first pick of the festival

The launch of the 2010 Perth International Arts Festival Program was celebrated at the Perth Concert Hall with a full-house.

Attendance at the Program launch is a must. From receiving the festival brochure in the morning post, poring over the offerings, attempting to set a budget, confirming and adding more choices during the launch, to meeting up with friends and colleagues that we may not have seen since the last festival.

Our first picks from the brochure were:

• Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes
• The Walworth Farce, Druid Ireland
• Etiquette, Rotozaza
• Good Morning Mr Gershwin, Compagnie Montalvo-Hervieu
• Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
• Sing the Truth: The Music of Nina Simone

After attending the launch celebrations, we would like to add:

• Lotterywest Festival Celebration with La Fura Dels Baus
• The Society, Jo Strømgren Kompani
• Six Characters in Search of an Author, Headlong Theatre
• 66A Church Road, Daniel Kitson
• Man of Aran, British Sea Power
• 13 Most Beautiful … Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, Dean & Britta
• Les Sept Planches de la Ruse, Compagnie 111 and Scenes de la Terre
• Children’s Choice Awards, Mammalian Diving Reflex
• Amadou & Miriam

Added to that are the Festival Films, Perth Writers Festival, and Visual Arts.

Phew! Now just have to get the money out and book.

The queues were long at the program launch, so having read that we could book online we enjoyed the refreshments and mingled.

I was unsuccessful at booking online as I hoped I persevered and attempted to work around issues as they arose, but finally hit the Contact Us button to view a HTTP Error 500 – Internal server error. Because friends said that we would not be able to choose our seats, I gave up with H promising that he would go into town to get them first thing in the morning.

see three more

It’s pretty dangerous having a BOCs outlet at uni. Got three more tickets today:

• Art & Today, Eleanor Heartney
• House of the Holy Afro
• Brad Mehldau Trio

Still got to get the Festival Films tickets.

the festival has started

The 2009 Perth International Arts Festival programme launch on Wednesday marks the beginning of the festival for me. Not only do we get to experience a glimpse of the festival, but the excitement of the events and activities to come is shared with some enthusiasm.

Throughout the evening, I found myself talking to complete strangers about the festival. Topics included: Welcome To Country, amazing didgeridoo playing, insights into the programme, presentations, and of course what tickets were you going to buy? Like the programme launch last year, BOCs set up terminals so that Friends of the Festival could purchase tickets then and there.

The formal part of the evening was held in the Octagon Theatre and the programme launch party was held in the Somerville Auditorium which was in a huge marquee surrounded by vintage cars, dance floor (with dancers), and live music. Food and wine were plentiful, but because the weather was cold and wet, those that wanted elbow room headed for the perimeter. The waitpersons all wore wigs to suit the theme, so they were easy to spot, but they too experienced difficulty making their way through the crowd.

We received our programme in the mail on the day, so it was already earmarked to take along to the programme launch. I got tickets for all that we planned, but I may get some more having seen the presentations.

Tickets so far:

• The Little Match Girl Passion, Paul Hillier’s Theatre of Voices
• Mixed Bill, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève
• A Secret in the Shape of a Song, The Triffids and Friends
• Samuel Beckett: Fragments, Le C.I.C.T. / Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord
• The Life You Can Save (Perth Writers Festival Opening Address), Peter Singer
• The War of the Roses, Sydney Theatre Company with Cate Blanchett and Robert Menzies

Festival Films are on from 1 December, so still plenty of time to get our ticket pack to start the season.

on the nose

The last couple of nights we have been to Cinema In A Cave to see the winning entries from the 2008 Sexy International Film Festival, albeit we did not stay for the fourth session.

The last couple of nights cinema viewing has got me thinking as to ‘what is sexy’? Just as I am continuing to ask myself ‘what is art?’ with regard to the living or biological art that is being revealed to me in the Aesthetic Crossovers of Art and Science unit.

We have been to Cinema In A Cave a few times now, and the films are of mixed quality, but there is always something that we will continue to talk/discuss/argue about. This to me is the sign that a film is worth seeing. Whether it is the cinemaography, sound, music, acting, genre, story, transitions, or just a film that gets you thinking.

From the 2008 Sexy International Film Festival, the most memorable (so far) are ‘Between The Sheets’. ‘Channeling’, ‘Je te Love’, ‘From Here to Maternity’, and ‘Corroboree’. However, the same films are not being shown on tour.

Jason Turley, Melbourne filmmaker and curator of the Sexy International Film Festival is now taking the festival to London, Paris, New York and San Francisco. So watch out for it if it is coming your way.

read it in the Sunday papers

Deep Water [1] is a docu-drama about The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race run in 1968. The race started one year after the first person had successfully circumnavigated the world with only one-stop in Sydney, Australia.

Fortunately, I only read a little on Wikipedia prior to seeing the film. Otherwise, I may not have been gripped by the tension built up in the documentary. The reason I sought information about the film, is that I wanted to determine that it wasn’t going to be a yatchys’ drama of all things gone wrong with the boat, and hence why they retired from or did not win the race.

When I initially searched for information on the film I ended up quickly scanning the Wikipedia page on Donald Crowhurst [2]. Without taking in much detail, I was satisfied that the film was more about the achievement, tragedy, and psychology of the entrants.

It is difficult to review the film or provide a synopsis without providing spoilers, particularly if you don’t know about the race at all. But I think there is more than enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and to keep you pondering the film for a few days after viewing.

Nine entrants set out in the race [3] to be the first for the Golden Globe trophy and £5,000 cash for the fastest. Only one finishes. The film is mainly about two of the entrants, Donald Crowhurst and Bernard Moitessier. The film is a documentary consisting of original material from the entrants in the form of logs, newspaper articles, audio, stills and video, and interviews with the entrant that finished, family, and others. Very little is recreated for the film, which if it was not a true story could have been described as a psychological thriller or adventure.

The construct of the film was to compare the inexperienced weekend sailor in Donald Crowhurst with that of the weathered and salty philosophy of Bernard Moitessier. The film was advertised as 92 minutes, and having seen many films over two hours at the Perth International Arts Festival, I think I would have liked to see more about the other entrants in the race. Other than that, I think it is a film worth seeing.

[1] Deep Water, official movie site includes production notes and trailer
[2] Donald Crowhurst , Wikipedia
[3] The Golden Globe Race, Boats.com

the metropolis

The inaugural lecture by Mark Bould, University of the West of England on The Very Modern World of Fritz Lang (PDF) forms part of the inaugural Institute of Advanced Studies Lecture Series.

We went along as the Metropolis was screening after the lecture. We had seen an earlier version (1984) with music by Giorgio Moroder and were intrigued to see a restored longer version.

The lecture was very interesting, and although I am not familiar with the subject and terminology, I enjoyed the presentation immensely. Bould began his presentation with explaining the Frankfurt School, briefly covered Fritz Lang’s earlier work, then focussed on Fritz Lang’s career in America. The presentation included video and stills from Lang’s films to demonstrate the various film techniques and methods, and quotes from the works of Theodor Adorno for comparison and contrast. Fritz Lang was referred to as a member of the “pulp wing of the Frankfurt School”.

The Metropolis was played from a DVD, but I’m not sure what version it was that we saw. At two hours, it certainly was longer than the 1984 version, and I’m pretty sure I saw 2004 alongside the music credit at the beginning.

One scene that I liked was when the camera focussed on the newly completed robot. The robot’s eyelids closing unevenly as if ’she’ was waking up. They looked very odd, not winking but sultry.

It was good to see a more complete story, and I must admit without Mark Bould’s lecture prior to viewing the film, it could have been less interesting. Although I have read that film buffs were divided on the rock-and-roll soundtrack that accompanied the 1984 version, if my memory is correct, I enjoyed that version more because of the pumping of the music with the machines of the metropolis. But then again, it maybe that I was influenced by the music at that time as I definitely remember Queen and Adam Ant were featured in Giorgio Moroder’s soundtrack. It may be good to see the 1984 version again for a better or near comparison.

Beauty in Trouble

With only four films left to see, Beauty in Trouble is the first film from the Perth International Arts Festival 2008 that has stood out from the rest that we have seen for being rather ‘ho hum’.

Apart from the music, it was a bit like Home and Away: The Film. This was one drama that was tedious and drawn out to 110 minutes.

The best that it has going for it, is that we can say that we saw (or will have seen) all the festival films. Yes, we stayed to see the end.

A memorable scene is Evzen (Josef Abrhám) demonstrating that even nice guys have a finite limit to the amount of empathy and tolerance shown to others, especially when their generosity is assumed as a given. Perhaps ‘Beauty in Trouble II’ will be realising that Evzen is still too nice.

wouldn’t you like to know

I was intrigued with the film Irina Palm, as I could not imagine Marianne Faithfull playing the part of a middle-aged frumpy woman.

Wandering around Soho in a daze having found out that more money is needed for treatment of her grandson’s illness, Maggie (Marianne Faithfull) applies to be a hostess at Sexy World. Finding out that a hostess does not not make tea and clear up, she declines the position but keeps thinking of the money that she has turned down.

Maggie reapplies for the job, and is so successful that she gets ‘penis elbow’ and earns the stage name of ‘Irina Palm’.

The underlying tension within the family and nosy neighbours in the English village where she lives means that Maggie keeps secret her new ‘profession’ much to the consternation of villagers who are accustomed to knowing everything about everyone. Even about uninteresting Maggie.

The fun begins when her ’secret’ becomes known, and the scenes with her bitchy friends are absolutely fabulous. Resolution with family is a little more renching, but Maggie is more certain and definitely not uninteresting.

The acting seems a little wooden at times, but the change in expression in Miki (Miki Manojlovic) from a scowling club owner that breaks with a smile when with Maggie/Irina Palm is believable as it is endearing.

If you are uncomfortable sitting in a very English living or morning room having tea with your friends and neighbours talking about the subject of wanking men off, then probably this film may not be for you. Having said that, I think people like Maggie’s snooty friends and neighbours are the ones to be worried about.

Couers

Festival Film ‘Couers’ opened at the Somerville last night.

Directed by Alain Resnais, Private Fears in Public Places (Couers) is adapted from Alan Ayckbourn’s play titled Private Fears in Public Places (2004). It is a film of a play, which provides the opportunity for the audience to see the drama from all angles with some interesting cinematographic effects. For example, the falling snow I felt was effective in making the transition between scenes and added to the atmosphere, and observing people in rooms without ceilings moving from one room to another.

Set in Paris during what appeared to be a snow storm, the drama revolves around six characters, seven if you include Lionel’s bedridden father Arthur who is always a voice in another room. There are some relationships and connections between the characters, but the film is more about six individual stories rather than one main plot with perhaps an underlying theme of looking for love or acceptance.

I was not sure whether there is any resolution for Nicola and Dan (Nicola’s fiance), brother and sister Thierry and Gaëlle, or Lionel (bartender and son of Arthur) and Charlotte (casual carer for Arthur and Thierry’s work collegue at a real estate business). Perhaps more it was a snapshot of ordinary likeable people (except for Arthur) muddling through and find their way through life. It almost had a Thomas Hardy feel about it with regard to fate and chance.

I suspect the French speakers around me got more from the film than I who needed the English subtitles, but I enjoyed its sometimes whimsical feel around what could have been a long drawn out soapy.

many scenes, three acts

Last night’s preview of The Turning (adapted from Tim Winton’s The Turning) at the Playhouse Theatre created and released tension in waves and challenged all my emotions.

With over 25 scene changes, the three hour production of theatre, music, soundscapes and film followed three generations of the fictitious Lang family from 1974 – 2001. If you are aware of the history, culture, and issues of the times, then there were also various amounts of cringe factor amongst the projected West Australian landscapes and images.

The multimedia created a powerful visual and auditory experience. Unlike a background, and moving from complementary to overpowering the actors giving me the feeling that the live theatre was sandwiched between overbearing transitions such that the acting appeared thin. However, I do recognise that the film provided an atmosphere that captivated the outside largess of the West Australian landscape bringing the outside onto the stage.

We were in the stalls in Row C. If you haven’t got tickets yet, get them at least a few more rows back so that you can see all of the stage. The projection screens on each side mostly showed the same images, but when they appeared different I found that I was turning from one to the other in case I missed anything.

The timing and scene changes in combination with the multimedia were admirably tight, but the production was not 2 hours 30 minutes as stated in the festival programme, It was over 3 hours 20 minutes (including interval). So it was a taxi home as we missed the last bus home.