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requiem626k · 3 years

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Hello my dear Req, I'm here again to ask for some classical music you could recommend me🤭 Usually I would ask for piano music, but I've been in the mood for one with a harp in it lately! And I know you're busy with school and all that so please take your time hehe. And take care🥰

Hello there, my dearest Kat ❤️! I’d be so delighted to recommend you more pieces, it makes my little heart so happy that you’re interested in them 🥺💕

I hope you’ll like my selection! I tried to include variety in terms of vibes, nationalities and eras this time (Austrian-Classical, Russian-Romantic and French-19th century), instead of sticking to a single man 🤭 I’ll try to keep it short and simple (no that’s a lie, I won’t be able to 😶)

And thank you so much for your consideration, things have been pretty busy for me indeed so I’m sorry for the extremely late post 😖 And I know that uni is soon starting for you, so likewise, please take your time to listen to the pieces <3

That being said, let’s start~

Mozart - Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte

Of course, it wouldn’t be Req’s post if it didn’t start off with Mozart. This is a short lied like Das Veilchen (the one that I previously shared), the title is long haha and it means “As Luise Was Burning the Letters of Her Unfaithful Lover”. As you can guess from its name, this is really, REALLY dramatic. It’s in c minor, a tonality that Mozart doesn’t use so often (but when he does, oh boy, see his Great Mass in c minor 🤤) but which is perfect for its fierce mood. Also it’s fairly special for me because we used to sing this in our music theory classes haha, I would play the piano accompaniment while practicing with the classmates before every oral exam.

I truly adore this lied. The lyrics are once again taken from a poem, a poem of Gabriele von Baumberg, she apparently wrote it at a very young age (18 or so).

My heart melts at 00.34 omg, that soft “melancholie” and the silence that comes after 🥺… It’s truly one of those silences that make you agree with Mozart’s quote:

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.

Then, it takes a cheerful turn (he just can’t refrain from putting happy sprinkles 🤭) until the strong chord at 00.49.

I think the section that starts at 01.00 is so worthy of being noted, I love love LOVE the suspense and tension that the piano accompaniment creates and that finishes with a strong build-up.

And the chord at 01.32… I leave my heart there. It just has me so soft. It’s so bittersweet, Mozart for some reason repeats the phrase “May smoulder long yet in my heart.” twice at the end and it’s just- 🥺

As always, he knows so well what word must be cited with what emotion, and chooses carefully his chords and functions. I just love it, and wanted to share since you had liked the previous lied 🤭

Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2

*inhale* This one’s gonna be long, I can feel it.

I have literally SO MANY things to say about this one.

Rachmaninoff is a famous Russian composer that you might have heard of. He’s part of the Romantic Era which is, to simplify, about pouring your emotions and the turmoils in your life into your art and depicting feelings instead of trying to stick to certain rules and ‘holy’ virtues, of which we had already talked about a bit hehe.

And this piece… Oh my. You’ll see how different this concerto is compared to the Mozart ones we listened to previously. His second piano concerto corresponds to a depressive episode of his, due to his works not having a big success and being criticised so harshly. This beautiful piece is his comeback work, and you can just feel the inner conflicts, the emotional tornado he had at that period. With Mozart’s concertos, your soul is purified, they softly caress your insides and comfort you. But here, Rachmaninoff takes your emotions, and he proceeds to crush it. He plays with it, throws it, abuses it, you sob and sob and sob. At least I do 😭.

First movement

One can perfectly sense the dark pessimism in the first, silent, dangerous chord. As the 8 chords come one after another, every single one stronger than the previous, you’re on your toes and the tension increases until finally hearing the main theme through violins at 00.43. Listen to that theme very well. It’s so beautiful, so so moving, the piano section creates a fierce, dangerous background and I always get goosebumps when the violins come in.

Then, at 02.30, the second main theme is heard through the piano, pay attention to that! You will encounter it under various forms through the movement 🤭 It’s much softer compared to the first, ominous theme, it creates a beautiful contrast.

I want to note down the beautiful oboe-piano duet in 04.14 🥺. I adore oboes, it has a really beautiful and soft vibe, and here its melody is just so bittersweet when combined with the piano’s accompaniment. Then at 04.35, the piano starts playing a really soft phrase, the soft touch at that high note at 04.46, oh my God my heart. I have a feeling that you’ll adore that part 🥺 I want to note down literally every second omg

At 05.22, it turns once again really quiet and ominous, foreshadowing a big outburst through a build-up. The flutes play a big role in that aura through their short but dangerous phrases.

I especially adore the part at 06.17 in this pre-outburst section, it’s reminds me of a wave of emotions that keep hitting you and stepping back, only to strike even harder afterwards. The flutes in the background reinforce this vibe. The tension gets higher and higher at 06.36 (omg I’ll faint I love this part, I’m trembling while listening to it and trying to write this at the same time, I can’t keep up with my thoughts aaa) through the constant mutual escalation of both the piano and the orchestra. THE BEAUTY OF THE BUILD-UP PLEASE I WILL LOSE MY MIND.

And all this preparation was for the beautifully passionate part at 07.02. Rachmaninoff notes down “Alla Marcia”, meaning it should be played like a march, and its rhythmic features most certainly have that vibe. It’s just so majestic, so pompous, so raw, I love love LOVE it. It’s almost like you’re swooning in euphoria after having an emotional build-up and breakdown, it’s just- it’s something else that I can’t even describe. I just don’t have the right words for it.

I know that the piano’s melody is so alluring and enchanting there, but maybe in a second listen, I’ll want you to pay attention to the violin part during the march section 👀 Can you hear the very first theme that was introduced at the very beginning of the movement? Rachmaninoff was a total genius to put it in the background and make it fit so well. I always hesitate between paying attention to violins or piano, I end up rewinding it every single time 😖 It’s soo good.

After the euphoric section, the second theme comes again. A thing that’s worth noting down is the flute’s beautiful addition at 07.53, it’s in the background but it just makes my heart melt. I also always get goosebumps at the few ominous, sinister seconds that starts at 09.17 😳

Then it goes pretty quietly until the ending hehe, like a calmness after storm 😌 This piece is a total emotional rollercoaster, I swear. At 11.01, I love the playfulness of the piano section, it’s just so mischievous like a little naughty kitten. Then it picks up the pace, and ends with three strong beats.

Ugh. 🦋🦋🦋

Second movement

(meme credit goes to @/pianoomemes on Instagram)

This meme says it all. I don’t even need to add anything else. As you know by now, the second movements are meant to create a sharp contrast with the first one’s mood, and 🥺😭.

The main melody… It has my heart. The movement starts with a soft piano-flute introduction, and the ethereal main theme is heard at 12.56 through an oboe.

I don’t really any other commentary to do on this heavenly movement. Just let yourself in its embrace without any technical/guiding worries <3

(Though I feel obliged to add that the part that truly has me in this movement is 22.17 🥺. It’s just so moving and sweet ahh, it just takes you away, it almost has a sentiment of longing I feel, I always have a drop of tear forming in my eyes at that part.)

Third movement

The third movement is a usual, playful, jokester movement hehe. It’s a general pattern for final movements as you might have noticed, even though this one’s not written under a Rondo form. It’s rare that I say this, but I feel like this final movement is as charming as the second one for me 🤭 (No movement surpasses the first movement though, personally of course~)

The theme that starts at 25.51 through violins is so so charismatic, it almost always flusters me 😳✨.

Then he naughtily plays around with themes, modulations and instruments haha, I’ll leave the commentary at that and leave you once again alone with the movement itself 😌

(The majestic comeback of the charismatic theme at 34.09 though 😳! I’m *this* close to thirsting over a theme omg it’s MESMERISING I want to cry.)

Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11

And finally, to fulfil your wish 💕, here’s a piece from Fauré where you can hear one of the most beautiful usages of harp in a work, in my opinion.

Even though it’s a religious work, its lyrics are in French. Fauré is a French composer from late 19th century, and even though he’s not that well-known among the media he’s a really unique composer that we can’t even classify in a certain movement. He’s from the same era as the French Impressionists such as Debussy or Ravel, but his style is much more different than theirs. He even has his own unique chord chain etc. that we use the term “fauréen” in harmony classes. But anyways, onto the piece 🤭

I really have no proper words to describe how heavenly, ethereal, poetic, incredible, awe-inspiring and soft this piece is. Like oh my God. I feel my heart melting into a puddle and tear up every time I listen to it. I just can’t bring myself to believe that he was only 19 when he composed this for a competition, if my memory doesn’t deceive me.

The beginning with the orchestra and harp is making a truly beautiful beginning, and the first moment that I want to talk about is 01.09, it always gives me goosebumps when the sopranos come in on the background that the basses and tenors had created.

At 02.00, there’s a soft oboe that comes in for a few seconds and only plays four notes, do you hear it? Those four notes can have my heart 🥺. It’s so beautiful omg. It’s crazy how the littlest touch could make such big of a difference. He could’ve easily not put it there, but he did and that’s what makes a good composer.

The “que tout l’enfer” at 02.24 is so fierce, so mad, “enfer” means “hell” and Fauré really accentuated its meaning, I love it.

And when the piece comes to the ending, at 04.14, a soft flute plays the beginning of the main theme for the first time I believe, which is a really enchanting change for the ear.

And the ending is just so, so soft like the whole piece, I truly can’t. The main melody is just so beautiful, and he truly did an impeccable job with mixing all the voices, the orchestra and the beautiful harp together. I just turn into a soft, soft bubble made out of cotton every time I listen to this.

Ahh this was a long ride, I truly hope you enjoyed the pieces, my beloved! I wasn’t sure which style or composers you would like the most, I guess we’ll try and see 😳❤️

Just for the sake of archiving them, I’ll also add the links of the beautiful pieces we discussed on Discord.

Fauré - Barcarolle no. 1 (Fauré brainrot is strong with me nowadays haha)

Mendelssohn - Etude no. 1 op. 104b (I feel like you’d love his A Midsummer Night’s Dream overture ngl, because Shakespeare 😳 I didn’t add it here though since it doesn’t contain piano or harp)

#Kat🦋#my beloved Kat💐#i hope you’re doing fine Kat <3 mwah #i wrote so much aaa i hope you don’t mind 😳 it’s only 3 pieces i swear i did my best not to overwhelm you haha #req’s classical music brainrot

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wetwellie · 4 years

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It’s christmas season now so let me give you an au to chew over: Eric Bittle is Santa.

Like think about it: Eric Bittle: Goody Bag King. He would run around year after year tirelessly making sure that everyone has at least one gift. (well, the ones that are deserving. But Bitty isn’t super judgemental, so there’s not a lot of people on his naughty list) He also encourages people to leave whatever baked good out for him. Most people do the traditional milk and cookies. Bitty just wants to see more people baking, it’s one of his favorite things to do in his little spare time. There’s also no elves. Instead there is...an entire workforce of semi-living toys? That doesn’t sound much better in terms of labor, but I swear Bitty never overworks them. Senor bun is in charge. Bitty adores his job so much, which is why it broke his heart a couple decades ago when he noticed an extreme change in christmas spirit. It’s not that people are becoming ungrateful, it’s that he doesn’t really know how christmas is celebrated now a days. The last time he actually observed christmas firsthand was 1913. It definitely has changed. People don’t sing as many carols, and they ask for increasingly complicated gifts. What is wrong with a stuffed animal? What are oreos and why aren’t people baking anymore? So Bitty decides to do what he always does when he feels a disconnect with the world, he joins it for a couple years (”a couple years” being something like, 30 or so years). Suzanne Bittle and her Husband from Madison, Georgia believe that they are adopting a 12 year old boy. And Bitty absolutely adores them.

He spends the next 6 years working hard from his new home, and relays the information to Senor Bun whenever he can. He absolutely loves Georgia with its heat and it’s peaches and its rustic way of life. It’s definitely a big change from...well...the north pole. It actually gives him a bit too much of a culture shock at first. He practically begs his parents to let him do SOMETHING with ice. Bitty takes to skating like he took to baking and toy making: like a motherfucking champ. Along the way, he learns a lot of things about Christmas. For many, it’s lost the heavily religious undertones in exchange for images of himself...or what everyone down south thinks he looks like. Jolly? yes. Wears lots of red? Yes. Rosy cheeks? Yes. Full laugh? yes. Enjoys Coke? Eh sure why not. Large old man with a big ass beard? uh... no. never. He looks more like those elf depictions than anything else. Some of the traditions he’ll miss. There’s a lot less horse-drawn sleds and a lot more, “tie an inflatible inner tube to the back of a 4 wheel drive and drag someone behind it in the mud/snow”. And there’s a lot more collectible ornaments and less fruitcake. There’s hallmark movies that tug at Bitty’s desire to someday find some sort of love for himself, even though that’s impossible. And perhaps his favorite thing that has changed with this century of Christmas: Mariah Carey

Holy moly. After hearing that song Bitty made sure to look at Mariah’s biggest desire for that year and get Senor Bun on that stat. She deserve’s the very best. Michael Buble is definitely strong in his heart too. Bitty wishes that he could send an endorsement to those folks. “Santa’s favorite music” it would say. If he slipped a note in Beyonce’s present one year saying “Christmas Album maybe??? :DD”, she kept it to herself. But a boy can dream. So the years pass and he get’s this “live like a human” thing more or less in the bag. Until he is trapped in a closet by a couple of assholes on the football team. Bitty has to spend the night in there, no one able to hear him. What’s worse is that he knows where everyone is, and what they are doing. The football douches are currently sitting in the parking lot of a wal mart drinking shitty beer and laughing about how they hope Bitty doesn’t ever get found.

He sees his dad telling Suzanne not to worry, because the team called him to tell him they were gonna bond with Bitty tonight. Suzanne is so thrilled that Bitty’s “finally getting some friends at school”. And Bitty curls in closer to himself and wonders what will break her heart more: seeing Bitty like this or knowing that he still hasn’t found his place. Probably both, he thinks. With no one around him, he decides the best thing he can do is rest. He plants thoughts of sugar plums and pecans and jam into the minds of those he loves. He’s saved by a janitor named Rudy. Bitty knows his full name is Rudolph, but he refuses to acknowledge this. Not at a time like this, and probably not ever. And his parents, of course, move him to a new school. That was that, he was supposed to start new and “put the past behind him”. It’s not that easy, though. In all his years, he has never felt more helpless. Bitty can’t understand how there are people in the world like that, but now he can’t stop seeing them in the eyes of far too many people.

He can’t bring himself to be so exceptionally cheerful after that, so he sort of switches to autopilot for a while. While he seems fine on the outside, nothing is getting to him. He has basically shut down. The toys that he chooses to make are a lot less personal, he doesn’t bother checking the naughty and nice list. It doesn’t change the first time, or even the second time usually. So what does it matter? The gifts will get to where they go. And during the following christmas, he doesn’t even bother to eat the cookies left out for him. He just chucks the presents with sub-par wrapping under the tree and moves on to the 300 millionth house that night. When he gets to the homes of the football team, however, he might have buried their entire tree in coal and set their alarms to blast nickelback. Bitty can have spite. It’s Christmas morning and people are...confused. Not ungrateful, just confused and worried. Did everyone truly ask for a deck of playing cards for christmas? Or a stuffed rabbit? Or a tiny polar bear toy with a candy cane striped sweater? Because that’s really it as far as gifts go. It lacked any type of personal touch. Children might have cried. Bitty feels like a failure and is refusing to get himself out of bed. “Don’t you want to open the presents under the tree?”, Suzanne asks. “I don’t really feel like I deserve presents this year.” “Eric Richard Bittle, you are the boy that deserves the most in the whole world” Bitty doesn’t respond to her, and buries himself deeper into his blankets. He hopes that he can just sleep until the next year.

#omgcp #check please #au #eric bittle #this is the crackiest thing I've ever written #wipitgood #oh god i forgot about this one #Bitty knows all when he comes to samwell #but he keeps stuff to himself learns to find his holiday cheer by coming into his own

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theworldbrewery · 5 years

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Hot Takes: Elves

“When an elven soul returns to Arvandor, it is adopted by the other gods of the Seldarine and given respite from the world for a time, during which it is left alone to ponder its creator’s disappointment.” -Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, p 36

I have three sourcebooks in front of me, and all of them are trash.

Elf lore has gotten more fucked up with every new release, and WotC seem to just be digging themselves deeper.

The drow and Lolth

Narrow depictions of ethereal beauty

Relationships with other races, especially orcs

At the root of this is the rather uncomfortable blend of religious themes and racial predestination found in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.

Disclaimer: I don’t want to suggest that all the official elf lore is bad. I want to suggest that all the official race lore is bad, actually.

Let’s dig in. Scroll to the bottom of the post if you wanna skip all the bad stuff WotC already wrote about elves.

“[The drow] are infamous for their cruelty, evilness, and desire to dominate.” -Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, p. 107

“To most, [drow] are a race of demon-worshipping marauders [...] emerging only on the blackest nights to pillage and slaughter the surface dwellers they despise.” -Player’s Handbook, p. 24

“The surface elves’ attitude toward murder [...] is carried to the extreme by the drow, who have elevated the assassination of both enemies and friends to an art and who consider killing to be just another tool for resolving disputes and clearing the way for social advancement.” -Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, p. 40-41

So all this is bad. We’re gonna throw all this out in a hot sec, but I’m quickly going to discuss why the lore looks like this in case someone is unfamiliar with it:

basically, the creator of All Elves, Corellon, had a descendant goddess named Lolth, who apparently claimed that elves could attain superiority over other races, had a major falling-out with Corellon, and her followers went with her into exile and became the drow. Also in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, the elves were revealed to be trapped in a cycle of reincarnation where they spent an undetermined period of time dead, alone, and left to contemplate how disappointed Corellon was in them for agreeing with Lolth even a little bit. For some reason, this reincarnation cycle is presented as a good thing... somehow. (this is why elves have a blase reaction to murder, since the deceased will just be reborn later, and why the drow seem to be just fine with killing recklessly.)

This all could be just fine! Except drow are conspicuously the darkest-skinned subrace of elves, and also the one most aligned with a ‘matriarchal’ society. It’s worth pointing out that Corellon is a nonbinary god, but also that the elves “viewed Corellon as their father, the one who had sired them, and Lolth as their mother, the one who set them on the path to their destiny” (p. 36 of MToF). So not only is Corellon being forced into a cisnormative creator narrative, but the comparative “woman” power is being characterized with cruelty and violence. So there’s a lot going on with ‘innate’ savagery and race.

So we’re just gonna throw all that out, because it sucks. It’s got signficant racist implications of inherent violence in racial groups. Sure, WotC tries to retcon it from an in-born racial trait to a cultural one, but it still preys on the concepts of racial essentialism, whether biological or cultural, and fuck that noise.

“Usually, true elves were a naturally slender and athletic race. Elves had a similar range of complexions to humans, with wood elves typically coppery or pale skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentation.”

“[Elves] live in places of ethereal beauty, in the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires [...] Elves love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world.” -Player’s Handbook, p. 21

Moving on from the drow, official lore gives the impression of elves as a whole as graceful, thin, and more ‘white.’ The quote above from the Forgotten Realms wiki (which is often used for lore reference) asserts that “wild” elves have “darker pigmentation”--a frankly horrifying example of the same problem with the drow characterization equating savagery, or lack of civilization, with dark skin colors. It’s... bad. It looks bad and it is bad.

Furthermore, the ‘good’ elves (and this itself has to be interrogated) are “naturally slender and athletic,” and constantly being characterized as beautiful. We’re equating elves with thinness and apparent youthfulness--you’ll never hear about the beauty of gnomes, for example, who are just as long-lived but who continue to age at a human-ish rate (making them extremely old-looking by the end of their lifespan). Looking young, thin, and athletic combined with the goodness, grace, and artistic nature of elves creates 1) a very human-esque image of beauty that elves almost surely shouldn’t possess, and 2) a serious problem of describing most elves as “good and beautiful” and drow as “evil”.

“Although they can be haughty, elves are generally gracious even to those who fall short of their high expectations—which is most non-elves.”

“Most of the gods accepted Corellon’s mutability and passionate behavior, but these traits infuriated Gruumsh, the greatest of the orc gods.” -Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, p. 35

The PHB has a subsection on elven attitudes toward other races, specifically dwarves, halflings, and humans. This subsection is comprised of backhanded compliments: dwarves are stupid and clumsy but brave and good craftworkers, humans go much too fast but they’re good at accomplishing stuff, etc. In MToF, we see the “elven perspective” that if elves are reincarnated souls of their ancestor elves, then half-elves are a reincarnated but weak elf, a human soul in an elf-ish body, or a “true elf” trapped in a half-body until freed by death, all basically bummers. And don’t get me started on orcs, where their god was the cause of the bloodshed that created the first elves.

In the official lore, elves look down on everyone, all the time, for just about any reason. And those reasons almost always fall into (you guessed it!) racial stereotyping!!

There’s no discernible reason for elves to be as “haughty” as they are. Apparently they’re just so perfect that it’s impossible to live up to their expectations. I guess.

And that’s not even getting into the concept of eternally punishing all elves for apparently disagreeing with Corellon, all of one (1) single time. It’s... horrific. Reading up on the reincarnation cycle has only convinced me that it’s designed as a unique torture where elves have to spend their childhood totally aware of how they betrayed their primary deity in a past life, then when they “sleep” or trance out they also relive those memories, and then forget them just in time to die and be forced to spend up to millennia pondering how Corellon is upset with them. And that’s the elves who get reincarnated! The drow live shorter lives, and will never reach the apparent paradise of Arvandor. They just go to some other afterlife plane, presumably the one reigned over by an evil spider goddess.

Like. That’s so awful and grimdark, and steps all over the “elves are descended from the fey” thing, but more than that?

It’s horribly unimaginative. It’s just so boring in comparison to all the potential an elf society contains. (not to mention it’s wayyyy too focused on the cosmic side of things rather than a societal view.)

Reimagining Elves

yeah, so, given that we’re scrapping... pretty much all the elf lore.... I’d be remiss in not providing some cooler, more inventive options. As always, you can always choose to craft your own, but here are some ideas to get the gears turning.

Racial interactions: Elves live in close communities composed of one’s extended family, and place a lot of emphasis on family ties and the political relationships between elf families. These family communities tend toward conservatism, with the elders of the family deciding things like marriages, suitable careers, etc.

Marrying outside the complicated political machinations of elven culture is verboten, so having half-elf children is especially off-limits. Or leave that whole hangup in the lorebooks entirely! Maybe having loads of half-elf children, especially by multiple humans, is super popular because then you can get your political influence into many different places! Who knows!

But also, any culture that doesn’t lean into this community structure is seen as totally incomprehensible and not worth bothering with. Too many failed marriages with orcs who don’t understand things like “individual property rights”.

Aesthetics: Elves tend to do artsy stuff, but their definition of “art” is... unusual, for most other races. They carve large boulders in the woods and just... leave them there for travelers to find, or manipulate the growth of vines to take shapes like one of an elf drawing a bow, or weave a glimmering silver net of fine thread and hang it from the trees like a dew-speckled spiderweb. They’re reclusive, living in artists enclaves.

They might dress in loud colors, play screamo music because it’s “expressive”, and paint their faces with blocky shapes because it’s “an avant-garde reflection of the soul.” Go wild.

Elves can be chubby, elves can be fat, elves can be buff, elves can be light and dark-skinned, elves can glow in the dark, elves can be disabled, elves can be chronically ill (actually, imagine elves with disabilities or illness creating the most pretentious medical aids or training like. a direwolf as a service animal. cause they’re that extra.), elves can be tall or short or whatever. just make sure they have pointy ears (unless...)

Subrace differences, gender: different elf communities have very different views on gender; none of which are “there are two immutable genders/sexes.” for instance, high elves might have a rigid 2-gender system, but it mostly relies on sets of stereotypes and social roles that adolescent elves have to choose as they mature, and then they’re ‘locked in’ for the rest of their life, and they’re seriously looked down on for violating those rules one gender is not valued over another, but they’re rigid systems.

wood elves may have a ‘what’s a gender’ approach instead, but then any elf who comes up with a gender identity for themself is suspected of wanting to be like those snobbish high elves or something.

The drow are inclined to have lots of genders, but there’s a clear hierarchy that places “femininity” (by an elf definition) above other gender presentations in emulation of their goddess, Lolth.

Subrace differences, food: Elves divide themselves by how they cultivate their food. Wood elves cultivate “wild” foods by feeding meat and dairy-producing animals and taking care of naturally occurring plants, and harvesting from the technically-untamed world when they need supplies.

High Elves have gardens and livestock pens, which are typically exquisitely maintained, but they don’t eat meat; all animals are strictly for dairy and textiles.

Drow have a collectivist system of crop production, which involves sustainable growing practices on the lands they own aboveground and harvesting at night. They keep animals to eat weeds, bees to pollinate and for honey, and spiders that catch pest insects that would damage the crops.

Religion/Ancestry: some elves believe their elf gods shaped them from the fey, some believe they were descended from the fey and the gods adopted them, and others insist that evolution is fake and the gods created them from whole cloth and the fey thing is just a coincidence.

Weapons: Elves train with weapons because it is: an artform (weapon dancing), a skill competition, an environmental necessity (either for hunting or for battle), or what have you.

The drow, as a whole: you get to choose one. Either the drow are evil, or the drow are dark-skinned, or neither of those are true (on like, a subrace level. individual drow can be whatever). Anyway. If the drow aren’t evil (the better option anyway), they weren’t exiled to the Underdark. Obviously. but a significant portion of the elven population is descended from winter eladrin/the Unseelie Court, and as a result they are allergic to sunlight to varying degrees, so they’ve made a home underground. They worship the spider goddess because she taught them to weave clothing from the web of giant spiders that live in the Underdark. Let Lolth be the goddess of practical craftwork, rather than art for art’s sake, a goddess of knowledge and advancement instead of murder and savagery.

Obviously you can use any and all of these in your own campaign. If you don’t use them, have fun making up your own lore that is clearly superior to existing WotC elf lore!

#dnd #pathfinder #dungeons and dragons #critical role #taz #elves

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fascinatedhelix · 5 years

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A shitload of Deltarune headcanons below the cut:

Hometown

Kris

Has selective mutism, but can really talk if you get them going.

Is skilled in many musical pursuits, including singing, but doesn’t like having to face the audience in order to perform, so they prefer the piano.

Might have something along the lines of bipolar disorder, but where that starts and the frequent possessions by foreign entities ends is a mystery. Adverse reactions to medicine prevent them from going the medical route of treatment.

Obtained the birdcage from the attic where either the previous homeowner or Toriel left it after having a pet bird.

Was adopted as a baby.

Highschool age but probably not a Senior or Freshman.

More of a battle strategist and puzzle solver than a leader, but still a valued member of the team regardless.

Susie

Has been an outcast from a young age.

Wore that funny ponytail from the concept art as a kid, as well as a bow. Probably dressed much more feminine back then.

Probably either poor or subject to subpar parenting, either neglect or hovering. Maybe something like Lancer’s situation where her family isn’t at rock bottom, but they don’t care enough to provide for her as much as they can.

Has some degree of pica, but has a stomach strong enough to not die from it.

Doesn’t like quiet people because one of her neglectful parents is like that.

Would probably eat cigarettes instead of smoke them.

If she had been introduced to Kris while they were pranking someone, they might have sparked a friendship as the school troublemakers.

The Town

Monster religion isn’t Christianity. There’s no cross, and there’s a pointed emphasis on worshipping an Angel as opposed to the son of God, so Jesus either isn’t in their mythos at all or is not considered as important a figure. One part of their religion is the reduced or nonexistent consumption of alcohol.

There was no full-scale war between humans and monsters, but there was enough conflict to designate territories where one is the vast majority over the other. Gerson’s writings may have been based on the tensions of this time period.

The school used to be a religious boarding school but was secularized sometime before the events of the game.

The general public isn’t 100% sure what is up with Kris. Though they’re a bit of a local celebrity, nobody’s really sure why Kris acts the way they do. Media doesn’t depict humans as being so taciturn or erratic, so they honestly don’t know what to make of them.

Darkworld

Darkeners

In nature, darkeners are not monsters, but rather another classification of magical being that is a little more physical in makeup. If a monster dies, they turn into dust, but if a darkener dies, they might leave a shriveled corpse or a pile of sludge.

Darkeners tend to be changeable based on the amount of light in the environment; too much light makes them antsy and irritable, while little to no light makes them relaxed and confident. Light and dark levels affect their power, so of course, it’d affect their moods too.

The Board used to be its own sovereign nation, but it was either conquered by the Card Kingdom or merged by way of royal marriage.

Darkeners can reduce themselves into cards or toys if too badly damaged, or to play dead if threatened.

Lancer

Middle school age. Probably knows where babies come from but he isn’t at the point where he finds it anything but gross (prepubescent).

More educated than he looks, but not in anything especially important, just stuff that looks good on a king.

Will eventually grow to be as big as his father, but he probably won’t develop his temperament.

He inherits his goofy personality from his mom, even though she died/disappeared when he was very little.

He’s got some dog-like traits, but not nearly as much as the dog monsters from Snowdin. It’s a contributor to his hole-digging habit.

He’ll probably have some initial trouble speaking when he grows his big boy teeth (fangs like his dad’s).

His goofy demeanor will cool down when he gets older so he might come to resemble Asgore in terms of personality when he gets to that point, though perhaps less oblivious to others.

The Kings

The King of Spades’ given name is Pike. He doesn’t like it because it sounds dog-like and makes him sound simple-minded, so it's using is only reserved for those extremely close to him (that is, his wife, at least before she left the picture, and maybe the other kings).

The other kings are either Spades’ cousins, his brothers, or members of three other royal houses. Either way, the lot of them have known each other for a very long time.

Clover is the Princess/Jack of Clubs, though she isn’t in the habit of acting like it, hence why she’s still running free despite being in competition for the throne, technically. Too busy arguing with herself.

The kings all had different reactions when the princess and later prince were born. Clubs was experiencing a lot of emotions when Clover was born, with pride and protectiveness lording over all the others. Diamonds thought the kids were cute as babies but he didn’t want them to puke on him so he kept his distance. Hearts loved the babies to the point he acted kind of like a second mom.

The King of Diamonds is a rather apathetic guy who just wants to do his job and get paid at the end of the day. He, like the Rudinns, has something of a weird dragon-like instinct to hoard shiny stuff, so he likes to have his things bejeweled to hell and back.

The King of Hearts is a lot like the Hathys in that he’s kind of a lovebug. He’s a sappy guy who probably reads romance novels, good and bad, out the wazoo and is probably the biggest consumer of romcoms this side of the Darkworld. Finds the art of courtship to be the purest of art forms, even though he’s single.

The King of Clubs has as many personalities as he has heads, and they all have their own names, but the consensuses he comes to are usually really sound and thought through, so he makes for an effective though slow king. He was perhaps the closest to Spades out of the lot of them, being black suits and all, but ultimately this helped none during Spades’ takeover. He’s kind of like a weird lion hydra.

The King of Spades was, at one point, a rather quiet guy himself. He preferred to work in the shadows and keep to himself, and to his credit, this worked well for him, though he tended to feel forgotten and useless at times. The Knight came after him because he was a relatively insecure soul and more prone to holding grudges, which gave the Knight something to latch onto and blow out of proportion.

Rouxls Kaard

He’s made of silly putty. Though most headcanons of him make it so he melts when stressed, I think he only gets all liquidy when he’s relaxed. He probably sleeps in a bathtub.

He consciously has to keep up that eloquent facade, because he thought it was cool at one point, but he’s done it so much it’s become a force of habit and now he can’t not do it.

I like to imagine he’s bisexual, though he’s probably too preoccupied with trying to keep himself alive than pursuing love. If he did return anyone’s affections, he’d probably be very hush-hush about it at first because of his concerns with Spades.

He probably has slurped worms from a soup bowl like he was slurping up ramen before.

He literally can’t stop smiling. Has anyone else seriously not noticed how his smile never wanes when he gets mad or scared? It actually gets wider, you can only see how he feels through his eyes and tone. Not sure if this is how his face is structured or what.

I like the idea of him having some degree of reality-warping powers as the rules card, but that’d require his opponent to be playing his game. So, the only instance in which he could do that is if someone accepted a proper challenge from him. Puzzles are not his forte at all, and it’s implied he’s incompetent at battle too, so what is his game, then?

#deltarune #headcanons #dr kris #dr susie #dr lancer #the spades king #the king of spades #rouxls kaard

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oghoneytryst · 5 years

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I got Aphrodite in many greek gods/goddess quizzes, so i was just wondering... which one direction member do you think is which god/goddess? Including Zayn. 🙂

this is such a precious ask. I don’t know too much about greek gods and goddesses so I had to do a lot some research to answer this question as accurately as possible from my eyes. this might be totally wrong, but here’s what I think…

ONE DIRECTION AS GREEK GODS/GODDESSES

Louis as Dionysus, god of wine, winemaking, grape cultivation, fertility, ritual madness, theatre, and religious ecstasy. Earlier images of Dionysus represent him as a mature, bearded male, but can also be a beardless, androgynous youth.

I think he can go either way. Louis is the oldest of 1d, so he can be seen (especially nowadays) as the most mature by default. However, he does have a lot of youthful qualities, childlike even. Around 2010-2012, he could usually be seen as the most energetic and the one who acted more childish in a funny way. As for the androgynous part, though he’s not the most feminine of 1d, I do think that he’s very capable of it, probably in his private moments that we don’t see.

Dionysus was also represented as a god of chaos and the protector of misfits. To me, this screams Louis Tomlinson. He’s very chaotic, but in a good way. He’s the party animal out of all of them, flashes his rebellious™ middle finger every chance he gets, and he’s said it himself: he’s not very good at biting his tongue.

lets just ignore zayn’s tweet thanks

I also wanted to add the good ol’ that’s your fookin job, u fookin losah. but there are no gifs that I could find :/ but yes, you’ve seen him with the paparazzi. he hates them, and he’ll never miss an opportunity to tell them to fuck off or mess with them a bit.

Dionysus is also the god of theatre. Louis did theatre in school. here’s him portraying Danny from Grease.

Niall as Apollo, the god of music, poetry art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light, and knowledge (this is the general idea, different websites say it differently). Apollo can be represented as beardless, athletic, and youthful. While Niall nowadays is sporting a manly scruff, we all know the Niall we all fell in love with.

FURTHERMORE, that blonde hair??? Tell me it’s not as bright as the sun. I dare u. He may not be the youngest member of 1d, but he was sometimes portrayed as such. I recall an ot5 interview where they were asked to sort themselves as the Spice Girls. Guess who was baby spice??? (Liam knows)

In general, Niall’s personality just radiates big sun energy. I know LT is mostly considered the sun (tiny son) but sorry bby, make way for Niall. He’s always been super infectious with his laughter, and let’s not forget oh no Niall!

As far as knowledge and healing goes, I think Flicker really gave us a HUGE glimpse into Niall James Horan. That album and song in general is just the definition of sadness, written by someone who’s clearly been through so much heartache but now knows the ups and downs of life and love. I think it also gave him and others the opportunity to heal by admitting and accepting this heartache.

Finally, music. we don’t have to doubt Niall’s talent. While the other members of 1d have expanded their musical abilities, Niall was usually known as the guitar player of 1d and did so on tour. Apollo, on the other hand, had his lyre become a known attribute for him. Stringed-instrument buddies? Signs point to yes.

Harry as Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. Aphrodite can be represented as beautiful, so much that the gods believed that her beauty was the cause of a war sparked of the gods – because of their rivalry against each other for her. (this is not just me being headass for harry, I’m sorry he’s so fuckin beautiful, I don’t make the rules)

wow it was really hard trying to pick just one picture

Aphrodite created wars, on her own and because of the gods fighting over her beauty. Though we know Harry would never do this, he is also extremely loved by a variety of different people. An example I have is when #1000DaysWithout1D and #1000DaysofSoloHarry were trending on the same day. Both sides were trying to prove their love and support, but it caused a bit of a strife without Harry even directly causing it. There are other examples, but despite this, H still spreads constant love and kindness.

Aphrodite is also depicted as naked or semi-nude. Let me reintroduce u to this 16-year-old boy:

and here, while we’re at it, here’s grown up harry being the same exact mf that gets naked all the time AND his stage presence is just so sexual y’all, Aphrodite would be proud.

I know I’m making harry’s too long but I just wanted to point out that some of Aphrodite’s symbols are a Dove, Rose, and Sparrow. I connected the Dove with him being an Aquarius, an air sign. And well, his bird tattoos are swallows but they often get confused with Sparrows. u already know about the rose tattoo AND the rose ring.

Liam as Zeus, god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice. Not gonna lie, Liam was a hard one, and Zeus is a big role to give him. But let’s break it down: Zeus is seen as a strong, very imposing figure with a regal body and curly hair. ok but remember his 2011 hair? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Zeus is also seen as the “Father” of all gods. We all know Liam’s a father, but this also makes me think of daddy directioner / Payne before daddy was forever tainted by our dirty ass minds from the early 1d days. Liam was always known for that, as he was the one to keep the boys settled down.

he tucked them all into bed.

on top of this, Zeus was described as a god who brought peace in a place of violence. Having the role of daddy direction, Liam can’t forget all of his children. Not only does Liam has multiple playlists with songs from ALL of the other 1d boys, but he’s really the only one to still include Zayn and talk about him from a place of I-still-really-love-you-and-i-always-will. He’s also the one still feeding us with 1d content tbh.

Zayn as Athena, goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts. Athena appears to be tall, slim, bluish-green eyes, and golden hair or black hair. You’re all aware of Zayn’s jet black hair, but who can forget the times he dyes it blond?

Let’s just get war out of the way. The only way I can really explain this is march 25, 2015 and any event with Zayn and 1D leading up to it. Zayn leaving the band causes disputes about whether people want him back or not, whether people are angry or understanding because of his mental health. Either way, he tends to speak out about 1d in a negative manner sometimes, which obviously doesn’t sit right with a lot of people. and he’s a goddamn liar if he’s saying him and harry never talked.

he’s also just a straight up savage either way we love us some z.

Athena is also the goddess of arts and crafts. Zayn is known to be very creative and artistic. He drew the stickers that came with the yearbook edition of Up All Night. During 1DDay, he had a whole segment of him just being an adorable lil bitch and spray painting the walls, and in this is us, he talked about how he literally bought his own house so that he could paint the walls. And then there’s the time he drew Alan Carr in a few minutes or so. needless to say, his tattoos aren’t his only association with art.

Athena was also associated with the Snake but lets not

#if only I could put this much effort into my school projects #but this was fun #correct me if I'm wrong about any of these or if u have any further input #ask #answered #one direction #louis tomlinson #niall horan #harry styles #liam payne #Zayn malik #1d #greek mythology #one direction au

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upontheshelfreviews · 5 years

Text

If there’s a reason why we’re able to recall the story of Snow White from memory, and why said princess is usually depicted with short hair, a cute bow and surrounded by woodland fauna, look no further than Disney. Their take on the Grimms’ fairy tale is the prime example of pop cultural osmosis. Even if you’ve never watched Disney’s Snow White, it’s easy to recognize when a piece of work is borrowing from it or spoofing it. And I can definitely see why – not only is it going eighty-plus years strong, but its influence on nearly every Disney feature to come after it is a profound one.

The real story of Disney’s Snow White begins in the early 1910’s when a young Walt Disney saw a silent film version of the Grimms’ fairytale starring Marguerite Clark. The movie stuck with him well into adulthood. One night, well after he had established himself as an animation giant the world over, Walt gathered his entire staff of animators and storymen and re-enacted the tale for them in a mesmerizing one-man show. They were enraptured, but what he told them next struck them dumb – they were going to take what he performed and turn it into a full-length film.

In Tony Goldmark’s epic(ally hilarious) retrospective of Epcot, he performs a quick sketch he summed up as “Walt Disney’s entire career in 55 seconds” where Walt presents his career-defining ideas to a myopic businessman capable of only saying “You fool, that’ll never work!”. Considering how animation is everywhere today, it’s easy to forget that an animated film was once seen as an impossible dream. The press hawked Snow White as “Disney’s Folly”, and Hollywood speculated that it would bankrupt the Mouse House. It very nearly did. Miraculously, a private showing of the half-finished feature to a banking firm impressed the investors enough to ensure its completion.

Snow White is touted as the very first animated movie – admittedly something of a lie on Disney’s behalf. Europe and Russia were experimenting with feature-length animation decades before Walt gave it a try. But consider this: most animated films predating Snow White’s conception are either sadly lost to us or barely count as such by just crossing the hour mark. With all the hard work poured into it showing in every scene, with each moment displaying a new breakthrough in the medium, Snow White might as well be the first completely animated movie after all. Hell, it’s the very first movie in the entire history of cinema that was created using STORYBOARDS. A tool used by virtually every single movie put out today. If that’s not groundbreaking enough, I don’t know what is.

But is Snow White really…but why does it…can it…

“You know what? No. I’m not doing this teasing question thing before the review starts proper. OF COURSE Snow White is a masterpiece. OF COURSE most of it holds up. Let’s skip the middleman so I can explain why.”

After the opening credits we get the first of what will be many Disney leather bound books opening themselves to invite us into the world of the story. We’re informed that once upon a time there was a particularly Wicked Queen (nicknamed Grimhilde in promo features and the comics) who had a serious narcissistic personality disorder. Every day she consults her Magic Mirror™ to see who’s the fairest one of all and takes pride in being repeatedly told she holds said title. In the meantime she bullies her younger, prettier stepdaughter, the princess Snow White, and gives her the standard Cinderella treatment in the hopes that endless drudgery will wipe out the competition.

One fateful morning, however, the Mirror informs the Queen that she’s been bumped down to runner-up. She susses out that it’s Snow White who’s taken her place after the Mirror describes the newcomer as having “lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony, [and] skin white as snow”, but maybe the Queen is projecting here due to her extreme jealousy. Going by those three traits the Mirror could be describing almost anyone on the planet.

Care to narrow it down a bit, buddy?

Now if you consider yourself a feminist or at the very least have progressive views regarding women, I know what you’re thinking – just another example of the patriarchy pitting shallow female stereotypes against each other, right? Well in a manner of speaking, yes. There’s plenty of evidence that the Brothers Grimm held some odious misogynistic beliefs that stemmed from a bad combination of the era they lived in, outdated religious teachings, and their own experiences with the opposite sex. It shows in their second fairy tale revisions – the heroines are naïve bimbos in need of a man’s rescue, and the villains are evil stepmothers and witches who happen to be hideous 99% of the time – and those views have been reinforced in our society thanks to those particular iterations being passed down to today.

Here’s my way of viewing the central conflict: The Mirror’s news is a wake-up call that Snow White is coming into her own as a woman and princess. That means marriage to a prince and the end of the Wicked Queen’s rule. Snow White will have all the power and adulation while the Queen is forced to step down and become another footnote in ancient royal history. Up until now the Queen has gone out of her way put down her pretty young opponent with petty cruelty because there’s nothing stopping her; but when faced with the inevitable, she unflinchingly opts to take more drastic measures so she can keep the throne.

If it weren’t for the fact the Queen’s unofficial moniker is Grimhilde and her transformation scene reveals a head of black hair, I’d suspect her real name was Cersei Lannister.

You also have to remember that the Queen takes the term “fairest” at face value. The Queen is beautiful, sure, but it’s a glacial beauty – cold, unfeeling, and nothing beneath the surface. All she cares about is looks and power. You’d have to be a pure loving soul or Woody Allen find something worthwhile in her. Snow White is beautiful too, though it’s her kindness and fair treatment of everyone that garners her the title of “fairest one of all”, not her appearance.

Speaking of, we follow that scene with Snow White (Adriana Casselotti) dressed in rags cleaning the castle courtyard. She shows her bird friends her wishing well and sings “I’m Wishing”, where she reveals her wish for her one true love to show up.

Confession time: In childhood the title of my favorite Disney princess was neck and neck between Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Snow White. I’ve already discussed at length why I adore Belle, so I suppose I should do the same for Snow.

…turns out it’s more difficult than I thought.

For as long as I could remember, I was surrounded by Snow White paraphernalia – tapes, toys, dolls, music, games, artwork, bed sheets, I can even recall the ice show. Snow White is ingrained into my early years. It more than likely has to do with the timing of its brief return to theaters and first VHS release between 1993 and 1994, right at the peak of the Disney Renaissance, so I experienced Snow White-mania right alongside Lion King-mania, Beauty and the Beast-mania and various other Disneymanias that were rampant at that time.

Even this one, embarrassingly.

As a result, I idolized Snow White as much the other princesses of the time, right down to making her the character I dressed up as the most for Halloween. I suppose what drew me to her was inherent kindness, ability to make friends with everyone, and her voice. Yes, I admit it. I don’t find Snow White’s warbling to be as irritating as everyone says it is. Maybe I’ve listened to it so much that I’ve grown immune. Then again I am that one Disney fan who doesn’t loathe It’s A Small World with every fiber of their being so maybe I should question my own tastes more.

Now as an adult with a critical eye who can put nostalgia behind me when necessary, is there something more to the character of Snow White that’s worth appreciating as much as the more-fleshed out princesses of the Renaissance and current Revival period?

I accept that I’m in the minority on this one, but I firmly say yes.

I know what you’re thinking – all Snow White does is smile and sing while she slaves under the Queen and the dwarfs and dreams of a handsome man to come carry her away, so I should turn in my feminist card for daring to suggest she’s a good character and role model for girls, right? Consider this: like Cinderella after her, Snow White’s happy nature and songs are her ways of coping with her unpleasant situation. It keeps her spirits up and in turn she tries to spread that positivity to others who need it as well. She refuses to let the Queen’s negativity turn her as sour as she is. All the little things Snow White reveals in what she does – her patience, pride in her work, healthy emotional balance, drive to help others, and warmth towards those smaller than her (in both a figurative and literal sense) – are all signs that she is capable of being a far better and beloved ruler and all around person than the Queen is. Plus, her reason for wanting to find love is two-fold: not only is she looking for someone with whom she can share a unique emotional understanding bond – which is something most every human craves – but it’s the also best possible means for her to escape from her stepmother’s abuse. Like I said earlier, once Snow White gets the ring, she gets to rule.

And what’s wrong with having a princess who can run a practical household? One could argue that it’s an example of traditional female roles desired by an oppressive patriarchal society on full display, but you want to know why millennials are called out for being lazy? Because baby boomers have cut out classes that teach things young adults actually need outside of school like how to properly cook and do laundry and pay your taxes since those weren’t seen as “essential enough to education”. So I have to admire a princess who, while not the most “progressive” of the bunch by today’s standards, is willing and able take care of herself and others when it comes to basic everyday needs. I think TheBrutallyHonestMom summed it up best in her post defending Snow White:

When we denigrate what Snow White accomplishes at the dwarfs’ cottage, when we rename her accomplishments to make them sound more impressive, more official, more valuable—management, administration, domestic CEO, sous chef, hospitality specialist—what we are really doing is saying that we don’t value the truly valuable work that she and so many other stay-at-home individuals do. Those words are a microaggression against what have traditionally been feminine roles, an attempt to align them with a patriarchal worldview where only those with the biggest titles and fattest paychecks matter. Snow White is domestic. She is a maid. She is a mother figure. She does take on the womanliest of the womanly roles. To claim that adopting these roles (and being good at them) somehow makes her a poor role model for my daughters is not a failure of Snow White’s imagination. It is a failure of ours.

Then there’s the matter of her actress too, which I can’t stay silent about. A few years ago it was revealed that in order to preserve the illusion of Snow White as a real character (a good many years before the company applied that same logic to their character performers at the theme parks I might add), Disney forced Adriana Casselotti to forego her screen credit and never take on another acting role again, essentially robbing her of a career. She only managed to appear in It’s A Wonderful Life and The Wizard of Oz because hers were uncredited minute parts. Casselotti had no regrets about choosing Snow White over a promising show business vocation, but I still call bull on the matter. If this kind of thing happened today, people would not stand for it, character illusions or not. There’s also crazy double standards since all the actors who played the dwarfs got to keep on acting; Sneezy’s voice actor was in Fun and Fancy Free for crying out loud! I love ya Walt, but that is one dick move. So if you’re a detractor cheering that you never have to hear Casselotti’s voice beyond this movie, keep in mind that’s all because of one man silencing her for the sake of his business.

So, Snow White. She cooks, cleans, delegates, teaches, loves, domestically kicks ass, and her behind the scenes story makes a strong case for the Time’s Up movement. Any questions?

“Yes. You’re over 2000 words in and we haven’t even gotten to the dwarfs yet. Plan on getting off that soapbox sometime this decade?”

Snow’s singing attracts the attention of a handsome Prince (Harry Stockwell) passing by on his horse. But his forwardness startles the shy girl and sends her sprinting up to her room. He charms her out to her balcony by singing his one song in the feature…”One Song”. You gotta love it when the title matches the tune perfectly.

“Wherefore art thou Prince? Deny thy father and refuse thy name!”

“Sure I’ll gladly refuse my name – if I had one, that is.”

All joking aside, I have a soft spot for this scene. Stockwell’s voice has this old-time Broadway/operetta quality I’ve always liked, the lyrics are unironic purple prose that still feel genuine, Snow’s little excited gestures are adorable, and it’s framed beautifully. This is what got it into my heard early on that the most romantic gesture anyone can make is serenading someone from beneath their balcony.

“Too bad you’re technically in a long distance relationship.”

“I know. Propping up a phone beneath your window just doesn’t have the same effect.”

Snow returns his affections with a kiss delivered via a dove and departs the scene with one hell of a pair of bedroom eyes, especially for a Disney character.

Daaaaaamn, girl! You already got him hooked, no need to gild the lily!

Unbeknownst to either of them, the Queen is watching overhead; Snow catching the eye of Prince Charming is what finally pushes her to take further action. She summons her Huntsman –

– to bring Snow White out into the forest and do away with her. Brief as this scene may be, there are two things I really like about it. First, the gravity. The Huntsman reacts with horror on being told what he must do, foreshadowing his eventual turnaround, yet with an icy hiss of “Silence!” and a short reminder of the price of failure, the Queen goads him back into line. We don’t know what the penalty for insubordination is, but it’s implied to be pretty nasty if she’s able to convince him otherwise with just a few words. Second, the Queen’s other demand. In the original fairytale, the Queen requested Snow White’s liver, lungs and heart so she could eat them and inherit her stepdaughter’s comely attributes.

youtube

But here in the film, she only wants the heart, and not for lunch. The Queen wants to keep it as a trophy. She even has a disturbingly appropriate box for it at the ready.

Proof that she really puts the ‘grim’ in ‘Grimhilde’.

Snow White, now dressed in her iconic yellow and blue dress, goes out flower picking with the Huntsman waiting not far behind. She spies a lost baby bird, and the moment she turns her back to help it, the Huntsman moves in for the kill. It’s framed like the murderer creeping up to their next victim in a scary movie, slowly building up to the moment he confronts her, with tension you could cut with a – well, you know.

Ultimately the Huntsman is moved by the princess’ humanity and can’t go through with the deed. Instead he reveals the Queen’s plot and pleads her to run, run away, Snow, and never return. Terrified, Snow White flees into the forest where her fears magnify her surroundings. Brambles become gnarled outstretched hands, logs are hungry snapping crocodiles, and there are eyes everywhere, always watching, boring into her every place she turns.

I should note that while developing Snow White, the Disney studio became something of an art college with fine arts and film study classes offered to the staff in order to hone their craft. Some of the movies they studied were horror flicks from the pre-Hays Code era, classics directed by the likes of James Whale and F.W. Murnau. The results speak for themselves. Scenes like this and the Queen’s transformation are why I consider Snow White my very first horror movie. The frightening imagery and darker themes all hide beneath a veneer of Disney childhood innocence. Like a proto-Pan’s Labyrinth, the terror as much psychological as it is fantastical.

A young Sam Raimi watched this and vowed one day he’d make those trees even more terrifying and bad-touchy.

This scene is also the source of one of the most famous stories to come out of the film’s creation. During the planning of the part where Snow falls backwards through an open-mouthed cavern into a lake, one of the animators cried out in terror “Won’t that kill her??” And the whole room fell silent. They reached the point where they no longer thought of Snow White as a cartoon but as an actual person, something that had never happened before. That was the moment where they were officially, as Ben Vereen once put it, on the right track.

Overwhelmed, Snow White collapses in tears. She’s brought back to her senses by the usual cuddly forest inhabitants inexplicably drawn to female royalty in need of assistance. Of course, being the ever-thoughtful soul that she is, Snow apologizes for startling them and making a fuss over how afraid she was, once more putting others before herself. She bonds with the animals through the uplifting “With a Smile and a Song”. Then she spends several minutes talking to them and making plans for the future all in rhyme. I confess it’s one of the weaker moments of the movie, showing that the studio’s transition from the Silly Symphonies to full-fledged filmmaking hasn’t completely been made yet.

The critters lead Snow to a quaint cottage in need of a good cleaning service. Assuming the miniature-sized furniture means the inhabitants are orphaned children, she decides to surprise them by sprucing up the joint, hoping her act of kindness will make them forget her breaking and entering and they’ll let her stay. Said cleanup time is underscored by one of the more upbeat tunes in Disney’s songbook, “Whistle While You Work”. Like Mary Poppin’s “A Spoonful of Sugar” it’s all about finding joy in the little things that make the work go by quicker.

“Here’s the last of the underwear, Bambi. And try not leave any ticks in the laundry this time!”

But as we all know, the cottage belongs not to seven children, but seven little people who work as jewel miners, all the while singing that famous mining song –

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“No, the one sung by dwarves.”

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“Seriously?!”

All joking aside, Heigh-Ho is the best song in the movie, no contest. Easily the catchiest tune here if not the entire Disney canon. If it can keep a theater full of gremlins occupied, it’s doing something right.

Sure, they whistle while they work for now. But once they find the Arkenstone it’s all downhill from here.

And let’s not kid ourselves, the dwarfs are the real reason why we keep returning to Snow White. Their quirk-matching names and designs make each one memorable, they’re endlessly entertaining, and they’re the characters that come the closest to having some form of arc. The group is a prime example of the illusion of life that is animation, exaggerated to a degree that they’re still believable in their movements and mannerisms. Dopey especially works well in this regard, a wonder considering much of his character was developed by happy accident. When an actor suitable enough couldn’t be found, they made the decision to simply mute him. Like much of Disney’s favorite animal sidekicks, they based his personality around that of a lovable dog, though I’d be lying if I didn’t see some Harpo Marx in there as well. As a result, his childlike playfulness and comic timing is up there with Chaplin’s Little Tramp. His hitch step was also an unexpected boon; after animator Frank Thomas put it in one of his scenes, Walt liked it so much that he insisted all previously animated footage of Dopey be redone to include that step. Incidentally, Frank’s popularity among the animation staff reached all-time lows after that announcement.

Snow White flops down for a quick nap on the beds upstairs just as the dwarfs return home. What follows is them sneaking about their now suspiciously squeaky-clean cottage and further establishing their personas through a series of finely-tuned gags (Walt paid five dollars for every good joke his guys could come up with, and this was when five dollars could take you out to dinner and a show). Dopey is elected to check the bedroom and he comes to the conclusion that Snow’s sleeping form is a monster. The dwarfs work up their courage to go kill the beast themselves only to realize in the nick of time that it’s just a harmless girl. But Grumpy, the clear-cut misogynist in the group, isn’t keen on having a “wicked-wiled” female refugee in their abode and shamelessly yells “Let ‘er wake up, she don’t belong here no-how!”

Snow wakes up and instantly charms over everyone except Grumpy as they introduce each other. The dwarfs are shocked and terrified to learn the Queen has put a hit out on her. Grumpy in particular declares the Queen is a powerful witch skilled in the black arts, which is true, and it raises a potent question. Is her magic common knowledge throughout the kingdom, or is it mere speculation? If it’s the former, how did that come to be? What happened to Snow White’s father the king anyhow? All this could make for a very interesting –

“You know what, never mind, forget I said it -“

“Too late! Jenkins, write that down! Bob’s gonna love it!”

“Very good, sir. Shall I pre-heat your crack pipe in preparation for the first draft writing session?”

“Does the Academy loathe streaming services? Hop to it, my man!”

“Hey, I thought you left that jerk to go work for Don Bluth.”

“Shh! I jumped ship after A Troll in Central Park and came back under a new identity. I couldn’t pass up the bankroll Disney’s been on since 2009.”

“Mum’s the word.”

Grumpy’s certain that they’ll be in the Queen’s crosshairs once she learns they’ve been harboring Snow White and demands they kick her out at once. But Snow White stands up for herself and says she can take care of the house for them if they let her stay. Just like Belle offering herself in her father’s place, no one corners Snow into the position of housekeeper. She’s the one who puts herself out there, listing all her best qualities like she’s on an interview. It’s only when she does so (and also mentions she can bake a mean gooseberry pie) that the dwarfs overrule Grumpy and declare she’s welcome in their home.

Yet even when all is said and done, Snow makes it clear that if she’s the one doing the work, then the dwarfs must play by her rules. Immediately following their acceptance, she goes into full Team Mom mode, insisting they improve their manners and wash themselves before dinner’s ready. Doc attempts to get around it by saying they cleaned up “recently”, but despite her sweet nature, Snow won’t let them walk all over her. She does a cleanliness inspection that makes the dwarfs almost as bashful as Bashful himself, and even gets a good bit of sarcasm in (“Why Doc, I’m surprised.”) The dwarfs washing themselves is another one of those Silly Symphony-esque filler scenes, but at least it gives us more time for their fun shenanigans; though I have to wonder if dog piling Grumpy and half-drowning him takes it too far.

“Where’s the money, Legrumpski? Where’s the fucking money??” “It’s down there somewhere, lemme take another look.”

Back at the castle, the Queen is showing off her newly acquired bodily organ to the Magic Mirror while demanding he validate her preconceptions of who’s fair and who’s not. Alas, the Mirror tattles on Snow White’s location and reveals that heart belonged to a pig, which I’ve got to say I’m glad they didn’t show how the Huntsman got ahold of.

Infuriated, the Queen storms down to her secret lab (and no, there’s no wrong lever scene. I’m disappointed too). She brews up a potion made up of ingredients like scream of fright, a thunderbolt and partially hydrogenated dimethylpolysiloxane which will completely transform her into a disguise nobody could suspect her in, an aged peddler woman.

Was I afraid of this scene way back when? Of course, but it was one of those rare moments where I didn’t want to look away either. Here we have a woman dangerously obsessed with beauty becoming the very thing she loathes in order to sate her implacable desires. Not only that but in this disguise she’s able to set loose the insanity buried deep beneath her frigid calculating exterior, grinning and cackling like the witch that she is. The Queen never smiles once when she’s in her true form. But once she’s the old Hag and it’s all cackling and gap-toothed smiles, it’s extremely unnerving.

Case in point.

“Anyone else miss the creepy fade to black where the villain’s eyes remain for a few seconds? Disney needs to bring that back.”

Major props to Lucille LaVerne, who gives a bone chilling and utterly unrecognizable performance as BOTH the Queen and the Hag. She made the switch from one role to the next by removing her false teeth between recording sessions. In doing so she gave us one of the great Disney villain performances.

The part where she preps the infamous poisoned apple does undercut some of her menace, however. The Hag is supposed to be sharing her scheming with a cowardly raven, but due to how much she stares directly into the camera while monologuing, it comes off as directly addressing the audience, like we’re watching her in a play. It’s not just the Silly Symphony style of storytelling creeping in, it’s melodramatic semi-vaudevillian theatrics that early Hollywood was moving well away from at this point. And again, what’s with the sudden speaking in rhyme?

At the last moment the Hag looks up a possible antidote to the poison and learns that it’s Love’s First Kiss. However she scoffs at the notion that Snow White can be saved because she’s counting on the dwarfs believing the princess is dead and burying her alive.

“For those of you who claim Disney waters down fairy tales into saccharine pap, I point you to Snow White.”

And it doesn’t end there. As the Hag leaves the dungeons, she passes a cell where a skeleton is sprawled out between the bars, reaching for a water pitcher. It’s bad enough to imagine this poor soul dying of thirst, spending their last moments with salvation just out of their grasp, but the Hag openly mocks the skeleton and kicks the pitcher aside. If that’s not a deciding irredeemably evil factor moment, it comes pretty darn close.

This would have also tied into an important but ultimately scrapped sequence where the Queen kidnaps the Prince, locks him in the dungeon to keep him from saving Snow White and torments him by detailing her elaborate scheme.

This sounds vaguely familiar…

Depending on which pitch you’re reading, the Prince refuses the Queen’s offer of marriage, and she enchants the chained-up skeletons of other scorned suitors to dance in an extremely misguided attempt keep him entertained while she’s out, or floods the dungeon to drown him. He makes a daring escape and rides to the rescue on horseback.

Again, vaguely familiar…

Unfortunately we had to wait twenty-plus years for this to happen because the animators weren’t confident in their abilities to create a believable male character. This is why the Prince appears only in the beginning and the end of the movie (and by extension why the Cinderella’s Prince is barely in that feature as well). When it came to making Snow White look realistic, they subtly incorporated some rotoscoping in a few places (I’d call it cheating but it’s difficult to tell where it begins or ends because she looks that good eighty years later). But I guess it just wasn’t worth the effort to do the same for her love interest, who doesn’t even get the dignity of an official name (fans go back and forth between Florian and Ferdinand). He’s reduced to a deus ex machina – which to be fair is exactly how he was treated in the fairytale. The movie has the slight advantage over that, however, by setting him up before he arrives for that wake-up kiss.

“And now it’s time for Silly Songs With Happy, the part of the review where Happy comes out and sings a silly song. Today’s interlude, appropriately titled “The Silly Song”, features choreography which has gone on to inspire many other Disney musical sequences dating as far ahead as the 70’s.”

“Hold it!! It’s just the exact same movements with the Robin Hood cast grafted over them!”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Well…no…it’s just a bit distracting when you finally notice it. I mean I love Disney’s Robin Hood, but boy did they take the main character’s attitude towards stealing to heart when it came to the animation.”

And yes, “The Silly Song” itself is fun too. It’s one of the less remembered Disney tunes, though I have fond memories of it due to its inclusion in the Sing-Along video lineup. The decision to have it follow the Hag’s unsettling introduction makes perfect sense; I could imagine audiences experiencing it for the first time needed a bit of a breather after that.

I guess I should mention the musical number we could have had instead of this one, though. “Music in Your Soup” was a similarly lighthearted song that was fully recorded and animated before it was ultimately cut. It was expertly animated, featured more dwarf-Snow White interactions, and it also closed up a plot hole involving a bar of soap Dopey swallowed earlier. Still, it didn’t add much to the story overall and it disrupted the flow, and keeping both that and “The Silly Song” would have been superfluous; so as much as I like “Music In Your Soup” I think they made the right call in sticking with “The Silly Song”.

After the dancing, Snow regales the dwarfs with a love story, though they quickly figure out she’s talking about herself and her prince. She dispenses with the self-insert fanfiction and sings the movie’s eleven o’clock number “Someday My Prince Will Come”. Bawl all you want about setting women’s rights back a decade, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a lovely song, even without Casselotti’s vocals. In fact, much of the movie’s soundtrack has been a go-to for jazz artists through the decades ranging from Miles Davis to Dave Brubeck. The pure simplicity of Larry Morey’s lyrics and Frank Churchill’s melodies are ripe for riffing on. Virtually every cover I’ve found succeeds in the impossible task of measuring up to the original in some capacity. The action in the song itself is subtle and restrained, mainly focusing on the dwarfs’ reactions. It’s not only good storytelling, but a clever way to get around showing more of Snow White than the animators could handle; she was already tough enough to animate even with rotoscoping.

Snow realizes how late it’s getting and ushers the dwarfs to bed; however Doc and the others try to behave like gentlemen and allow her to sleep upstairs while they take up whatever space they can fill on the lower floor. It goes to show how much her kindness and politeness has had an influence on them, at least while she’s around. Them taking up whatever sleeping space they can find on the ground floor is an excuse to squeeze more gags in, but I’m fond of how it lets us wind down and take in this cozy atmosphere.

The next morning before they head out the dwarfs warn Snow White to beware of strangers. Even Grumpy can’t help but show concern in his own gruff tsundere way. It’s little touches like this that reveal Snow White’s unwavering compassion is chipping away at his chauvinist attitude and he really does care about her after all –

Hang on, they couldn’t spare ONE dwarf to stick around and keep an eye out in case the Queen does drop by? They’re really think the Queen isn’t going to make another murder attempt as soon as possible? They sadly must, because no sooner do the dwarfs heigh-ho off to work than the Hag creeps up like a meth user turned Jehovah’s Witness.

“Hello, my name is Elder Grim. Would you care to learn more about our lord and savior Chernabog?”

After the animals fail to communicate the obvious danger, they fetch the dwarfs for help. Meanwhile the Hag has convinced Snow White to let her into the cottage and show off her “magic wishing apple”.

Already I can hear the slapping of a thousand facepalms through my screen. I get why, but there’s something about the situation that feels strangely relatable. The Queen is fully aware of Snow White’s gentle, trusting nature and knows how to take full advantage of the girl. Snow isn’t all smiles and open arms though. There’s a split second of regret the moment she divulges she’s by herself, and as the Hag literally corners her into tasting the poison apple her body language gives away how uncomfortable she is. Even the cottage itself grows darker and claustrophobic, mirroring her trapped state. Snow White knows there’s definitely something off about this stranger, but there’s the downside of her kind personality. She can’t bring herself to kick the old lady out no matter how wrong this scenario inherently feels.

“Just keep smiling and slowly reach for the mace.”

Ultimately the Hag coaxes her into tasting the apple. Every breath leading up to it is dramatically intercut with the dwarfs led by Grumpy (further proof Snow White really has gotten through to the old softie) racing back to the cottage.

Do you want to know why the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is considered one of the scariest movies of all time? Because for all its promise of a gory spectacular, the violence is deliberately kept offscreen. Our imaginations fill in the blanks and come up with even worse terrors than they could possibly show. Snow White’s poisoning works on that logic. All we hear is her gasping and groaning as the Hag gleefully looks on, ending with the most cinematic shot of the film.

If you’re still convinced Snow’s a dunce for biting the big apple, trust me, it’s a vast improvement over the original. The Queen showed up in disguise three times to kill Snow White with varying methods: strangulation by laces, a poisoned comb, and of course the apple. This was cut down to the last one for obvious reasons – not only would the story be repetitive and extremely padded if they remained, but it makes Snow White look like an idiot for falling for the same trap thrice in a row. The only time I’ve ever seen the inclusion of all three murder attempts work is in the anime The Legend of Snow White (which despite the laughably bad English dub is worth checking out). By the time the Queen comes around with the apple in that instance, Snow White is well aware of who she’s dealing with. But she plays along because the Queen has turned the kingdom to stone, and the only way to break the curse is by taking the bait and destroying her staff while she thinks she’s down, thus turning what was once an act of naivete into a heroic sacrifice.

The Hag exits the cottage feeling confident in who’s the fairest now just in time for the dwarfs to show up. They chase her through a thunderstorm up a cliff side. Literally trapped between a rock and a hard place, she attempts to dislodge a boulder and crush her pursuers. But Zeus is having none of that and a lightning bolt strikes the cliff, plummeting the Hag to her doom.

To quote Linkara, “Thus the origin for ‘Rocks fall, everybody dies’.”

And in case you’re still thinking she could have survived that drop, even with that boulder tilting over after her, the vultures that have been tailing her since she left the castle begin circling lower and lower over the place where she now lies. A chilling, subtle way to show they’re getting a meal after all.

We fade to a wake the dwarfs are holding for Snow White, complete with organ music and weeping – LOTS of sad, silent, motionless weeping. Poor Grumpy gets the worst of it. One can only imagine the tsunami of emotion he must have felt coming home to see that she was making a pie just for him. Like “Someday My Prince Will Come” it shows how restraint can be an asset in acting for animation. Considering how it’s very much like a real-life wake and just how much everyone believes Snow White is truly dead, this was a tough scene to get through.

The seasons pass and we’re told through title cards that the dwarfs couldn’t find it in themselves to bury Snow White, so they built a glass coffin and kept constant vigil along with the depressed forest animals.

“Clearly the idea of watching her slowly decompose over time never crossed their little minds.”

The funeral on top of the wake keeps piling on the sadness. We’re used to animated features moving us to tears, but you have to remember for audiences back then this was an entirely new experience because no animation dared to get this heavy. Think about it: Shirley Temple, Charlie Chaplin, the best and the brightest of Hollywood who poo-pooed Walt for his ridiculous idea – all moved to tears over Snow White. I can only imagine the satisfaction Walt must have felt hearing their sobbing at the premiere. Again, going back to that animator who felt genuine fear for her safety, the audience developed an emotional bond with the character just as they would for a real human on screen.

The Prince FINALLY shows up again still singing his One Song. Believing the love he has long searched for to be lost to him forever, he says his final farewell by bestowing her with Love’s First Kiss.

“Ah – “

“If you make ONE necrophilia joke, I swear I’ll take all the Adam Sandler movies off the Shelf.”

“Please, no!! I’ll have nothing to fully snark at!!”

The kiss does its work and Snow White awakens none the worse for wear. And since what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, she’s immune to all poison ingested via deciduous fruit now. That’ll make ruling the kingdom she’s inherited from her stepmother and disappeared father much easier. And for those of you complaining how a magical kiss is a cop out, trust me, it’s better than how the original fairytale resolved it.

“Somewhere my love lies sleeping, and here she is! I’ll pay you dwarfs anything to let me take her back to my castle and keep her there as a memento of our tragic love.”

“This had better be worth it, she weighs a freaking ton!” “OHH, there goes my hernia!” *BANG*

*HACKHACKCOUGHHACK* “Thanks for the Heimlich, guys, damn apple’s been stuck in my throat for a year!”

“Seriously, I’m not making that up. Plus, they invite the Queen to the wedding and force her to dance to death in red-hot iron shoes.”

Everyone rejoices, Snow White says goodbye to the dwarfs, and the Prince leads her on his horse to his shining palace in the clouds. They all live happily ever after, the end.

And that’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the very first animated Disney movie. Do I believe the American Film Institute’s claims that it’s the best animated film of all time? Well, to be honest, no. The main characters aren’t as developed compared to future Disney protagonists, the animation goes noticeably off model at times, and it’s got one foot stuck in the style of the Silly Symphonies shorts that came before.

Is it the most influential animated film, however? Of course! Without it animation wouldn’t be as mainstream as it is today. While the formula has been updated and subverted through the decades, most animated features follow a similar blueprint – a dastardly villain, fun side characters, memorable music, distinct visual flair, fighting, torture, true love, miracles, you get the picture. We wouldn’t have any of that without Snow White. Once upon a time, this movie was the Star Wars of its era; a groundbreaking, audience-thrilling blockbuster that changed the way people looked at movies. Part of that is because Snow White taps into an emotional simplicity in a manner few films are able to. It relies more on providing an emotional catharsis than logic, inviting us to experience the story as we once did through the eyes of a child, and in doing so captures the essence of a classic fairy tale.

In fact, looking at the ripple effect of how movies can influence one another across the years, Snow White ranks among one of the most influential movies made in general. Apart from Disney you can see its echoes in The Wizard of Oz, Gulliver’s Travels, Citizen Kane, and yes, the original Star Wars. Even Sergei Eisenstein, the man who revolutionized filmmaking with freaking Battleship Potemkin, declared Snow White to be the greatest film ever made.

…So why did Walt Disney come to hate it later on in life?

Every movie that’s met with acclaim and accolades is bound to hit some backlash for one reason or another. Maybe it’s been overhyped, or time hasn’t been that kind to it. For Walt, Snow White leaned into the latter as his artistic prowess grew. No creator likes looking at their past work because it’s easier to notice the flaws when viewing it through a more experienced eye (believe me, I know). That, and no matter what he did, it seemed impossible to escape from Snow White’s shadow. For decades everything he created was inevitably compared to it.

Hmm, the animation and music are an improvement, but what it’s really missing are some dwarfs.

Hmm, the creativity leaps off the charts, but if only the score had lyrics that rhyme with the words “shmeigh shmo”.

Hmm, it’s breathtaking and magical, but it’d be perfect if you could just sit and watch it for eighty minutes without interacting with any of it at all.

Hmm, it’s practically perfect in every way, but…um…uh…more dwarfs, dammit!!

Thankfully Walt’s displeasure mellowed after some time. As for Snow White, she’s still rightfully hailed as the one that started it all. The art is iconic, the characters are unforgettable, and virtually all the songs are Disney gold standards for a reason. Well before Rodgers and Hammerstein changed the face of musical theater by having the score and the book go hand in hand, Snow White did it first in the cinemas. In fact this was the first movie to ever have a commercially released soundtrack, another confounded idea Hollywood wouldn’t understand for quite a while. Though time may temper with modern expectations, Snow White is as much a classic now as it was destined to be eighty years ago, and nothing can touch it. It still is the fairest one of all.

“HA! Try to remake/sequelize THAT, Disney!”

“Excuse me, is it too late to join this review?”

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Snow White’s sister, Rose Red.”

“…You sure you’re not just a color-swapped OC clone from Deviantart?”

“Of course I’m not, silly! I’m in the fairytale and everything! Well, not THE fairytale per se, but there is one titled ‘Snow White and Rose Red’ where we’re siblings.”

“Checks out. They’re technically related.”

“Okay, but what are you doing here?”

“I was just wondering when you were going to discuss my upcoming movie!”

“Your…movie?”

“Oh yes! It’s going to be Disney’s Snow White all over again but from MY point of view! Isn’t that exciting?”

“But…but you weren’t even in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

“I know! I was off to the side doing…well, you’ll have to wait and see! The lady who wrote that Gone Girl knockoff that takes place on a train and the Indecent Proposal remake is doing the screenplay and she is just delightful!”

“…Excuse me for one moment.”

“Oh dear. Have I said something wrong?”

“It’s ok. This is just the part of the review where Shelf goes berserk.”

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Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this review, please consider supporting me on Patreon. Special thanks to Amelia Jones and Gordhan Ranaj for their contributions.

You can vote for what movie you want me to look at next by leaving it in the comments or emailing me at [email protected]. Remember, you can only vote once a month. The list of movies available to vote for are under “What’s On the Shelf”.

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Artwork by Charles Moss.

Most screencaps courtesy of animationscreencaps.com.

February Review: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) If there's a reason why we're able to recall the story of Snow White from memory, and why said princess is usually depicted with short hair, a cute bow and surrounded by woodland fauna, look no further than Disney.

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poseidonwife · 5 years

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-GROUPIES and GRETA VAN FLEET and PEOPLE WHO JUST DON’T RESPECT MUSIC- [my own opinion]

So, these days I've been reading a lot of things about Greta Van Fleet and what the fans are doing at their concerts. Apparently some girls flashed the boys and some of them threw their bras on stage. I’d like to point out that I think there’s nothing wrong with this, things like that have always happened at concerts and it’s certainly not a matter of different "eras" or “times”. But some other fans expressed their dissent over those behaviors stating that such ways of doing do nothing but change the attitude of the members of the band towards their audience, distancing them more and more from the fans. Some of them claimed not to endure this kind of behavior and they immediately labeled those girls as "groupies" underlining that those girls are just seeking for attention, at the expense of those fans who really love the band and support it.

Faced with this kind of statements I felt involved because I’ve always defined myself as a "groupie" and I’ve always been proud of it. I struggled and I'm still struggling to make people understand the REAL meaning of the word "groupie" making clear that it’s just a cliché that groupies are nothing more than "girls seeking for fame" or even worse "backstage whores".

I read someone saying that groupies “are usually known as women who follow bands they want to sleep with and that’s exactly what groupies were known for back in the days”. This thing really made me super mad. So now I’d like to explain some concepts and reflections on this.

I want to start saying that it is true, the component of sex and physical attraction was a very strong thing "back in the days" especially in the 60s and 70s (remember that at the time there were the so-called "sexual revolution" and the "free love”, very important elements in what is known to all as counterculture of the 1960s). Many girls enjoyed going to bed with the band members and there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s nothing wrong with free sex, even if it’s a woman who practices it. In support of this I’d like to ask somthing to you: which of you isn’t somehow physically or emotionally attracted by one/or more of the Greta Van Fleet boys? Which of you wouldn’t be happy to date one of them and maybe become their girlfriend? Probably none;

another thing is about fame. Just like it happens nowadays some people just wanted to take advantage of the fame of famous people in order to shine with reflected light and become important. Therefore some girls did nothing but date the band to get in some pictures or some scoops of magazines. But THOSE WERE NOT GROUPIES.

Summarizing these points, it is a common opinion that groupies are nothing more than women seeking for fame and party time with musicians. Even Wikipedia says “The term is almost universally used to describe young women who follow these individuals [musicians] in hopes of establishing a sexual relationship with them or offering themselves for sex”. THIS IS THE POPULAR OPINION, A COMMON PLACE and nothing else. Just a cliché.

Now I’d like to discuss what it really means to be a groupie and what I do and believe as a groupie.

being a groupie goes beyond sex, goes beyond fame and goes beyond the thirst of attention. Being a groupie means, and I quote, “to truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts”. Groupies are there for the MUSIC, they’re there for LOVE and GRATITUDE towards music and those who create it and groupies don’t care about becoming famous or going backstage and get noticed. As a groupie I go to concerts and I show respect to the band and musician’s work and support them every day and I love them for the emotions they make me feel. That's it. Of course, it would be amazing to be the girlfriend of one of them and to go on tour with them and live a life like that but THAT’S NOT THE PURPOSE OF A GROUPIE. The purpose of a groupie is to SUPPORT the band, IDOLATE the band, and NOT to go to bed with them;

being a groupie means RESPECTING the band and its members and their choices. This is a very important point especially for all the stuffs going on here on Tumblr over Greta Van Fleet. There are bands that love crazy and promiscuous fans willing to go backstage and "having fun" but NOT GRETA VAN FLEET. The Greta Van Fleet boys have specifically stated that they don’t want to get into that kind of things. Josh said to Rolling Stone: “All of those wild, absurd things that you would like to romanticize about are very honest truth. The amount of excess always around. The amount of women that always want to hang out. It really is all there. It’s tempting, and crazy stuff. But we don’t seem to have too much interest”. And he is not only talking about sex but also about everything else: wild parties, drugs, alcohol... everything. That said, a true fan and consequently a real groupie RESPECTS the decisions of the band and doesn’t try to behave exactly the opposite of what the band wants. Do you understand what I’m trying to explain here? RESPECT is the first important thing. This is what a groupie does: SHE RESPECTS THE BAND.

I summarize these points too: being a groupie means respecting the band in all its decisions, it means to love music and those who create it, it means to support them for what they do and above all it means to go to a concert and enjoy the show because that feeling of being there in the front row is indescribable and it’s the best thing ever. This is what it means to be a groupie.

I want to close this thing saying that as a groupie and proud to call me one I think: those girls who know the intentions of the band [in this specific case Greta Van Fleet] but continue to behave in such a rude way, stripping in front of the band and throwing underwear on stage, THEY’RE NOT GROUPIES but they’re just trying to get visibility from the band without respecting the band itself. They’re not “bad girls” but if they really love and respect Greta Van Fleet and if they really are fans then they should avoid certain behaviors, trying to respect the artists and their work.

Now I ask you, please stop to juxtapose groupies to girls who are just seeking for attention but please know that you too can be a groupie. If you respect the band, if you love musician’s work, if you want to support them in every choice and if you are polite when you approach them, both at concerts and when you ask for an autograph or a photo, then you are also groupies and there’s nothing wrong with feeling that way. Being a groupie is beautiful, it means to love music with all your being and with all your soul.

🌻 Thank you 🌻

[Of course the discussion is open for those who want to express their opinion and same will be my asks. Feel free to say what you think about the subject]

[Down here I’ll leave some interesting links for those who want to deepen the "groupies" topic or those who are simply curious and interested]:

“Almost Famous” dir. Cameron Crowe, is a beautiful movie about groupies and it depicts very well all the things I just said in this post. I recommend the vision;

“I’m with the band” a book from the most famous groupie Pamela Des Barres. She asserts that a groupie is to a rock band as Mary Magdalene was to Jesus and that’s a strong statement but if you know the real story of Mary Magdalene [this is a very good movie about her] then you’ll understand the meaning of Pamela’s sentence;

Some quotes about groupies: “The altar was rock n’ roll, the guys were the gods, and the women were the high priestesses.“ (Gail Zappa) // “Girls get their hearts broken all the time. I figured, if I was going to get my heart broken, I’d rather it be broken by someone like Mick Jagger or Keith Moon.” (Pamela Des Barres) // "Sexual? Sometimes yes, but also friends, helpers, assistants, guides…we wanted to uplift and enhance these people who moved us so much. That’s all a groupie is. They are music-loving muses." (Pamela Des Barres) // “The sex angle is important. But not more important than girls who are also good friends and make you feel like family.” (Jimmy Page) // “You do actually fall in love with them because that’s the only love you can have. It’s not always the physical thing. They actually tell you something.They release different things inside themselves.” (Jimi Hendrix) // “They’re like our alter egos. They’re doing the same thing we are.” (Steven Tyler) // “Being a groupie doesn’t mean you’re backstage doing something sleazy. Being a groupie is like worshipping at the church of rock and roll—and you’re the high priestess." (Pleasant Gehman) // "Real groupies are people who love the music, want to be with people who make it, and that’s it." (Pamela Des Barres) // “We wanted to be a part of this incredible musical brilliance that was lighting up the world. It’s really all about love, you know. People would say, ‘Why did you want to meet these guys?’ Why not? Why not? Why not want to be a part of something so important?" (Pamela Des Barres) // “I dig musicians, I feel they have the most to offer me mentally and emotionally because they think basically along the same lines that I do; extremely creative people. Music is Life.” (Pamela Des Barres) // "For me, it was always the music. I wanted to be in on the cosmic secret. I wanted to get so close to the music I could taste it- and nothing was going to stop me." (Pamela Des Barres) // “They were devotees of the band and would literally service those bands. It was a religious experience for most of those girls.” (Gail Zappa) // “Freedom fighters at the avant garde of the sexual revolution.” (Frank Zappa) // “Most of the girls who come backstage simply want to say ‘thank you’ to us for giving a good concert. Outsiders who think that all sorts of other stuff is going on just don’t know us.” (Robert Plant);

and of course my personal link about groupies

#greta van fleet #josh kiszka #jake kiszka #sam kiszka #danny wagner #gretavanfleet #joshkiszka #jakekiszka #samkiszka #dannywagner #groupie #groupies #relevant with all the groupie discussion going on #me #mine #words #opinion #gvf

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rust-en-orde · 4 years

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and in the name of love, she’s coming back.

although it’s fairly confusing to point out the only one thing that CL lacks to make her own breakthrough in the US impossible, because duh, she has everything upon her sleeve, I think we can come to a final conclusion that it’d be good management.

what else does a leader of 2NE1, one of the pioneers in K-pop whose influence and contribution could never be denied since 2009, conceivably not have, unless a company with at least a functional brain which will let their artists release a goddamn album? y’all tell me.

the fact she’s from YG Entertainment (the shittiest company in South Korea, fyi only tho, just in case you’re clueless) had been the prominent reason for all the widespread frustrations growing from both important parties in this case (CL and her loyal fandom, GZB) since 2015.

2015 was like the perfect timing for her grand entry to the US, wasn’t it? her swaggering single ‘Hello Bitches’ was getting massive recognition, the high anticipation from both the general public and GZBs was rising higher than ever. not to mention her extensive connection! the relationship with all peeps from another side of the world that she builds throughout the years was beneficially helping to spread her brand out as an all-around rookie singer who’s more than ready to pull off ‘CL paves the way for Asian artists debuting in the US’ card.

and here’s the most ridiculous joke of the decade; instead of dropping a ton of remarkable albums which she has worked on either in South Korea or the US, all she could have was a longass hiatus after the release of her debut single ‘Lifted’ (which I always think as a mere warm-up song lol) in 2016.

can y’all imagine that?

she’s a top-notch performer. her number one mission has always been to stun everyone the moment she’s stepping on stage. she was one of two artists that being asked to represent South Korea at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic closing ceremony and she ate the whole stadion alive.

imagine being none but a literal idiot for wasting her unmatched talents, her golden age, her unstoppable stage presence? I simply can’t be one because nah that certain level of stupidity is beyond my ability.

another painful story is, as many as GZBs who decided to faithfully stay and wait for her music, there was also a large number of them who heavily chose to leave. if you’re starting to wonder who to blame, whose fault is it? well, to be frankly honest, no one (it’s YG Entertainment’s fault tho but I had enough talking about that garbage so).

let me break the situation down for you.

she couldn’t release any song she have produced by herself, she’s basically getting locked up. the desperation was painfully too much to be borne, both for herself and GZBs. dozens of new groups get to debut every year. they’re fresh and young, they have a dozen of chances to promote their songs frequently, to showcase their capabilities. and how’s CL doing? what exactly has she been up to? not even one single fleeting glimpse existed. GZBs were left by confusion, were hanging by only futile hope to listen to her new album which seemed wouldn’t be getting released anytime soon. inevitably, some chose to leave yet the rest wanted to stay. they, whose commendable persistence, truly did.

when the news of her departure from that sexist company broke out in November 2019, following the announcement of the ‘IN THE NAME OF LOVE’ release (in less than a month since she left that broke agency, a glo up I aspire to have tbh) there was a huge relief within me. yes, solely a relief.

there was no scene of weeping a bucket of tears, or more extreme, an agonizingly painful blow within my chest, just like when they announced 2NE1’s disbandment three years ago. picture that as a twinge of irony, because it felt like years ago since the last time I could be just free of worry towards any news coming from K-pop artists I love (and in general tho tbh, 2019 is not definitely the best year of K-pop). that time, I couldn’t resist to pat my head and, if I may add, to give myself the highest praise for making a good decision. yes, hon, once in a lifetime. hashtag I’m indecisive and I knew it.

“smart of you to not ever forget her, to never have any slightest thought for leaving the fandom, to simply stay,” I told myself.

‘IN THE NAME OF LOVE’, a meaningful gift for her friends and GZBs. but above all, a thoughtful letter written by herself to herself which for the most part saying that it’s always okay to start all over again.

it’s an extended play (EP) that contains six songs in total and every two tracks will be dropped in one week. she just released the first two songs, +DONE161201+ and +REWIND170205+, and the responses are nothing but hearty applause. oh anyway, the numbers in each song correspond with the date when the songs were written, as if it’s a kind of diary that depicted her feelings over that time.

in spite of the fact that it’s written 3 years ago, ‘Done’ is an enjoyable and super catchy bop. it’s like a peaceful break-up anthem, something that you can claim as rare topic because recent break-up songs outhere are mostly about the wounded pain and sleepless nights (SHOUTOUT TO AKMU’S HOW CAN I LOVE THE HEARTBREAK WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE I LOVE they can have all the waters from my eyes I truly don’t mind). the lyrics are very straight-forward (which I appreciate the most) and somehow I can’t help but squeezing out some memories from my teenager days by listening to it religiously.

“don’t hit me up

don’t show up on me

the one who left me

baby boy, that was you

please don’t hit me up

don’t call me

I told you that you would regret this, you fool”

2NE1 was widely known for their empowering songs back then, remember? you are allowed to have a sort of vague or even a clear-cut distaste towards the songs they made in their peak of career, but you definitely can’t disregard the truth that they’re effin good at conveying “you broke up with me so you better get your ass out and never come back to me and say you regret everything because duh boy adios” message. been a devoted Blackjack (2NE1’s fandom name) since 2010, it’s just really delightful for me to finally hear their distinctive sound again in newer production provided by the leader. if any of you are in desperate need of a clean break-up jam, Done is a decent choice. btw my personal favorite part of the song is:

“tears I shed for you is my last gift for you

what’s done is done”

(IT’S WAY TOO RELATEABLE I,,)

moving on to the second track, ‘Rewind’ aka a song that turned me into a miserable mess the first second I listened to it. I’m not a genius in music and its magical pieces of stuff but it doesn’t take a genius either to understand the meaning of this song is THAT deep.

“where did we go wrong? I don’t know

it’s too late to say goodbye

let’s try solving this unpromising puzzle

you don’t wanna let me go, me neither

the curtain between us

open it up and let’s rewind”

I think she’s like talking to herself. she’s questioning why everything is falling apart, why things aren’t right in the first place. then after dealing with not-so-momentary confusion and hesitation, she came up with a decision that she only had to go back to the beginning and start over. and it may not be the easiest thing to be done, but even so it’s not a serious problem because she knows that she’s more than capable of proving herself, that she’s never alone along every step in another big journey ahead of her. I’d say ‘Rewind’ is a very encouraging song, it feels so uplifting to be heard on your heavy days.

also, the music videos for both songs are quite personal and emotionally soul-stirring. she produced the video by herself hence you can easily notice the simplicity and creativity she carried on there. one thing that ought to be highlighted is the people who were shown in the music videos. they are her closest friends slash constant supports which are playing an irreplaceable part in her life, especially when times were rough for her with all US debut preparation and everything. on a lighter note, I’m profoundly thankful to know she’s never alone while facing all hardships she got to encounter, that she’d never be obligated to dissemble her feelings because she’s surrounded by her own people who are always all ears for her.

to sum everything up, ‘IN THE NAME OF LOVE’ is a heartwarming start.

it’s not the main release for her high-anticipated return to the music scene, but instead, it brings a long-awaited comfort to the table as if she’s saying “hey fam guess what? I’m still here, I won’t ever give up, let’s do it now” to GZBs. her previous agency had done nothing but ruined her chances to make everything big on time and as now she’s no longer prisoned (I sound so bitter ok I know), I simply can’t wait to see what she got in store and am beyond ready to give my utmost support for a ton of albums she will be releasing from now on.

4 years filled only with the long stretches of waiting have passed, and that, surely not in a blink of an eye. but somehow, she made it. so did GZBs.

welcome back, CL. been long time, hasn’t it?

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turtle-paced · 7 years

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GoT Re-Watch: Fine-Toothed Comb Edition

Just in time for the next season, here are my notes for 6.10! I can’t believe I actually did this project. I’ll have the numbers for the season and the series thus far up before season seven premiers, along with my favourite and least favourite seasons (and episodes therein).

6.10 - The Winds of Winter

This episode has a previously on. It concludes at 2:19, and unfortunately informs us that the Dornish plot continues to be a thing. On the funny ha-ha side, it also all but gives away R+L=J. Spoilers!

Miguel Sapochnik, save us!

(4:18) From a nice shot of the Sept of Baelor to pffffffffthahahahahaha oh my god, what is Cersei wearing? This is every bit as ridiculous as Sansa’s extremely empowered costume change at the end of season four, and Ellaria Sand’s extremely evil costume switch between seasons four and five. Female power is a black dress with bizarre shoulderpads, apparently. Swing and a miss, costume department. Swing and a miss.

(4:34) That said, I like this sequence of everyone getting ready. Better still, I like that we see that Cersei’s already dressed while the other major actors are still preparing. If this trial had been built up to better, this would be a kickass way of creating tension. (It’s still pretty good.) The show’s inattention to time and space, however, undermines all build-up, simply because we have no idea when disparate plots occur in relation to each other. The trial stops being a looming deadline, and becomes instead a thing that hasn’t happened yet.

(5:17) Ah, the first notes of a bit of music that really stands out. I’m not sure how I feel about this bit of musical direction. On the one hand, it’s so distinctive within the show, it’s used well with what’s on screen, and as a piece of music I rather like it. On the other hand, it doesn’t fit with the rest of the score.

(5:39) It’s Loras! He’s the heir to Highgarden, his sister the Queen made a deal for his safety, and he’s still unwashed and shaking in a corner, same as he’s presumably been for half the season. Plotwise, Margaery’s deal continues to be amazingly bad. Ethicswise, I do appreciate how this anti-homophobia storyline has just the one gay character and his role in it is to suffer and die.

(6:40) “Your grace? The trial will be getting under way soon.” Right, so, Tommen got prepared for this occasion, then sat down in a chair and did nothing. While we’re talking characters as objects, by the way.

(6:46) Apparently Cersei decided her outfit wasn’t ridiculous enough already and decided to add more shiny. I’d kill to know what this handmaid thinks of this costume change in-universe.

(7:16) Sex workers: 1. Female butts: 1.

(7:19) Boobs: 1. Theft of services jokes: 1.

(8:20) The best establishing shot of the sept thus far gives me a count of 112 people present.

(8:48) This makes me so mad. This didn’t have to be written like this. The writers could have had the fucking decency to instead have Loras say “you know what? Screw you all. I loved Renly. I’m not ashamed to say it.” It’s not out of book canon, given Loras’ “when the sun has set, no candle can replace it.” Show!Brienne is more true to Renly than show!Loras is. As for plot effects, they’re planning to blow up every character who hears this speech. Fuck it. Let him have his dying moment of awesome. Shell game this shit, keep everyone focused on how Margaery’s deal just fell apart, before blowing the place up.

(9:43) On the upside, I love how the iconography of the Seven is kept in view.

(10:20) While the idea of Margaery’s driving motivation being to protect Loras is a good one, this plot is yet another victim of authorial laziness. You’re telling me that the best that politically astute and highly intelligent Margaery could do, given the resources of her family on hand and the relatively small potatoes crime Loras is accused of, was to have Loras forfeit his inheritance? Really?

(10:31) Not to mention “I will never marry and I will never father children” is one hell of a nonsensical plea bargain term. Given the depiction of the Sparrows thus far, and their none too subtle analogue to modern conservative Christianity, you’d think the High Sparrow would order Loras to marry at the first opportunity, get him into the heteronormative box. Failing that, get him into the Kingsguard or the Night’s Watch, somewhere where everyone knows he can’t get married, obviously (and with that “no marrying” clause, Loras’ status can still be reconciled with the heteronormative agenda of the Sparrows). The writers don’t understand religion or politics, news at eleven.

(11:21) Yep, this show is going there. We get to see a religious symbol carved into a gay man’s forehead for the crime of being gay. There was no reason to write this. We got the point that the Sparrows are evil and homophobic ages ago. The fact of the proceedings gets that point across. We got the point that Loras was suffering ages ago too. And in a few minutes, every character here will be blown up, rendering these events entirely pointless for the ongoing plot. Why show us the utterly gratuitous torture of a gay character, explicitly linked to their sexuality? What about this specifically is worth the screen time?

(11:34) I mean, it’s in detail and everything. We get to see Loras flinching in pain, we get closeups of the blood. What is the point. What is even the point.

(11:53) Tommen is still sitting in his room being a living prop for the stories of other people.

(12:35) “And where is the Queen Mother?” Hey, good question! Why wasn’t anyone asking this a while back, like maybe a quarter hour ago when she was supposed to rock up to the venue, especially considering that she killed a member of the last team sent to take her to meet the High Sparrow?

I will tell you why: because plot.

Unlike the books, the show is currently a plot-driven story - and a bad example thereof. Everything that has been done in this storyline has been to herd these half dozen named characters into this sept to get blown up. And if the High Sparrow, Margaery, and Olenna all have to lose their political acumen (and Jaime forget about the King) to accomplish this, so be it. On the flip side, we’ve seen Tommen consistently attempt to take action to protect Margaery, but in order to keep him out of the sept (and make his death somehow Cersei’s fault, as if Margaery hadn’t raped and abused him) today he has decided he doesn’t want to.

(12:42) “It appears the Queen Mother does not wish to attend her own trial.” Noooooo, what tipped you off? Was it the way she ordered her guard to kill one of the last people sent to fetch her somewhere? Can’t be, because if so, you’d’ve compelled her attendance beforehand and taken precautions against Frankengregor!

This is the final reason why “I choose violence” was a nonsense scene. Everyone forgets it happened and proceeds as if it hadn’t.

(12:49) The High Sparrow even sends his key witness to go get Cersei. If I had a desk I would be beating my head against it right about now. Why? Why would you do this? Why would anyone with an ounce of common sense do this, much less a character established to be intelligent?

I spot two Sparrows leaving with Lancel, making it 109 people in the sept.

(13:10) Lancel spots a suspicious small child existing. What about this has aroused his suspicion? It’s a kid. There are many in King’s Landing. What about this kid is worth blowing off his task of seeing the Queen Mother to her regicide trial?

This is just so freakin’ lazy on multiple levels.

(14:11) “What is the meaning of this?” Hey, another good question! Why did Qyburn lure Pycelle down here? Fortunately, we soon get an answer.

(15:03) And the answer is “sheer bloody laziness, again!” The writers did a copy/paste from ADWD, because its epilogue kicks ass, without trying to make it fit in their own story. Why does Pycelle have to die in such a cold dark place, when he was literally going to the trial before Qyburn intercepted him? I’ll give “ushering in the new” a pass because he’s supporting a ruling queen and that actually is new.

(15:27) Deaths: 1. Pycelle, murdered on Qyburn’s orders. By children established to be quite ordinary children working for Qyburn for sugar plums, by the way, rather than Varys’ trained “little birds.”

(16:03) Wow, lucky stab, to get Lancel right in the spine! If the kid had missed, what then?

(16:20) “What are you doing?” Wow, people are just full of good questions right now. What is this kid doing? The implication is that this kid lured Lancel down here, but why? The best explanation I can think of is that it was a last-ditch, poorly thought out means of keeping Lancel in the sept to get exploded. Speaking of. 110 people in the sept, overwhelmingly nobles rather than Sparrows.

(17:00) I want so badly to like this show for what it is. This sequence in particular is so well done, switching back and forth between Cersei patiently staring out over the Sept from a distance, Margaery waiting and trying to work out what’s wrong, and Lancel crawling towards the wildfire in a desperate attempt to stop disaster. The direction has earned the tension it generates here.

And note how knowing when these events are occurring relative to each other makes the tension work! Even when we don’t know what the deadline is, we can see there’s a deadline, and that Lancel and Margaery are both racing against it.

(17:40) Margaery gets her moment of awesome, working out the problem (specifically noting that the threat must be to the whole sept because Tommen is not present, something that indicates to her that he’d be at risk if he was). The High Sparrow switched his brain off for the duration. One smart person per scene!

(18:02) But the leap to “we all need to leave” was a bit out of nowhere. I’d be expecting crossbows before wildfire, which should get a “send your men to search the building.” That would also mean you can stop the High Sparrow looking like more of a fool than he already does for not securing Cersei, spotting the same thing Margaery does and trying to prevent it.

(18:51) Instead of at this last minute, having the Sparrows prevent people from leaving. Because um reasons.

(19:49) Deaths: 113. Cersei blows up the 110 people I counted in the sept, including Margaery, Loras, the High Sparrow, Lancel, Mace Tyrell, and Kevan Lannister. Two more Sparrows die outside the sept.

(19:55) Deaths: 115. Two more people die getting hit by debris. So that’s 114 kills for Cersei. It’s implied to be more.

(20:05) And Cersei, who until now has killed a grand total of three people all series, smirks over the carnage. I find this horribly inconsistent with her characterisation thus far. This is in large part because of decisions made to “soften” Cersei, especially in earlier seasons. Book!Cersei continually demonstrated her incompetence in her failure to rein in Joffrey - and in her inability to see how what Joffrey was doing was a cause of many political problems. That also showed her own lack of empathy. Whereas with show!Cersei, we see her confiding to Margaery, with palpable grief and disgust, that Joffrey’s violence shocked her.

But character development? That reflection on violence comes after the character turning point that is Joffrey’s death. And while Myrcella’s death and Cersei’s (slight) escalation of violence coincide, they don’t seem to be linked well in the narrative, especially as season six makes no mention of Cersei’s hunt for Tyrion, nor includes any real effort on Cersei’s part to get rid of the Tyrells or Martells. I’ll get back to Cersei’s characterisation in a second.

(20:09) Cersei drinks: 1.

(20:30) Meanwhile, Tommen is left completely alone. Because this happens to kings on the regular.

(20:41) Septa Unella is now here and being tortured. How did she get here? Not a clue. Why is this happening? No in-universe reason, but the writers wanted a villain monologue, so here we are anyway.

(21:25) “I do things because they feel good.” Thus far, no. No, Cersei has not. She has, for the most part, been restrained and temperate, often putting aside her hatred of the Tyrells in the best interests of her family, without being browbeaten or overruled. This she was doing to the mid-season mark. Her affair with Lancel is one of the few things she’s done purely because it felt good to her and damn the consequences, but that affair ended four seasons ago. Her relationship with Jaime in the show also lacks (an intentional depiction of) the deeply embedded unhealthiness of its book counterpart. There is every indication that Cersei and Jaime are sincerely in love with each other and engaged in a healthy relationship that just so happens to be incestuous.

Show!Cersei’s overriding motivation has instead been the welfare of her children, to whom she has been a far better parent than her book counterpart. Crucially, show!Cersei has been able to see that her children are independent beings whose needs and desires differ from her own. Her threats to burn cities to the ground have been linked to the welfare of her children, and she hasn’t done it, because burning cities to the ground isn’t what’s best for her children. Until season six, she used violence directly only to protect her children, not to gratify herself, and in season six, her use of violence was directly linked to the sexual abuse and humiliation she suffered at the hands of the Sparrows. And so we now have a weird double standard where Sansa lashing out at her abuser = good, Dany burning down a patriarchal church = good, Cersei lashing out at her abusers (and her son’s abuser) by burning down a patriarchal church = bad.

(21:36) “I killed my husband because it felt good to be rid of him.”

We closed the previous episode on Sansa murdering her abusive husband in a situation where it was clearly apparent that he posed no threat to her any more and never would again. Cersei, meanwhile, murdered her abusive husband while they were still living in the same household as man and wife, he was still king, and he’d hit her across the face the episode before. One of these women killed her abusive husband purely because it felt good to be rid of him, and therefore one of these women is bad.

Just want to keep that double standard firmly in view here.

I mean, aside from the double standard where Cersei blowing up a church is bad, but Dany burning down a church is good.

(22:02) There is no way in hell that Cersei killed every Sparrow in King’s Landing. As I said, there were only about a hundred people in that sept, and most of them were nobles. She killed maybe twenty, twenty-five Sparrows max.

(22:31) Cersei says here that even confessing feels good under the right circumstances. So I’m taking this “feels good” explanation as a retcon. All those times Cersei says that she’s motivated by love for her boyfriend and children, they’re lies and/or denial. All the times she demonstrates by word, deed, or lack thereof that this is the case - that must be some sort of coincidence.

(24:13) There are certainly implications here, but Septa Unella’s exact fate is left somewhat ambiguous.

(24:31) This guy has just been popping in and out to check on Tommen.

(24:48) I like the detail of Tommen taking off his crown. Hell, I like the framing of this. It’s a stunning shot of the burning sept and Tommen’s removal from it.

(25:11) I even like how unceremonious Tommen’s suicide is. After the very dramatic sept explosion, this quiet death in the aftermath I think actually gets the despair.

That said, I loathe the writers’ statements outside the episode that this was all Cersei’s fault. They wrote a story in which Tommen was manipulated and exploited by everyone around him. In particular, we got a good look at how Margaery fostered in him a sense of dependence on her. There’s a strong case to be made that in the show, Cersei manipulated and exploited him least, and was the person most concerned with his welfare and wellbeing. The only reason she’s not here right now is because of sloppy character writing.

Tommen’s arc is a consistent story of the effects of emotional manipulation and abuse perpetrated on a young and vulnerable boy, culminating in his suicide when he cannot handle the sudden violent loss of his foremost abuser, his rapist of a wife. If the writers had the slightest clue that this was the story they were telling, it would have been a worthy and affecting use of screentime. Deaths: 116.

(25:28) All this cheering of “We send our regards!” In-universe failed meme.

(26:10) Arya Stark, world’s worst assassin, stares conspicuously at someone she’s thinking about killing. She’s terrible at this, she really is.

(26:25) Man called ‘cunt’: 1. Bronn’s vocabulary is slightly less limited than that of Karl fuckin’ Tanner, but not much.

(27:12) “Can’t go killing my son-by-law, it wouldn’t be right.” While this is supposed to be ironic, it’s also a pretty weak admission that the plot will be needing Edmure later. Presumably. I think he’s got a good shot of surviving the books, anyway, and wouldn’t be shocked if he was needed for something in the meantime. Re-retaking Riverrun, perhaps, or is that re-re-retaking Riverrun?

(28:28) A rare sign of book!Jaime in his visible discomfort with being compared to Walder Frey.

(29:03) Bookending the season with Cersei burying her children is in theory a very good idea.

(30:12) Ah, a peaceful, sunny green field. Sam and Gilly have arrived near Oldtown at last. What does this mean? Well, it means that Sam, while a guest in his father’s castle, stole a Valyrian steel sword from one of the most powerful men in Westeros and got away scot free.

(30:26) That’s a really nice view of Oldtown.

(30:39) And a nice view of the white ravens leaving the tower to announce to the realm that winter is here.

(30:54) Oh god he’s got a magnifying glass. This scene is going to be “comedic,” isn’t it?

(31:33) I question the decision to make this hall empty. The emptiness makes the Citadel seem unreal, rather than a hub of learning in Westeros.

(31:43) The Citadel is so out of touch that while everyone learned about Stannis’ defeat and Tywin’s death mere minutes after they happened, they still think Jeor Mormont is Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Comedy!

(32:47) And Gilly ends the season standing stunned and alone in the Citadel’s reception area! See you next year! Enjoy the wait!

(33:38) It’s the library from Beauty and the Beast! It’s definitely not like the Library of Alexandria and it’s definitely not doomed. At least Sam has something to do while he waits for next season. And a plot. Maybe some character development. Anything but going from point A to point B repeating the same stale “story” he’s had for the past three seasons.

(34:39) While I think it’s perfectly legit for Jon to be upset about being seated so far away from his family in a manner that states “you are not worth as much as they are,” saying this to Melisandre…might not be the most tactful.

(55:12) Halfway through the final episode of the season, eleven episodes after Shireen’s death and almost ten since Davos and Melisandre reunited, Davos thinks to pursue the line of questioning about Shireen. Liam Cunningham and Carice van Houten do their utmost, but there’s no hiding the fact that this discussion has been postponed in a way that makes absolutely no sense for Davos’ character, to serve the plot interest of kicking Mel into another geographical area.

(36:05) “If he commands you to burn children, your lord is evil.” This is why Stannis’ plot came with the whole fate-of-the-world aspect, so readers could engage with the discussion of lesser evils, rather than pile on with STANNIS BAD. STANNIS WRONG. STANNIS EVIL.

(36:50) Goddamn, the acting here.

(37:52) In the conclusion to this scene we’re shown a few things about Winterfell’s politics right now. Davos and Mel are both treating Jon as the authority in this castle. If Sansa really wants to be Lady of Winterfell, she’s way behind the eight ball on this one. Lacking a formal decision about who’s in charge, Jon is acting as though he is in charge in a way that Sansa is not. I have no doubt that Jon didn’t think about it; I can’t believe that Sansa is supposed to be this political mastermind now if she’s missed this fact.

Second, it’s nice to see a little justice around the place. Punishing Mel for Shireen’s burning gets Jon nothing except Davos’ good opinion, and not even that unreservedly since he went with banishment rather than execution; he’s clearly doing it because burning children = bad. But at the same time, he asked Mel to speak in her own defence, listened to her arguments, and modified her sentence. This is a good solid stab at being fair and just from Jon.

Finally, last season I mentioned I don’t see how Shireen’s burning caused the retaking of Winterfell. Did the storms hold off all season because of that sacrifice?

(38:48) Lovely shot of Jon and Sansa.

(38:56) “I’m having the lord’s chamber prepared for you.” So Jon’s been giving orders to the castle staff as well, once more in a way that demonstrates his love and respect for his trueborn siblings. Watch Jon accidentally Bavarian Fire Drill into kingship by acting like the Lord of Winterfell while publicly going against Westerosi bastard stereotype. I really don’t think the writers knew what they were writing here.

In the meantime, what has Sansa been doing? I mean, I know the writers can’t actually think of things for her to do, but this is getting ridiculous.

(39:08) Jon shows a far greater appreciation for the symbolic value of that bedroom than Sansa has. And she’s supposed to be the politically astute one?

(39:18) No. No, Jon, you are not standing in Winterfell because of Sansa. You nearly failed entirely because of Sansa. You lost hundreds of your own men because of Sansa’s incompetence and bad faith.

Jon made a bad decision on the day of the battle. It was a shocker. It was really, really bad. Before that point, he had bad options, worse options, and limited means of telling which was which.

Sansa, however, has been lying since 6.05, withholding not tactical information, but strategic information. Those lies shaped the entire campaign. Sansa tells Jon that they might be able to get the Vale on side? They can go to every Northern lord and say “the Knights of the Vale are riding to our aid, they’ve retaken Moat Cailin, they’ll be available when the plot requires,” thereby offering far greater chances of success and incentive to North Remembers. If Sansa didn’t see how her lies affected the way in which the entire campaign was fought, she’s staggeringly incompetent. If Sansa did see this, she’s staggeringly malicious.

And, possessed of detailed information about Jon’s plan, Ramsay’s likely counters, the composition of both armies, and the terrain on which the battle would be fought, she clearly did not relay this to the Vale commanders and okayed the charge right into Stark forces. That’s plain old incompetence. That incidentally got a lot of people on her own side killed. (Or at least it should have, given the shots of the battle we were shown.)

It may be true that the knights of the Vale only rode north because of Sansa. It does not absolve her of the veritable mountain of bullshit that was denying Jon and through him Team Stark of all the benefit of those knights until it suited Sansa’s personal agenda.

There is no way around it. Bad writing, specifically the rape-revenge plot the writers were so eager to insert and the side effects of this plot, have utterly destroyed this character as a consistent, intelligent, decent protagonist. This would not be an issue if Sansa had stayed in the Vale, or even if the writers had boned up on the most basic information about medieval warfare. The staggering incompetence here is to be found on the writing staff.

Oh, and if Jon doesn’t see this, it reflects poorly on him as well.

(39:36) “Only a fool would trust Littlefinger.” I can’t decide whether that’s Sansa bashing herself, the writers bashing Ned, or both.

(39:42) “I should have told you about [Littlefinger].” YES. YES YOU SHOULD HAVE. This apology is so inadequate under the circumstances I cannot even.

(40:20) A sibling moment of trust and affection, emphasising the importance of sticking together in tough times. I don’t suppose this is going to be undermined later.

(41:13) Olenna’s historical references prove that the showrunners have read the books. At least once. Or they skimmed it, at least. Look, they’re long books, okay.

(41:19) “You murder your own prince, and you expect me to trust you?” So many good questions.

(41:35) Ah, Olenna’s consistently-depicted misogyny. How I’ve missed it. Obara was making a point quite civilly - not delicately, but civilly. No call for rudeness.

(41:44) I think the Sand Snakes were as poorly-written as the next critic. That doesn’t mean I think it’s good storytelling to see diplomatic mastermind Olenna Tyrell be horrible to them (since that apparently demonstrates that she’s clever and no-nonsense), nor entertaining to hear yet more sexism from her.

(42:04) There’s no telling how removed in time this scene is from the beginning of the episode. It clearly has to be a while.

(42:23) More copy/pasting from the books without thought about how it fits into the story the show is telling. “Our heart’s desire” doesn’t work with Ellaria as it works for Doran, because Doran’s the one with almost two decades of investment into seeing the Lannisters brought down.

(42:39) Hey, Varys. Nice to see you here in Dorne.

(43:42) It’s nice that the writers found a way to further whittle down the cast list without outright killing everyone inconvenient. This is just a nicely-timed breakup from Dany.

(45:36) They’re just tying up Meereen with a nice little bow, all its problems magically solved. How wonderful that this seasons-long plot can be left behind in such a state.

(47:51) Dany admits she felt nothing as she said goodbye to Daario. Easy enough to depict. Not like we’ve been getting much of Dany’s interiority all season, since she’s mostly been bouncing from plot point to plot point. Daario and Tyrion have both outlined how she feels at points, but Dany herself has done precious little expressing her own emotions.

(49:05) I would like to enjoy this scene for what it is, too, but Dany and Tyrion have barely interacted. The only time they’ve done so this season, Tyrion was too busy covering his ass to actually help her.

(49:55) Like the Citadel, the Twins has cleared out so the main characters can interact unbothered by pesky extras.

(50:52) Arya got the hang of dramatic baking. No, I don’t know how she got the two Freys alone, killed them, butchered them imperfectly, and found the time and materials to bake them into a pie in a busy castle kitchen, or the reasons she would do this particular grisly act specifically (unlike Lord Manderly who served people who were definitely not his guests as a pie at a wedding), but who cares, it’s Frey Pie. Copy/paste from ADWD, it always works!

(51:09) Arya, confirmed. Don’t ask how she got here from Braavos, either.

(51:24) Deaths: 117. Arya kills Walder Frey. Disturbing and intentionally so, which actually makes it a terrible leaving-off point for her. We already knew she was capable of this sort of violence. So hooray vengeance, I guess, but what does this mean for Arya that we don’t already know?

(52:24) Being a smart, empowered woman, Sansa is now an atheist. The sensitive and nuanced depiction of religion continues.

(52:42) Being a smart, empowered woman, Sansa despises her past self for being a little girl.

(53:36) Show!Littlefinger’s endgame is apparently him on the Iron Throne with Queen Sansa. He also only apparently acts if he thinks the action will bring him closer to that endgame. How did marrying Sansa off to Ramsay, whom Littlefinger know nothing about, while Winterfell was about to be under siege, help in the slightest? It doesn’t and it hasn’t.

(54:20) Forget Sansa for the moment, I can’t believe Littlefinger is very good at politics if he’s missed how Jon’s back in Winterfell getting the castle reorganised and settling disputes between important political figures while Sansa sits outside in the snow doing nothing. When he asks “who should the North rally behind” he’s ignoring the fact that in the castle, yes that castle, the one over there, the North’s already looking in a particular direction - because on the facts, Jon’s the one trying to do the job. And Littlefinger should bloody well know how a man lacking station can wrangle greater authority than his birth might otherwise allow.

It’s the writers. It’s always the writers. They don’t understand how this works, and they consistently have problems finding Sansa things to do.

(54:33) Littlefinger reminding us of Jon’s lack of mother and giving us, for the first time, the information that Jon was born in the south.

(55:22) A good sensible reason for Uncle Ben not crossing the Wall with Bran and Meera, foreshadowing the “while it stands” part…but they still look a fair ways off the Wall to me.

(56:45) Why Bran is so eager to hop right back into flashback town is also an in-universe mystery. Out of universe, well, we got some longstanding mysteries to reveal in a super inappropriate place. But at least we’ll stop getting jerked around by the showrunners on this count.

(57:27) “Ned?” “Lyanna!” See how much better that was done than “that’s my father!”

(58:46) While this scene is mostly really good, they left out one single detail. Rhaegar. This single detail puts everything into context. Hence the flowchart HBO had to release after the episode to show that no, Jon isn’t Ned’s son by his sister. Imagine if this had been foreshadowed, though! That would have been really good!

(59:13) And while Isaac Hempstead-Wright has been really good this season, his reaction shots are missing the mark here a bit, in that I’m not sure what he’s feeling about what he’s watching. Is he confused? Upset? I can’t tell.

(59:32) Then we cut to Jon, so the audience puts it together. Who knows if Bran did? Who cares if Bran did, amirite? What a twist this is!

(59:48) Even more shocking, there are Northern lords. They exist!

(1:00:41) Not going to elaborate on this “the enemy brings the storm” business, Jon? I think most of the people in this room could do with a firsthand account of your fight at Hardhome, backed up by Tormund and crew…

(1:00:58) Now they’re just rubbing in the lack of North Remembers, by referencing Lord Manderly who didn’t do a damn thing in spite of the fact his son was murdered at the Red Wedding.

(1:01:20) Lyanna Mormont’s got a better grasp of rhetorical device than Ramsay Bolton did. “You refused the call” is working for her a lot better than “come and see” did for him.

(1:01:45) Oh boy. Politics. Ever the strong suit of the writers. There were ways this scene could have made more sense if they tried for it, and Lyanna Mormont’s speech hit none of them. The object of this scene, crowning Jon king, is fighting a steep uphill battle against precedent. If Jon is crowned while Sansa is alive (and, like, right there), every lord in that room and their wives have to worry about their bastard siblings and children. Lyanna Mormont’s speech does not address this important issue. All she has to say about Jon’s bastard status is “I don’t care.” Great. Solves everything. Not.

This speech could also have put forward a strong argument against Sansa, leaving the meat of the role to Jon by default (since none of the assembled lord here know Bran’s alive). Sansa’s been married into not one but two enemy houses. Sansa’s a girl. We need a strong (read: male) leader through the winter. Someone could bring up the fact that she’s been lying for months, to the very great detriment of House Stark (but that would have its own backlash with the Vale knights). Unpleasant and nakedly sexist, but within in-universe bounds thereof, not far off how book!Kevan was planning to shunt Cersei, Lady of Casterly Rock, to one side. I can see why the showrunners opted against that.

Or, Sansa could have given this speech. This makes it clear that Sansa’s exercising her own agency, abdicating her claim on Winterfell, and that Jon taking over is an exception to the rules about bastards inheriting. It’s also far better from a character standpoint, as by doing this Sansa would make it clear she’s picking Jon and House Stark, and fuck what Littlefinger wants.

(1:02:23) “I didn’t commit my men to your cause, because I didn’t want more Manderlys dying for nothing.” First, grr, not nothing. The Manderlys stood to benefit quite substantially from an independent North, as they hold the North’s only warm-water port and were angling to mint the North’s currency. (In the books, anyway.) Second, so what he’s saying is, if he’d been told the Knights of the Vale were heading up the Kingsroad, he would have committed to the Stark cauase.

(1:02:34) Jon Snow avenged the Red Wedding? The only thing we’ve heard Northerners say about the Red Wedding thus far is “Robb deserved it!” Not a peep about the other Northerners murdered in that slaughter. The Tullys were more pissed off about it!

(1:03:33) THE KING IN THE NORTH! Is seriously undermined by the failure to address the whole “bastard” thing, the fact that every astute political move he’s made in the past two episodes was essentially an accident by the writing staff, and his major fuckups in the most recent battle!

(1:04:09) Sansa’s sitting there, not saying anything, but looking very pissy again. Well, she could have said something. She could have been saying something all season. And she could have done things to reccommend herself as a leader.

I will say this for the Northerners. They may have picked an incompetent leader, but they at least picked a leader acting in their best interests and in good faith. Show!Sansa has demonstrated that she’ll do the exact opposite.

(1:04:29) Another very nice shot of the smoking Sept of Baelor, from Jaime’s perspective. Still don’t know when these scenes occur relative to each other.

(1:04:45) Oh my god. As if that first black outfit with ridiculous shoulderpads wasn’t bad enough, here’s another one! Now with even more ridiculous shoulderpads!

(1:05:58) Here’s where I’m going to talk about acceptable breaks from reality again. In a fantasy series, I honestly don’t mind if the writers let physics slide a bit. In many ways, that’s the genre for you. But fantasy lets physics slide so it can tell stories about people. That, for me, is the cardinal sin of any fantasy work - not telling a story about people. A candle going out instantly when it’s cut in half bugs me, but I can let it go. A city full of people standing idly by after their major religious institution and their beloved queen were blown up? Nope.

The Dorne scene almost has to be a flash-forward weeks after this event. Cersei should not be alive at this point. Mob rule should have overtaken King’s Landing. Why would even the Lannister guards follow Cersei after she blew up their holy place, and a bunch of their colleagues (since Kevan was there)? Where are the thousands of people who massed outside that sept to watch Margaery take a walk of shame? They’re not dead. They can’t be. Where is the mass protest? How can this coronation even happen under the circumstances? Shouldn’t all these nobles be run off their feet trying to defend their holdings in or near the city?

These people aren’t behaving like people, and I find it far less believable than a candle going out.

(1:06:27) Jaime, like Sansa, also finishes out his season looking somewhat pissy.

(1:06:49) Love this shot of Theon looking at the Greyjoy flag.

(1:08:19) The only complaint I have with closing out the season on Dany setting sail is the fact that Varys is here.

Game of Numbers S06E10

Deaths: 117. I know! This episode is less lethal than Battle of the Bastards! I’m as surprised as you are! Anyway, Qyburn kills Pycelle, Arya kills Walder Frey, and Tommen commits suicide. The other 114 casualties of the episode, including Margaery, Loras, Lancel, Mace Tyrell, Kevan Lannister, and the High Sparrow, are all Cersei’s work.

Boobs: 1.

Abs & pecs: 0.

Female butts: 1.

Male butts: 0.

Sex workers: 1.

Woman called ‘cunt’: 0.

Man called ‘cunt’: 1.

Tyrion drinks: 0. (He does have a decanter of wine close to hand, though.)

Cersei drinks: 1.

#anti got #fine toothed comb edition #cw: violence #cw: rape #cw: suicide #cw: abuse #cw: homophobia #who doesn't love a good nonsensical coronation #season six

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jonfarreporter · 5 years

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A gem of a movie that misses its mark is “The Miracle” from 1959.

At this time of year with Passover and Easter, seasonal favorites to watch have been the traditional ‘sword and sandal’ movies like ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘The Robe.’

Interestingly when these types of movies were made (which was right after World War II) in that time there were lots of movies with religious or semi religious themes.

Some historians believe that this was because after World War II people had a sense of gratitude for the end of the war.

In the 40s through the 50s and into the early 60s ‘sword and sandal’ - biblical or religious-themed movies were well received.

Among the most notable are epics like ‘The Ten Commandments,’ ‘The Robe’ and ‘Ben-Hur.’

One movie that debuted in 1959, in which all the elements of a religious or semi-religous epic was utilized was called ‘The Miracle,’ starring Carroll Baker and a then, very-young Roger Moore.

To this reporter, it is a gem of a movie. Yet it is under appreciated because as some film historians and critics point out, it was released just after ‘Ben- Hur.’

While ‘The Miracle’ lends itself to a well produced epic, the movie falls short in its lack of ability to emphasize a clear and well punctuated theme.

This reporter noticed immediately that even with its fine cinematography and wonderful costume and set design, it gets convoluted. It is extremely sweeping and alludes to a complexity that as I see it should be explained even if just a bit more, to an eager audience.

The issue here is that it’s main objective or so it seems is to describe the distinction between romantic love and mystical love.

For those who are not Catholic it’s hard to follow. But even those that are Catholic it takes a well-read and devout person, to understand the subtle and yet, complex lines within the story.

Initially it is about the young aspirant to the convent, Teresa. This Teresa of the story is loosely based upon Teresa of Avila. Teresa of Avila was A 16th century mystic in Spain.

While the time frame of the movie is set somewhere within the Napoleonic era it is not really clear which year the events of the movie take place.

Also, it is not clear exactly which religious order this Teresa is an aspirant to. It seems at first to be Franciscan, because the opening scene is for the blessing of the animals. The nuns are dressed in what appears to be a brown and white habit. But upon closer view, the brown scapular or apron which Carmelites wear is more mauve than a traditional Franciscan brown or gray habit that a Franciscan would wear.

Actually it doesn’t matter which order, but a clearer reference does help. Especially when trying to convey the mystical aspects. Each religious order has a mystical tradition.

The convent is in the fictional valley of Miraflores, somewhere outside of Madrid but the script never says exactly where. From this reporter’s point of view, the story seems real but isn’t.

The audience is being lead into some form of historical fiction, which is okay. But some clarity should have been stated.

Are the nuns cloistered? Or do they have contact with people? Again, are they Franciscan, or Carmelite? Elements of these traditions are implied. Yet It is never really stated.

Historically the Franciscans, the Carmelites and the Dominicans played a very vital if not domineering role in the religious culture of Spain. This Spanish culture made its way to the New World. And, then to the United States via the California Missions and the Pacific South West region.

Parallels between the Teresa in the story and Teresa of Avila in real life are very obvious to see; especially to a Catholic audience. But to an audience not familiar with that it’s hard to follow.

In the opening credits there is mention of a “Divine Mercy.” But the script (which includes dialog between characters, etc) does not state this clearly enough. Nor does it do so through action.

Carroll Baker who portrays the young aspirant/postulant Teresa does provide youthful emotion conveying a relationship with the spiritual that at times it is charming and convincing. But it then goes over to the melodramatic.

The scene where she speaks aloud to Blessed Mother Mary depicted in the statue in the church with the tile of “our lady of Miraflores” is tender. With prayerful expressions like “oh Mother Mary the only mother I have known,” the script does convey her affection for the life of the convent and the fact that she was raised by the nuns, having been left at their doorstep. This is sweet.

And, the fact that as a young woman she is drawn to the romantic and ultimately to the world is also nicely and accurately portrayed. Mother Superior, graciously understands this as she too read Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as a young girl of 17, “under different circumstances, of course.”

Teresa’s love of music, poetry and literature adds to her humanity amid the convent atmosphere and its dedication to “perfection and the holy rule of the religious order.”

A gust of wind also seems to have a role in this movie. But it is never really demonstrated clearly as to what it means. When a gust of wind occurs, change happens.

Is this a symbol of the mystical? The script and the action between characters never says for sure.

Like ‘Ben-Hur’ and other historical fiction stories, ‘The Miracle’ is based upon a previous film done in the silent film era. And it goes back to even an earlier version upon the stage by Karl Vollmoller, which he seems to have obtained from old European passion play type stories and legends of Medieval times.

The fact that the outline of this story was done previously long ago, tells why the $3.5 million dollar production is so well-made. Cinematography, the movie is outstanding and the list of actors/actresses to fill a cast of over 91 people is impressive.

But again, it is this vagueness and sweeping references that misses an important mark in story-telling.

The tyrant Napoleon has caused British troops to make their way to Spain to push the French and Napoleon’s egocentric forces back in their place. As a battalion of British soldiers stop at the convent to get water, Teresa catches the eye of a young officer, Michael Stuart, played by Roger Moore.

Baker’s simply beauty and Moore’s dashing charm are delightful to behold. Her distinctive voice and his elegant British accent are easy to listen to and the script adapted/written by Jean Rouverol and Frank Bulter serves them well. Together - Baker and Moore make the ideal couple for any paperback novel romance.

More than just a stop for water brings them together. He is then wounded in battle with Napoleon’s forces and is back at the convent to be nursed to health by...you guessed it, Teresa.

Yet, it is that “unseen” mystical element - that is an obstacle to their union. The conflict within Teresa between the romantic love she has for Michael and the mystical love she is believes in, is obvious.

Her prayers for his safe return to Devon, England his home go with him as she stands firm on the belief in this “mystical” or “Divine” love.

Yet, when romantic love takes hold, she rushes out to see him one last time in a gust of wind. Only to return to the convent chapel asking Our Lady of Miraflores to “show me a sign!”

As Teresa prostrates herself on the stone floor of the chapel, asking for guidance a gust of wind stirs the skies to rain and disrobing her nun-like attire, Teresa ventures out into the storm to find Michael at the inn in the village town, waiting for her.

But as she reaches the town, it is under siege by Napoleon’s men. Searching for Michael amid the chaos, she stumbles into a French soldier with lust on his mind. As he proceeds to have his way with Teresa, a gypsy woman appears.

She saves Teresa from a terrible outcome in the arms of the brute and brings her to the gypsy camp in the hills above the valley.

Right from the opening scene when the blessing of the animals takes place at the start of the movie, gypsies are present. They seem to symbolize the outside world and those on the fringes of a tightly-knit society.

Actor, Walter Slezak is among the principal characters in the gypsy encampment. He provides not only integrity to the plight of the outcasts but a sense of humor and sharp wit.

Teresa’s determination to find her beloved Michael is dashed when she learns from two of the gypsies that “an English officer was killed.” And, that his fine pocket watch (which Michael had shown to her while recuperating at the convent) was among the loot the gypsies had taken from the dead soldiers.

Angry, upset and seemingly confused, Teresa denounces her faith, exclaiming “I am not a Christian!”

Tattered and dusty, Teresa then finds herself between two brothers, rivaling for not only for stolen loot but also their mother’s love. The contrast between the earthy, bombastic, live-flesh and blood gypsy mother and the lofty Blessed Mary in the statue of Our Lady of Miraflores is striking. Especially, when the gypsy mother role is played by Katina Paxinou.

Her performance is electrifying as she is the type of actress who as one might say, “eats up the scenery.” Just her mere presence in the film without any dialog speaks volumes.

Why she favors Guido over Carlito is not understood. Yet, she knows the naive Teresa is folly for her sons. And Guido wins the affection of a reluctant Teresa as he convinces her to marry him, albeit sort-notice. Her faith no longer as strong she agrees.

Only, indadvertedly, Carlito’s jealousy brings the French to the gypsy camp to take his brother Guido away. Sadly, in Carlito’s short-sightedness he exposes the entire camp to danger and the vengeful French troops open fire on the people there.

Guido is killed and Carlito is given a bag of gold as reward for Guido’s whereabouts as a wanted man. This then spurs the gypsy mother to disown her remaining son by shooting him on the spot.

This distresses Teresa as she runs away from the gypsy camp and luckily finds help in the unlikely but shrewd gypsy Flaco, played by Slezak. Seeing her potential as a money-maker with Teresa’s gift of song and dance, they travel to Madrid.

There she meets a handsome matador and then a kindly old gentleman-aristocrate who help Teresa and Flaco gain access to the stage as “Miraflores - the Gypsy dancer and singer.”

What irks me most, is the fact that the script doesn’t really explain or try to illustrate the distinctions this young woman is making on a “spiritual journey” of sorts.

The matador is killed in the ring while his back is turned from the bull. This is yet another “love” taken from her. But what type of love was it? It wasn’t the love she had for Michael. And, it wasn’t the affectionate passion she had for Guido. So, was it a compassion? Was the matador an orphan of sorts like she was? Was it that that attracted her to him? The script doesn’t say for sure.

The old aristocrat Casimir is heart-broken when Teresa leaves abruptly with no goodbye. She respected him like a father, but yet, not enough to leave word as to her departure, why?

To me, Flaco and the gypsy mother are the only characters that speak clearly and plainly about life and are direct with Teresa. Everyone else is subdued or yields to Teresa’s belief (as Michael does) in this “mystical love” or “divine” love or divine mercy the story claims is the theme.

When the matador Cordoba is about to die, a mysterious wind kicks up, is this fate? Is this part of Our Lady Miraflores’ doing? It is not clear. Here again it is not exactly spelled out what the symbolism of the gust of wind actually means.

When Michael and Teresa meet up unexpectedly, after Cordoba’s tragic death, their love is immediately and passionately rekindled. It picks up right where it left off. Both are happy.

But when he tells of his experience being captured in the town while waiting at the inn for her; then escaping imprisonment, Michael mentions something unsettling. The statue of Our Lady of Miraflores is missing and a drought has befallen the valley.

Right away Teresa’s mood changes, her demeanor which had been full of undying love, now is once again in distress. Why exactly?

What did this life at the convent really mean to her? How can she discern the missing statue is a “sign?”

Michael is called away as his battalion is off to fight another skirmish with Napoleon’s forces. When the women say goodbye to their soldiers and officers, Teresa exclaims, “I can’t pray for him!” Why? The script is not clear. Yet, someone had to be praying for him as he faced certain danger.

While on the battlefield, he is exposed to gunfire and cannons, one cannon explodes within inches of him. Yet Michael is unharmed. His helmet gives witness to the intensity of the blast that should have killed him.

Yes, a miracle. But is this “The Miracle?” And, what about the mysterious disappearance of the statue and the Teresa in full habit as a professed nun that Michael saw when he returned to speak to Mother Superior to ask for Teresa’s hand in marriage? Is that “The Miracle?”

It is not clear. In reading some of the details provided by Wikipedia and other sources, it seems the production had problems. Namely, the film’s director, Irving Rapper.

He and actress Carroll Baker did not get along. And, according to Baker, as director Rapper was very hard and harsh with Moore, the tempers on the set of the production was bumpy. She admitted to being difficult. But, it seems the director’s frustration must have impacted the finer details of the film.

It has all the elements of a rich and colorful epic, with a tender romance too, just like in ‘Ben-Hur’ and ‘The Robe’ with Richard Burton and Jean Simmons.

Yet, as I see it the sweeping and broad liberalities in which this story with its complexities is left to vagueness is not gratifying. At least not by today’s standards. Contemporary audiences would need plausible explanations.

And, with regards to anything “spiritual or mystical” that too would have to have something tangible and earthy to make an audience suspend its disbelief, even if just for a brief but sweet romance.

Perhaps the missing aspects are expressed in the scenery, which surprisingly were filmed in California and makes the viewer feel as if they are right in old Spain.

And, most importantly, the missing aspects are expressed in the music. Composer Elmer Bernstein’s magnificent score is a masterpiece. It expresses the fine-line between romance and harsh reality, between earthly love, expressed between a man and a woman and that hard-to-pin-down “mystical love,” that all religions, not just Catholicism speak about.

“The Miracle” by Warner Brothers (1959) is available on VHS cassette tape and on DVD copy via the VHS release. Check online sources like eBay and others for details.

Thoughts, reflections and musings by journalist Jonathan Farrell

#Carroll Baker #Roger Moore #Walter Slezak #katina paxinou #The miracle #1959 #ben-hur #The Robe #Theresa of Avila #Catholicism #Franciscan #Carmelite #Dominican #Spain #California #sword and sandal #biblical movies #religion #warner bros

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mexcine · 5 years

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Cold War (2018) review: Having thoroughly enjoyed director Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida I eagerly anticipated his latest, Cold War (2018). Winner of Best Director at Cannes, nominated for 3 Oscars and numerous other awards, this is (like Ida) a period film set in Eastern Europe (partially, this time) and shot in black-and-white. Sadly, while there are many fine facets of Cold War, I did not find it as emotionally satisfying as I’d hoped. It’s still pretty great, but one has to manage one’s expectations about traditional film narrative, especially film melodrama narrative.

[WARNING: various plot spoilers throughout.]

The film deals with the romantic relationship between musician Wiktor and singer Zula over a period of several decades, beginning in 1949 and concluding some time in the 1960s. The cinematography, direction, and music are all excellent, but the narrative form of the film is oddly off-putting, if conventional film story-telling is what one is used to.

Cold War is broken into a number of sequences, each several years apart. These sequences focus only on the interactions between Wiktor and Zula--their lives apart are never shown in any detail, as if these characters literally don’t exist without each other. Except…the film takes pains to refer to major events in their separate lives: Wiktor becomes a musician in Paris, has several lovers, winds up in prison; Zula marries several times and has a child. The couple keeps reuniting and separating, until the (presumably unhappy) conclusion.

The film runs less than 90 minutes and in fact the narrative portion is about 10 minutes less than that, so that the initial impression one gets of Cold War is of a much longer movie that has had major sections removed. This isn’t the case, of course, but the huge gaps in the characters’ stories make it feel this way. The individual sections are fine--some indeed quite excellent--but there is so much left unsaid and unshown that it’s difficult to really get to know Wiktor and Zula and understand their passion for each other.

The plot in brief: in 1949, the Polish government sponsors musical group “Mazurek”-- the group will perform traditional Polish folk songs and dances. Musical director Wiktor falls in love with Zula, one of the singers. Several years later the group travels to East Berlin and Wiktor defects to the West; Zula fails to show up and is left behind. 1954: Wiktor is now a pianist in Paris. He and Zula reunite for one night when the Mazurek group appears in the city, and reaffirm their love for each other. 1955: Wiktor travels to Yugoslavia to see a Mazurek performance, but is detained by the secret police and deported, presumably on the orders of the group’s administrator Kaczmarek, who also loves Zula. More time passes. Zula has married an Italian businessman (“I did it for us”) and emigrated from Poland, moving in with Wiktor in Paris (what happened to her husband is never indicated). Although she has some success as a singer, Zula is unhappy with Wiktor and the overall Parisian milieu. She returns to Poland. Wiktor is caught crossing the Polish border and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Zula, now married to Kaczmarek and the mother of a young boy, uses her husband’s political influence to get Wiktor released (after how long? Unclear). Wiktor and Zula meet, “marry” each other in a ruined church, and commit suicide together.

Cold War is not particularly favourable in its treatment of its protagonists, especially Zula. While some of the circumstances which conspire to separate the couple can be attributed to “fate” (or bad luck), Zula starts the chain by failing to defect with Wiktor from East Berlin. Her motivation seems to be fear of change, fear of an inability to fit in, even though Wiktor encourages her and says he’ll be there to help her. Later, during their first reunion in Paris, she says “I’d never have gone without you,” pointedly criticising him for leaving her behind. (For some reason, Zula doesn’t defect at this first meeting in Paris, although it appears she could have easily done so.)

Even before this, Zula is depicted as a conflicted character. Having served time in prison for stabbing her abusive father, Zula confesses to Wiktor that she’s been informing on him to Kaczmarek, but hasn’t revealed anything damaging. Wiktor is shocked but doesn’t chastise her; if anything, this serves as an additional impetus for his plans to defect.

When Zula finally does leave Poland and join Wiktor in Paris, their lives seem fine for a time, but she ultimately rejects this life--out of jealousy, disgust with Paris society, or for some other unstated reason--and abandons Wiktor, telling him “you were more of a man when you were in Poland.” Wiktor, for unexplained reasons, tries to follow her (yes, she’s “the woman of his life,” but he had to know that sneaking back into Poland was a bad idea) and gets locked up. Zula, in her defense, does get him released early and then it’s time to commit suicide together. They can be together “on the other side.” [There are a few allusions to religion: in an early scene, Wiktor visits a ruined church; Zula says her first marriage “doesn’t count” because it wasn’t a religious ceremony; at the end, they “marry” in the same ruined church from the early scene.]

Cold War starts off with some overt political content--the group is convinced by a Party functionary to include a musical tribute to Stalin (even though their raison d’etre is authentic folk music) in exchange for permission to perform in East Berlin and Moscow. Wiktor’s escape to the West is accomplished easily, since this sequence predates the construction of the Berlin Wall (he just walks through a checkpoint), but his defection comes back to bite him later (when he’s also accused of being a spy for the British) and results in a long prison sentence. The sequence in Yugoslavia is amusing: Kaczmarek welcomes Wiktor to the performance venue, but has the Yugoslav secret police pick him up. Although “the Poles wanted us to send you to Warsaw,” the agents instead put Wiktor on a train to Zagreb (his ultimate destination Paris), suggesting no love is lost between the Yugoslavs and the Poles (and Russians).

I found myself comparing Cold War and Roma. Both are period pieces, with excellent black-and-white cinematography, but the similarities mostly end there. One criticism of Roma is that its very slight story is deliberately stretched over more than 2 hours of screen time. In contrast, Cold War’s extremely complex story is intentionally compressed into just over 80 minutes. Cuarón chooses to dwell on the details of everyday life, while Pawilkowski omits major events to focus on a handful of crucial interactions between his protagonists. There is no right or wrong in these choices, obviously: a director makes the film he or she wishes to make. Both Roma and Cold War are quite good in their own, specific ways, and neither is particularly “traditional” in form.

Lest my above criticism of the narrative structure of Cold War suggest that I didn’t enjoy this film, allow me to state clearly that I was in the main entertained and impressed. The performances are fine. This is really a two-character story (perhaps 2.5, if you count Kaczmarek), and both Tomasz Kot (Wiktor) and Joanna Kulig (Zula) are quite good. Kulig’s character changes more, physically, during the film, and while I found her makeup in the final sequence a bit over the top, in general she does an excellent job portraying Zula from a teen to a more mature woman. In contrast, Kot looks and acts basically the same throughout the film, and while he’s given less ACTING! to do--Wiktor has deep emotional feelings for Zula but doesn’t express them openly--he is fine in the role. Borys Szyc (Kaczmarek) is a perfect foil for the two lovers, outwardly congenial but secretly scheming for personal and political motives.

The recreation of the various locations and time periods is superb, as is the cinematography. There are some breath-taking images in Cold War. Special mention should be made of the music, which ranges from raw, folkloric tunes in the opening sequences to the more elaborate choral presentations and flashly choreography of the Mazurek group, as well as numerous jazz and lounge-music numbers in the Paris scenes.

Would I have liked Cold War to be 2 hours long, with additional sequences focusing on Wiktor and Zula separately, to flesh out the story? Well, yes and no. The film felt somehow incomplete as I was watching it, but after further consideration, I see what Pawilkowski was trying to do, and I accept it. Recommended.

#Cold War (2018)#Polish cinema #pawil pawlikowski #romance movie #zimna wojna

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acelucky · 6 years

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Exploring themes in mother! and Darren Aronofsky as an auteur director.

I’m gonna add a little note at the start - I started to write this back In january, I find when I don’t work on an essay properly until it’s done, it never really gets finished. I planned on writing this in a proper film theory kinda way but instead you’ve got a rambling half-essay, half-thoughts kinda nonsense text going on.

I first watched mother! in the cinema with my now husband, six people walked out as the film reached the climax of the second act, many did not. We went to the cinema that evening as I needed escapism from the real world, and although I found escapism within the walls of the multiplex, I was reminded

The metaphors are abundant, from how we treat the earth, to how wrapped up we can become in ourselves or more in searching for meaning in life, putting all our hopes into one idea or person. Some are, a little on the nose, but I think that’s the point. There are subtle references that you really have to be looking for, but the film was made with passion to tell a story and therefore I cannot be angry for making some of the references stand out. It is in a way, a variation of the oldest story their is, ‘The creation,’ which is also the theme of Aronofsky’s 2014 film Noah.

I have my biases, for sure, I have admired Aronofsky’s work for many years. But what he did with mother! was unique, bold, beautiful and in many ways, unforgivable. The film stays with you for days afterwards, the way the high and immediate low after a holiday lingers, you get over the initial shock, the pain after just a few days, but somehow it’s always there. You can’t switch it off, the memory stays with you.

The silence is what struck me, from the very opening of the film we experience the world through the mother’s eyes, there is the faint noise of birdsong and insects but aside from this the world is at peace. It’s perfect and calming in a way, but also a reminder of how deafening silence can be in a world so preoccupied by technology and noise, the sound of distant traffic, a train, fans in summer becomes like a comfort blanket to us. With the sound stripped away we become vulnerable, forced to listen to our own heart beat, to the voices in our heads.

Sometimes we need to take a moment to listen to the silence, whether that’s the sound of the world outside, the birds in the trees, water, a breeze… or whether it’s the beating of our own hearts. Time to reflect on what we have built up from the ashes.

Aronsfky is an auteur in the truest form of the word, I cannot help but compare mother! to Aronfsky’s other films that have many central and underlying themes;

Complex and intense relationships between the characters.

Fantasy, but not within the realms of the unbelievable.

A creator/God

The use of colour - whether saturated colours or the use of mute colours. Extremes often feature.

Music - With Clint Mansell as his go to composer, yet mother! omits all non-diegetic sound, even the credits leaving you feeling incased.

A quest - okay so this isn’t unique to one director’s films, or films in general. Most good stories focus on a quest, but the type of quest in Aronosky’s films can be catergorised in a similar way. Perfection, wanting to better oneself and the world around it. A quest for the unobtainable.

Perhaps this last point is the real horror in mother! but also in his earlier films such as Black Swan and The Fountain. There is a need for love, acceptance and above all to prove oneself before time runs out. But time always runs out, the pacing of Aronfsky’s films reflects life, our lives. At first the tempo seems slow, there is time to take time, to make time, to watch the world go by. But the older we get, the quicker time seems to fly by, our understanding of the concept of time changes due to the number of years we have spent on this earth and bearing witness to our own mortality.

When Jennifer Lawrence pleads, “Please don’t leave me” and is still left alone feels reminiscent perhaps of our own lives, when we have spoken to a god and hear nothing in return, no matter how desperate our words.

Throughout mother! there are small moments, gestures, items, that could easily represent things often overseen here on earth. Of course some of these symbols are obvious (such as the use of the snake in Noah) others are left for interpretation.

The breaking off of the door knob to stop others getting into the study - a metaphor perhaps for how we have destroyed parts of our earth, how some areas are now off limits due to destruction

When the blood stains won’t come out and grow when others are close,

We constantly ignore mother earth’s suffering, though maybe that’s twee.

No matter how strong the foundations, things can easily be destroyed, just like the house cracking at the end, this could easily represent earth quakes. Whilst earth quakes are a part of what keeps our world turning and are a natural occurrence - man made earthquakes caused by fracking are quite a different story.

It is the first part of the film that feels more like a horror than the gore itself in the Second Act. Whilst the Second Ace features all the horrific imagery, from depictions of war, jealousy, obsession, lust, pain, fear and the grotesque nature of man kind, there is an unease that slowly creeps up on you in during the First Act. It is the kind of unease that truly gets under your skin and remains with you for days afterwards. We witness Jennifer Lawrence’s character slowly loosing the peace her and her husband are used to, loosing her home, her husband and finally her child.

“Get out, get out all of you.” A line that harrows the truth that boundaries are important, even when it’s with those we love. Ultimately it represent’s Eve’s resentment of how we have treated earth, of the pain that man let in. I use man here on purpose, many comment on how it is Eve who takes the first bite of the forbidden fruit, much like Pandora opening a box, it must be women who are to blame for suffering. Yet it was Adam who was told not to eat the fruit, Eve was unaware of this warning and Adam looked on, watching her taste it before he dared.

Circular imagery is important throughout the movie, the forest around the house, the stairs. Everything represents earth and a centre.The theme of continuation, a spiral, something that has no clear defined beginning or end is represented through even the camera angles and shots that are used throughout the film. There are only three shots used, over her shoulders, faced on and continuously tracking. The shots are long, sometimes almost exhausting to watch.

In mother! we have the concept of God’s word speaking to all - “These words, I feel like they were written for me.” How many times do we feel the same? Whether it’s talking about religious text or lyrics in a song.

Numerous lamps are used to create soft lighting rather than main lights. Warm, like a mother’s love. The use of lighting to convey emotion is something that isn’t new to Aronofsky’s work, shadows play a huge part in Black Swan and The Fountain is full of warmth and rich tones that symbolise the earth. Much like the colours inside the house, the pallets that are being used to paint the walls are full of soft soil and sand like colours that represent the salt of the earth.

“This doesn’t belong to you,” When people are stealing everything from her house, people stealing all of earth’s natural resources.

The crescendo of the movie brings together the mania that paparazzi and fandom can create, there is a circle, almost like the eye of a storm where everything is sucked in and once you are a part of that movement it can consume you and make it difficult to separate yourself from it. In mother! we see how God’s love their ‘subjects’ and cannot let go, but the onus is on both sides as we witness the subjects unable to let go of their god, unable to part with something that may give them the ultimate answer, “Why are we here?” But the answer never comes.

Black Swan deals with perfectionism, for the lead character, Nina, that is her purpose, to be perfect, to dance in a way like no-one has before, it becomes her sole ambition and she becomes blind to the other things that make up her world, forsaking them for dance. In The Wrestler we see a similar story, Randy “The Ram’ Robinson, becomes fixated on his past self and being unable to let go of what has been. Instead of living out his life in peace and contemplation, he trains for another fight, seeking glory and fame. And in both The Fountain and Noah, religion is at the heart, there is a chase for something else. Whether that is the cure for cancer or the hunt for the holy grail in The Fountain or the re-birth if the world in Noah. Arronofsky’s films all have central characters who are on a quest that consumes them and solidifies their own ideal of their purpose on this planet. Aronofsky’s films constantly feature characters who have to find ways to ‘live with themselves’ and outside of these concepts we see them struggle to cope with identity.

Whilst Mother! does not address mankind’s purpose on earth, it explores the emotions that are attached to those ideals and in the end perhaps the suggestion that Aronofsky gives us is that it is okay to not put all our trust in a ‘god’ that maybe instead we should be looking out for one another. Maybe greed and selfishness are not ideologies we should feed into, but rather it is the planet that needs our protection, perhaps that is our purpose, to protect what we already have before it is too late.

And maybe that reading is, like some of the metaphors in the film, a little on the nose, but considering the themes of the film, it fits.

Mother! is a cinematic marvel, with two defined acts, the horror is too real, too close to home to bare at times. The silence is, as the saying goes, deafening It stays with you for days afterwards leaving you asking what did you just witness? Because mother! isn’t a film you feel you just watched, you experience it and bare witness to the horrors and warnings that are within. It felt true to all of Aronofsky’s work, in that the film brought together all of his usual motifs and ideals.

#film #darren aronofsky #mother!#film essays #ramblings

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realmermaidblog-blog · 6 years

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How to Be a Mermaid

Have you ever dreamed of having a mermaid tail and skimming by means of the water with the fish? Of feeling and looking like a real mermaid, your hair flowing behind you as you swirl and twirl underwater?

Effectively, it's doable right this moment to be a mermaid-though I am afraid I am unable to promise you can breathe under water!

No, I'm speaking a couple of new pastime which is rising across the globe, and it's known as mermaiding. Not just girls and women are doing it, but so are boys and males.

Many of us have been impressed by the well-known international model, Hannah Fraser, also called Hannah Mermaid. She dreamed of being a mermaid since she was 9 years old. As she acquired older, she began modeling. Ultimately she began crafting her personal full mermaid costumes and doing underwater photograph and video shoots. She now has three gorgeous, one-of-a-variety tails and lots of superb footage you possibly can view on her web site by googling "Hannah Mermaid." She has mermaided with sea turtles, dolphins, fish and whales!!! She has trained herself to withstand ocean pressure down to virtually forty toes, and she can gold her breath for 2 minutes.

It's also possible to do a search on YouTube for "mermaid" and you will find a number of people who are making and swimming in their own mermaid tails.

So now you understand about mermaiding, and you may't wait to get started. If you know the way to sew and have the time, you may make your personal easy tail. Sasha Mermaid has a beautiful YouTube video tutorial on "How you can Make A Mermaid Tail.

In order for you a tail but don't wish to sew one, you will discover a company which makes mermaid tails, tops and accessories. There are a number of out there, including a few eBay sellers. Prices vary from 100 dollars to over a thousand dollars.

Now that you've your tail, an identical high and maybe a seashell necklace or two, you might be able to mermaid.

The tails use a monofin, which is a single flipper which each your ft match into. It takes a little bit getting used to, swimming together with your legs attached together in your tail. Should you already know the dolphin swim, this is a great stroke to do with the tail on. But you need not know any special swim strokes-the tail with the monofin itself will trigger you to swim mermaid-trend. It looks very beautiful in the water, is fast and fun to do.

Now, to enhance your mermaiding, there are several expertise to master. First, it's worthwhile to swim, dive and do twirls within the water with out ever holding your nostril. In case you are used to holding your nose, your first step is to learn to blow out slightly when you first go beneath and study to not maintain your nose anymore. In the event you apply this quite a bit, however discover that there are occasions you possibly can't get by with out holding your nose or too much water comes in, I recommend you get a transparent noseplug particularly for swimming. You can slip it onto the top of your nostril and it'll hold the water out, it doesn't matter what you do in the water. Since it is clear, it won't draw consideration to itself.

Secondly, it is advisable to observe holding your breath for longer intervals of time underneath water. Use frequent sense and caution-do not let yourself get into danger or cross out. But from my research I've discovered that studying to carry your breath for long durations of time merely comes with observe and studying to loosen up within the water. The mermaid performers in Weeki Wachee, Florida, swim and apply each day. A few of them have realized to carry their breath as much as six minutes lengthy! Another mermaid mannequin, Mermaid Linden, hires herself out for mermaid performances and she has educated herself to carry her breath for 4 and a half minutes!

These costumes are normally worn by kids for Halloween or the kids get together however today, ladies demand costumes designed for particular events. If you're heading to an evening occasion or perhaps Halloween or simply to impress and surprise your associate, then you definately want a mermaid costume would carry out the female in your and looking out gorgeous.

A full size costume is most suitable and outstanding to be put on at the seaside or a particular night time with your accomplice. Additionally they comes with the half length which will cover your knees for better actions. It actually is dependent upon what length you need and it is very important select the proper one as the complete length mermaid costume may create difficulties if you are have interaction with extreme actions. Usually, you do not need to wear an extra bra inside since the mermaid costume comes with an attractive shell in form or beaded, relying on the whole costume design.

Equipment are also important to keep your mermaid costume excellent with a little decorations of beaded or shells necklace on the neck or wrist. Again, this costume is suitable to put on for seaside or pool aspect events, it might be put on for events like Halloween and of course costume parties. Because the mermaid costume is vivid and shinning sufficient to maintain all eyes on you, heavy and intense make up is just not vital. A lightweight make up will do to maintain it easy but lovely!

If you're thinking what to do with your hair, simply let your hair drop and put a flower at the side of it which makes you appear to be a princess. Nevertheless, if you are afraid that your hair would cowl up the great thing about your costume on the upper side, then tie a bun!

And the last essential factor to pay attention to is your shoe! Do wear any colour of heels which matches your costume, never put on palms or slippers which is able to spoil the whole mermaid look or if you're on the seaside then heels will not be obligatory in fact. Which actual mermaid wears heels anyway?

It was believed that a creature of higher human physique and lower fish physique had circulated the oceans again 5,000 B.C. In accordance with some religious myths, these mermaids rose from the depth of the oceans to teach man. A-well known historian and scientists, Pliny the Elder had documented the accounts of these 'real mermaids'. He was quite sure about the existence of this creature and known as them scaled and rough all over. After that conviction, thousands of fishers and sailors worldwide had reported of seeing the 'actual mermaids' swimming close to their ships.

In this context, Christopher Columbus also described his encounter with a 'mermaid' in 1493 at the ocean of Haiti. He said that these creatures came out of water slightly they usually weren't lovely as talked about in fictions. Later, in an antiquated text of history named as Speculum Regale, it was written around 1250 in Norway, the mermaids aren't depicted as pretty ladies however like a semi aquatic creature. In the thirteenth century, an individual Physiologus in his ebook of animal research had described about actual 'mermaid' consisting of higher woman body and lower fish physique. Later in the e book of Historia Monstrorum, the writer had reported the union of mermaid close to the River Nile.

In 1608, Henry Hudson had explored the existence of mermaid near the region of Russia. He described a creature looking like man from upper half having a speckled and porpoise like a mackerel. based on his view, this creature had white skin, lady breasts and long hair at back. Recently in 2004, a 'mermaid' corpse was seen in the ocean of Chennai after the account of tsunami. Nevertheless, researcher believes that stories about existence of actual mermaid are merely instance of confusion. Whereas other believes that mermaid is the actual creature that lives into depth of the ocean and now they've grow to be extinct as a result of environmental pollution.

Once you picture a mermaid one thing that might come to mind is their lovely jewellery, or seashell necklaces. Together with their magnificence, mermaids have always been associated with sparkling jewels and jewellery from the ocean. You'll be able to be part of them by getting your very own.

There are a lot of sorts of mermaid necklaces available, and in the event you go purchasing for one it is vital you realize all the totally different sorts available to you.

The primary type can be a necklace that will have a figurine or mannequin of an actual mermaid. This is best for those who love the elegant great thing about a mermaid and need to exhibit their favourite legend round their neck. You've a lot of options when you go together with this kind of necklace, for instance you will get silver, gold, white gold or virtually another material that regular necklaces are made in.

The second sort of necklace can be the type of necklace you would discover a real mermaid carrying. These are normally made from shells or other issues discovered within the backside of the ocean. Think about what kind of necklace you'll make should you had only the ocean to supply you. These are great for costumes the place you are going as a mermaid.

The third form can be necklaces which have little pendants or pictures of mermaids on them. You can have round or oval shaped pendants with an image of reasonable wanting mermaids or the rest associated to mermaids you want on them. There are a lot of differing kinds out there on the internet so there is no scarcity or drawback discovering one that best suits your needs.

Web will be in comparison with an ocean, which hides in its depths myriads of thinkable and unthinkable issues. That is an ocean, certainly, the ocean of knowledge concerned with all possible features of our life. And as such, the virtual space of world vast net is linked on to our materials world. Therefore, you'll be able to pull out of www virtually all the pieces you need: music, films, garments, furniture, tropical cruises, automobiles, philosophical ideas and real love: your boyfriend or girlfriend.

Important is just to know what sort of fish (or, maybe, mermaid or merman) you need to catch from these "waters", how to choose right nets, the place to deploy them, what sort of bait to make use of, and when mermaids/mermen come, how you can get one without scaring her (or him) away.

The anonymity of the www can go so deep, that you could be flirt on-line with an actual mermaid whereas pondering that this is just a lady. How you can tell? Effectively, word if she is aware of well about fish and whales, likes to sing and (beware!) proposes you to fulfill her on a beach or seashore.

Now, critically, no scales! For begin, and now I am talking about finding your greatest half on-line, it's a must to set your thoughts for the search. It is a most necessary place to begin: set your mind on who you want to find, thus far, to love! Every little thing else can be derived from this point. Normally people are discovering what they're in search of - this is a regulation of the Universe. So, before getting into this quest, it's essential to set your goals. To make things easy, better of all is to prepare an inventory, which is able to enable you to to determine what are the most important options that you just wish to discover in him or her, what kind of things it's possible you'll settle for or ignore, and, finally, what you really want to keep away from.

The technical approach to your search can be finished either by putting your profile on the relationship/matchmaking site, by looking by means of posted profiles and contacting those whom you found attention-grabbing, and eventually (the most effective strategy) by doing both and using totally different networks. Nonetheless, most important is to do all that proper!

When you find yourself posting your profile, describe yourself briefly however precisely, i.e. avoid any ambiguities. Present your private virtues, pursuits and life priorities. Your picture must be of high quality, large, recent (essential!) and actually showing the unique (the picture of your self in scuba gear taken from a passing-by motor boat would not give you the results you want, even when that is your favorite one). Additionally, you'll save numerous time for your self should you brazenly listing all character features, habits, etc. of potential candidates, which are unacceptable for you. "Married chronic junky" are quite common rejection key phrases, though, you would possibly assume to be more specific. Phrase of caution, though: if you'll slim down your requirements to somewhat as "I am looking for a model, who can be a role model in life", be careful: your potential match can be repelled by a thought that you're pushed by some inferiority advanced, which makes you too choosy.

Don't be shy, in the event you see a profile, which you really like, contact her or him first. By all means do not send a generic letter. Point out specifics which you like within the profile of this particular person, what touched you, why you're writing to him or her. However, do not let your self to be dragged into a long on-line trade. In case you are not searching for a virtual romance В Израиле нашли настоящую русалку (some folks do, but this is not what we're discussing right here), move to the following step as quickly as doable. Give your telephone quantity. Nevertheless, do not give your telephone number to anyone. Better: open separate cellular phone account for such calls only. This will value you less than changing both your house and cell numbers if you will run into some obnoxious drag.

Earlier than actual meeting, you need to talk to the particular person by a phone: there are a number of reasons for doing that. First, you need simply to listen to a voice. Sometimes this will inform you a lot, it can be complete flip-off, however do not put an excessive amount of into it. I had once a date with a woman who sounded on a cellphone like a drunken previous hag. I nearly hang up thinking that I am a victim of a prank, but natural curiosity gained, so I set the date, time and place for a gathering. One who sounded so badly on the phone in life appeared young and delightful girl, who made all men flip their heads when she entered the restaurant. Truthfully, my jaw dropped down after I noticed her: so much the precise appearance contrasted with the sluggish and squeaky voice which I've heard on the phone. Second, telephone talk may provide you with an idea on vocabulary and, therefore, social position of the individual. One young woman, a buddy of mine, had a week-lengthy trade with a man, who apparently enchanted her together with his writings. They determined to meet, so he referred to as her on a cellphone. When he called, his talk was saturated with so many unnecessary colloquial terms, that she became absolutely satisfied to not pursue this acquaintance any further. Evidently, that the meeting by no means occurred.

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