.........It's all nonsense really when tonight has been so remarkable. Not sure where to start I was on George Formby's boat no that's not right, i was in this bar in no no.
let's see when I was seeing 400 blows I found out that Sea Power where playing the BFI tonight it was of course it was sold out but G suggested there'd be some returns. And wonderfully there was the marvelous J sold me his spare for the cover price J was excellent company (he'd seen the Truffaut at the same times as we did!) as well potato picking with soft machine which is maybe how he lost his finger.
Anyway some genius had organised British Sea Power to play the soundtrack to Man of Arran. by Robert J. Flaherty which was inspired to say the least. Not only are they the most maritime of power pop combos, they already have the sweaters!
They played a half hour set based loosely on The Great Skua from their last lp, to some excellent bird footage followed by the main film.
Sorry this is getting like a film class (I hope your taking notes as there's a test on Monday)round here but basically Man of arran is probably as good as film as 400 blows.!
It's an early docudrama, it's much discussed so I won't go into the the debate but basically Flaherty understood that sometimes truth is as important as fact and basically the film is really beautiful shot and surprisingly gripping. Some of the scenes of men fishing are incredible and seem to made up entirely of silver and black. a Remarkably poetic film.
BSP music matched really well with the right the dynamics , drama and lightness of touch some parts where quite moving.
I'll stop now great films are one thing but seeing my favourite band as well is rendering me monosylabic. Suffice to say it was good.
oh and on the warm evening with people laughing and ambling along the south bank I was reminded of what day it was by the office in the picture and looking down on the wine (more like stout)dark river, what wth Boris Johnson putting on folk gigs? and people in knitted chain mail handing out beer?
Are you more English when the tides out?
Are you less when the Thames comes rolling in?
and if I get my faced painted do I have to drink Becks?
and are you going to tell the lads on the train or should I that it won't still be the 23rd in the Bromley walkabout because "it's still yesterday in Australia".
Bless 'em they'd had a good day which is all you want really, it beats collecting sea weed off the sea shore or boiling up sharks for lamp oil or being chased through France with hammond organ player and a stolen case of the 45 you could loose a finger doing that...
Anyway night all.
3 comments:
Damn I'm jealous. I really wanted to go to this, but like a 14 year old, my life is being ruled by my parents at the moment.
Sounds like it was good though. Shamefully, despite learning about Flaherty at uni, I've never seen Man of Arran. This would have been one heck of a good opportunity.
being the BFI the cinema was dotted with the odd "grey head" so your parents could have come along! they are doing it again at the big chill. And the film and soundtrack are being rereleased in May so you can watch it with the original music if you want to!
It's not the problem that my folks are old, it's the fact that they are on the exact opposite end of the cultural spectrum to me. My father refuses to watch silent movies, foreign films, anything with Woody Allen in it etc. etc.
Good news about the DVD release though. Hopefully my local library will get it in.
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