Tuesday, November 11, 2008


I've been kind of blog blocked. Sunday was my birthday, (63), and Cathy got good tickets for The Sound of Musak. I am not a fan of the film, but this version of the show was about perfect. Maria was the right age, the children were adorable without sentimentality, all the adults were very well cast and believable. In a musical, this is essential. I cried three times, laughed and just gave in to wonderful music. I was reminded of The King and I and even South Pacific. Afterwards we were joined by half our children for a steak dinner at The Keg, a birthday tradition in our family.




Saturday I joined my best friend to see a film I had not been able to see at the film festival. I thought it was brilliant and spent most of Sunday and Monday remembering the people I felt I had known in the film. There was hardly any story although the main conflict is pivotal. If it comes your way, do not fail to see it.
Il y a longtemps que je t'aimes, English title, I've Loved you so long. Truffaut, talking to Hitchcock, said something like "films are about beautiful women doing interesting things". Both sisters were played by good actresses, but Kirstin Scott Thomas did that fashionably brave thing of allowing her character to have some very unpleasant aspects. Like all of us, she did not always behave in a way which we might not later regret. She is lovely, but allowed herself to be quite ugly. She has long been one of my favourites, so I was delighted also to see some very fine acting. If it were an American film, I feel sure she would be nominated for an Oscar.

4 comments:

Tess Kincaid said...

Happy 63rd, Marc!! I can't think of a more delightful way to spend it than seeing The Sound of Music. We watch it every Christmas and I cry in the same spots every year.

French Fancy... said...

A belated birthday, my blogging pal. What a lovely day it sounded - I simply adore musicals and saw The Sound Of Music on the stage when I was quite young. Of course the film is slicker but it was written for the stage and that's the medium I prefer for musicals. In London (and probably other cities too, no doubt Toronto) they have something called Singalonga SOM. You go dressed as a character from the film and everyone sings along with the score. i had a friend who went as one of the 'raindrops (on roses etc).

I must get to see the film you mentioned. I too like KST - do you know she speaks perfect French? lucky woman.
Beautiful and bi-lingual - what could be better?

marc aurel said...

Thank you to both of you. I'm a bit old for presents, but I had a wonderful day instead.

High Desert Diva said...

Happy belated birthday!