Today in visual culture we looked at the work of the Pre-Raphaelites who were a movement created in the world of art and photography where the themes of 15th century painters were revived in the modern idiom.
The Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood featured the artists John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, James Collinson, Thomas Woolner, William Rossetti and Frederic George Stephens. They are recognised as the first British Art Movement and published a yearly periodical of their work called The Germ.
Their work was heavily influenced by The Legend of King Arthur and Shakespearian heroines. A lot of the paintings use the image of Dante Rossetti's girlfriend and later wife Elizabeth Siddal. Spotted working in a hat shop with her tempestuous looks and flowing red locks she was the perfect muse for the brotherhood .
The work owed much to photographs taken of their subjects. Another model to sit for the artists was Jane Morris the wife of Rossetti's friend fellow artist William Morris. Embalking on an affair with her was enough to destroy Elizabeth. She died young and was buried with a book of Rossetti's poetry. However in impoverished circumstances he exhumed the book only to find it had been worm damaged. He died quite a few years later of alcoholism.
The Pre-Raphaelite movement produced many great artworks but the best has to be The Lady Of Shalott by John William Waterhouse (pictured above) which perhaps I could describe as the muse to my muse!

Bowling For Columbine (2002) Current mood: blah Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Today in college we watched the Michael Moore documentary Bowling For Columbine which was an insight into what drove two boys from a school in Colorado to get hold of ammunition and kill twelve pupils and a schoolteacher.
The gun laws in the States are very different to the rest of the world as was spelled out by actor Charlton Heston at rallies presented on behalf of the National Rifle Association.
For some strange reason Heston always seemed to be in town in the wake of a gun tragedy. Another incident had occured in Flint, Michigan where a six year old had killed a schoolfriend of the same age.
It turned out that his mother had to work to pay off a debt and was regularly out of town where her son was left in the care of others. He'd found a gun and had taken it to school.
Michael Moore went to the Dick Clark Bandstand themed complex where it was revealed many employees of the cafeteria and restaurants worked for small reward. Dick Clark himself however having put his name to the complex had nothing to say of the matter.
It was revealed in nearby Canada that gun deaths were minimal and this was maybe because the national news wasn't full of scaremongering stories that put people in fear for their lives.
The creators of South Park mocked up a history of the USA's love of gun law taking us through the Pilgrim Fathers, slavery and the Civil Rights Movement that painted a picture of racism causing gun fury.
A tail end interview with Charlton Heston proved the man to be a bigot and an inverted racist who it was found had no rationale for having a gun other than it made him a bigger and better man. Absolutely pathetic.
Although I'm not a fan of Michael Moore's confrontational style I do think the bad guys in this documentary did themselves no favours. Especially the idiot whose brother bombed a government building who seemed to think sticking a gun to your head and spinning the barrel was a bit of a laugh!

Omnibus: Henri Cartier-Bresson Current mood: depressed Category: Art and Photography
Today at college in our visual culture lesson we looked at a documentary that celebrated the work of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Born in France in 1908 he was renowned for his action photography. One of the most famous of his pictures being "Man Leaping Over A Puddle".
There's a certain symmetry to the picture in that on a wall to the left there is a poster of a circus performer that mirrors the leaping man. Also the man at the railings is also symmetrical with the foreground image as is the reflection in the pool of the broken barrel staves.
It was what Bresson described as The Decisive Moment. Even publishing a book of his work with this title featuring a cover painted by the artist Henri Matisse a lifelong friend. Bresson always seemed to be in the right place at the right time and his work takes in a wide range of subjects taking in the Spanish Civil War and uprisings in Communist China.
With some friends including Robert Capa and David " Chim" Seymour he set up The Magnum Agency. His was a work he referred to as reportage. He was reporting through his photography what he was seeing through his lens. In effect capturing a moment in time. He was also a keen artist and it seemed he would have preferred to work in this field describing the difference between this and photography as like action to meditation. He likened himself to Renoir in his documentary style and said without his bad temper there wouldn't be his photography. We also saw posed photographs of Francis Bacon and Truman Capote from which he said he enjoyed seeing the silence within a person.
All in all it was an enjoyable documentary about the life of a great photographer though I'm not sure that the choice of music by his favourite composer Bach may have outstayed its welcome!

Psycho was actually a break from Hitchcock's normal fayre of repertory actors and big budget effects. Based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same name Hitchcock bought up thousands of copies of the book so nobody would know the ending. Audiences were also told not to reveal the outcome to their friends.
Janet Leigh puts in a sterling performance as the greedy secretary who decides to make a quick getaway when her boss entrusts her with money he wants depositing in a bank.

On the road to a richer life which she hopes to spend with her intended she stops off during a rainy night at the Bates Motel. This is to be her downfall as she encounters the slighly creepy owner Norman who supposedly lives alone with his mother.
The film is so famous I needn't say much more apart from the fact that Alfred Hitchcock truly was the Master of Suspense. From setting the scene to bringing the audience into the characters' lives Psycho is certainly a masterclass in film direction. I also love the highly dramatic music that at times reminded me of some of the cello work on ELO's first album!

What made it even better for me was seeing it blown up on the college wall. It was a bit like watching it at the pictures.

Captain Sensible-Revolution Now

Captain Sensible's third album Revolution Now is probably his masterpiece. When I first bought it back in 1989 it was like nothing I'd heard before. Of course Captain wears his influences on his sleeve and over the years I've picked up a lot of records that inspired the man himself. In particular albums from the Canterbury scene.

Missing The Boat is a sad little song that I thought about this morning after dreaming about a girl who I lost to another guy. It can't really be compared to anything I've heard before. Then there's The Shadows type instrumental Smash It Up Pt. 4 originally demoed for The Damned's Machine Gun Etiquette as a tail piece for Smash It Up itself. The Toys Take Over was released as a single in 1988 and was dedicated to the memory of Captain's daughter Bunty who died in a cot death. It's a nursery song with political points about giving children Action Man to play with alongside Teddy and Dolly. S.2 is a lilting instrumental that makes me think about watching a lost love walk down the aisle with her new man. Side one concludes with the Jimi Hendrix tribute A Riot On Eastbourne Pier.

Wake Up (You're Only Dreaming) is a punk pop hyperdrive classic while Green Light proves Captain knows a way or two with a Motown beat. The high powered soul backing vocals are what makes this song. Lib 2/3 is a surreal kaleidoscopic train journey collage with soundbites of political speeches that lead neatly into the title track which was the album's lead single and last release on A & M back in 1987. It's a rant about people who try to make a name for themselves through gimmickry such as Bob Geldof and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Phone-In is a backlash to some of the stupid remarks Edwina Currie was coming out with back in the late 80s when she condemned the homeless.

Side Three kicks off with a cover of The Equals' I Get So Excited which features one of its writers Eddy Grant on lead guitar. It's one of the best singles Captain ever released but was sadly a flop. Then there's the curious Vosene that is a condemnation of companies that support arms supplies to foreign countries. It features Captain's brother voicing naive opinions to a monotonous drone. The Kamikaze Millionaire is a dig at Robert Maxwell. It's a pop song that ended up being a live favourite and now and again is supplemented by a mock Maxwell House commercial that apes the Mirror Pension Funds that Robert Maxwell promoted. Exploding Heads and Teapots (Past Their Prime) samples Margaret Thatcher at a Tory Party Conference that leads into another pop vignette.

The Coward Of Treason Cove a side long collage of music, sound effects and samples is often cited as Captain Sensible's pop masterpiece that stands alongside The Damned's Curtain Call as a punk prog classic. It originally appeared on the B side of the 12 inch of Revolution Now.

This album has continued to inspire me over the years as I have used a lot of collage ideas in my poetry performances as a way of telling a story. Revolution Now is like Captain Sensible's life story on an album and features a lot of his friends and family as well as ex Damned band mates Paul Gray and Rat Scabies. A great addition to any record collection.

Best Of British

The latest issue of Radio Times has a list of the best British films of all time. Put into categories the British film board have selected the following as the best films of their respective genres;

Comedy: Withnail & I
Love & Romance: Brief Encounter
Social Realism: Billy Liar
Costume Drama: Henry V
Thriller: Goldfinger
War: The Dambusters
Horror: The Wicker Man

For me the list could never be that decisive. My opinions change on a day to day basis. As my friend Baz says it depends what mood you're in and things do seem to change in your life to the extent that a film you once loved you could now loathe.

I would say that the Carry On films are amongst the best British comedy has to offer so I will nominate Carry On Dick. Not sure why this one in particular but I suppose there is a sense of realism amongst the high comic moments of which there are many. It was also the last outing for regulars Sidney James and Hattie Jacques and the last proper performance by Barbara Windsor.

As for romance I don't think you can go far wrong with Gregory's Girl. All right I'm an Altered Images fan so I'm biased towards Clare Grogan but it's the sort of film that could only really be made in Britain. It also gives me hope whenever I feel unloved. The ending is particularly touching.

A Taste Of Honey starring Rita Tushingham was one of the best early 60s films made at a time when social realism was to the fore. It tells the story of a schoolgirl who gets pregnant by a black sailor. A nice little film that doesn't so much educate but inform. There's also great support from Dora Bryan as the girl's mother.

One film that is artistically beautiful to look at is Stanley Kubrick's costume drama Barry Lyndon. At three hours long it may seem a bit of a mouthful but it tells the history of a bit of a Don Juan played by Ryan O' Neal. It's the sort of film I couldn't imagine them being able to make now cos we're all a bit too satisfied with special effects these days.

My favourite film of all time is the Roger Moore thriller The Man Who Haunted Himself . It's hard to say why I enjoy it so much. Perhaps it's cos Roger Moore was a part of my early childhood. As well as being on television in The Persuaders he bought a house near where I lived in North Wales and he shares my father's christian name.

Baz mentioned A Matter Of Life Of Death as being a favourite film of his. It's one of mine too but it's hard to categorize. For want of a war picture in my top films I'll have to go with this. Starring David Niven it's a romantic melodrama set in the war but has a fantasy element too. The scenes set in heaven are filmed in black and white which make the film a sort of reverse The Wizard Of Oz. I don't think Powell and Pressburger ever really made a film quite as brilliant as this again.

Finally I'll have to go for The Company Of Wolves for my favourite horror. It's The Brothers Grimm meets An American Werewolf In London. Angela Lansbury plays grandmother to Little Red Riding Hood. It's spooky and violent and lush and majestic. There's some great cinematography worthy of Jack Cardiff and there's also a cameo from 80s goth chick Danielle Dax as the Wolf Child. What more could you ask for from a film!

So they're my nominations for best British films but you know tomorrow I'll have totally changed my mind. So what's for tea tonight beef burger and chips or...actually that's all I have in. Hmmph!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Is Is

Yesterday I picked up the new EP by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Titled Is Is it includes five songs the band have never previously recorded but have regularly performed in concert. There is a CD available but I bought the vinyl version. This format is presented as two 7 inch singles in a gatefold sleeve. Oh a word of warning; A sides play at 33 and a third speed.
Tell Me What Rockers To Swallow is the title of the band's live DVD and is where I first heard the song of the same name. It's almost certainly the best song here. It's accompanied on side one by Kiss Kiss which is a lot more mellow than the first track and shows off Karen O's vocal to the Nth degree. She's like a Karen Carpenter for the No Generation. On the flip we have Down Boy which is an out and out classic which almost takes the band into John Barry mode. It sounds like the theme for a film yet to be made.
Side three features the title track Isis which is like something from an Egyptian epic. I can imagine mummies escaping from tombs and excavators running for their lives. It's melodramatic, heavy and lush all at the same time. At this point I must also praise Nick Zimmer for his masterful guitar playing that doesn't make you miss there not being a bassist.While Brian Chase is a drummer extraordinaire who plays very much in the style of a PiL drummer. No surprise then that the producer is Nick Launay who twiddled the knobs on PiL's Flowers of Romance back in 1981. The final track is 10 x 10 which I also first heard like Rockers and Down Boy on the live DVD. This is where Karen's voice takes centre stage and it's the reason why I think this band are the best band in the world today.