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Saturday, December 31, 2011

A Love Affair from 1932



I wrote here a couple of days ago about a movie from 1939, Love Affair, with Charles Boyer, a love story famous in the history of cinema, followed by remakes, as celebrated as the original version had been, with the fatal lover impersonated in 1957 by Cary Grant and in 1994 by Warren Beatty.

Actually there was another Love Affair in 1932, with Humphrey Bogart and Dorothy Mackaill. That time the director was Thornton Freeland. So it came earlier than the movie from 1939. However it was another love affair, a totally different story: a rich socialite (Dorothy Mackaill) falling for an airplane designer (Humphrey Bogart), who happened to be also a very tough fly instructor. You will find the story at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Affair_%281932_film%29, here are two fragments from the movie. Enjoy!





(Filmofilia)

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Alphacat again: Barack Yo' Body!








(Alphacat)

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Afacere Amoroasa


...The rights for this movie belong to RKO Radio Pictures, or just anyone else but me...

(click here for the English version)

Mai intai am vazut You've Got Mail, comedia romantica facuta de Nora Ephron in 1998, jucata de Tom Hanks si Meg Ryan. Nu stiam atunci ca era un remake: am gasit dupa zece ani o copie DVD a lui The Shop Around the Corner, prima versiune a acestei romante, din 1940, avandu-l pe Ernst Lubitsch regizor, jucata de James Stewart si Margaret Sullavan. Ar fi interesant, poate, sa fie analizate in paralel, sa ne dam seama cum s-a schimbat aceeasi poveste de-a lungul anilor. Insa aici as vrea sa vorbesc despre alt film.

You've Got Mail mi-a placut enorm. Foloseam pe vremea aia un Mac, asa cum faceau si protagonistii, si asteptam email in fiecare seara, la fel ca si ei.

Cum se intampla cu genul asta de filme, You've Got Mail a fost dat pe diverse canale TV de multe ori. L-am urmarit de fiecare data cu placere. Sa fi fost din pricina amintirilor mele din 1998 cu acel MacIntosh, cu povestile legate de emailurile mele de pe atunci? Hai ca glumesc, n-o luati in serios.

Dupa aceea a venit Nopti Albe in Seattle (Sleepless in Seattle), o productie mai timpurie a lui Nora Ephron, din 1993, cu acelasi cuplu, Tom Hanks si Meg Ryan, un film pe care nu am avut ocazia sa il vad decat spre sfarsitul anilor 2000. À propos, titlul gasit de romani pentru film mi s-a parut ales cu mult schepsis, trimitand tipii cu obsesii culturale catre universul abisal al lui Dostoievski, grozava chestie! Mi-a placut filmul, era facut cu un anume nerv, o stiinta in a urmari desfasurarea unei romante pastrand un ochi lucid, si directionand povestea catre platforma lui Empire State Building fara a cadea in hardaul cu sirop. Si oricum, mi-a trezit propriile mele amintiri romantice, legate de o anume seara petrecuta pe aceeasi platforma din varful acelei cladiri: Nora Ephron stie unde sa ii atinga pe barbatii de varsta mea, pe cat se vede.

Filmul asta tot facea trimiteri (duios glumete) catre o romanta clasica, legata si ea de platforma din varful lui Empire State Building. O istorie de dragoste care fusese reluata de mai multe filme, pana ce devenise legenda: istoria de dragoste devenise legenda si istoria filmelor care o povesteau devenise si ea o legenda. Nu vazusem nici unul din filmele acestea, dar stiam legenda si ii simteam farmecul chiar asa, fara sa o fi vazut pe ecran. De abia dupa ce am vazut Nopti Albe in Seattle prima oara, am avut ocazia sa vad la TV Love Affair, filmul din 1994 (asadar aparut dupa filmul lui Nora Ephron), regizat de Glenn Gordon Caron, cu Warren Beatty si Annette Bening, si cu Katharine Hepburn intr-un rol secundar superb.

Nopti Albe in Seattle referea o alta versiune a povestii, din 1957: An Affair to Remember, regizata de Leo McCarey, cu Cary Grant si Deborah Kerr, si cu Cathleen Nesbitt in rolul superb al Bunicii Janou.

Insa romanta jucata de Cary Grant si Deborah Kerr era tot un remake! Versiunea originala a fost facuta in 1939: Love Affair, regizata de acelasi Leo McCarey, cu Charles Boyer si Irene Dunne, cu Bunica Janou interpretata de Maria Ouspenskaya. Sa fi fost oare filmul din 1939 primul din istorie care sa afirme ca lucrurile care ne plac cel mai mult sunt ilegale, imorale sau ingrasa? Cine stie?

O romanta, greu de crezut sa se poata intampla chiar asa in realitate, ca orice romanta, traindu-si viata de-a lungul anilor, 1939, 1957, 1994, intruchipata pentru generatii succesive de visatori de generatii succesive de amanti fatali, de Charles Boyer, Cary Grant, Warren Beatty, de generatii succesive de frumuseti fatale, superbele Irene Dunne, Deborah Kerr, Annette Bening, cu marea doamna traind undeva departe pentru a-si aminti in liniste vremuri glorioase, intruchipata de mari doamne ale cinematografului, Maria Ouspenskaya, Cathleen Nesbitt, Katharine Hepburn. O romanta, cu bucata ei sanatoasa de melodrama, ca orice poveste de dragoste ce merita sa fie pusa pe ecran, cu bucatile ei de decenta si delicatete, puse acolo ca sa echilibreze melodrama si sa pazeasca istoria de ridicol: in doua vorbe o romanta extraordinara.

Vaporul elegant traversand Atlanticul din Franta spre America a devenit din remake in remake avion intercontinental plecat din Australia, escala la Madeira s-a mutat pe o insula in Pacific, cantecele s-au schimbat si ele, imbracamintea eroilor s-a supus si ea unor gusturi diferite de-a lungul deceniilor; istoria aceea de dragoste si-a pastrat magia.

Love Affair; cum sa ii spunem pe romaneste? Legatura de Dragoste ar fi probabil o talmacire corecta. Insa un demon mititel ma indeamna sa ii gasesc o alta traducere, chiar daca e departe de a fi exacta. Ii voi spune deci Afacere Amoroasa; prea multe intamplari tot muta dragostea eroilor dintr-o matca in alta!

Puteti gasi povestea povestita pe Internet, de exemplu la adresa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Affair_%281939_film%29. Dar mai bine sa vedeti filmul din 1939, uite-l aici:



Love Affair (1939): Part 1/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 2/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 3/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 4/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 5/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 6/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 7/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 8/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 9/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 10/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Love Affair (1939)


...The rights for this movie belong to RKO Radio Pictures, or just anyone else but me...

(click here for the Romanian version)

Firstly I saw Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail, the 1998 romantic comedy played by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I didn't know by then that it was a remake: after ten years I found a DVD copy of The Shop Around the Corner, the first version of this romance, from 1940, having Ernst Lubitsch as director, and starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. Maybe it would be good to analyze them in parallel, to see how the same cinematic story has changed during the years. But it's another movie I want here to tell about.

I enjoyed You've Got Mail enormously. I was using a Mac by that time, as the protagonists were doing, and I was expecting email every evening the same way.

As it happens with this kind of movies, You've Got Mail came on various TV channels many times and I watched it always with pleasure. The memories of my 1998 experiences with MacIntosh, and the stories around my emails from that time? Just kidding.

Then came Sleepless in Seattle, an earlier production of Nora Ephron, from 1993, starring the same couple, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, a movie that I hadn't the chance to see till the late 2000's. By the way, the Romanian rendering of the title was great, Nopti Albe in Seattle (White Nights in Seattle), sending people with cultural obsessions like me toward Dostoevsky, wow! I loved the movie, as it was made definitely with guts, a science of following a romance while keeping a lucid eye, and directing the story toward the deck of Empire State Building without falling in the bucket of syrup. By the way, it revived my own romantic memories of one evening spent on the same deck: Nora Ephron knows where to touch males my age, it seems.

This movie, Sleepless in Seattle was teasingly referencing a classic romance, linked also to the deck of Empire State Building. A story told by successive movies, that had set a legend: I hadn't seen any of them, however I was feeling the charm of the legend, so strong it was. It was after Sleepless in Seattle that I had the chance to watch on TV Love Affair, the movie from 1994 (so after the movie of Nora Ephron was made) directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, and featuring Katharine Hepburn.

Sleepless in Seattle was referencing another version of the story, from 1957: An Affair to Remember, directed by Leo McCarey, with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, with Cathleen Nesbitt in the supporting role.

And the romance played by Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr was also a remake! The original version was made in 1939: Love Affair, directed by the same Leo McCarey, starring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne, and having the personage of Grandma Janou played by Maria Ouspenskaya. Was the movie from 1939 the first one in history saying that the things we like best are either illegal, immoral or fattening? Who knows?

A romance, incredible like any romance, living its life throughout the years, 1939, 1957, 1994, played for successive generations of dreamers by successive generations of fatal lovers, by Charles Boyer, Cary Grant, Warren Beatty, by Irene Dunne, Deborah Kerr, Annette Bening, with the great old dame living recluse and remembering great old times, impersonated by great old dames of cinema, Maria Ouspenskaya, Cathleen Nesbitt, Katharine Hepburn. A romance, with its part of melodrama, like any love story coming on the screen, with its parts of decency and delicacy to balance the melodrama and to keep the story away from ridicule: a great romance.

The boat journeying from France to America became through successive remakes a plane departed from Australia, Madeira became some tiny island in the Pacific, the songs changed, the way they were dressed, these guys, followed successive tastes; the story remained the same, wonderful and magic.

I wouldn't tell the story to you, you can find it for instance on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Affair_%281939_film%29. Better see the movie from 1939, here it is:



Love Affair (1939): Part 1/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 2/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 3/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 4/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 5/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 6/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 7/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 8/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 9/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)




Love Affair (1939): Part 10/10
(video by Alex in Movieland)



(Filmofilia)

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Berbec la protap

(photo: Cristina Dan)

(Bucuresti)

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Sunrise at the Jefferson Memorial



Says Martin Austermuhle, driving out of DC earlier today, it wasn't hard to notice how bright and clear the morning sky was: today's pristine sunrise... this shot by Angela Pan says it all... blues and oranges shimmering in the Potomac like cosmic clouds, the sky seemingly brushed in by hand.

(Washington, District of Columbia)

Friday, December 23, 2011

Vasile Voiculescu: CXCVII



Cat despre literatura romana, ea il are pe V. Voiculescu, cel din Ultimele sonete inchipuite ale lui Shakespeare in traducere imaginara de...
Folosind procedeul ambiguitatii artistice, poetul isi construieste ciclul celor nouazeci de poeme revendicandu-si modelul shakespearian, dar in realitate el se calauzeste, nemarturisit, de modelul Cantarii Cantarilor. Ca si în opera biblica, Dumnezeu ii este poetului-isihast un prieten care aspira sa-i devina iubit, amant si mire duhovnicesc, izvor si receptacol al comuniunii. El cauta inima poetului, ii iese in intampinare, sufera, dispera, o implora, ii e dor; prin logodirea ei, el isi cauta propria sa implinire, caci Creatorul nu e intreg decat impreuna cu creatia Lui. Logos prin excelenta, El e cuvantator, partener de dialog, El ii vorbeste poetului in limba acestuia, adica in acelasi gen literar, el insusi fiind un geniu al poeziei, adica al unui mod de existenta comunitar.




Sonet CXCVII
(Ultimele Sonete inchipuite ale lui Shakespeare in traducere imaginara)
Shakespeare’s Last Fancied Sonnets in Imaginary Translation

Nu-ti cer deloc credinta, mi-e de ajuns iubirea,
Ca sfantul trup, in orice farama ea e-intraga
Cu-tine-odata-n brate am strans nemarginirea;
Ce-mi pasa ca si altii ravnesc s-o mai culeaga!

Urzind din haos lumea, in vasta-i ratacire
Stapanul a-ncarcat-o de nebunia sa;
Dar i-a adaos, unic leac de tamaduire,
Iubirea, cheia boltii cu harul de-a visa...

Eram in aurora de aur a iubirii,
Privirile aprinse creara ceruri noi;
De cum veni amiaza canicula iubirii,

Tu tot mai groase umbre de-nghet pui intre noi;
Dar te stramut in mine cand ploapele s-astern,
Alcatuita-aievea din tot ce ai etern.



muzica: Sebastian Albu ©2011, filmare: Gavrila B.
inregistrare live din Libraria Humanitas-Lapusneanu, Iasi, 4 iunie 2011
(video by Sebastian Albu)

Sonnet form: abab acac efe fgg

(Vasile Voiculescu)

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Bacovia: Ploua





Rar
(http://fantasypieces.wordpress.com/)

Singur, singur, singur,
Intr-un han, departe -
Doarme si hangiul,
Strazile-s desarte,
Singur, singur, singur…

Ploua, ploua, ploua,
Vreme de betie -
Si s-asculti pustiul,
Ce melancolie!
Ploua, ploua, ploua…

Nimeni, nimeni, nimeni,
Cu atat mai bine -
Si de-atata vreme
Nu stie de mine
Nimeni, nimeni, nimeni…

Tremur, tremur, tremur…
Orice ironie
Va ramane voua -
Noaptea e tarzie,
Tremur, tremur, tremur…

Vesnic, vesnic, vesnic,
Rataciri de-acuma
N-or sa ma mai cheme -
Peste vise bruma,
Vesnic, vesnic, vesnic…

Singur, singur, singur,
Vreme de betie -
I-auzi cum mai ploua,
Ce melancolie!
Singur, singur, singur…





Slowly
(http://fantasypieces.wordpress.com/)

Lonely, lonely, lonely,
In a distant suite—
Innkeeper’s asleep,
Empty are the streets,
Lonely, lonely, lonely…

Raining, raining, raining,
Time to get real drunk—
And listen to the void,
–Melancholy funk,
Raining, raining, raining…

No one, no one, no one,
And I don’t give a damn—
For a long time, no one
Has known where I am
No one, no one, no one…

I tremble, tremble, tremble…
Irony—my fate
I leave up to you—
And the night is late,
I tremble, tremble, tremble…

Always, always, always,
Wandering, it seems
Won’t do anymore—
Frost over my dreams,
Always, always, always…

Lonely, lonely, lonely,
Time to get real drunk—
Hark the falling rain,
Melancholy funk!
Lonely, lonely, lonely…

(George Bacovia)

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George Bacovia



(A Life in Books)

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Vasile Voiculescu: CLXXXI


Din Ultimele Sonete inchipuite ale lui Shakespeare in traducere imaginara
(Shakespeare’s Last Fancied Sonnets in Imaginary Translation)


Sonet CLXXXI
(publicat de Elésyne
pe http://elesyne.blogspot.com/2009/10/vasile-voiculescu-sonete.html)


Oricat de dragastoasa ti-e iscusita limba,
Stiu cand ma minti, cu toate ce-mi spui si faci pe plac,
Neasteptat culoarea privirilor se schimba
si ochii tai o clipa se balbaie si tac.

Cat mi-esti de drag atuncea ! Cum iti iubesc minciuna !
Intreg te afli-acolo, tu, cel adevarat,
Tu, candid plin de vicii, amestecand intr-una
Pacatul ce luceste ca aurul curat..

si nici o vina... Raul sub tine-i calul sprinten,
Sfarama stavili, inimi, sa zboare unde-i ceri,
In coastele Iubirii cruzimea-i ager pinten,

Stau bine stropii rosii pe negrele placeri,
Si-ademenind lumina cu ingerii-ti perfizi,
In iadul tau tragi cerul si astfel mi-l deschizi...

Sonnet form: abab cbcb ded eff

(Vasile Voiculescu)

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Rimbaud: Ma Bohème




Ma Bohème

- Fantaisie -

Je m'en allais, les poings dans mes poches crevées ;
Mon paletot aussi devenait idéal ;
J'allais sous le ciel, Muse ! et j'étais ton féal ;
Oh ! là là ! que d'amours splendides j'ai rêvées !

Mon unique culotte avait un large trou.
- Petit-Poucet rêveur, j'égrenais dans ma course
Des rimes. Mon auberge était à la Grande Ourse.
- Mes étoiles au ciel avaient un doux frou-frou

Et je les écoutais, assis au bord des routes,
Ces bons soirs de septembre où je sentais des gouttes
De rosée à mon front, comme un vin de vigueur ;

Où, rimant au milieu des ombres fantastiques,
Comme des lyres, je tirais les élastiques
De mes souliers blessés, un pied près de mon coeur !





My Bohemian Life

- Phantasy -

I went off with my hands in my torn coat pockets;
My overcoat too was becoming ideal;
I travelled beneath the sky, Muse! and I was your vassal;
Oh dear me! what marvellous loves I dreamed of!

My only pair of breeches had a big whole in them.
– Stargazing Tom Thumb, I sowed rhymes along my way.
My tavern was at the Sign of the Great Bear.
– My stars in the sky rustled softly.

And I listened to them, sitting on the road-sides
On those pleasant September evenings while I felt drops
Of dew on my forehead like vigorous wine;

And while, rhyming among the fantastical shadows,
I plucked like the strings of a lyre the elastics
Of my tattered boots, one foot close to my heart!






Boema

- fantezie -

Umblam cu pumnii-n buzunarile crapate
Si chiar paltonul imi parea ca-i ideal.
Mergeam sub ceruri, Muza, si-ti eram vasal:
Ce de mai dragosti am visat, frumoase toate!

Nadragii mei aveau o gaura cam mare,
Dar insiram la rime, cufundat in vis.
Gaseam in Ursa Mare-un han mereu deschis,
Iar stelele-mi fosneau pe cer, incantatoare.

Le ascultam, pe margine de drum sezand,
In serile acelea de septemvre, cand
Simteam pe frunte roua – vin ametitor,

Si cand, rimand prin intunericul fantastic,
Trageam ca de o lira de-al ghetelor elastic,
Proptindu-mi inima cu un picior!

Sonnet form (Fr) abba cddc eef ggf (En) - (Ro) abba acca dde ffe


(Rimbaud)

(Petre Solomon)

Labels: , ,

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Vasile Voiculescu: CLV


CLV (Ultimele Sonete inchipuite ale lui Shakespeare in traducere imaginara)

Nu-mi cerceta obarsia, ci tine-n seama soiul,
Gusti fructul, nu tulpina, chiar aur de-ar parea…
Stramosii-mi, dupa nume, au invartit tepoiul,
Eu manuiesc azi pana de mii de ori mai grea.

Dovada cea mai pura a-nnobilarii mele
Esti tu si-ngaduinta de-a te lasa iubit
Mai mult ca un prieten, cu patimile-acele
Cu care-adori amantul de veci nedespartit.

Imi cant astfel norocul, inalt epitalamuri
Si, pentru inchinarea la care ma supun,
Culeg azur si raze si roze de pe ramuri,

Stapanul meu, alesul, cu slava sa-ncunun:
Poporul meu de ganduri, simtire, vis, trup, dor
Te pun azi peste ele de-a pururi domnitor.

Shakespeare’s Last Fancied Sonnets in Imaginary Translation
(in the hyper-imaginary translation of Cristina Hanganu-Bresch)

Forget my humble ilk, retain my type,
One tastes the fruit, and not the gilded stem
The pitchfork did my forefathers supply,
But I the quill, much heavier, I claim.

The purest proof of my ennoblement
Is your allowing me to love you more
Than mere friends, with passionate excitement
Reserved for the beloved you adore.

I celebrate my luck with hymns and chants,
And for the coronation I avow
Azure and rays and roses from the branch,

To braid with glory and adorn your brow:
My country’o’thoughts, dreams, senses, body, soul,
I now proclaim you king above them all.

Sonnet form (Ro) abab cdcd efe fgg (En) abab cdcd efe fgg

(Vasile Voiculescu)

Labels: ,

Jeroen Diepenmaat, Pour des dents d’un blanc éclatant et saines





(Contemporary Art)

Vasile Voiculescu



CCXL
(Ultimele Sonete inchipuite ale lui Shakespeare in traducere imaginara)

Sa-mi vindec dorul, altor dureri cer lecuire:
O boala grea cu alta potrivnica s-alina;
Te uit… Uitarea numai de tine mi-este plina…
Si departarea-i inc-un adaos la iubire.

Pentr-un ragaz de-o clipa ma-ncatus nopti de-a randul,
Stau gata sa te-nabus… Cand far-a-mi da de stire,
Cu-ntortocheri de vulpe, misel se-ntoarce gandul
Sa-ti mai ulmeze ochii, acolo-n amintire,

Veneam intaia oara; zambind, citeai alene…
Si te-ai intors: deodata cu fulgerul orbirii
Tasnira pe sub puntea arcatelor sprancene

Scaparator de-albastre suvoaiele privirii.
Te blestem, amintire! Ca o nebuna-mi strangi
Amarul colb de patimi in stupii tai natangi.
(Vinerea mare, 1958)

Sonnet form: abba dada efe fgg


(A Life in Books)

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Santa's Dashing Through the Snow




(Blogosphere)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Rimbaud: Sensation



Par les soirs bleus d'été, j'irai dans les sentiers,
Picoté par les blés, fouler l'herbe menue :
Rêveur, j'en sentirai la fraîcheur à mes pieds.
Je laisserai le vent baigner ma tête nue.

Je ne parlerai pas, je ne penserai rien :
Mais l'amour infini me montera dans l'âme,
Et j'irai loin, bien loin, comme un bohémien,
Par la nature, heureux comme avec une femme.



On the blue summer evenings, I shall go down the paths,
Getting pricked by the corn, crushing the short grass:
In a dream I shall feel its coolness on my feet.
I shall let the wind bathe my bare head.

I shall not speak, I shall think about nothing:
But endless love will mount in my soul;
And I shall travel far, very far, like a gypsy,
Through the countryside - as happy as if I were with a woman.




In seri de vara-albastre, voi merge pe carari,
Sa ma intepe grane, sa calc pe ierbi marunte;
Prin proaspata racoare voi trece-n dulci visari,
Lasa-voi adierea sa scalde a mea frunte.

Fara a spune-o vorba si fara nici un gand,
Doar dragostea urca-va in suflet infinita;
Ca un nomad voi merge departe, strabatand
Preafericit, Natura, ca langa o iubita.
Romanian translation: Petru Dinca
(http://www.versuri-si-creatii.ro/poezii/r/arthur-rimbaud-6zucchu/senzatie-6zudndh.html)



(Rimbaud)

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Rimbaud: Roman





I

On n'est pas sérieux, quand on a dix-sept ans.
- Un beau soir, foin des bocks et de la limonade,
Des cafés tapageurs aux lustres éclatants !
- On va sous les tilleuls verts de la promenade.

Les tilleuls sentent bon dans les bons soirs de juin !
L'air est parfois si doux, qu'on ferme la paupière ;
Le vent chargé de bruits - la ville n'est pas loin -
A des parfums de vigne et des parfums de bière....

II

-Voilà qu'on aperçoit un tout petit chiffon
D'azur sombre, encadré d'une petite branche,
Piqué d'une mauvaise étoile, qui se fond
Avec de doux frissons, petite et toute blanche...

Nuit de juin ! Dix-sept ans ! - On se laisse griser.
La sève est du champagne et vous monte à la tête...
On divague ; on se sent aux lèvres un baiser
Qui palpite là, comme une petite bête....

III

Le coeur fou Robinsonne à travers les romans,
Lorsque, dans la clarté d'un pâle réverbère,
Passe une demoiselle aux petits airs charmants,
Sous l'ombre du faux col effrayant de son père...

Et, comme elle vous trouve immensément naïf,
Tout en faisant trotter ses petites bottines,
Elle se tourne, alerte et d'un mouvement vif....
- Sur vos lèvres alors meurent les cavatines...

IV

Vous êtes amoureux. Loué jusqu'au mois d'août.
Vous êtes amoureux. - Vos sonnets La font rire.
Tous vos amis s'en vont, vous êtes mauvais goût.
- Puis l'adorée, un soir, a daigné vous écrire...!

- Ce soir-là,... - vous rentrez aux cafés éclatants,
Vous demandez des bocks ou de la limonade..
- On n'est pas sérieux, quand on a dix-sept ans
Et qu'on a des tilleuls verts sur la promenade.






I

When you are seventeen you aren't really serious.
- One fine evening, you've had enough of beer and lemonade,
And the rowdy cafes with their dazzling lights!
- You go walking beneath the green lime trees of the promenade.

The lime trees smell good on fine evenings in June!
The air is so soft sometimes, you close your eyelids;
The wind, full of sounds, - the town's not far away -
Carries odours of vines, and odours of beer...

II

- Then you see a very tiny rag
Of dark blue, framed by a small branch,
Pierced by an unlucky star which is melting away
With soft little shivers, small, perfectly white...

June night! Seventeen! - You let yourself get drunk.
The sap is champagne and goes straight to your head...
You are wandering; you feel a kiss on your lips
Which quivers there like something small and alive...

III

Your mad heart goes Crusoeing through all the romances,
- When, under the light of a pale street lamp,
Passes a young girl with charming little airs,
In the shadow of her father's terrifying stiff collar...

And because you strike her as absurdly naif,
As she trots along in her little ankle boots,
She turns, wide awake, with a brisk movement...
And then cavatinas die on your lips...

IV

You're in love. Taken until the month of August.
You're in love - Your sonnets make Her laugh.
All your friends disappear, you are not quite the thing.
- Then your adored one, one evening, condescends to write to you...!

That evening,... - you go back again to the dazzling cafes,
You ask for beer or for lemonade...
- You are not really serious when you are seventeen
And there are green lime trees on the promenade...



La Tronche a Machin (Delahaye vu par Rimbaud, 1875)
(http://slipsure.blogspot.com/)



I

Nu esti profound la numai saptesprezece ani.
- La naiba, intr-o seara, si beri, si limonada,
Si zarva cafenelei cu lampile-n tavan !
- Te-afunzi domol sub teii verzi de pe promenada.

In seri de vara teii de-arome sint satui !
Vazduhu-atit de dulce-i, ca ochi sa-nchizi iti cere;
De zgomote plin vintul – departe-orasul nu-i –
Miroase doar a vita si a bere…

II

Deodata vezi un petec ingust de scumbru-azur
Prins in conturul unei micute crengi si care
E-mpuns cu rautate de-o stea ce din contur
Dispare, mica si-alba, cu dulce-nfiorare.

Saptesprezece numai, la ani! Nopti ! Iunie !
E de sampanii seva : la cap ti se ridica,
Si, ametit, bati cimpii…sub raza lunii e;
Simti un sarut pe buze, ca o jivina mica…

III

Cu inima nebuna, prin carti un Robinson,
- Cind, in lumina pala de felinar, se-arata
Trecind o domnisoara draguta sub un con
De umbra-a unui guler – ingrozitorul tata…

Cit de naiv te crede ! Umblind cu pasi marunti,
In pantofiori, sprintara se-ntoarce catre tine
Cu o miscare vie…- Si cum sa nu renunti,
Cind ti se sting atuncea pe buze cavatine…

IV

Indragostit esti pina in august. Si compui,
Indragostit, sonete, ce-o fac sa rida doara.
Amicii toti te lasa, esti de prost-gust oricui.
- Dar Ea se-nvredniceste sa-ti scrie intr-o seara.

- Atunci… - in cafeneaua cu lampile-n tavan
Te-ntorci si ceri iar bere sau poate limonada…
- Nu esti profound la numai saptesprezece ani,
Cind te imbie-atitia tei verzi pe promenada.

(Rimbaud)

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Rimbaud: Rêvé pour l’Hiver



L’hiver, nous irons dans un petit wagon rose
Avec des coussins bleus.
Nous serons bien. Un nid de baisers fous repose
Dans chaque coin moelleux.

Tu fermeras l’oeil, pour ne point voir, par la glace,
Grimacer les ombres des soirs,
Ces monstruosités hargneuses, populace
De démons noirs et de loups noirs.

Puis tu te sentiras la joue égratignée…
Un petit baiser, comme une folle araignée,
Te courra par le cou…

Et tu me diras : Cherche ! en inclinant la tête,
- Et nous prendrons du temps à trouver cette bête
- Qui voyage beaucoup…





In the winter, we shall travel in a little pink railway carriage
With blue cushions.
We shall be comfortable. A nest of mad kisses lies in wait
In each soft corner.

You will close your eyes, so as not to see, through the glass,
The evening shadows pulling faces.
Those snarling monsters, a population
Of black devils and black wolves.

Then you'll feel your cheek scratched...
A little kiss, like a crazy spider,
Will run round your neck...

And you'll say to me : Find it ! bending your head
- And we'll take a long time to find that creature
- Which travels a lot...






Vom merge iarna, intr-un mic roz vagon, cu perne
Albastre. Pentru noi
Un rai va fi. Sarutari nebune vor asterne
Cuiburi in colturi moi.

Tu vei inchide ochii, ca ale serii umbre
Sa nu le vezi rinjind
La geam, aceste rele slutenii, natii sumbre
De draci si lupi, cu jind.

Apoi ceva simti-vei ca-ti zgiriie obrazul…
Un mic sarut zburdalnic, ca un paianjen, treazul,
Iti va fugi pe git…

Hai, cauta !, vei spune, cu capul dat pe spate,
Si-un timp vom vrea sa prindem aceasta vietate
- Ce umbla, umbla-atit…

Sonnet form: (Fr) abab cdcd eef ggf (En) - (Ro) abab cdcd eef ggf

(Rimbaud)

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Craciunite







(Bucuresti)

Ian McEwan about Christopher Hitchens


A friend told me about an article from NY Times, authored by Ian McEwan (who wrote Atonement), and talking about a consummate writer and brilliant friend: Christopher Hitchens. It was their last encounter. Very ill, Christopher Hitchens didn't want flowers or grapes; he wanted conversation and presence. And all silences were useful.

I want to quote here two fragments of this article:

... Where others might have beguiled themselves with thoughts of divine purpose (why me?) and dreams of an afterlife, Christopher had all of literature....

and

... because we had started to talk about old times in Manhattan, he wanted to quote and celebrate James Fenton’s German Requiem: How comforting it is, once or twice a year,/To get together and forget the old times ...

Here is the whole article:




(A Life in Books)

Saturday, December 17, 2011

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Is Santa scary? Only for Kids who Weren't Good
(http://brooklyntrout.com/node/414)





(Alphacat)

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Pohod na Sibir

Artur Grottger - Pohod na Sybir
(http://www.halat.pl/poland3a.html)
no copyright infringement intended


Am citit undeva că Vasile Alecsandri a fost inspirat de pictura aceasta, când a compus poezia sa, Pohod na Sibir.

Un unchi, care a căzut prizonier la ruşi în timpul războiului, mi-a povestit că, escortaţi spre lagăr, în extremul nord, românii se aşteptau la orice. Nu ştiau ce îi aştepta la capătul drumului, puteau fi împuşcaţi. Şi atunci au început toţi să cânte Tatăl Nostru. Iar gardienii ruşi care îi escortau şi-au dat jos căciulile de pe cap, impresionaţi.



Sub cer de plumb întunecos,
Pe câmp plin de zăpadă
Se trăgănează-ncet pe jos
O jalnică grămadă
De oameni trişti şi îngheţaţi,
Cu lanţuri ferecaţi.

Sărmani!... de şase luni acum
Ei merg fără-ncetare
Pe-un larg pustiu ce n-are drum,
Nici adăpost, nici zare.
Din când în când un ostenit
Mort cade, părăsit!

E lung cel şir de osândiţi!
Pe vânăta lor faţă
Necontenit sunt pălmuiţi
De-un crivăţ plin de gheaţă,
Şi pe-al lor trup de sânge ud
Des cade biciul crud.

În urma lor şi pe-mprejur
Cazaci, başchiri sălbatici,
Cu suliţi lungi, cu ochi de ciur
Alerg pe cai zburdatici,
Şi-n zarea sură stă urlând,
Urlând lupul flămând.

Dar unde merge-acest popor
Ce nu mai are-n lume
Nici o sperare-n viitor,
Nici patrie, nici nume?...
Se duce, şters dintre cei vii,
Să moară prin pustii.

Palid convoi, pierdut, uitat,
Coloană funerară,
Ea poartă-n frunte un stigmat...
Amorul sfânt de ţară!
O! sfânt, sublim, ceresc amor,
Câţi pentru tine mor!

Ah! câţi martiri pentr-un cuvânt,
Un dor de libertate,
Cu zile mers-au la mormânt
Prin răzbunări turbate!
Câţi au format grozavul şir,
Pohodul la Sybir!

Acum coloana s-a oprit
Sub crivăţul de noapte.
Din sânu-i rece, amorţit,
Ies dureroase şoapte.
Toţi se înşiră-acum în rând,
Gemând şi tremurând.

Un comandant, aprig călău,
I-adună ca pe-o turmă
Şi-nseamnă chiar pe biciul său
Câţi au căzut în urmă;
Apoi în vânt cu aspru glas
Dă ordin de popas.

Convoiu-ntreg, nedezlipit,
Îngenunchind se lasă
Pe câmpul alb şi troienit,
Sub negura geroasă,
Şi stă grămadă la un loc,
Făr-adăpost, nici foc.

Cu pieptul pe omăt lungiţi,
Sărmani! adorm îndată,
Visând de câmpii înfloriţi,
De ţara depărtată,
Şi pieptul lor plin de amar
Se bate tot mai rar.

Unul prin vis vede plângând
O mamă-mbătrânită.
Altul se-ngână dezmierdând
Soţia lui iubită,
Şi toţi pe sub genele lor
Au lacrime de dor.

Ei dorm adânc! ş-al nopţii vânt
Cu şuier viscoleşte;
Ei dorm adânc; şi pe pământ
Mereu troianul creşte,
Şi stelele, privind la ei,
Plâng lacrimi de scântei.

Treptat, omătul spulberat
Se-ntinde ca o mare,
Şi creşte, şi sub el, treptat,
Convoiu-ntreg dispare,
Şi-n zori tot câmpu-i învelit
C-un giulgi nemărginit.

Au fost! acum ei unde sunt?...
Un cârd de vulturi zboară
Pe sus c-un repede avânt
Şi iute se coboară,
Iar dintre brazi vine urlând,
Urlând lupul flămând!...



familie de români din Basarabia
care au fost mai târziu deportaţi
(http://www.zdg.md/137/deportari/)
no copyright infringement intended


(Vasile Alecsandri)

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Inocentii Fermecatori



Mędrce dawnych wieków
Zamykali się szukać skarbów albo leków
I trucizn - my niewinni młodzi czarodzieje
Szukajmy ich, by otruć własne swe nadzieje.

(click here for the English version)

Niewinni Czarodzieje (Inocentii Fermecatori), un film facut in 1960,adunand cateva din cele mai mari nume ale cinematografiei poloneze: regizor era Andrzej Wajda; Jerzy Andrzejewski (autorul Cenusei si Diamantului, romanul care a stat la baza filmului omonim) a fost aici scenarist, impreuna cu Jerzy Skolimowski (care a aparut totodata intr-un rol de un minut); muzica a fost compusa de Krzysztof Komeda (care a compus de asemenea muzica pentru cateva din primele filme ale lui Polanski); ii veti recunoaste in distributie pe Zbigniew Cybulski si Roman Polanski; in rolurile principale au jucat Tadeusz Lomnicki si Krystyna Stypulkowska. E o sarbatoare sa ii vezi pe toti. Va trece vremea si fiecare va merge pe drumul lui; Komeda va muri foarte devreme, Stypulkowska va mai juca doar in inca doua roluri, Polanski va pleca in America, va avea scandalul de care stim toti si va trai apoi in Franta, Cybulski va muri in cativa ani intr-un accident ingrozitor de stupid, Andrzejewski va milita in Solidaritatea, Lomnicki va ajunge membru in Comitetul Central, iar Wajda ii va refuza un rol la care visa; aici sunt insa toti, tineri, toate aceste legende ale universului filmului.

Am vazut filmul prima oara pe la sfarsitul anilor saizeci. Eram foarte tanar, iar filmele poloneze imi placeau foarte mult. Asta m-a luat total pe nepregatite. Am inteles ca era un film cu eroi din generatia mea, tineri de vreo douazeci si ceva de ani (adica exact cei care acum sunt pusi la zid ca baby-boomers de saizeci de ani si mai bine). Totusi subiectul mi s-a parut cam non-issue. Un doctor tanar (cam playboy si cam sastisit de succesele sexuale) intalneste intr-o seara o tipa ciudata care vine foarte repede la el acasa. Ce urmeaza este o noapte de discutii. Atmosfera este tensionata, toti asteptam sa se intample ceea ce stim ca se intampla cand o tipa vine acasa la un tip (si ei asteapta asta), dar dialogul lor este nesfarsit. Dimineata el iese pe strada, are un schimb foarte scurt de replici cu cineva, si isi da seama ca s-a indragostit, asa ca se intoarce, numai ca ea nu mai e acolo. Sau mai este? End of story.

Eram un fan al filmelor poloneze si iubeam filmele lui Wajda si Kawalerowicz. Asta era alt animal. Si era regizat de Wajda!

De fapt filmul era stampilat Skolimowski! Regizor era intr-adevar Wajda, numai ca el a jucat foarte cuminte pe mana scenaristului. Michael Open (care a recenzat filmul pentru imdb) o spune fara ocolisuri: forta creativa este aici Skolimowski, nu Wajda. Inocentii Fermecatori este suta la suta Nouvelle Vague (sau New Wave, daca va place mai mult termenul), si pe vremea aia nu eram familiarizat deloc cu curentul asta.

Parea ciudat, si parea cinic, dar asa par toate filmele Nouveau Vague. Ciudat, pentru ca dadea la lada de gunoi cateva conventii cinematografice respectabile (si nu numai cinematografice). Cinic pentru ca nu credea in nici un sistem, fie el sistem politic, fie orice alt sistem de bla-blau-ri.

L-am revazut de curand pe youTube. Au trecut anii si am vazut o gramada de filme Nouveau Vague, nu pe toate, nu pe cele mai faimoase, dar orisicat. De data asta l-am inteles si am avut un sentiment de nostalgie, si asta tocmai pentru ca l-am inteles. Un film facut atunci cand cei de o varsta cu mine aveau douazeci si ceva de ani, cu mentalitati ale acelei varste, vorbind persoanei care eram atunci la douazeci de ani, in nici un caz persoanei care sunt acum.

Deci, oleaca nostalgic. In acelasi timp, fermecat. Am fost suta la suta gresit atunci de demult, cand mi-am zis ca filmul asta este un non-issue. Filmul asta este perfect si atunci cand il urmaresti simti ceva organic, iti vine ca aerul sau apa.

Cred ca in romaneste titlul filmului a fost tradus foarte bine. In engleza este Innocent Sorcerers (Vrajitorii Inocenti), insa eu zic ca Fermecatori este mai potrivit decat Vrajitori: filmul asta este superb ambiguu incepand cu titlul lui. Si este ambiguu chiar dela inceput: chiar prima scena arata o femeie trecand pe o strada pe care se lafaie niste afise uriase ale filmului astuia! Este oare Inocentii Fermecatori un film despre el insusi?

Pentru Krystyna Stypulkowska a fost primul film. Va mai juca doar in inca doua. Aici e extraordinara, fermecatoarea perfecta care nu te lasa sa ghicesti cat angelic si cat diabolic ascunde, de unde vine si unde va pleca de aici.

Titlul filmului vine dintr-o capodopera a literaturii poloneze, Dziady (Strabunii), poemul dramatic al lui Adam Mickiewicz. Este un vers in prima sectiune a poemului, despre acei niewinni młodzi czarodzieje (fermecatori inocenti tineri) care własne swe nadzieje (isi otravesc sperantele).

Dziady are patru sectiuni, foarte vag legate intre ele, fiecare compusa de Mickiewicz intr-o perioada diferita a vietii. Prima sectiune urmareste tribulatiile sentimentale ale unui cuplu tanar, foarte nedecis incotro sa o apuce in relatia lor: fermecatori inocenti care isi ard speranta. Dar nu numai in prima sectiune: dragostea este o tema importanta in intregul poem. Dziady este un poem despre etosul polonez, individual si colectiv. Dragostea este esentiala, crede Mickiewicz pentru salvarea acestui etos: individual si national. Iar cei ce sa marginesc la jocuri inocente si fermecatoare, isi otravesc viata pana la urma: viata individuala si viata natiei.

Intorcandu-ne la film, este o scena catre sfarsit in care eroul principal intreaba pe cineva pe strada ce este mai important decat Credinta si Speranta? Iubirea, vine raspunsul, si aceasta trimitere la I Corintieni 13, ne da cheia: filmul asta este o replica a primei sectiuni a lui Dziady, jucata in epoca moderna. Fermecatorii inocenti si tineri trebuie sa isi asume dragostea ca sa nu isi arda speranta.

Filmul a fost facut in 1960. In 1968 1968 Dziady va intra din nou in scena: o reprezentatie teatrala a poemului va fi interzisa de cenzura, ceea ce va aduce studentii polonezi in strada impotriva regimului comunist.


---------------------------------

Am gasit filmul pe youTube, in doua versiuni: sase video-uri succesive si de asemenea intreg filmul intr-un video foarte lung. Nu au subtitluri, dar cred ca iamginile spun destul de bine ce este de spus.



Niewinni Czarodzieje: Part 1/6
(video by elmarcin11)


A young doctor is tired of being sought by women. One night he meets a young girl who all but forces herself into his room where they talk of morals and love. But he loses her when he goes out to see some friends and then rushes madly around the city after her.



Niewinni Czarodzieje: Part 2/6
(video by elmarcin11)


This wry, cynical tale of attraction, desire, and disaffected youth marked the only time that these giants of the Polish School worked together, and the result is this re-discovered masterpiece of Polish Cinema.A handsome but insensitive young doctor spends his evenings playing jazz in a small club, and enjoying the attention of numerous female admirers. Tired of one-night-stands, he is still intrigued by a young girl and invites her to his room. They spend the night together, but do nothing but talk. He looks for her the following day, but she has disappeared—or so it seems.




Niewinni Czarodzieje: Part 3/6
(video by elmarcin11)


This was the first mainland European film I saw as a teenager in the early 60s. I saw it on late-night television and it knocked me out. Later on I saw Wajda's Generation trilogy and could barely believe that this was the same director. I have subsequently seen it on the big screen a couple of times and it remains a favorite from its era. The reason was simply that the creative force behind Innocent Sorcerers is not Wajda but Jerzy Skolimowski.
You only need to take a look at Walkover to see the same callous and alienated attitude of the central character. However, for me, Innocent Sorcerers is a superior film to Skolimowski's earliest directorial works as, through the character of Pelagia, a much greater warmth and meaning is expressed.
Krystyna Stypulkowska
makes a perfect Pelagia - coquettish and flirtatious, but still innocent. The exquisite scene of tossing the matchbox is more erotic than all but a handful of explicit sex scenes from modern cinema.
There are few films from Eastern Europe in the Soviet era that ever make you really care about the characters - this is definitely one.




Niewinni Czarodzieje: Part 4/6
(video by elmarcin11)


In this cynical masterpiece of disaffected Polish youth, a world-weary playboy doctor (Tadeusz Lomnicki) tires of his endless parade of one-night stands and seeks more substance in his life. His wish just may come true in the form of Pelagia (Krystyna Stypulkowska), a spirited young girl who challenges his mind and soul. A young Roman Polanski makes an appearance in this wry and witty romance from director Andrzej Wajda.




Niewinni Czarodzieje: Part 5/6
(video by elmarcin11)


This is a small gem from Andrzej Wajda, whose production boasts of Polish film legends Zbigniew Cybulski and Tadeusz Lomnicki, supporting players Roman Polanski, Jerzy Skolimowski, and soundtrack composer Krzysztof Komeda. The story of a young doctor and one-night encounter with a beautiful girl is told in a witty, stream-of-consciousness style whose story flows along like a meandering, medium-tempo jazz riff. While the film is reminiscent of other classic Polish films of the day like Wajda's Ashes & Diamonds and Polanski's Knife in the Water, it also has an uncanny similarity to films of the French New Wave; interesting that Innocent Sourcerers was made at exactly the same time as Godard's Breathless, because it shares much the same attitude and feel. Fans of groundbreaking classic European film from the 50s and 60s will probably enjoy this one.
(review in Netflix)




Niewinni Czarodzieje: Part 6/6
(video by elmarcin11)


Part I of Dziady, published after Mickiewicz’s emigration to France, was probably written in the early 1820s, although never finished. Meant to be a picture of emotion of the 19th century people, it was immediately given up by the author. It shows a young couple, feeling confused and trying to choose between the sentimental idea of love, adjustment to the society and respect to own nature.


filmul intreg:


Niewinni Czarodzieje: the whole movie
(video by Tolek81)

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