It has been a busy
week and a half, with routine medical appointments and still trying to catch up
from having been sick for a while. But we have managed to squeeze in some fun.
Last Sunday we went
to Film Forum to catch “Le Doulos” (The Finger Man), a 1962 film screening as
part of a Jean-Pierre Melville retrospective. I am still struggling with
reading so keeping up with the subtitles was not easy. In addition, it was
often the case that both the screen and the lettering were white, which makes
it nearly impossible to see. Hence, to be honest, I barely knew what was going
on, so I will share this brief summary I later read about the movie, which
makes a lot more sense now that I’ve read this. You can find more detailed
descriptions on line if you are interested.
Maurice Faugel has just
been released from prison when he kills his friend Gilbert Varnove. Maurice
then attempts to commit a robbery. The police appear and he tries to run but
the police shoot at him and he is wounded. He loses consciousness and awakes in
his friend Jean's apartment. He believes that his friend Silien (played by
Jean-Pierre Belmondo, the only actor with whom I was familiar) told the police
about his plans because Silien is rumored to be a police informant. Silien is
questioned by the police about the murder of Gilbert and the robbery before the
police collect Maurice from a bar where he is reading a newspaper report about
his girlfriend, Therese's death. Therese has been found in her car at the
bottom of a quarry. Silien is released and goes to meet his ex-girlfriend
Fabienne. With Fabienne's help, Silien frames someone else for the murder and
robbery, leaving Maurice in the clear. Maurice is released from prison and
discovers that it was Therese who told the police about the robbery and Silien
and Jean who killed her. Maurice reveals that he killed Gilbert because Gilbert
killed his girlfriend Arlette four years ago to keep her quiet. Silien returns
home but once Silien has left, Maurice remembers that he hired a man to kill
Silien because he thought he had betrayed him and chases after him.
So basically, this
movie went from one murder to another, with the star, Jean-Pierre Belmondo,
dying in the final scene (he had shot his killer, who managed to fire that fatal
bullet at him before his final collapse). This really was quite a dark view of
the world, probably best not taken too seriously.
A couple of months
ago we had tickets for a New York Philharmonic concert in David Geffen (formerly
Avery Fisher) Hall at Lincoln Center that we were unable to attend, and were
able to exchange them for another concert this week. There were just two pieces on the program. The
first was a piece by Arnold Schoenberg, “A Survivor from Warsaw.” I am
including here the program notes as well as the text of the piece. The notes
tell of his conversion to Lutheranism in his early 20s and his return to
Judaism in his late 50s following the Nazis’ rise to power in 1932. While I
have to admit that Schoenberg’s music does not comfortably find a way into my
ears, this was a very compelling performance.
The second piece was Beethoven’s Symphony #9 in D minor. Most of us who grew up in the United States in the 1960s are familiar with the second movement of this piece, which was the “theme” for the NBC Nightly News with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. And then there is the very famous 4th movement, commonly known as “Ode to Joy.” I have attached recorded versions of both here, as well as the text of the 2nd and 4th movements.
There was a huge orchestra and chorus on the stage, and all in all it was quite an experience to see this performance. This composition was quite an accomplishment, especially when you remind yourself that Beethoven was deaf when he wrote it! If you ever happen to have a chance to see it performed, I would highly encourage you to do so.
We are expecting a lot of rain here in New York over the next few days. We have some friends coming to join us for lunch tomorrow who fortunately live near by.
Be well, all.
Love,
Rebecca
No comments:
Post a Comment