offer a bribe for the Franks' release, but it was too late. On Aug. 8, they were sent to Westerbork, a concentration camp in eastern Holland from where they were later packed into cattle cars and deported to Auschwitz. A few months later, Anne and her sister Margot were transported to Bergen-Belsen.
Two of the helpers, Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman, were sent to labor camps, but survived the war.
Around 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands before the 1940-45 Nazi occupation. Of those, 107,000 were deported to Germany and only 5,200 survived. Some 24,000 Jews went into hiding, of which 8,000 were hunted down or turned in.
After the war, Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam and lived with the Gies family until he remarried in 1952. Miep worked for him as he compiled the diary, then devoted herself to talking about the diary and answering piles of letters with questions from around the world.
After Otto Frank's death in 1980, Gies continued to campaign against Holocaust-deniers and to refute allegations that the diary was a forgery.
She suffered a stroke in 1997 which slightly affected her speech, but she remained generally in good health as she approached her 100th birthday.
Her son Paul Gies said last year she was still receiving "a sizable amount of mail" which she handled with the help of a family friend. She spent her days at the apartment where she lived since 2000 reading two daily newspapers and following television news and talk shows.
Her husband died in 1993. She is survived by her son and three grandchildren.
Find Out More Here:
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family
Read more!
Inauguration Info
For the Facebook Addicts:
Obama Inauguration on CNN.com Live with Facebook.
Watch Obama's historic inauguration and update your Facebook status all in one place.
Host: CNN
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Time: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Location: http://www.cnn.com/live/
Watch live streaming video of Obama's inauguration on CNN.com/live.
What will your Facebook status say when Obama becomes President? CNN.com and Facebook are partnering to enable you to update your status, and follow your friends' updates, while you watch the inauguration live online, all on http://cnn.com/live.
On Tuesday, January 20th, watch President-elect Barack Obama become the next President of the United States on http://cnn.com/live. You can watch the live video online from anywhere with broadband access.
Coverage begins at 8am EST, with the swearing-in ceremony at 12pm EST, followed immediately by Obama's inauguration address.
Whether you're at the office, at home, at the library, or anywhere else, you can share this moment in history with your Facebook friends live, as it happens.
Don't miss this historic inauguration!
Check out Kate West Reviews on Facebook
And brand spanking redone website: http://www.whitehouse.gov
Wordle Site: http://www.wordle.net
Read more!
Some Reservations
30 Days - FX
created & narrated by
Morgan Spurlock
a kate west reflection
The ground-breaking documentary "Super Size Me" turned the fast food industry upside down when Director/Creator Morgan Spurlock devoted 30 days of eating nothing but McDonald's food. The resulting alarming and terrible health problems shocked audiences into giving up their Big Macs (at least temporarily) and cut short the month-long dare. His doctors forbade him to continue.
Not only did Spurlock get his message through loud and clear, but he was inspired to start a spin-off television series, "30 Days", in which someone spends 30 days doing something contrary to their nature or beliefs in an effort to walk in someone else's shoes or just sharing a life experience like working as a coal miner or a living as a disabled person for a whole month. Past shows also include a Christian living in a Muslim household and a Pro-Lifer living with gay parents and even a month in the life of a heartbreaking immigrant family. Regular people are the new protagonists, although Spurlock still does the occasional month and all shows end up showing us an aspect of our society we never thought about before.
The most poignant episode to date has to be Morgan Spurlock's 30 days on a Native American reservation. We're all familiar with America's sordid history: slavery, WWII interments and of course Native American genocide. But to most of us, all that exists in the past and present day atrocities are more along the international lines of Middle East turbulence, African genocides and the September 11 attacks that may or may not have anything to do with the Middle East turbulence (go ahead and guess). But what we don't think about is the fact that there are still left over reservations in this country in dire straits and even when we do think about them, it's usually not out of concern for the people's welfare.
Morgan Spurlock spends 30 days with the Navajo Nation on a reservation with no running water and very few jobs. In Gallup, New Mexico, he lives with a family heavily involved in the rodeo circuit whose endearing grandmother speaks no English and still lives in the traditional way. The entire population (over 20,000 in 2000) has only 25 available jobs compared to the hundreds of jobs in similar neighboring Texan cities. The young people are fast losing the language and as Spurlock tries to learn the native tongue from a local teacher, she tears up telling him she doubts her children would carry on that tradition.
Although gambling is against their spiritual beliefs, the Navajo have little choice but to cave in to the allure of Indian Gaming. Casinos will bring in much needed money to this desperately cash-poor section of Americans. It's not ideal, but the reservations just do not provide a proper standard of living. After hundreds of years of abuse, we are still neglecting our indigenous people, the most forgotten segment of our nation. So many Native Americans suffer from poverty, drug abuse and alcoholism, that there does not seem to be an easy way out of such a long period of neglect. In spite of all this, amazingly enough, Spurlock also found that (at least within the host family) there still exists deep respect for our environment and a universal spiritualism promoting peace with our surroundings. He experiences a profound vision in a sweat lodge and is revived in both spirit and soul. After a tough transition back to the concrete cities, he resolves to keep part of that adventure intact and continues to practice earthly prayers.
A simplistically short viewpoint, to be sure, but the show reaches a vast audience as quite the devastating look at our society. And Morgan Spurlock's obvious affection and emotional ties to the people he meets are particularly effective. No one should be able to watch without a subtle shift in perception. Hopefully, we'll all be properly shamed into finally trying to be part of the solution. It's out there somewhere. By the way, if you are moved to help out, be sure to contact a reputable organization, as there are a few unscrupulous outfits preying on bleeding hearts. Do your research first. Peace.
Watch video segments of all seasons/episodes here:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days
The movie that started it all:
Super Size Me
More inspiration:
Dances with Wolves - Extended Cut (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Little Big Man
Black Elk Speaks, New Edition
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two
Trail of Tears
John Adams
John Adams - HBO
a kate west review
John Adams, one of our early founding fathers, is now back in vogue. HBO brings us his story (based on David McCullough's Pulitzer prize novel) in a seven-part mini series.
The versatile Paul Giamatti plays a very real and human John Adams, with a burning vision of uniting the former British colonies into a United States of America. Laura Linney is his loyal wife Abagail, supporting and advising him throughout all of his different stages of life. It is remarkable to watch this touching relationship play out just like any modern couple.
And of course the history is fascinating as well. We first get to know Adams as he defends some British soldiers in an unjust trial and then through his direct involvement in the birth of our fine nation. This includes making the great journey abroad to the Old World to plead assistance from France and Denmark, in spite of the impact on his family life. He then returns, adamant as always to principle, in spite of failing popularity.
The casting is great, all fine actors, and many of them done up to look like the historical characters they portray, complete with the bad teeth and powdered wigs. It's filmed with natural-looking light too, with an addicting original and classical soundtrack. Fans of the book are well pleased with this cinematic rendition and for those of us who haven't read the book yet, it's a good insight into what it might really have been like for these complicated and dimensional revolutionaries.
| Screenplay: Kirk Ellis Book: David McCullough | |
| Directed by Tom Hooper | |
| Produced by Tom Hanks David Coatsworth Kirk Ellis Gary Goetzman | |
Starring
|
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072684
Read the book:
John Adams
Read more!
The Assassination of Jesse James
The Assassination of
Jesse James
by the Coward Robert Ford
a kate west review
The latest version of the Jesse James story is told in the remarkable film by Andrew Dominik, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". Narrated by Hugh Ross, with spots of sepia tones and vintage 1880's lenses, the film depicts the legendary outlaw in his final years.
Brad Pitt is the lead, portraying James as the calculatingly cold killer that he was, but with a haunting awareness of his own weaknesses. Casey Affleck (yes, Ben's little brother) gives an outstanding performance as Robert Ford, the man responsible for ending Jesse's life. Focusing less on the James/Younger brothers famous gang exploits, the film explores the aftermath, when the paranoia and disillusionment set in. It is a less glamorous look at the real inner world of the coarse and hardened men of the old west. Jesse James killed a lot of men in his time, and while he justified it to himself in his lifetime, it was never a noble affair, but often rather a petty reaction to life's inevitable obstacles.
Brad Pitt portrays James as the still wiley and alert man of infamy, with the dread of the modern mob boss. The scenes in which characters await his arrival are the most filled with fear and trepidation. As each suspected betrayer is gunned down, weeping and begging for mercy, the two Ford brothers become more and more nervous that James will discover their involvement with the authorities. One scene in particular shows Pitt slowly stirring his coffee, reading the newspaper, which everyone knows full well to be incriminating. The camera shows his hand stop stirring, then running his finger down the lines of print, leaving us in an agony of suspense.
The entire movie is told in bits of suspended anticipation and in character contemplation. In spite of it's length (two hours and 40 minutes), the movie keeps an appropriate pace, revealing each rich suspenseful moment, beat by beat. Pitt is wonderful as the icy cold James, someone you don't want visiting you in the middle of the night, someone with eyes in the back of his head. And Affleck outdoes himself as the nervous hero worshipper, forced to betray his idol, never making eye contact and justifying his cowardice for the rest of his short life. Sam Rockwell is also good as his brother Charley Ford and Sam Shepard makes a commanding appearance as Frank James. Every actor turns in a profound performance, from Paul Schneider and Jeremy Renner (the two initial Judas Iscariots) to Mary Louise Parker (as Jesse's wife Zee) and Zooey Deschanel (Ford's lover).
By the time we reach the final scene, where Jesse goes to hang a picture and Ford shoots him in the back, we've come to know these characters, for better or for worse. Although most of us know the history and expect the outcome, we still feel a pang for a fallen legend, deeply flawed though he might be. Perhaps, as is hinted in the movie, Jesse was ready for his execution, having wearied of his own inner conflict. And it is an unexpected bonus to be able to get to know Ford, so often painted as a cowardly villain, who may have been just as human as the rest of us.
The movie is ultimately about death, both that of James and Ford, one somber, yet exploited, the other virtually forgotten almost the moment it happens. It is also about vilifying and idolizing the wrong kind of hero. It is also much more than your standard western and a movie you will have a hard time letting go of.
The Book:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Film:
| Directed by | Andrew Dominik |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Ridley Scott (Executive Producer) Jules Daly Brad Pitt Dede Gardner David Valdes |
| Novel by: Ron Hansen Screenplay by: Andrew Dominik Starring | |
| Brad Pitt (Jesse James) September 5, 1847 – April 3, 1882 Casey Affleck (Robert Ford) Mary-Louise Parker (Zee James) Sam Shepard (Frank James) Sam Rockwell (Charley Ford) Paul Schenider (Dick Liddel) Jeremy Renner (Wood Hite) Zooey Deschanel (Dorothy Evans) | |
| Music by | Nick Cave Warren Ellis |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Editing by | Dylan Tichenor Michael Kahn |
John Steinbeck & Jack London vs. Charles Dickens & Charlotte Brontë
a kate west reflection
The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas (www.steinbeck.org) above.
I know that everyone is crazy about Jane Austen these days, as well they should be. She's a classic and an astute, if sometimes strict, observer of human nature. Yet, while my mind absolutely accepts this, my heart belongs elsewhere. The romantic part of me wants the sweeping drama of the mating ritual and that whole dramatic dance. Charlotte Brontë's "Jane Eyre" provides this for me. Not that Austen isn't romantic. Of course she is. But her novels can be more intellectual and passionate, while at the same time giving us social messages. She's not everyone's cup of tea; Mark Twain disparaged her, but he was a cantankerous old man. Brilliant writers often are.
Personally, sometimes I just want to escape (not that Brontë can't be deep, relax). Mr. Rochester seems more mysterious than Mr. Darcy and seemingly unattainable, making him all the more desirable. And I'm a sucker for happy endings. Then there's Charles Dickens. "Oliver Twist" is definitely a real depiction of the harshness of old English orphanages, but it does end well for the main character. Many people make fun of me for this, but "A Tale of Two Cities" is one of my favorite novels. I know it's a soap opera, with one ridiculous coincidence after another, but it speaks to me. Sydney Carton's heroic sacrifice gets me every time. The background of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror helps this story considerably, along with such rich characters like the brooding Madame Defarge, who keeps knitting aristocratic destruction while the streets run red with blood. Great stuff.
More realistic are the novels by Jack London and John Steinbeck, taken from both authors' real life experiences of Alaskan sled dogging in London's case and from the migrant workers Steinbeck grew up around in California. These novels are considered romantic because they depict small lives on a grand scale. The common man made poetic. London painted a vivid picture of man surviving in nature by befriending loyal dogs and understanding wolves. Men in such harsh winter climates needed to make these alliances; the resulting relationships satisfied both. Steinbeck made more of a social statement by showing us the inner lives of men who worked with their hands. He even wrote about his own journey traveling across America with his ferocious poodle Charley. Everyone reads these novels in school, but re-reading them as an adult causes you to appreciate their nuances even more. At least I think that's why I continue to be drawn to them.
The point is, literature (and film and art) is subjective. We like what we like. And we find romance where we can, since real life won't always give us what we want. And sometimes, even real life in fiction, even tragedy in books, seems more appealing than what we see at home. Or is it that these authors give us a clearer sense of life around us, which is really the most romantic thing of all.
Fun Reads:
Travels with Charley in Search of America: (Centennial Edition)
The Call of the Wild (Aladdin Classics)
Jane Eyre (Dover Thrift Editions)
A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics)
300
300 - Film
a kate west reflection
I'm not a fan of video-game film directing. By that I mean the screen looks like a live action video game, with all that frantic swirling camerawork that drives me crazy (the number one reason I couldn't watch television's "NYPD Blue" is that it made me dizzy). I realize I'm referencing a few different styles here, but to me it all comes from that same adolescent ADD* need to be fast and hip and isn't a truly sophisticated style. "300" is the latest version of this, combining Frank Miller's graphic novel with a computer generated slickness geared toward male teenagers blood lust.
"300" is the story of the battle of Thermopylae between the Spartans and the Persians, fought roughly about 480 B.C. Basically it's the heroic three day stand of King Leonidas of Sparta (Gerard Butler) and his loyal 300 soldiers against at least half a million Persians led by King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his "Immortals". At the cliffs of Thermopylae (a.k.a. the "Hot Gates"), the Spartans hold off the advancing hordes, but are betrayed by Ephialtes, a disfigured Spartan who knows a secret path to get around the pass, thus enabling the Persians to flank and surround the desperate Spartans. Despite sure defeat, they fight gallantly and indeed crush many more Persians than seems strategically possible before being cut down by a rain of arrows. This battle is often used as an example of extreme valiance in the face of insurmountable odds.
It's a great story, but I'm not into this retelling. Profound characterization can be lost when filmmakers get too graphic (as in computer graphics - I can take graphic violence like the best of them) . I left adolescence long ago but I do understand the appeal - the poster is very exciting, but the movie itself is pretty soulless. Not really my look either. The characters are fairly one-dimensional, especially the evil Persians with all their sexy eye liner countering the straight and true manliness of the Spartans. Please - it's a video game. I'd rather read a book. I love "The Matrix" (or at least the first one). Yes, it's a totally different style. But pure flashiness does not a movie make. At least it's not a Michael Bay movie. Points for that.
Director:
Zack Snyder
Producers:
Gianni Nunnari
Mark Canton
Bernie Goldmann
Jeffrey Silver
Distributed by Warner Brothers
Writers:
Zack Snyder (Screenplay)
Kurt Johnstad (Screenplay)
Frank Miller (Graphic Novel)
Cast:
Gerard Butler as King Leonidas: King of Sparta
Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo: Leonidas' wife
David Wenham as Dilios: Narrator and Spartan soldier
Dominic West as Theron: A corrupt Spartan politician
Michael Fassbender as Stelios: Young and spirited Spartan soldier
Vincent Regan as Captain Artemis: Leonidas' loyal captain and friend
Rodrigo Santoro as King Xerxes: King of Persia
Andrew Tiernan as Ephialtes: Deformed Spartan outcast
Andrew Pleavin as Daxos: Arcadian soldier
Tom Wisdom as Astinos: Captain Artemis' eldest son
Giovani Cimmino as Pleistarchos: Leonidas' son
Stephen McHattie as The Loyalist: A loyal Spartan politician
Peter Mensah as Persian messenger
Kelly Craig as Oracle girl
Tyler Neitzel as Young Leonidas
Robert Maillet as Über Immortal (Giant)
Music:
Tyler Bates
Cinematographor:
Larry Fong
Editor:
William Hoy
*ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder): a persistent pattern of inattention and hyperactivity or both, usually in younger individuals.
Film:
300 (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Graphic Novel:
300
Plutarch's Version:
On Sparta (Penguin Classics)
The Matrix:
The Matrix
Read more!
Frida
.jpg)
Frida Kahlo
a kate west review
written & directed by Rubén Amavizca Murúa
with the Grupo de Teatro Sinergia
at the Teatro Frida Kahlo Theater
2332 W.
contact
running December 2005
The colorful and boisterous love affair between famous Mexican painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is captured yearly in the Frida Kahlo Theater/Grupo de Teatro Sinergia’s production of “Frida Kahlo”. In keeping with the fascinating culture of the piece, you can choose between either the English or Spanish version; the actors memorize both scripts. The theater itself gives a nice first impression when one walks in, with a painted sunny floor, happy blue walls and Mexican style décor. The fabulous folkloric costumes and jewelry will catch your eye also, all contributing to a vibrant glimpse into a surreal artistic world.
Direct from the source:
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait
Read more!
The Guys
The Guys
a kate west reflection
written by Anne Nelson
directed by Jim Simpson
[Movie poster starring Anthony LaPaglia & Sigourney Weaver]
"The Guys" is both a 2002 stage play and a Hollywood film, both written by Anne Nelson, a journalist hoping to corral September 11 memories and emotions into a fitting eulogy for fallen firefighters. She succeeds in creating a moving story while honoring eight firemen who died on September 11. The film version may be a tad more staged than the play version, interestingly enough, but both are emotionally involving and properly dignified.
New York Fire Captain Nick asks Nelson to help him write eulogies for his fallen men and as a journalist, Nelson feels it appropriate to interview the Fire House. But it turns into more than that and becomes a statement for Manhattan itself, in depicting how everyone in the city learns to cope with the tragedy. That's when she decides to try her hand at playwriting and good thing too. She writes a quiet, but profound piece of contemplation, sensitively portraying the real life rawness of a cataclysmic event that affected us all. And it doesn't hurt to land excellent actors to help it along (Anthony LaPaglia, Sigourney Weaver in the film and Weaver and Bill Murray in the first version on stage and later Susan Sarandon with LaPaglia). There are some slow parts here and there, but the sentiment is real and definitely appreciated.
God Bless America, Broadway and Hollywood.
FILM
Cast: Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver
NEW YORK PRODUCTIONS
Cast: Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver
"A Gala Evening" fundraiser January 14, 2002, at 7:00 p.m.
at the New Victory Theater 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, New York
Flea Box Office 212-226-2407
Cast: Anthony LaPaglia and Susan Sarandon
Sets and Lights: Kyle Chepulis
Costume Design: Claudia Brown
at Flea Theater, 41 White Street, New York
contact 212-206-1515 or www.theflea.org.
2/21/02-3/14/02 (La Paglia through March 5th only; Bill Irwin on March 7th)
Mon-Thurs @ 7pm; $55; limited $15 tickets for Firefighters & Port Authority workers
$25 rush tickets sold same day (wait list based on availability)
Last New York performance 12/31/02
"Nick and I weren't supposed to meet. You couldn't create another sequence for his life that leads to me. Or for my life that leads to him. After September 11th, all over the city, people jumped tracks." - Anne Nelson Read more!
Maus
Maus -
A Survivor's Tale
by Art Spiegelman
a kate west recommendation
Art Spiegelman's 1992 Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel "Maus" covers his father Vladek's tragic history during the Holocaust. It's uniqueness lies not only in the fact that the Third Reich is depicted in cartoons, but also that everyone is represented as animals. The Jews are mice, the Germans are cats, the Americans are dogs, the French are frogs, the Swedes are reindeer, the British are fish and Gypsies are exotic moths. This device classifies everyone into a highly specific group, just as the Nazis saw them.
Vladek Spiegelman and his wife Anja lived in Poland with their son Richieu. When the Nazis began persecuting people, they sent their child to live with his Aunt Tosha in another Polish ghetto they deemed safer. Unfortunately, she did not feel the same way and poisoned herself and all of her charges, including poor Richieu. Art was born in New York and suffered from living up to the image of a dead brother, even to the point of staying in a mental hospital. When he was released, his mother committed suicide and his father remarried another Holocaust survivor, Mala. "Maus" was the perfect way to deal with these travesties, by simultaneously removing and retaining the human element. The depiction of animals meant they weren't like us, but the action and dialogue said otherwise.
It is a brilliantly poignant portrayal of World War II from the Jewish perspective and how it affects the survivors, even worlds away. Art's father was prejudiced against blacks, even though he was a victim of anti-semitism. Art married Françoise Mouly, a French artist, co-founding Raw Magazine with her (she is a mouse with a French scarf in the cartoon). Never one to back down from a fight, just like his father, Spiegelman spoke out about the recent war on Iraq and greatly lamented September 11 (see below). Vladek's new wife, Mala, suffers from his stubbornness and frugality, left over from the War. The fact that Vladek survived Auschwitz without going completely mad is testament to this resiliency. But he drives Art crazy. The depictions of both ordinary and camp life are truly extraordinarily detailed and the images will stay with you forever. Spiegelman's cutting humor makes it all the more real and accessible, and that much more frightening.
It's an excellent addition to any other historically acclaimed book on the subject. It also raises graphic novelization to a new level. Be sure to read both volumes:
Volume I: My Father Bleeds History
Volume II: And Here Comes Trouble Began
(Spiegelman's New Yorker cover after the September 11 attacks,
right before he resigned in protest of media hypocrisy.)
The Works:
Maus I & II 2 Volumes Boxed Set
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank
directed by Judith Dresch
review by Janice Riese, Los Altos Town Crier
at the Manhattan Playhouse, East Palo Alto, CA
through December 1992
Manhattan Playhouse in Palo Alto is presenting "The Diary of Anne Frank," the moving story of a Jewish family forced into hiding in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. The time frame is from July 1942 through August 1944 with updated scenes in November 1945 opening and closing the play.
Playwrights Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett have adapted the diary left by Frank into a two-act play that became a Broadway hit in the 1950's.
Director Judith Dresch has transformed the theater into an upstairs loft over Mr. Frank's Herb and Spice store. Here, the four Franks (Father, Mother, Margot and Anne), the Van Daans and their son Peter and a Jewish dentist, Mr. Dussel, are to spend the next two years, crowded together, constantly in fear and with never enough food.
Two Dutch people, Miep Gies (Anita Khalat Bari) and Mr. Kraler (Mark Solomon), are their messengers from the outside world, placing themselves in grave danger if they should ever be caught harboring Jews.
The pivotal role is, of course, that of Anne, 15 when we first meet her and 17 when she is forced from the safety of the attic by the Nazi soldiers. She writes in her diary every day, and her reading of what she writes carries the action along.
Natalie Skelton is extremely good as Anne, changing from the outspoken, noisy, not too likable child (she was called "quack-quack" in school) to a quieter, more understanding and quite grown-up young lady. Her diction is excellent, her delivery clear and precise. It is Anne who never gives up hope and keeps the rest going in spite of hardship.
Mr. Frank, warm and sensible, is excellently portrayed by Jack Weissman. Annette Boyenga is the sympathetic wife and mother who loves her family (but does not understand Anne, according to Anne). The role of Margot, the quiet one, always doing what her mother tells her, is well-handled by Amber Land.
William F. Morrison is a loud and thoroughly unlikable Mr. Van Daan; Joanne Eagle is good as the vain but frightened Mrs. Van Daan, Ryan Noto's Peter is sullen and withdrawn at first, but he, too, changes with the months, learning to understand and love Anne and to accept himself as a worthy person.
Dresch has done a sensitive job of directing (she is also general "overseer" of the whole production). This is not an easy play to watch as it brings back the horrors of the holocaust, a time of terror and suffering.
Review by Janice Riese, Los Altos Town Crier
Read more!
An Anonymous Review
The Diary of Anne Frank
an anonymous review from a theater patron
directed by Judith Dresch
at The Manhattan Playhouse, East Palo Alto, CA
through December 5, 1992
I attended the opening on Friday, 11/13.
Technically, the production was a shambles. The lighting was poor, the flats were flimsy and noise from "backstage" was clumsily audible. The scene changes took forever, leaving a perplexed audience sitting in the dark, hearing nothing but the sound of stagehands moving props. Several times the lights prematurely came up to reveal stagehands still onstage, awkwardly clunking about, then hysterically fleeing the stage as the lights shone on them.
The acting was horrendous. Various castmembers were blatantly struggling to remember their lines. Their speech lacked rhythm, tempo and volume. Movement was clumsy; I didn't know whether to blame the blocking or the actors for their inept actions, which for the most part lacked motivation and energy. There was no authentic interaction between actors; it was as if everyone were acting in separate plays, indulging in a series of monologues. It wasn't clear to me at all what anyone was feeling at each moment. The lines in the script were easily interpreted to mean something, however the action often went against the grain and blemished the text. There was no subtext provided by the actors; they merely followed directions and robotic ally indicated what they were supposed to be feeling. To say that the actors lacked presence in this production is an understatement.
Clearly, there were some rough parts that could be ironed out with more rehearsal. But some of the faults were inexcusable. When I'm sitting in a full house and I notice that most everyone is yawning and anxiously shifting in their seats, I can't help but suspect that I'm not the only one who's bored. I hold Manhattan Playhouse liable for this theatrical dud because they've managed to reduce this wonderful play about a heroic girl and about the hardships and beauty of community during (in spite of) war, into an emotionally barren wax museum. Rather than feeling enriched following the show, all I noticed was that I had $10 less in my wallet.
The only one who truly showed any life was Natalie Skelton (Anne Frank). She was fabulous. But she was so alone onstage. No one else showed any urgency or grief. She alone showed excitement, fear, caring and charm in her winsome portrayal of a girl rapidly growing into a woman ahead of her time. The best moments in the play are when she is alone, reciting her memoirs as she scribbles them into her diary.
Because I've read and seen the play several times, and I know how it turns out in the end, there is a poignancy that radiates throughout the story, no matter how badly it is presented. Natalie added some of her own gusto as well. If there's any reason for seeing this particular production, it's to see her. Natalie knows how to be interesting; she has presence and she lights up the stage. Now, if only she could be joined by a cast of real actors ....
An Anonymous Theater Patron
Read more!
Anne Frank story inspires actors at Palo Alto Playhouse
by Paul Freeman, Jewish Bulletin Correspondent
Now, perhaps more than ever, the world needs to hear the story of Anne Frank.
That became increasingly clear to theater director Judith Dresch during a recent trip to Moscow.
"While there, I began reading in the papers about all the uprising of anti-Semitism, of the desecration of the Jewish cemeteries in Germany, of the neo-Nazi groups and of the denial that the Holocaust ever existed," said Dresch, whose relatives in Poland were persecuted by the Nazis during the war.
"We cannot forget the Holocaust," she says. "We cannot forget Hitler. Future generations must keep all of that in front of them, as an example of the worst that can happen, so it will never happen again."
Dresch's experiences in Russia inspired her to mount a new production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" at Palo Alto's Manhattan Playhouse. The show opens tonight.
The play, set in 1942 Nazi-occupied Holland, transforms the Holocaust from numbing statistics into a deeply personal experience. Eight people - two families and a dentist - hide in an attic, trying, against all odds, to escape the concentration camps.
The audience is drawn into the claustrophobic atmosphere, privy to the characters innermost fears, pains and dreams. Humor leavens the proceedings just enough, making the poignant passages even more affecting. What makes the play a classic is its ability to offer an uplifting aura, transcending the tragedy.
Jack Weissman, the Los Altos Hills resident who plays Otto Frank, Anne's father, visited the famous Anne Frank house while visiting Amsterdam; he draws on that experience in his performance. "When I was there, I imagined how I would feel in those circumstances. It was a very emotional thing," he recalls.
"In the final scene of the play, [when] Mr. Frank returns to the place where they had been hidden and reads the diary and thinks about Anne. It's so moving. I'm not a professional actor, but when I read the lines, it makes me want to cry."
Weissman, some of whose relatives in Russia where killed by the Nazis in World War II, believes that audiences are moved by the story even if they have no direct connection to the events.
"You really get lost in this play," he says. "It's so involving. You feel for these people. It has a message that should never be forgotten."
The other Jewish cast member, Mark Solomon of Redwood City - who portrays Mr. Kraler, the Dutchman who hides and feeds the Franks - agrees that the plays impact is wide-ranging.
"It's a story that has meaning perpetually, not just in its own time frame," he says. "It displays hope in time of difficulty. It's an important play not only to the Jewish audience, but for all people. It happens to be about Jews, but it relates to persecution generally."
Anita Khalat Bari of San Jose, a Persian who plays the Dutch secretary Mrs. Miep, is a case in point. "When I saw the movie of 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' I was about 10," she recalls. "It made a great impression on me at that age, the way they had to be indoors so long, never seeing daylight. The way Anne always kept track of everything was remarkable. It inspired me to start writing a diary of my own. Her story has always stayed in my mind."
Similarly, 25-year old Natalie Skelton of Sunnyvale, who plays Anne Frank, feels a particular kinship with the character.
"I feel that I know her, that I've gone through some of the things that she went through, not in terms of the Holocaust or the horrors, but in the way that all adolescent girls share similar experiences," she says. "We go through basically the same things, no matter what the country or what the circumstances. I think that's the reason the play has been so popular for so long."
But for Skelton, the play has a relevance that goes far beyond the coming-of-age theme - particularly for young audiences. "To be persecuted for your religious beliefs is absolutely ludicrous," she says. "The play is so important in this day and age, because of all the hate groups that are around now."
"The Diary of Anne Frank" runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through December 5, 1992 at the non-profit Manhattan Playhouse.
by Paul Freeman, Jewish Bulletin Correspondent
Read more!
The Passion of Joan of Arc
The Passion of Joan of Arc
(La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)
a kate west favorite
"The Passion of Joan of Arc" is a beautiful version of the story of Joan of Arc, the French martyr captured by the English and later made a saint. The key word in the title definitely being passion. Maria Falconetti is a soulful and intense Joan. Although the film is silent (just try it, you'll like it), she conveys a wealth of emotion in Director Carl Dreyer's close ups.
Truly a cinematic and prolific genius, Dreyer knows quite well how to show stark feelings and human agony in a profound way. Originally filmed in 1928 ,what makes this edition all the more special is that in 1994, Richard Einhorn composed a soundtrack for the film ("Voices of Light"), a choral masterpiece blending classical and modern elements, turning the work into a true epic.
This is one of the most amazing films in cinematic history, not only for its artistry, but as a truly moving depiction of the life of an historical icon. It is a must see for film students and general public alike.
Director:
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Writers:
Joseph Delteil
Carl Theodor Dreyer
1994 Composer:
Richard Einhorn (Voices of Light)
Release Date:
21 April 1928 (Denmark)
Jeanne D'Arc (1412-1431)
Maria Falconetti ... Jeanne d'Arc (Renè Jean Falconetti)
Évêque Pierre Cauchon ... Bishop Pierre Cauchon (as Eugène Silvain)
Antonin Artaud ... Jean Massieu
Andrè Berley ... Jean d'Estivet
The 1985 Criterion Edition:
The Passion of Joan of Arc - Criterion Collection
Voices of Light:
Richard Einhorn: Voices Of Light
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
