Is that quote from Forever?
What other segue could be but: Taylor Tomlinson
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though, like, no one cares about this anymore’.-Timothée Chalamet
In fairness, oh meow ‘Chal’, it’s a sentiment musing a while in my mind. Musing not roasting. I mean, logic prevailing would you include Indy cinema that get no awards or box office barely streaming? Bare feet no en pointe? Or Criterion DVD’s? Who buys a DVD anymore?
Well: something to write about pre-Oscars. Or not! One can enjoy a very happy existence without social media and comment. And awards. Believe it or not! Watch out: Conan can gnaw into your brain long after the ‘get off’ music’s cannily no more.
The whole Chalamet ‘thing’ really’s more storm in a teacup if you watch the clip. The New York Times’ Dance Critic nailed it: Chalamet’s words, sadly, prove another point about ballet’s role in popular culture: The reason the mainstream media is talking about ballet this week is because a celebrity talked about it first. If a dancer said that a film didn’t matter, it would be like a tree falling in the woods…In Chalamet’s words lies a deeper point: It’s not that ballet isn’t important. It’s that the world can’t wrap its mind around finding its true value.
Unwittingly, Chalamet opened an enormous arguably unwritten book about the relevance of arts nowadays. There are pamphlets everywhere all types, alas some resembling even Wagner’s less finer moments of thought. Therein lies a movie!
Ignorance never bliss! Sad when living film legend Wim Wenders [head of this years’ Berlinale Jury] came under fire for reclaiming arts’ necessary counterweight to politics. Like he hasn’t lived through some of the most tumultuous times in German ney world political history! Why Wings of Desire so resonated throughout our world: film asking of us, what is it being human?!
It Was Just an Accident is perfectly case in point. Far from a labor of love watching this foreign subtitled movie. Or feeling virtuous. You couldn’t get more political if you tried! BUT! And this, I think, is a perfect example of film’s ‘Wenders’ counterweight to politics, same vein as Ken Loach and Mike Leigh. A specific tale becoming thus universal: what is it to be human? Is it black comedy or verging on it? Jafar Panahi isn’t interested the least bit in preaching. His tale could be set anywhere, anytime, anywho. Rather a ‘bummer’ being up against The Secret Agent for Oscar’s 2026 International Feature Film. Kleber Mendonça Filho’s totally different, complex, consummate film making style. For me, it’s Jafar Panahi: which one of his characters are YOU? Come on, be honest? Therein lies the brilliance. For whom the bell tolls…
A book worth reading, or re-reading, in America’s current political climate, In Defense of Elitism [1994].
“The positive side of egalitarianism, the will to tolerance, [must be] coupled with the positive side of elitism, the intellectual suppleness to tolerate and accept diverse elements in society while holding firmly to one's own values.”
Let the market decide, let the people speak? Hmmm..we have seen the results.
Once upon a time I met choreographer Pina Bausch. Serendipitously after a performance. She was curious. Observant. Non-judgmental. Reserved yet so warm. Her auditions demanded classical ballet training.
Alastair Macaulay’s Swan Lake.
Many ex-Juillard musicians never entering fame and musical fortune have oft reflected how invaluable that training, discipline so rewarded their separate lives.
More children keep dying of our world. More. More. An out of date military map. Collateral damage. And we are supposed to move on. Accept. Forgive. The Stringer provocative. Still relevant. The overriding question: how can humans in government live with such decisions. Humans. Sons, daughters, extended families. You are not Harry Lime in The Third Man. Are you asks novelist Graham Greene. Still.
Oh! And I haven’t even mentioned opera…:_
That last paragraph not skirting at all the issue. What Americans don’t quite understand is that culture in their country is as everything else. Commodified. Profit/loss. Things are. So not true for Europe, Asia, the South Americas. The U.K falling ‘tween two stools though there’s bedrock European arts disposition across political boundaries. In actuality when it comes to funding, the question always has been, should we even fund. And what even? So many organizations end up doing well, balancing the books in ‘American’ mode only to be grilled over such success and any further government subsidy need. Cuts, cuts, cuts. For what pray tell?! Perhaps American arts organizations dream such conundrum. Their constant fund raising: this is good for your soul, the souls of others. Our children’s minds. All minds. Good for your tax liability. Your reputation, etc etc. Bit by bit, putting it together…the art of making art…
Weird segue into reality: you’d think the model train collecting market share would be dwindling with A.I./ 3D etc etc. As a kid you were the driver. Now both kids and adults can thus be together in virtual realty! Yet global share size in 2023 of $4.5 billion rising to an estimated 2030 of $6.2 billion. Stats obviously vary. Those kicking themselves for trashing their vinyl/ cassette collection as it re-enters retro cash heaven.
In most of the world artistry will find a home. America has and most probably always brutal. Sherwood Anderson’s The Egg. There is no replica for witnessing in the flesh an opera like The Hours or Grounded. Sitting through 6hours of Philip Glass or 24hours of Wagner. Those of us who did are very spoilt, though rewarded for our courage and curiosity in comfortably sitting now at home with incredible vision/audio. It ain’t the same. Simply better with a free bar of choice.
To this day Simon Boccanegra still shouts. Our pirate dreaming of affecting change through power. A system he could never assail. The ill-got gold finally returned to the Rhinemaidens. u.s.w. …Hoist your sails into a Joyce DiDonato masterclass adventure. Emotional worlds far from dead though many protagonists ain’t far from a grave!
Guillermo Del Toro and the beautiful music in his outsider prodigal father creatures: operas of love. Still mind-blowing that an 18 year-old English girl could write FRANKENSTEIN. Not in some lonely garret but tracking down bad-boy Byron. Mary simply born with insight of darkness. And what a year 1816, Year Without a Summer due to the eruption of Mount Tambora.
