'Best of TBH Politoons'
Ralph Cuts the Classics #2
'Ran'
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"Ran" (pronounced "rahn" for all of you in the Midwest) is perhaps the most celebrated, if not most critically acclaimed, film of the distinguished Akiro Kurosawa, who died in 1998 after revolutionizing Japanese cinema. This is, evidently, an achievement only marginally more monumental than revolutionizing Canadian cinema.
The story behind Ran is, essentially, the story of King Lear. The Lord is old and tired and decides to divide the kingdom between his three sons. Now, according to patriarchal norms we should all know that this leads to nothing but chaos, because the central message behind Lear, and Ran as well, is that without patriarchy mankind devolves into chaos and wanton sex. You see, a strong masculine figure protects the peace as well as the weak. Only the youngest son understands this and begs his father to reconsider. He is the first one on the outs.
At any rate, the Lord, played ably by Tatsuya Nakadai in the best Shakespearean tradition, isolates his other two sons by insisting on keep all the privileges of Lord, even after giving up the responsibilities. The wily Lady Kaede, played by Mieko Harada, turns first one son, and then the other, against the old lord, bringing down the House of Ichimonji in spectacular fashion.
OK, I have to admit that I'm put off by the film's arch-conservative message, but hey, I'll give Kurosawa a break because it is, essentially, Shakespeare's story (with sons instead of daughters). However, Shakespeare did not include a misogynous characterization of woman intent upon destroying all order. Kaede, according to Kurosawa, is a real demon behind all the trouble, second only to Lord Ichimonji himself, who was lazy and complacent. It's generally hard to beat Shakespeare when it comes to patriarchy and misogynism, but Kurosawa manages to do it. Hoooo-rah.
You will rarely see a better use of color than in Ran. The cinematography is terrific, the acting (hard to pick up on in Japanese) is terrific, although I was constantly wondering if the "Fool", Kyoami, (played by Shinnosuke Ikehata, a popular transvestite actor) was actually Chairman Kaga of Iron Chef, as a young man.
Kurosawa was known for providing the plots for many American Westerns, but because it is an adaptation from Shakespeare, you don't get that with Ran. That's one of the reasons I recommend "The Seven Samurai" over Ran. It's still a samurai movie, but the plot's a little less offensive.
It is possible to ignore the deeper meaning behind Ran, but what you end up with is a bloody feudal Japanese action picture, ala "The Last Samurai". Ran is clearly more (and better) than that, if only because Tom Cruise
isn't in it.
Let's be frank, however, what you have in Ran is a high-brow Samurai movie. You don't even get Toshiro Mifune, the excellent acting fixture in most of Kurosawa's films (best remembered in US cinema as the submarine commander in Spielberg's 1941. It's bloody. It has lots of weak and repugnant characters; it's misogynistic and revels in the patriarchy. Women, if your man brings it home, it's not to show you he's cultured and into Shakespeare adaptations, it's to see a shoot-'em-up, slice-'em-up action movie that should offend your sensibilities as a woman.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Helen Thomas: If Cheney runs, I'll kill myself (worldnetdaily.com)
'All we need is one more liar' in White House, says veteran reporter.
Uwe E. Reinhardt: Who's Paying for Our Patriotism? (washingtonpost.com)
Last year kind-hearted folks in New Jersey collected $12,000 at a pancake feed to help stock pantries for financially hard-pressed families of the National Guard. Food pantries for American military families?
JOE MAHR and MITCH WEISS: Authorities abetted diocese in hiding sexual-abuse cases (toledoblade.com)
Police, courts let accused priests avoid punishment
Paul Krugman: Triumph of the Machine
(Click on "Columns," then on "Triumph of the Machine")
The campaign for Social Security privatization has degenerated into farce.
Angel Luna: Commentary: Caring for someone with Alzheimer's (The Athens News)
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It's 6 in the morning and it doesn't matter if I had a bad night or not -- my grandfather needs me.
Malinda Lo: Review of Kate Clinton's What the L? (afterellen.com)
Long beloved by lesbian and straight audiences alike, Kate Clinton has recently been compared to Jon Stewart for her brand of politically charged humor.
Kate Clinton: I Want My Gay TV (The Progressive; posted on kateclinton.com)
Good news for anyone chanting "I want my Gay TV!" We'll soon have not one, but three new gay channels.
Kate Clinton: Feeling Potlucky (The Advocate; posted on kateclinton.com)
I love Pride Month and all, but in recent years it's been missing something: the lesbian potluck.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Husbands and Wives
Shimon Apisdorf finds it very easy to say "I love you" to his wife, but he regards that as a problem. Such important words should not be said lightly, but instead they should be said with the deepest emotion.
A Clip From Kip
Rolling Stones
There are still tickets available for the Rolling Stones' October concert in
Tampa. They are $99 plus a $1.75 building-facility charge and a $15.35
convenience charge.
Convenience charge?
There was a time when, even at this absurd price, the concert would have
sold out in 10 minutes. But those Stones are dead. They have been replaced
by a bunch of pitchmen for home mortgages.
Did you see the commercial? Mick Jagger is on the stage, prancing to "Start
Me Up." In the crowd is this twit of a woman in a business suit.
"I'm an Ameriquest mortgage specialist," she says. "And whether your dream
is to buy a home, refinance or see the Rolling Stones, we can help. That's
why we are sponsoring the Rolling Stones' tour."
Where are the Hell's Angels when you need them?
For the rest, Rollilng Stones
Kip 1000000 Miles Away
********
"There ought to be limits to freedom."
- G.W.Bush, May 21, 1999
Thanks, Kip!
Purple Gene Reviews
'Seconds'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Wonderfully overcast morning - cool enough for a sweatshirt.
Does anybody have a link to the woman on the motorbike riding through Chernobyl?
A few summers back a couple of litters of kittens were dumped in the front yard.
We managed to adopt them all out except for Winkie, who has a peculiar habit of trying to suckle the bathtub faucet.
She's now taught her 'trick' to Sascha, the most recent dumpee.
Nothing like a trip to the bathroom & finding an audience.
Film Fest A Big Success
Michael Moore
It may not rival Sundance or Cannes, but Michael Moore says the film festival he conceived with other movie lovers in this Lake Michigan town was a bigger hit than expected and has a bright future.
The festival ran from Wednesday night through Sunday, concluding with "Casablanca" under the stars by the Grand Traverse Bay waterfront. It featured 31 films, most of which sold out, and panel discussions with Hollywood insiders.
About 20,000 tickets were sold for the indoor showings. Moore estimated total festival attendance - when the outdoor movies and panels were added - at 50,000.
Hundreds of local residents volunteered for jobs ranging from sweeping floors to selling popcorn. Crews refurbished the State Theatre, a downtown movie house that had been shuttered for years and served as one of three indoor sites for the film showings.
Michael Moore
Failing Health Delays Festival
Don Knotts
Don Knotts' failing health has forced his hometown to indefinitely postpone a parade and film festival in his honor that had been scheduled for Aug. 12-14.
A doctor for the 81-year-old Emmy-winning actor advised him not to travel from Beverly Hills, Calif., said Stacey Brodak, executive director of the Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Three events will go on as planned - the unveiling of a sidewalk star, the first meeting of the local Don Knotts Fan Club and a display of Knotts memorabilia.
Don Knotts
Performs Concert in Hiroshima
Carlos Santana
Saying he was on a "mission to ignite peace," guitar legend Carlos Santana played before a sold-out crowd at a concert Tuesday to mark the 60th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack.
The concert was one of dozens of events this city is holding ahead of the memorial ceremony on Saturday. About 50,000 people, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, are expected to gather in Peace Memorial Park for Saturday's anniversary.
Santana, joined by jazz greats Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, visited Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park earlier in the day. Last week, the trio played a similar concert in Nagasaki, which was devastated by an atomic bomb three days after the attack on Hiroshima.
Carlos Santana
Dedicates Park Named for Father
Aretha Franklin
Soul legend Aretha Franklin performed Monday for adoring fans during a ceremony honoring her father, whose name is now on a city park near her childhood home.
The City Council passed a resolution last year changing the name of La Salle Gardens Park to C.L. Franklin Park, named after the civil rights leader from the South who moved to Detroit and converted a 2,200-seat theater into a church powerhouse.
The Rev. C.L. Franklin died in 1984 after many years as a well-known local preacher and active campaigner with civil rights groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Urban League. He embraced the then-radical Martin Luther King Jr., helping organize a march in Detroit in 1963 as a precursor to the even larger one in Washington, D.C. that year.
Aretha Franklin
Vegas Hilton Extends Contract
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow will keep on crooning into 2007 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The hotel-casino has added 150 shows to Manilow's current engagement, Hilton executives announced Tuesday.
The original deal had the 59-year-old entertainer performing "Manilow: Music and Passion" for 24 weeks through 2005 and into 2006.
Barry Manilow
Wants to Fill Studio With Marthas
Martha Stewart
Calling all Martha Stewarts. The famous homemaker is scouring the country for those who don't necessarily share her homemaking abilities, but her name.
Producers of the hour-long syndicated daytime show "Martha," which premieres Sept. 12, are hoping to fill the studio audience with 150 Martha Stewarts for a special show.
Those with the name Martha Stewart or Martha Stuart can find information on the Web site. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 1.
Martha Stewart
Scuffle Over Scotty's 'Birthplace'
Scottish Cities
It is an unusual spat to say the least: four places in Scotland all vying to be the recognised home of someone not even due to be born for another 200-plus years.
Nonetheless, a spat has broken out over boasting rights to fictional "Star Trek" engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott following the death last month of the actor who played him, James Doohan, The Times reported Tuesday.
Linlithgow, central Scotland, was first off the mark, claiming as its own the character from the science fiction series set two centuries into the future -- the recipient of famous command "Beam me up, Scotty" -- soon after Doohan's death.
But now, the cities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Elgin have all made their own claims on the character.
Scottish Cities
Killing A Tradition
Anti-Choice Float
The York (PA) Jaycees have decided not to sponsor the traditional Halloween parade this year.
The Jaycees said they rescinded their offer to city officials because they didn't want to be involved in the controversy over a float sponsored by the Rev. Jim Grove.
Grove's anti-abortion float, "Dr. Butcher's Chop Shop of Choice Cuts," features fetuses and mutilated body parts.
Anti-Choice Float
Pirate Novel To Be Published
Marlon Brando
Little more than a year after Marlon Brando's death, US publisher Alfred A. Knopf plans to put out a novel that the screen legend co-authored 30 years ago about a pirate on the South Seas.
"Fan-Tan," which began life as a film treatment, will be published in early September, adding another facet to the legacy of the reclusive Brando who died on July 1, last year.
Described on the Knopf website as a "rollicking, swashbuckling, delectable romp of a novel," "Fan-Tan" was written by Brando in the 1970s together with the screenwriter and director Donald Cammell, who committed suicide in 1996.
Marlon Brando
Doubters Convinced by Tapes
Ivory Bill Woodpecker
Audio recordings of the ivory-billed woodpecker's distinctive double-rap have convinced doubting researchers that the large bird once thought extinct is still living in an east Arkansas swamp.
Last month, a group of ornithologists had questioned the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker, last sighted in 1944. They said blurry videotape of a bird in flight wasn't enough evidence. So a Cornell University researcher who was part of the team that announced the bird's rediscovery last spring says his group sent the doubters more evidence.
"We sent them some sounds this summer from the Arkansas woods," said John W. Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell ornithology lab. "We appreciate their ability to say they are now believers."
The doubters had prepared an article for a scientific journal questioning whether the bird had really been found. They now plan to withdraw the article, according to a news release from Yale University, where ornithologist Richard Prum was one of the doubters.
Ivory Bill Woodpecker
Won't Renew ABC-TV's Accreditation
Russia
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it will not renew permission for ABC-TV to operate in the country after the network broadcast an interview with a notorious Chechen warlord.
In a statement, the ministry said ABC would be considered "undesirable" by all Russian state agencies because of an interview with Shamil Basayev, which was broadcast last week on "Nightline."
The ministry called the broadcast a "clear fact supporting the propaganda of terrorism" and said it "resounded with direct calls for violence against Russian citizens."
Russia
Documenting New NYT Building
Annie Leibovitz
Photographer Annie Leibovitz, known for her portraits of celebrities, is documenting the construction of The New York Times' new Manhattan headquarters.
Leibovitz began the two-year project in July and is expected to regularly take pictures of the building's construction and initial occupancy as the Times and other companies begin moving in in early 2007, developer Forest City Ratner Cos. said Monday in a statement.
As the building rises, Leibovitz will scale the girders to take close-up pictures of the construction and panoramic shots of the city.
Annie Leibovitz
New Bill Clinton Spokesman
Jay Carson
Former President Bill Clinton has hired a new spokesman, a veteran of the Howard Dean 2004 presidential campaign and New York City's 2012 Olympics bid.
Jay Carson was also a former press secretary for Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and has worked for the Democratic National Committee. Clinton's office announced Carson's hiring Tuesday.
Carson replaces Jim Kennedy, who announced he is leaving to become a spokesman for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Jay Carson
Al Aronowitz
Al Aronowitz, a pioneer of rock journalism who introduced Bob Dylan to the Beatles, died Monday, his son said. He was 77.
Al Aronowitz graduated from Rutgers University in June 1950 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. In 1959, at the New York Post, he wrote a 12-part series on the "beat" movement.
In reporting the series, he became a friend of such early counterculture luminaries as poet Allen Ginsberg and novelist Jack Kerouac. "He really fell into the whole lifestyle," said Gerry Nicosia, author of the Jack Kerouac biography "Memory Babe."
The pieces have been described as early examples of participatory journalism, a technique perfected by better-known writers such as Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson,
The 1964 summit of the Beatles and Dylan came about as Aronowitz was covering the British band for the Saturday Evening Post. He also claimed that Dylan wrote "Mr. Tambourine Man" in his kitchen.
Al Aronowitz
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