h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Caius had never seen any Tati before, and Susan has only slept through one. The Illusionist last night was their introduction to M. Hulot. What a truly beautiful film. Every single animation cell could go on display in a gallery. The changes in light, the reflections and shadows, the throwaway details - the gusting of the kilt on the motor boat to the island... The great panorama of Edinburgh towards the end. A gem. Reekie has never before had so heart-felt a love letter.

And it was a real proper Tati flick. His signature was all over it. I firmly believe that the world would be a better place if all of us males had a little bit more of Hulot in us. He is the greatest, the most sentimental, of the silent clowns, a gentle man, a gentleman.

Miah has just come in, coat moist from dew-rolling.

Pizza for tea.

Bonny Aiberdeen autumn morning. If I could freeze the seasons I would freeze them at this instant in time. My, that would be a nice button to own to press.

Doorstep loaf-ends of toast with butter and marmite eaten, a steaming pot of cawffee by my elbow.

Caius is moving in to his cubbyhole with a Stair-like animus possessendi (as opposed to a Rankine-like one). He tells me that he has his Morison's in it. I will go down next week to have a look.

I quite fancy Tamara Drewe. It is out next week-ish, and is from the Posy. I am a great fan of Posy, but drifted away from Drewe when it was originally being printed - I missed too many Saiturday Grauniads and lost track of the story - OK, I know it's Hardy, but I have never read any Hardy (except for some demme queer poems). I would have bought the book, but not at the price being asked.

Right. Work.


Douglas

Glad you enjoyed the Illusionist, Douglas. Did Susan go to sleep in this one? The drunken laird was great, wasn't he? And what about the boy band?

Re Tamara Drewe - I had a vague recollection it was based on Madame Bovary, rather than Hardy ... or am I mistaken?

Off to Amsterdam this evening, so will be offline for a few days.

Susan stayed awake.

Gemma Bovery was based on Madame Bovary. Tamara Drewe is, I understand, based upon The Return of the Native, but I wouldn't know at first hand having body-swerved Hardy except for a coupla pomes.

Amsterdam, eh? I was there once. Ate in a demme fine Carribean restaurant; curried goat. The food there was splendid, but I'm not tempted to return.

I demme near burst oot greetin' in The Illusionist when the magician walked into The Cameo and saw, on the screen, Mon Oncle. What a splendid joke - a cameo at The Cameo.

I think that the beefcake guy at the end was based on Sean Connery.

Far far superior to Belville Rendevous - Susan would have walked out of that...

The pop group were a wee it anachronous - the jazz and novelty music was about right, but that wasn't 1959 Brit pop by any stretch; there was too much of the Hamburg Strip Clubs, amphetemines, squalour and six 40 minute sets a night in the music.

Jenners in 50s Edinburgh. Lovely. Here's a legal download of a splendid early 50s musical set in Embra... http://www.archive.org/details/Happy_Go_Lovely_movie

I can recommend it ver' ver' highly. It has David Niven and Cesar Romero, the visuals are excellent, and the closing big dance number anticipates West Side Story. Private Fraser is in it.


Douglas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcpx8O82KLM&feature=player_embedded

Oh, of course - that's right. It was the fact that Gemma Arterton is in Tamara Drewe that confused me I think.

I may have read Tess of the Durbervilles when a teenager, but have no recollection of it. We had to do the Mayor of Casterbridge at school, and it was pretty dreary.

Must go and finish packing.

I think you'll find it's an adaptation of Far From The Madding Crowd. There was a good interview with Posy in last Saturday's Guardian Review
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/aug/28/posy-simmonds-tamara-drewe-interview
She says she has another adaptation in progress but refused to say what it was.

I agree with Annie. TH is incredibly dull. I had to read The Return of the Native and FMTMC for Higher English. The only thing I can remember about FMTMC is that the female protagonist had the unlikely name of Bathsheba.

I only remember the opening sentence of ROTN because of the classic Monty Python, Novel Writing from Dorset sketch. The rest is a blank.

TH is even worse than DH Lawrence, whom we also read for Higher English (Sons and Lovers - not Lady Chatterley). Although I do rate DHL as a poet.

PJ's OH

We did Sons & Lovers for A-level and I loved it: partly because I grew up in Nottingham so we had fun recognising the places, partly because we had a very charismatic English teacher.