what I’m reading, discussed and reviewed, and other reading matters, “on the way”
Wisecracker: So you read those Indian romance poems in English. They’re English romances, then.
Writer: It was a translation into English. Translation. Get it?
Humbled wisecracker: Pretty accurate, then. I mean, extremely accurate.
Writer: You got it. You better take a class, though.
Humbled wisecracker: Yes, I should.
Writer: On translation.
Reading some of the romantic poems and literature that comes out of India, I saw a lot of heart brokenness in the stories, when one’s sweetheart leaves. It then occurred to me that these stories reveal much tender feeling towards love and romance. They way that the love wasn’t tossed into the dirt to be trampled over or thrown into the ocean with a million fishes eager to eat it up. I found the sensibility, the sense that love is treated tenderly, better than many romances that get produced in the English language.
I don’t make a habit of reading obituaries or what is called the death notices, but as part of my reading The Film Year Book Volume 5 (edited by Al Clark), I am finding myself delving into the lives of who died in the film industry during the 1985-86 film year. It’s in these obituaries that we get a good look at how one’s life panned out in the long run.
The book’s obituaries are to the point and informative giving me a solid summary of the cast or crew member who died and many interesting moments of a life.
I was amazed at how the obituary columns came together, as back then the information was not as easy to come over as it is today, with the advent of the internet and what not. Without meaning to sound macabre, the work gone into them makes those death notices all the more special and awe-inspiring. I think I will never look at a death notice the same way again.
I have been seriously following film since when I was a teenager and I like looking back at what was on offer. They call it nostalgia, but I tend to think of it as joy. I have two reasons for reading old film books. One, is to be informed of past films I have missed, or films I would like to more about, or just find new titles to explore. Two, is to choose which films to see. They might be in the past, but I enjoy recovering the old and watching some of them. In terms of the present, I am an avid follower of what is released. At the present time, this is restricted to what is released on the internet. I must admit I prefer following what comes to theatres so haven’t been that diligent in swatting up on what films are on Netflix and Amazon. Some call this Old School–but I don’t have much interest in films that haven’t had a big screen release. As well, I am uncomfortable with the thought that movies that can be played on computer screens can be nominated for Oscars. I guess I am Old School.
Uncomfortably, I found 59 essays of the best films from the 1980’s a little daunting to digest right to the end, so I found a way of making sure I read the entire book to the last review. Glad I did.
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