Eternity, Bang Chan - 2024 // Eternity, Arthur Stace - 1932 to 1966.
In 1932, residents all over the city of Sydney started noticing something interesting, the word “Eternity” written on the pavement or wall, over and over again. The word was seemingly written by the same person each time, in a beautiful copperplate script. The mystifying and intriguing presence of graffiti before graffiti was commonplace had Sydney residents pondering who this "Eternity man" could be. In 1956, the mystery was solved- Arthur Stace, a former soldier and alcoholic, turned man of faith, had inscribed the word over Sydney's suburbs more than half a million times between 1932 and 1966. He chose to write the word in the early hours of the morning, when few people were around, managing to keep his identity a secret for over 20 years. Something about the word eternity, written in fleeting chalk on the ever-changing city streets, seemed to compel locals- Newspaper writers published account after account speculating on the identity of this unknown man and the occasional false confession helped to maintain the air of wonder and mystery that surrounded the anonymous "Eternity man". Even after his identity had been revealed, Mr. Eternity, as he came to be dubbed, continued writing his eponymous "Eternity" across the walkways and walls of Sydney for another decade, becoming a beloved character in the city until his passing at the age of 82, in 1967. Now, nearly 60 years after the final "Eternity" by Arthur Stace was written, his message of eternity still manages to permeate the minds of Sydneysiders- becoming a representative word of the city.
I went to see Harold and the Purple Crayon today! I am not nostalgic for the book (I don't think I've ever actually read it) but I did enjoy the movie. I actually liked that they aged Harold up because the midlife existential crisis of "who am I and who made me" was a compelling narrative storyline for the movie. I felt like the cast had a lot of fun, they used the crayon in creative ways, and overall it was enjoyable. It was a whimsical and silly film. It wasn't a great movie but a fun one! I'm glad I saw it.