Manhattan Inside: Films & Books

The rainy gray weather of the past week kept us inside, and we focused on seeing newly released films, heavy ones with religion at the core, but also the somewhat frothy Book Club.  We took the 6 line from 59th Street station down to Bleecker Street and the Angelika Film Center where we saw three of them.  I also found time to do a bit of reading.

FILM FARE

Book Club

This movie is funny and fun, a chick flic for the retirement set.   But it isn’t all fluff as there are some poignant moments midst the humor and the sex jokes.  And the four stars, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, are perfectly cast. 

Fonda is a rich single hotel owner, the kind of brittle stylish female she does so well.  Keaton is nervous and anxious, a recent widow, who’s being micromanaged by her adult daughters.  Bergen is the more sedate, serious one of the group. Divorced 18 years, she’s a federal judge who lives alone with her cat.  Steenburgen, a chef, has a recently retired husband who seems to have retired from any and all fun.

When one of their book group selects Fifty Shades of Grey for their next meeting, the fun begins as each woman in her own way shakes up her life or gets it shaken up (see Steenburgen’s flight).  Yes, there are men involved, and they provide the spice or the yeast or whatever metaphor you prefer.  As in all good romances, there is a happy ending!  See it, have fun, and end feeling good or, at least, happy.

On Chesil Beach

  Ian McEwan’s novel is short, more of a novella really, and I wondered how it could be turned into a full-length feature film.  The answer lies in the fact that McEwan, who wrote the screenplay, expanded the story to continue on from 1962 to scenes in 1975 and 2007.

The rendering of 1962 in all its youthful innocence is spot on as this young couple meets and courts and then marries.  They each bring baggage from childhood exacerbated by their difference in social class and compounded by their different expectations.  It’s unclear what Edward will do long-term while Flo is committed to a career in music with her string quartet.  What results is a wedding night neither would have predicted. The novel ends ambiguously; the film gives us the coda to 1962.  It’s beautiful, and at times, painfully sensitive, to watch.  Saoirise Ronan and Billy Howle star as the wedded pair.

ASPECTS OF FAITH

Pope Francis:  A Man of His Word

This documentary shows the human side of Pope Francis and both his compassion toward those less fortunate and his global concern.   It is, however, mostly talking heads, the pope’s primarily, as he and others give speeches and make pronouncements before Congress and at tragic events or situations in many countries.  It’s good, but not great and definitely too long.  It would have benefited from much editing.

First Reformed

This is a strange and weird movie that combines a troubled hermetic minister with a troubled environmental activist lawbreaker.  Set in bleak upstate New York, it is dark, dimly lit, and stark.  Reverend Toller, minister at the historic congregationless First Reformed Church, has a job there solely by the grace of the enterprising successful minister at the evangelical Abundant Life church.  Abundant Life owns 250 year old First Reformed.

Toller is divorced, grieving and guilty over the death of his soldier son, and berates himself for his perceived shortcomings.  He’s called upon to counsel Michael, at the request of Michael’s pregnant wife Mary, who is fearful about her husband’s dark tendencies.  How the lives of these three intersect around the issue of climate change and the future of planet Earth makes for a dark, disturbing film.  While the critics have accorded it high praise, I did not find it entirely convincing or satisfying. Ethan Hawke stars.

 

RECENT READING—HISTORICAL AND MYSTERY

White Houses by Amy Bloom

It is accepted knowledge that Eleanor Roosevelt had a very close friendship with journalist and reporter Lorena Hickok.  Whether that friendship constituted a physical affair is debated.  What Bloom has done in this sensitively written novel is to depict an affair based on Hickok’s reminiscences of their times together. The novel is set over several days in 1945 after the death of FDR and Hickok goes back in time to recount instances in their friendship, a trip she and Eleanor made together, embraces stolen in secluded corners, and her own years of living in the White House.

Reference is made to historical events and, we have Hick’s thoughts on FDR’s affair with Missy LeHand and his relations with other women.  We never have Eleanor speaking in her own voice; all is filtered through Hick. It’s a lovely novel and created based on Bloom’s extensive research into nonfiction works, correspondence and the like. (~JWFarrington)

To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear

I have liked some of the Maisie Dobbs better than others and thought some were more fully developed than others. This one I enjoyed very much.  The year is 1940 and Maisie is asked to find out why a neighboring family hasn’t heard from their son recently.  Joe is working for a painting company and usually calls home weekly. When he turns up dead, Maisie’s investigation takes her deep into the wartime letting of contracts and who shares information that is classified.  The secondary characters, Billy Beale and Sandra, her associates, as well as her friend Priscilla and family, all have rich roles in this book. Even the events surrounding the Battle of Dunkirk have a place.  (~JWFarrington)

Notes:  Images are from the web:  Book Club from deadline.com, On Chesil Beach from nytimes.com, and the photo of Roosevelt and Hickok from advocate.com.  Header photo by the author.

Manhattan Viewing

This blog post is all about seeing, and in Manhattan, there is so much to see–scenes of nature and water, famous art works, fabulous live theater, and even the occasional television program.   We had it all this week!

LIVE THEATER

Three Tall Women by Edward Albee (on Broadway)

Having the opportunity to see Glenda Jackson live on stage would have been reason enough to see this play.  I loved her performances in Sunday, Bloody Sunday, and as Elizabeth I in that early Masterpiece Theatre offering.  She then left the theater world for more than 20 years to serve in Parliament, only recently returning first to play King Lear (she always was an audacious actor) and then this role.

Jackson here is a crotchety, difficult, physically frail 91-year-old woman with a fulltime caregiver and a young lawyer.  These three women spar and verbally joust as A, the old woman, relives memories of her past.  Later we see that the three are the same woman at 26, 52, and 90+ years of age and, we hear how their experiences and their take on life shape what they become at each stage.  

It’s a powerful play about the ideals of youth, the disappointments along the way, marriage and infidelity, anger and bitterness, and the ravages of time and old age.  And it’s a superb production with a fabulous cast—Laurie Metcalf, of recent fame for her role as the mother in the film Lady Bird, and Alison Pill, a talented newcomer (to me)—join the inimitable and indomitable Glenda Jackson.  On a side note, I loved their purple and mauve dresses in the final scenes!

RETURN MUSEUM VISIT

It’s been some years since we last visited the Frick Collection and I’d forgotten how lovely an experience it is!  We began this visit by watching two videos, one on the museum’s collection of enamels (mildly interesting unless this is “your thing”), and the other, an introductory video about Henry Clay Frick, the man, and how he came to build this grand and glorious mansion.  It’s excellent and sets the stage nicely for viewing the art.

One room was built as a gallery and at 96 feet long and thirty-some feet wide, it’s an impressive space filled with oversize paintings and highly decorated furnishings.  In his collecting, Frick favored portraits and landscapes and there are several Turners and a number of Gainsboroughs, as well as works by Holbein, Van Dyke and Rembrandt.  He liked to pair paintings, individual portraits of a husband and wife either side by side or flanking another work or a fireplace. One example is the pairing by a fireplace of arch enemies Sir Thomas More and Oliver Cromwell, both painted by Holbein.

The soft green dining room  where Frick regularly hosted dinners for 26 (all men) is also pleasing, as is the room created solely for the purpose of displaying the 18thcentury Fragonard murals.

Except for in the Garden Court, no photography is allowed.  This enclosed space is serene and beautiful with marble benches and a fountain.  Perfect for when you need a break from all the marvelous art.

SMALL SCREEN

Unforgotten (Masterpiece Mystery).

This British detective series is thoughtful and not flashy.  Detective Chief Inspector Cassie Stuart and her team are tasked with determining the circumstances of death surrounding individuals whose bodies have been found unidentified and often forgotten.  Frequently, the death has occurred decades ago.  Cassie and Sunny (Sanjeev Bhaskar), her detective partner, must unearth family history, trace the individual’s travels and follow up in person with anyone and everyone with whom he might have been associated. If the death is suspicious, and indeed, they always are, then charges may be brought. 

Nicola Walker, the star, will be familiar to viewers of Last Tango in Halifax  while co-star Bhaskar was in Indian Summers.  Here Walker is the guv and the one with the responsibility for bringing a case to closure.  This is a series full of patient and methodical tracking and questioning as it delves into the psyches of both the deceased and his family.  I found it fascinating with the last episode extremely sensitive in its portrayal of the life-changing and lasting damage from sexual abuse.

Note:  Header photo view from Central Park and Garden Court photo ©JWFarrington.  Women photo from playbill.com and Unforgotten image from pbs.org.

Big Apple: Film & Art

Of the many pleasures of being in New York, we love to gorge on new films and explore the diversity of art on exhibit.  We saw two excellent films this week and joined the throngs at the Met for “Heavenly Bodies.”

GREAT CINEMA

RBG

A superb film. Although diminutive in stature and soft of voice, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a force to be reckoned with, and somewhat strangely, has become an icon for our time, “Notorious RBG”.  The film is both a salute to her accomplishments related to equality for women, and a history lesson for anyone who didn’t live through the 70’s when she consistently won the cases she argued before the Supreme Court.

Her spouse Marty, a most supportive man and “liberated” for his time; several of of her former law clerks; her son James and daughter Jane; and others such as Nina Totenberg of NPR; offer personal commentary on Ginsburg’s life and her character.  She is not a fan of small talk and is in love with the law.  After her first bout with cancer, she hired a personal trainer and regularly works out.  Driven and determined, she is a magnificent woman who has achieved much.  May she continue to serve on the court for many more years—at least six!

Disobedience

A quiet film of religion and re-ignited passion.  Lesbian Ronit left her conservative Jewish sect in London for a career in New York as a photographer.  She returns to London for the funeral of her rabbi father, but no one really expects her to dare to come back.  She is reunited with childhood friends, Dovid, a rabbi, and Esti, a teacher now married to Dovid, and invited to stay at their home.  Esti seems strangely distant and unwelcoming initially, but eventually the buried passion and love between the two women erupts.

Theirs is a strict sect with proscribed roles for men, but particularly for women, and Dovid and Esti each struggle with the disruption Ronit brings into their lives.  Shot in dimly lit interiors with lots of grays and muted colors, this is a sensitive and compassionate portrayal of a conflict between religious teachings and individual choice.

AT THE MUSEUM  

“Heavenly Bodies:  Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” at the Metropolitan Museum

I am not a Catholic as are, or were, most of the designers creating costumes for this gala exhibit.  And I probably don’t have quite the level of appreciation of the robes and mitres on loan from The Vatican as a Catholic would, but I was more impressed, awed, and delighted with this exhibit than I expected to be.  We went to the Met on 5thAvenue, but have not gone up to The Cloisters for the remainder of the exhibit.

 

Overall, the exhibit combines high fashion, sumptuous fabrics and beading, with the mitres, copes and other garment items worn by popes and cardinals.  The contemporary gowns, along with a range of elegant black dresses showing the influence of the nun’s habit on fashion, are displayed in the Byzantine hall. 

Downstairs in the Anna Wintour Costume Institute, are the vestments on loan from The Vatican.  The Catholic clergy were not restrained in their garb—at least not until the present pope—and there is elaborate embroidery, gold thread, and many instances of amethysts and other jewels affixed to mitres and robes.  Photography was not permitted  downstairs.

This is a stunning exhibit and deserves attention.  It runs into early October.

Note:  Cover image of Justice Ginsburg is an AP photo from motherjones.com; all other photos by JWFarrington.

Manhattan Jaunts

This week we’ve had some new adventures including a tour of a small historic museum, a jaunt over to Roosevelt Island, time in Central Park with our younger granddaughter, and even a film.  All food for body and mind as some days we’ve racked up 20,000+ steps!

HOUSE MUSEUM
Mount Vernon Museum and Garden is a former carriage house for a large house across the street. When the main house was destroyed by fire, the carriage house became a day hotel for seven years from 1826 to 1833. Today you can tour the house with a guide and see both furnishings and art from that early period.  

Most visits begin with a 12 minute video which explores the history of New York City and New York State in the 1820’s and 30’s including the building of the Erie Canal. The video is very well done and really gives a sense of all that was happening then. The population of New York during that time grew to about 300,000, but was all centered below 14th Street. The hotel at E. 61st Street was in the country and offered an escape from the noise and busyness downtown.

ROOSEVELT ISLAND
So near yet so far. Roosevelt Island is officially part of the borough of Manhattan, but it’s a world apart. Quiet, pastoral in parts, with few shopping and dining amenities.  But it’s also the site of Cornell University’s new tech campus, and the coming influx of graduate students will undoubtedly bring new energy and new eateries.

The island is connected to the city by a stop on the F subway line, but the more fun and picturesque way to arrive is by the tram from 59th Street.  Hovering above and alongside the Queensboro Bridge, it offers stunning views of the bridge itself, the city skyline and the water below.  The ride is just 4 minutes and is the price of one subway ride.  

We went over by tram on a lovely afternoon and enjoyed walking the river promenade, admiring the lingering cherry blossoms, scouting out baby goslings in Southpoint Park, and surveying Cornell’s striking new buildings.  The small visitors’ center also sells an informative map for just $1.

We saw only a few other pedestrians and even fewer cars or trucks. We would have liked to explore the Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park at the far end, but it’s closed on Tuesdays and it was Tuesday.  

Remains of Smallpox Hospital

A couple of historic buildings remain such as the shell of the Smallpox Hospital built in 1854 and the handsome and restored Strecker Laboratory (1892), now a power substation for two subway lines.  I definitely recommend this as a most pleasurable afternoon’s outing—a short jaunt away from Manhattan’s hustle and bustle!

WATER AND MUD
We spent a recent morning in Central Park with our two-year old granddaughter experiencing the Brooklyn Forest program for toddlers.  Developed in Brooklyn initially, it’s a gentle program that lets children play with sticks and stones, make mud pies in pails, and drop leaves, twigs and stones into a small stream.  Snacks take the form of apple slices, red tea, and warm bread.

The activity takes place in several different parts of the park (The Ramble) and ends with a round of songs with hand motions. Two teachers lead, but in a very non-directed way so that the children (about nine of them this time) with their parent or nanny discover things at their own pace.

WESTERN FILM

The Rider is a beautifully photographed film set in the vast expanse of North Dakota.  It’s the story of a young rodeo rider, Brady, who suffers a serious head injury which prevents him from doing what he loves best.  A blend of fact and fiction and feeling like a documentary, it stars the real Brady and his own father and mentally challenged sister.  There are some lovely scenes of Brady training a young horse as well as scenes of him with his cowboy friends around a campfire.  We see his recovery, his frustration with his physical limitations, and his efforts in a new job stocking shelves in a supermarket.

I did not realize until after the film was over that it wasn’t actors playing the key roles, but Brady and his family taking on this version of themselves.  Interestingly, the director is a woman, Chloe Zhao, from Beijing. The beginning is a bit slow as the scene is set and everyone introduced, but then it picks up.

Note:  All photos ©JWFarrington.