This is a twin post with Creative Barbwire. I'm going to tell you about a classic Italian novel , FOSCA by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti (1869). Barbara is going to review the movie PASSIONE D'AMORE (1981), by Italian director ETTORE SCOLA , based on that novel. Go, visit her blog and read her post.
Briefly...
After a passionate but ill-fated love affair with the beautiful married woman Clara, the young army officer Giorgio is transferred from Milan to Parma, where he meets the sickly and unattractive Fosca, the cousin of his commander. Although initially repelled by her, he becomes fascinated by her and slowly succumbs to her morbid, manipulative charms.
A witty and satirical critique of romance, desire and bourgeois sexual conventions, Tarchetti sophisticated and controversial novel is a masterpiece of nineteenth-century Italian decadent literature.
A REVIEW
FOSCA is considered the best achievement in Tarchetti’s work. He was one of the main representatives of “la Scapigliatura milanese” . He worked on this novel until his death for thyphus on 25th March 1869. He couldn’t finish it. The missing part, the nocturnal love scene between Giorgio and Fosca , was written by Tarchetti 's friend, Salvatore Farina, to make publication possible. Fosca was printed in instalments on the literary magazine “Pungolo” that year.
The story is written in the form of a diary in which Giorgio, a young officer, tells about his love affairs with two different women. Those relationships, especially one of the two, deeply marked his life and his conscience.
Five years before he had retired from the Army for a heart desease and then gone to Milan where he had met Clara, a very beautiful young woman, married, with whom he had had an intense love affair.
After only two months of intoxicating happiness, Giorgio, healed both in his body and in his soul, had had to go back to active service and he had been sent to a monotonous small town located in a desolated natural environment.
There he had met Fosca, the cousin of his Colonel, a horribly thin woman worned by a mysterious psycho-physical desease. Since his first meeting with Fosca, Giorgio realizes Clara’s image in his mind and heart becomes more and more distant, forcibly substituted by Fosca’s. His passion for the ugly but sensual sick woman had become a desease sucking his vital energy .
The two women, Clara (from the Latin word corresponding to the adjective light, luminous) and Fosca (arcaic for dark) contrast not only in their exteriority (beautiful/ugly, blonde/dark –haired, healthy and active/ ill and passive) but also in their embodiment of love. Clara stands for Romantic love: adultery lived as freedom from the social constraints of perbenism; Fosca embodies love according to the Scapigliati, seen in its morbid, pathological implications connected to desease and death.
Fosca appears extraordinarily horrible but intensely attractive at the same time . Can a story like this still be fascinating in our world of physical perfection and fitness mania? Might a Fosca still attract a handsome healthy young Giorgio? However, what makes this novel appealing to a modern reader is the restlessness which pervades the story. The doubt, the dichotomies, the contrasting realities of life and the self.
This classic from Italian literature has been translated into English as Fosca or as Passion. You can read an excerpt in English HERE or HERE.
1. GEORGETTE HEYER, THE CONVENIENT MARRIAGE (Naxos Audiobooks)
You put your CD in the player, push the play button to make it start and, when the caressing voice comes out and begins to tell you the story, you can’t really concentrate on the words and their meaning . It’s just a pleasant mind/body sensation totally out of meaning. So when you realize the story has gone on and you didn’t catch much of it , you pause the CD, try to convince yourself to act your age and behave sensibly, try to remind yourself of Georgette Heyer’s mastery on wit , romp and romance and , finally, you start it over again. This time you concentrate on the skillful reading and characterization of the talented reader (trying NOT to think of his penetrating blue eyes and gorgeous look), on the intriguing nuances of his voice but especially on his involving performance of this entertaining story , on his elegant Northern – British accent and… you find yourself totally immersed in 5 hours of heavenly delight. A delight you want to prolong and are sad to be parted from after the last incredibly romantic moments are over. I shivered from head to toes at listening to those deep seductive whispers with which Lord Rule teases young Horatia and reveals at the same time all his love and admiration for her.
OMG! This is not the proper way to start a review of Georgette Heyer’s THE CONVENIENT MARRIAGE ! Red-Self is having a bad influence on me. More than I thought possible! However, I hope you’ll forgive my informal , atypical review since this is my RA Friday post and… Richard Armitage is the alluring , mesmerizing reader of this Naxos Audiobook ( abridged version of Heyer’s novel). “Richard Armitage couldn’t be a better choice for reader” was written in a review of his SYLVESTER ( again Georgette Heyer, again Naxos Audiobook) and that is so TRUE! You say I’m biased? Definitely YES! But I am not of totally unsound mind! And Richard Armitage is INDEED incredibly good, brilliant, at using his voice to give life to a parade of convincing characters: from young, brave, a bit naive Horatia with her stammer to funny, adventuresque Pel and Pom, from delicate, beautiful Elizabeth Winwood to gallant, treacherous Lethbridge. How can he be so good at keeping all those different voices in his mind and avoid being confused? He thoroughfully prepared himself , of course, but he's also got talent.
In my mind he was Lord Marcus Rule. Precisely, Rule owned his tall, dark, handsome appearance in my mind and his voice perfectly matched the enigmatic, attractive Heyer hero.
Do you think I should say something about the story? I think I’d better say as little as I can in order to avoid spoilers.
But if you asked me , I ‘d just say - hoping you wouldn’t take it as a spoiler - that the convenient marriage of the title takes place immediately , in the first pages, differently from many other novels where the marriages or the proposals are the climax. I ‘d add that there are very hilarious moments, tricks, duels, adventures, flirts, highwaymen’s hold-ups , quests for a disappeared brooch and to save the reputation of a lady and , obviously, very romantic scenes.
My advice is: try to read the book, if you can, before you listen to the audiobook. I did it while coping with the “hard task” of listening and... it took me more time. I fragmented, diluted the pleasure, which is not always negative.
I noticed they had cut a lot from the original version, maybe too much for Heyer fans (entire scenes and characters, for instance) , so I stopped the CD and read the book instead. Then I re-started listening and... so on. It also happened that I got lost in the world created by Richard with only his voice and forgot I had the paperback in my hand! As I told you, the best thing would be to read before, then listen to the CDs.
I particularly liked the recent interview in which Richard explained and analyzed his work on audiobooks. I even transcribed the whole of it in one of my RA Fridays (HERE) ! I’m sure you have already listened to it, but if you haven’t, take some time and do it. You’ll appreciate this audiobook even more.
My Richard Armitage/ Heyer Top Chart
1. The Convenient Marriage 2. Venetia 3. Sylvester
What's yours?
2. RICHARD IN AUSTEN?
I've met lots of Janeite and RA fan friends via Twitter (follow me on Twitter) and it's such a great pleasure to chat with them. This is because I don't know many JA or RA aficionados in real life so I find it so extraordinary and stimulating to compare my fondnesses (obsessions?) with so many interesting people. A couple of days ago, for instance, @SalonJaneAusten and I were discussing the possibility of having a new Persuasion adaptation. So many Emmas, several P&P and S&S. Why so few Persuasion, Mansfield Park or Northanger Abbey adaptations? I'd love to see a new Persuasion, on a theatre screen possibly. We (@SalonJaneAusten and I) have already our mature, handsome, tall and dark Captain Wentworth in mind: Richard Armitage. They had a survey at their forum, El Salòn de Té de Jane Austen, hundreds of members, and all of them want Richard as Wentworth.
What's your opinion on their suggestion?
Would you like to see Richard in a dashing, smart British Navy uniform? Who might his Anne Elliot be? Would you subscribe a petition for a new RA Persuasion adaptation? If you like the idea, help us spread the word!
Members of the Spanish forum have even prepared a videoclip with their Persuasion dream cast: Kate Winslet and Richard Armitage. Have a look and ... think about it!
OMG! Who's shouting like a helpless animal?!? Red - Self! Can you stop it , please? I remember. Perfectly remember: I promised you a little space this week, too. Mind you, I won't bear one bad word or ... ok, ok, ok. I'll try to trust you. Since last week you had a whole post for yourself, this time you MUST be very brief. This is our agreement.
It's time to go for me, then! Fingers crossed. Enjoy your weekend!
RED-SELF'S CORNER
*Rolls eyes * Oh! Off , at last! Breath, relax, breath, relax, Reddie. I hate how she can make me feel. OPPRESSED! I need to forget her. Breath, relax, breath... Here we are.
Are you Ok? I hope so. I'm disappointed and so ... FURIOUS !!! I've got only 5 minutes she told me. Now, what can I tell you in five minutes? I'll try to do my best . Actually I couldn't do much this week. Have you ever been guarded by a vulture? GRRR...I couldn't move. I had to be with her all the time!
Let's see if I can finally forget black-self for a while and think of "His Gorgeousness". I liked listening to Richard reading that romance, The Convenient Marriage, but I was there all the time waiting for something saucier to happen. Unsatiable? Maybe... well... well, it was fun, I can't say it wasn't. I liked Horatia. She was cheeky and daring. She, a 17-year-old stammering girl proposed to the Earl of Rule -and he accepted! - to save her elder sister from a marriage she didn't want. Well done, Horry! She even saved herself from a rape. Wow, Horry, incredible! She faced perbenism, gossip and social conventions. Great! Horry, you are my heroine! I also liked the duels, the adventures, the comedy . BUT , you ask? But I wanted more, something more. How can I explain? I must be short and effective, 'cause I have no time. I'll show you what I mean with a clip. And what a clip! I love it. Do you know how hot Guy can be? Very, very, very, immensely MUCH!
Have a look and... thank me!
What? I can't watch the clip with them?!? Why? Time over?!? The clip lasts only 4 minutes! Whaaat? That wardrobe again? No, thanks. I'll obey you. Ok, ok. I'll see it with you after dinner. We'll watch it together.
*Rolls eyes again*. I think I'd better go. Have a cool weekend!
Get a chance to win a signed copy of Lynn Shepherd's novel
Read through this post and discover how!!!
I'm glad to have a very special guest to "talk Jane Austen" with today. My guest is Lynn Shepherd. Reading and commenting the two parts of her interview ( PART I today, PART II on Thursday 19th August) you'll have a double chance two win a signed copy of her delightful Austen-based novel just published also in the US and Canada, MURDER AT MANSFIELD PARK. The details of the giveaway are at the end of the interview on my Austen dedicated blog, My JA Book Club.
Lynn Shepherd lives in Berkshire, England, with her husband Simon. Murder at Mansfield Park is her first novel, but she has been a professional copywriter for the last ten years.
She studied English at Oxford in the 1980s, and went back to do a doctorate in 2003. By that time she'd spent 15 years in business, first in the City, and later in PR. She'd always wanted to be a writer, and going freelance in 2000 gave her the time she needed to see if she could make that dream into a reality. Ten years and two and a half unpublished novels later, it’s finally happened!
READ THE INTERVIEW ON MY JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB AND... GOOD LUCK WITH THE GIVEAWAY!
(Trinità dei Monti - Friday afternoon - August 6th)
I’ve been away for a couple of days, in Rome. The big city is not a familiar environment to me, since I live among hills and mountains, woods and a beautiful river. But having such an enriching, exciting place at 1-hour- drive distance becomes a wonderful occasion for unforgettable trips. I can’t do this – meaning leave family duties and escape to freedom – too frequently but any time I manage to it is an invigorating , motivating experience.
So, let’s sum up what I did : Shakespeare’s Molto Rumore per Nulla ( Much Ado about Nothing) at Rome Globe Theatre (on the right) on Thursday night; on Friday, at the National Library in the morning, leafing through useful and interesting books/articles, and being a tourist, shopping and sightseeing, in the afternoon; on Saturday, visit to a stunning museum and … back home in the afternoon.
(Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza - Friday afternoon- August 6th)
I’ve already written something about the show at Rome Globe Theatre (HERE). I wanted to add something about the Museo Nazionale Romano dedicated. It is one of the World’s most complete exhibitions of ancient art kept in the 19th century Palazzo Massimo alle Terme – formerly a Jesuit college – near Termini Station.
The great bronze statues of the “Pugile”(The Boxer) and of the “Principe ellenistico” (The Hellenistic Prince) particularly stand out.
(Principe Ellenistico)
On the ground floor that surrounds the courtyard the halls exhibit Greek originals found in Rome and examples of iconography and portraits that range from the Republican to the Imperial age, such as the famous statue of Augusto Pontefice ( Augustus Pontifex) .
The next floor offers the ancient Salone dei Capolavori del Museo delle Terme with the Discobolo Lancillotti, the splendid Fanciulla d’Anzio (Maiden from Anzio) and the sensual Ermafrodito dormiente (sleeping hermaphrodite).
(Discobolo Lancillotti)
(Fanciulla d'Anzio)
(Ermafrodito dormiente)
On the second floor , the complex frescoes, stuccos and mosaics are also particularly worthy. The marvellous paintings of Villa di Livia and the suggestively restructured painted rooms of the Farnesina constitute an effective testimony of the decoration of the rich Roman domus.
When I first noticed her I thought she wa a romantic, passionate Juliet. Her Romeo was Richard Armitage, it seemed. I found her JULIETD001 videos dedicated to Richard’s characters (especially Lucas and Guy) on Utube and liked them. Then I met her by chance on Twitter .Well, I met LADYMARIAND001 , and that Lady Marian was a bit naughty but very amusing. At first I didn’t understand they were the same person! But after a while… I GOT IT!!!
Today I’m happy she’s my guest on Fly High! and glad to have the chance to ask her some questions.
First of all, shall I call you Juliet, Marian or… the Nightwatchman?
Hi Mary, I seem to answer to most things these days… but Juliet is probably the one I’d rather be known as…she’s a lot less complicated than poor Marian. In fact I’m really not sure how I got into the Twitter lark in the first place, or why I had the notion to use Marian as a character. Problematic at best.
Would you please tell us something more about yourself?
Well I am Juliet…and I live in the lovely UK not far from the beautiful city of Bath in Avon. I live with my OH and I have 3 cats that seem to see me as their surrogate mother, Cats! such funny animals. One aptly called Gisborne! And he certainly is a handful..
I am a senior Manager by day and sometimes night.. And let’s just say it can at times be both challenging and full of stress! But I love it and would happily work 24 hours if I could. I have a passion for Aviation and I’m currently studying for my PPL private pilots license. I enjoy music…history and visiting places of interest. I also have a passion for Art and have been lucky enough to have sold a couple of pieces.
Gisborne (not Juliet's cat, of course)
Both Marian and Juliet are passionate, unconventional heroines if we compare them to women in their relative historical contexts. Do you feel you are more like Juliet or Marian?
OOoh tough one, I’m fairly cynical about love and romance! However in Marian’s defense, I am fiercely independent and a bit of a rebel. Tell me something can’t be done and I’ll show you why it can. I’m something of a tomboy and a rebel at heart. So I guess I do have some of her traits…fiery and stubborn! But fiercely loyal…to my friends. I don’t suffer fools gladly…
Proud and stubborn, OK. But how could you resist him?
Now, this question comes naturally to my mind. Is your ideal man more a Romeo (a dreamer, conventional but passionate lover, a bit naive) or more a Gisborne type?
OMG! That’s a tough one; I tend to go for the bad boys so I guess…it would have to be Gisborne type. I’d rather be challenged by a man…in terms of intellect and respect. Not sure Gisborne falls into those categories?*smiles* but he’s awfully nice to look at!
Do you really think he is not your guy?
I'm afraid, you don't know him very well Marian! I bet he hides many interesting thoughts behing his frowning look. But let's go on...Of course Richard Armitage and his work is one interest we share. What is among his roles and characters the one you’ve liked the most so far and which is instead your least favorite?
I think my favorite would have to be Lucas purely from a character depth POV. Lucas has a lot of history; I’ve studied him pretty closely in my videos. He’s misunderstood, full of pain and questions everything. My least favorite gosh…about to run for cover here, most likely anything he’s done where he’s not had a primary role.*safe answer* I confess if we are talking from a personal gratification view then once again then Lucas and Gisborne …it doesn’t get much better than those two.
Let’s talk about your videos. I love your Lucas / Elizabeta video “Tell me you love me?” I’ve watched it so many times! First of all because Lucas North in series 7 is one of the things I re-watch most willingly among Richard’s roles, then because I love his interaction with his ex-wife in the first episodes, finally because I’m fond of the Coldplay and, especially, of this song. Have you got one of your videos, which is special to you for any reason?
Well I try not to watch them if I’m honest once they go up, but I’m always interested in what the viewer draws from them. I’d say at the moment, and it does change, but Eternal Sleep Song is a favorite purely because it just came so easy. I like it when you find the right song and the clips just flow. It surprised me at just how much people did actually like it. I think a lot of it is about getting the song just right. So I like to spend a lot of time searching. Music speaks volumes about what you want to say on an unconscious level.
Does a project of yours usually start from the song or from the images?
Oh it has to be a song that inspires me to get on the laptop and start gathering clips together. Lyrics are equally important so you can set the theme and mood…helps me to decide the direction I want to take. Also depends on what mood I’m in too! LOL
How long does it usually take you to create a video?
It’s a good question but a tough one to answer, if it’s a fast one…then I could do it in a couple of days if it’s a romantic one it usually takes more time. Experimenting with effects and overlays etc. Sometimes you just have to walk away if it’s not flowing and come back to it another day. You have to be in the right frame of mind or inspired and I like to say.
My blog is dedicated to my interests which, Richard Armitage included, are reading, period drama, movies, blogging, art, theatre and long walks. Do we share anything more ?
Well I have a few passions..aside from the lovely Mr A. One being I studied a lot about the Arthurian Legend and it’s something along with history that’s always interested me. I enjoy period drama, The Tudors being another favorite of mine. I’m more of a history girl in the sense that I like. Greek mythology. I love films especially horror. I’m not conventional in the sense that I like chick flicks. I’m more of an action movie, sci fi kind of girl. Aliens being amongst my favorites. Where the hero is a woman! I like anything to do with ghosts and the paranormal. Always fancied being a ghost buster! lol
What is you most recurrent dream? Your most recurrent nightmare?
OMG thinks…um where I’m being chased by a tornado? Make of that what you will? Laughs. I have no idea what it means. I do know I dream a lot less than I used to. But I do dream in color and I do see myself, as in I actually see myself in my dreams. Nightmare…probably the most recent one was of my mum, who sadly passed away about 12 years ago being in the room with me. That was scary.
I’ve discovered you can speak Italian. Can you explain how that comes and tell me something in my language about … love, for example. Hold your tongue, please! I BEG YOU. I have already my personal troubles at keeping Red-Self quiet on Fridays!
Sure, my father whose parents were Italian was born in a small town Misilmeri Nr Palermo. He came over to England with his parents when he was in his early teens. They lived in London originally and then moved to just outside Bath. Where he met my late mother…. and so the upshot being I was always brought up with a sort of dual heritage. And I love this! I love the history of Italy…*Yes I love the Godfather film too* I love the culture and the people. I inherited some of my father’s and I’m told some of my grandfather’s temper and stubbornness. But I see it as a gift not a curse. I still have family over there and we keep in touch. Something about love? Okay see below. This is a beautiful Italian sonnet, and was one of my father’s favorites. I believe he gave a copy to my mum. How romantic is that? It tells of a man struck from the moment he lays eyes on his true love. It is a beautiful sonnet .
Francesco Petrarca, Love Sonnets
Benedetto sia 'l giorno, et 'l mese, et l'anno, et la stagione, e 'l tempo, et l'ora, e 'l punto, e 'l bel paese, e 'l loco ov'io fui giunto da'duo begli occhi che legato m'anno; et benedetto il primo dolce affanno ch'i' ebbi ad esser con Amor congiunto, et l'arco, et le saette ond'i' fui punto, et le piaghe che 'nfin al cor mi vanno. Benedette le voci tante ch'io chiamando il nome de mia donna ò sparte, e i sospiri, et le lagrime, e 'l desio; et benedette sian tutte le carte ov'io fama l'acquisto, e 'l pensier mio, ch'è sol di lei, sí ch'altra non v'à parte.
English Translation
Oh blessed be the day, the month, the year,
the season and the time, the hour, the instant,
the gracious countryside, the place where I was
struck by those two lovely eyes that bound me;
And blessed be the first sweet agony
I felt when I found myself bound to Love,
the bow and all the arrows that have pierced me, t
he wounds that reach the bottom of my heart.
And blessed be all of the poetry I scattered,
calling out my lady's name,
and all the sighs, and tears, and the desire;
Blessed be all the paper upon which I earn her fame,
and every thought of mine, only of her, and shared with no one else.
What do you like most of your virtual life? What are the cons, instead, of your online activities?
I enjoy it. But my housework tends to suffer! LOL
My last questions are for … Lady Marian. Have you forgiven Guy for what he did to you?
He burned my house to the ground. Stood by when I was in danger….although okay he did get me down from the tree…Hmmmm the list appears to be endless…he tried to kill Robin…should I go on? lol
Well, I actually meant ... did you forgive him for killing you but ... OK, if you're answering ... hence .. you're alive! But, anyhow, do you realize it was your fault? That you misbehaved, tricked and cheated the poor man all the time? (Sorry for being so blunt! ) LOL
Me? Laughs. And I thought I gave as good as I got!...he was bad…very very naughty
Gosh! I can't totally agree with you... But ... OK. Last question . If you could go back in time, would you say YES to his passionate marriage proposal?
He tried to kill the king and then tried to lie about it, I could never marry a man who’d do that! Lol But between you and me Are you kidding? Hell ... Yes! LOL
Thank you Juliet /Lady Marian D001! It's been a great pleasure to have you here and knowing you a bit better. See you on Twitter or on Utube!
Unbelievable but true! Black -self has gone away for a couple of days and couldn't prepare her RA-Friday. She even begged me to write down something to post today. "Of course", I told her! Here I am. Ready... Steady ... GOOO!
First of all, my favourite pastime: gossip about Mrs Prof aka Black -Self aka that annoying woman who treats me like a pest. I've got my dignity! Well, it's hard to gossip about someone with such a boring life! But what I absolutely wanted to say is ... Stop with the torture of closing me in that wardrobe. I hate it. Do you want to torture me? Waterboarding, please! Possibly on the same board as Lucas North or John Porter. Mind you, I mean tied to one of the two gorgeous men and sharing their sufference body to body ... AWWW! Let's stop here. What was I saying? Ah, yes! Gossip about Mrs Prof. and her boring life. She's gone to Rome for a couple of days. To her friend's. They went to the Globe theatre on Thursday night for a play, a comedy, titled ... mmm.... ah, yes! "Much Ado About Nothing" . I wonder, if nothing happens what should there be to be seen? Usually she watches Robin Hood 2 on Thursday night and, while she was at the theatre, they broadcast the final episodes , 11-12-13. Can one prefer the "Nothing" on stage to those gripping crucial episodes? She told me: "We've got the DVDs. We can watch those episodes as many times as we want!" Bla, bla , bla. Bollocks! I can't understand her. Who was on stage? Richard? No, some other guys. See? What is there to be seen? Nothing. They say it even in the title!
Look at this GUY, instead ! This is MY guy! No other can compare...
If he looked at me like that ... awwww... I would turn like this
and get him drowsy and tied like this...
and ... I'd revenge Clarissa for what Lovelace did to her! What does Gisborne have to do with Lovelace? Nothing. But I'd take my revenge on HIM so gladly, so wholeheartedly, so selfishsly. In fact, I even hated that Clarissa! I can't bear her! But I'd take my revenge on Gisborne so willingly ... if you get what I mean.
I've got some other pictures here. How can one miss episode 11? That's one of my best favourite in series 2. When Gisborne finds the Nightwatchman in the barn and discovers he is a SHE! And just that SHE! And Richard wonderfully expresses Guy's astonishment like this ...
and finally goes away furiously shouting: " YOU. DO NOT. SPEAK. TO ME!"
That's the right way to treat her! Well done, Sir Guy! You're perfectly right at being that furious.
Who does she believe she is to trick and cheat you like that?
After all barns are very inspiring places, especially when it comes to Guy . For example in Angelfish's "Prisoners of Circumstance", Guy, knowing who the Nightwatchman actually is , gives Marian her comeuppance profiting from the situation. And what profit! What comeuppance! Ehm... Now I think I MUST start thinking about a job. I mean, once Black-self reads this post I'll have to look for a job to get a living. She'll get furious and will want me out of here. No doubt. LOL
And guess what my dream job is? A clue? OK. I'll help you...
How much do these ladies get for that job? Enough money to live on? Well, I'd do it for ... definitely... utterly... totally... FREE!
(Thanks iz4blue. You are right! This is Hermione Norris helping Richard with the make - up while flying to Russia for Spooks 7)
I know, I know. This is something so many of you think about as their dream job but I had the chance to write it down in red ink today and... DID IT! So, If Black- Self sends me away from home I'll write to Strike Back production. Have you heard they'll produce a 10-part second series? Maybe, they'll need someone like me. I'm good at make-up but also at saying: "Go, go, go! " and "Sh**t" and "F**k". Arent' I?
WHAT!!!!! Who put the asteriscs there instead of the letters? WHAT ?!? Black-Self ?!? But she promised me no censorship!!!
AND YOU PROMISED ME NO BAD WORDS!!! DON'T YOU KNOW I CAN ENTER MY BLOG EVEN IF I AM NOT AT HOME!!! I WARN YOU!!! YOU RISK WHAT YOU'VE JUST WRITTEN: I'LL SEND YOU AWAY FROM MY HOME. I'M FED UP ... TO SAY THE LEAST! GET LOST!
HAVE A VERY GOOD WEEKEND YOU ALL !
P.S. FORGIVE RED-SELF'S RAMBLINGS. SHE CAN BE SO NAUGHTY, BLUNT AND RUDE.
At last I made it. I so wanted to see a Shakespearean play at the Globe and last night it became true. Well , I wasn't at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, actually. There you can see Miranda Raison (Jo in Spooks 4/5/6/7/8, on the left) as Anne Boleyn until 21 August. (HAVE A LOOK HERE)
Shakespeare's Globe London (April 2008) - My picture
MOLTO RUMORE PER NULLA (MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING)
"Speak low if you speak of love”
There are two main plots: the Hero-Claudio plot, which belongs to the tragi-comedy type, and the Beatrice-Benedick plot, belonging to the comedy of wit. In this way we obtain different wiews of the same reality, views we might call respectively romantic and realistic.
The over-all theme of the play is “the power of report, of the thing overheard, to alter human destiny”. But most of all what is interesting in this text by Shakespeare is his analysis of the power of words in general. Words can destroy a person's reputation and life but they can also manipulate their will, they can touch the most hidden corners of a human soul and change it. For instance, the power of their friends' words , overheard "by chance", leads Benedick and Beatrice to recognize their feelings for one another, to believe they are in love with one another. The two have always denied their attraction and their sympathy to the other even to themselves.
Moreover, the power of words, even the words of a drunk man like Borrachio, will lead to the unveiling of the truth.
The performance I saw is based on Loredana Scaramella's ( also the director and a brilliant Beatrice) and Mauro Santopietro's (a handsome sparkling Benedick) adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy and the surprise in the show were the songs , dances and music. Great, excellent, exciting choice. Shakespeare's play is set in an imaginary Messina , a city in Sicily. The company decided to sing and dance the "pizzica" , ancient popular tradition from the region of Salento (Southern Italy). The result was pure fun.
Excellent performances by the comic minor characters (excellent Balthazar , Carlo Ragone), who involved the audience in hilarious gags. Maybe purists won't like this kind of liberties. I personally think that Shakespeare wouldn't mind what they did of his text. He wrote for a popular mixed audience, his comic characters and their puns were trivial and even obscene. Music and dances popular at the time were not unusual in the staging of his plays.
It has been an unforgettable night with very romantic moments and spontaneous fits of laughter, with the audience clapping at the rythm of the pizzica and the actors joining the "groundlings" in a final dance.
"Marriage is the tomb of love" . This is one of Casanova's most widely-known quotes.
YES! My attraction to libertines and rakes couldn’t but lead into Giacomo Casanova ’s arms. How could any woman resist his seductive charm? Usually Casanova’s name is confused with that of Don Juan but while the latter is a literary, fictional rake, the first one is a real man, born in Venice in 1725 and died in Bohemia in 1798. He was so famous as a womanizer that his name remains synonymous with the art of seduction.
His memoirs are considered the swan song of the 18th century libertine. In Bohemia he died surrounded not by lovers but by books. “He did not go down shouting his disdain for morality, like Don Giovanni he went with a wry smile and a knowing joke as the curtain fell.” ( Ian Kelly, “Casanova: Actor, Spy, Lover, Priest”)
The 3-part BBC version of Casanova I've been watching is extremely delightful. The cast is outstanding, especially David Tennant as younger Casanova , Peter O'Toole as the older Casanova (who is narrating the story to a young woman years later). The sets and costumes are colorful and romantic and the script is generally witty and funny. David Tennant saying : "You love your wife, I love your wife, we're on the same side!" is just memorably brilliant. Most of the plot is focused on Casanova’s romantic relationship with his true love, Henriette (Laura Frazer) , who choses a convenient marriage to Grimani ( Rupert Penry-Jones )and condemns herself and his lover, Casanova, to a life of longing. She will always watch on Giacomo and will come each time he will be in need of help. Henriette is a beautiful character, as are Rocco (Shaun Parkes , his loyal friend and servant) and Bellino (Nina Sosanya , a castrato? a man! No, Casanova's almost - wife).
This mini – series is funny, irreverent, very fast moving and it keeps you watching. David Tennant portrays Casanova as a cheeky 21st century rake and is immediately likable. At first sight.
Peter O'Toole, as the older Casanova explaining his life story to a girl of formerly high family who has fallen on hard times and is acting as his maidservant, performs his part with all the best elements of his enormous experience.
Giacomo Casanova died in 1798. A year earlier, Napoleon had brought an end to the long debauch of the Venetian republic and its even longer decline. The whole 18th century culture would soon die, too, fading away and leaving space to the Romantic ideals. Europe was about to become what playful, joyful Casanova could never manage to be: serious.
Briefly...
