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71
Athol Fugard discussion / Re: My Children My Africa in South Africa
« Last post by Iain Fisher on May 11, 2023, 12:21:13 AM »
Artscape Arena presents My Children! My Africa! from 12 May- 5 Jun 2023.

The actors are Dobs Madotyeni (Mr M), Lungile Lallie (Thami) and Jenny Stead (Isabel).  The director is Marcel Meyer.

"Written during the twilight years of the apartheid regime, Athol Fugard’s seminal 1989 play, My Children! My Africa! presents a candid and moving portrait of a country on the verge of revolution".

For more details click here.
http://www.iainfisher.com/fugard/fugard-news.html





72
Sarah Kane discussion / Re: Sarah Kane’s Theatre of Psychic Life
« Last post by Iain Fisher on May 10, 2023, 06:06:55 PM »
Hi,

I haven't read it, sorry.  It costs £85 (£70 second hand) and London libraries don't have it.  I could try suggesting to the library that they order it, but I doubt they would order it given the costs and limited appeal.  I suspect it will be available in University libraries, though the one I tried didn't have it.

It is for me too much for a book I have yet to find reviews on.

By coincidence I just found a launch event for the book on 25 May 2023 "join us for the launch of Leah Sidi's new book Sarah Kane's Theatre of Psychic Life: Theatre, Thought and Mental Suffering, followed by a drinks reception. This is a hybrid event, supported by the UCL Health Humanities Centre".

Book author Leah will be joined by Dr Hannah Greenstreet (University of Liverpool) and Dr James Rákóczi (Durham University) for a discussion about Kane's relationship to feminist theatre, mental health, and the medical humanities.

Details are here
https://www.eventbrite.co
.uk/e/sarah-kanes-theatre-of-psychic-life-theatre-thought-mental-suffering-tickets-624348191247
73
Sarah Kane discussion / Re: Sarah Kane’s Theatre of Psychic Life
« Last post by Linus on May 07, 2023, 02:42:52 PM »
Hello Mr. Fisher!

I was wondering if you've read this book and if so, what are your opinions on it?
74
Sarah Kane discussion / Sarah Kane in Education
« Last post by Linus on May 07, 2023, 02:40:56 PM »
Hello!

I wanted to ask what your opinion would be on including Sarah Kane's plays in schools? More specifically in secondary education (ages 16-18). If you think it could be done, what are some considerations you can immediately think of that might be important to make?

I am myself a teacher student at the moment and have an avid interest in Sarah Kane (and In-Yer-Face theatre) and I'm curious if it would be possible since her plays do concern some very deep issues!
75
Savage Messiah: Ken Russell / Gothic on Blu-ray
« Last post by Iain Fisher on May 05, 2023, 08:49:42 PM »
The British Film Institute (BFI) will release Gothic on blu-ray on 11 Sept 2023.  No details yet of extras,
76
Savage Messiah: Ken Russell / Re: Celebrity Naked Ambition on tv
« Last post by handyfragges on May 05, 2023, 06:33:34 PM »
I find it a bit odd that there are articles ranking actresses based on their nudity in movies. It can feel like a way to objectify these actresses, especially when the focus is on those who have made a career out of it. However, I do appreciate when articles recognize the actors and actresses who have chosen to do nude scenes https://nuderole.com/video/fanny-targioni-tozzetti-nude-leopardi-2014/ and the agency they have in their decisions. It's important to remember that nudity on screen can be meaningful and serve the story, but it's also crucial to question why it's included and whether it's truly necessary or just for shock value. At the end of the day, it's about respecting the choices of the actors and actresses while also being critical of the industry's motivations.
77
Savage Messiah: Ken Russell / Re: Celebrity Naked Ambition on tv
« Last post by handyfragges on May 05, 2023, 12:04:58 AM »
I think it's kind of strange to make a list of top extended nudity in movies. It seems a bit objectifying, especially when the article is talking about actresses who have made a career out of it. However, I do appreciate that the article acknowledges Helen Mirren's longevity in the industry and her willingness to do nude scenes throughout her career. It's important to remember that actors and actresses have agency in their choices to appear nude on screen, and it's not necessarily always exploitative. But at the same time, it's also important to question the motivations behind why nudity is included in a film, and whether it's truly necessary to the story or just gratuitous.
78
Savage Messiah: Ken Russell / shoddy Wikipedia article on The Music Lovers
« Last post by Iain Fisher on May 03, 2023, 11:41:11 PM »
The wikipedia article on The Music Lovers list various negative reviews.  One is quoted
"vulgar, excessive, melodramatic and self-indulgent . . ."

The "..." cuts out the words "Tchaikovsky's music is indeed all of these things, yet gloriously so, and the same goes for Ken Russell at his freewheeling best"

The full text is "vulgar, excessive, melodramatic and self-indulgent: Tchaikovsky's music is indeed all of these things, yet gloriously so, and the same goes for Ken Russell at his freewheeling best. The director's first composer biopic for the cinema approaches Tchaikovsky's scores as the expression of extreme emotional turmoil. The drama is at fever pitch throughout, from Peter's disturbing recollections of his mother's painful demise, through fear of exposure of his homosexuality to his misguided cover marriage to social-climbing Antonina Milyukova. Chamberlain doesn't quite have the range required in the central role, though his keyboard skills are impressive, even if it's soloist Rafael Orozco we hear on the soundtrack, while Glenda Jackson is at her most physically committed as the ill-fated Antonina. The whirling camera, mercurial cutting and fantasy interludes capture the music's heady mood swings. It's not subtle, but it is all of a piece" (TJ, Time Out, 10 September 2012, click here).

This is shoddy misrepresentation of the review by TJ, of Tchaikovsky and of Ken Russell.

The Wikipedia article is here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_Lovers#Reception
accessed 3 May 2023

The genuine review is here
https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-music-lovers
accessed 3 May 2023
79
Steven Berkoff discussion / Updates to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
« Last post by Iain Fisher on May 03, 2023, 02:14:21 PM »
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

"Tiny as a sparrow, fierce as an eagle, Lisbeth Salander is one of the great Scandinavian avengers of our time, an angry bird catapulting into the fortresses of power and wiping smiles off the faces of smug, predatory pigs... Her appeal arises from a combination of vulnerability and ruthless competence. Lisbeth can hack any machine, crack any code and, when necessary, mete out righteous punitive violence, but she is also... a lost and abused child"




Click here (near bottom of page)
http://www.iainfisher.com/berkoff/berkoff-film-2010s.html
80
Savage Messiah: Ken Russell / Updates to The Mystery of Dr. Martinu
« Last post by Iain Fisher on April 29, 2023, 02:06:57 AM »
A major update to Ken Russell's television film on the Czech composer Martinu.  "The Mystery of Dr. Martinu subtitled A Revelation by Ken Russell from 1993.  This is Freud meets Buñuel´s Een Chien Andalou meets Hitchcock (Spellbound and Vertigo)".

Click here (bottom of the page)
http://www.iainfisher.com/russell/ken-russell-tv-secret-lives.html

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