Tagged: classic

Classic Poetry, featuring Henry Howard.

It’s interesting how, despite the passage of centuries, certain sentiments don’t change. Here’s a classic from Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547).

My friend, the things that do attain

The happy life be these, I find:

The riches left, not got with pain,

The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;

The equal friend; no grudge, no strife;

No charge of rule nor governance;

Without disease the healthy life;

The household of continuance;

The mean diet, no dainty fare;

True wisdom joined with simpleness;

The night discharged of all care,

Where wine the wit may not oppress;

The faithful wife, without debate;

Such sleeps as may beguile the night:

Content thyself with thine estate,

Neither wish death, nor fear his might.

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Theatrical Thursday – 12 Angry Men.

I first caught a glimpse of this gem in the eighth grade, and it was just as poignant back then as it is now. The boiling tension surrounding the murder trial of a young kid, twelve opinionated voices attempting to reach a unanimous conclusion, and the strength and simplicity of the story that empowered it creates an electricity that keeps it relevant. They don’t make them like they used to! Check it out if you haven’t done so already.

 

 

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Men of Distinction – John Blanke (active 1501-1511).

While the prevalence of Africans in Europe is well known, many accounts have been relegated to dusty footnotes, poorly documented, or lost entirely to history.  John Blanke, musician, was more than likely brought to England as part of Catherine of Aragon’s retinue in 1501, and as such, is among the earliest recorded Africans in England during the time period. 

Existing court records document his wages; 8d per day under Henry VII, as well as a document listing 20 shillings during November 1507. 

The Westminster Tournament Roll, a 60 foot long manuscript commemorating the royal festivities celebrating the birth of Henry VIII’s son in 1511, depicts an African twice; it has been determined that this man, shown with trumpet in hand and wearing the royal arms, is John Blanke.  Unfortunately, little else is known of Mr. Blanke, but his importance to history is tremendous.

Look him up!


Theatrical Thursday – ‘The Quest for the Mighty Sword’ (1990).

Ten bucks certainly can’t buy much these days; a measly movie ticket, maybe a six pack, a mess of cheap tacos, or a beer at a ball game.  Oddly enough, ten dollars can sometimes finance your movie.  Ok, maybe this film cost twelve bucks to make. Want to be a filmmaker?  Grab your beefiest best friend, a ratty blonde weave, some fur covered fruit of the looms, a few dwarves for a little “Lord of the Rings” flavor, and get to filming.  That’s exactly what the makers of The Quest for the Mighty Sword did.  Vomit inducing dialog?  Check.  Cookie cutter, fifth grade school play quality, 80’s porn-esque backdrops?  Check.  Absolutely, incredibly, mindbendingly ridiculous storyline?  You know it.  A dude with a sword that fights robots?  All i can say is wow.  I truly don’t think anyone ever successfully pulled off a Conan meets Battlestar Galactica mix.  This flick takes you down a dark alley that you’d normally avoid at all costs, lest you get stabbed unmercifully.  The film follows a guy named Ator on his journey to free his people from a magically evil dwarf troll (like you really care what this movie is about), while battling mythical creatures along the way.  That pretty much sums it up; the key to watching a flick like this is keeping an open mind, and trying really hard not to take it seriously.  Surprisingly, director Joe d’Amato did.  All jokes aside, it’s a hilariously fun ride, and props to d’Amato for crafting a truly memorable piece of work.  Also, much respect to Eric Allan Kramer, who is one hell of a talented actor, and was just the man to connect the dots and hold this thing together. Needless to say, as a true film fan, this flick is a must watch purely for the sake of an hour and a half of utter fun and a good deal of belly laughs.

Check it out!

Note – this movie scored a whopping 2/10 rating on IMDB.com.

Theatrical Thursday – Hell’s Angels (1930).

There’s nothing quite like the feel of the early classics; the attention to sharp dialogue (even if it was laced with gooey mozzarella), the richly layered intensity of the orchestral scores, and the overly dramatic stage-esque acting style combined with a precision lacking in so many of today’s films. I set my sights on Hell’s Angels this morning, the 1930 Howard Hughes masterwork. Hughes, the notorious perfectionist and eccentric in later life, directed and produced the piece at a cost of nearly 4 million dollars, which was the most expensive film production ever made at the time. But I have to say that the money was well spent; the attention to detail and the immensity and daring creativity of the aerial combat shots made for an exhilarating viewing.

 

The story tells the tale of two brothers, Roy and Monte Rutledge, (James Hall and Ben Lyon respectively), and their high flying exploits as pilots in Britain’s Royal Flying Corp during WWI. Austere Roy contrasted with Monte, who was quite the lecher (Monte joined the corp just to get a kiss from a girl at the recruiting post), but the two went on to serve in the conflict. Roy is deeply in love with Helen (played by Jean Harlow), who isn’t quite who she appears to be, but his love for her plays a pivotal role in the story. The production was originally filmed as a silent picture, but the advent of sound technology led the crew to re-shoot most of the movie using this new technique. Nearly 100 WWI pilots were brought in to fly the planes, with three of them crashing and dying during the filming. The film makes use of groundbreaking aerial camera work and features some of the most thrilling scenes of mock aerial combat filmed; the extent of the scenes is truly remarkable for the era, as quality WWI dogfights are a rarity. Had the film been made today, 90% of it would have been done with CGI, so it’s great to watch a picture with real guts and mechanics. An exciting film done in the old, big Hollywood style, it’s definitely worth a watch even if you’re not a fan of old war movies. If you are, you’d better get on it ASAP.