It was just a few years ago I last pruned the Viburnum that is in the middle of the wildflower border. I don't think it is meant to be a standard bush, but it looks better for a major prune, especially as it gives the plants below room to breathe. This is how it was in March.
The first daffodils were flowering in mid February as the photo at the bottom. Those are long gone, but these above by the dwarf wall are still in flower. They are a lovely lemon yellow with a white centre. No idea what they are called, but they are even out lasting the tulips.
They have also been overpowered by the Daffodil Cheerfulness White that I planted this year.
These have been deadheaded but the leaves still block out those still in flower. So when the foliage has died off, the bulbs will be replanted at the back of another border.
But here below is one of the first perennial in flower, the Heuchera Coral Bells.
All the Hostas seem to have survived the winter. The ones above and below at the side of the house are doing particularly well.
I thought the three in pots at the end of the side patio were struggling, but even those now they seem OK.
I then found those I had temporarily wintered at the very far end had survived.
These don't include three from the same place now transplanted to the very end of the main border under the trees.
This is probably their fourth place so must be getting dizzy with all the moving round.
My recent viewing of Paul Verhoeven's movie Benedetta (review to come later) reminded me that the score was written and conducted by Anne Dudley. I think I first realised that she was such a talented composer and arranger when I went to see the second Mamma Mia film. Her musical interpretations was why I went to see the film twice, now have it on permanent record on Sky. and then posted on this blog "Mamma Mia - Here We Go again - The Songs and Instrumentals in Order" on 28th January 2019. I also found that Anne wrote the score for the uncomfortable but brilliant movie Elle, also written and directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Isabelle Huppert.
So I was interested to learn more about Anne's work on films and found this Mathew Sweet podcast from 2017. It starts with the theme from Poldark, why would it not when Anne composed the score for all 42 episodes from 2015 to 2019. These five series have been a firm favourite of ours. After a short conversation about Elle (more to come later), we are on to another Verhoeven film Black Book from 2006. (I now find I have seen the last nine movies made by this director). There is also a mention of Anne playing keyboards for A-ha, although Wikipedia only mentions some string arrangements.
However, the next movie was a big hit Buster from 1988. Amongst the familiar songs, many with Anne's orchestral introductions, we have Phil Collin's Groovy Kind Of Love that we were told was given a helping hand with a trademark Dudley arrangement. We hear about the score for Robbie Coltrane's The Pope Must Die from 1991 and then 1992's Knight Moves. This dark thriller got the appropriate score. On to The Crying Game from the same year The Grotesque from 1995.
But it's Anne's Oscar up next. Winning the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score for the 1997 movie The Full Monty.
Apparently it needed a motley collection of instruments for that motley crew alongside the familiar songs. (Steve Harley's Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) is one of my favourite uses of a pop song in a movie). When American History X is discussed, we hear that almost religious ending called Benedictus. Also played was a clip from the score for the 2001 animated film Monkey Bone.
Amongst the many scores Anne has written for TV, there was mentioned Poldark (obviously), Kavanagh QC and The Tenth Kingdom. In 2006 cane Tristan + Isolde with an electronic based score. I loved the excerpt that was played and went back to hear it again. (Now bought the CD). We are briefly reminded of Anne's time with The Art Of Noise. She then gets to choose the classic score of the week and we hear John Barry's music from Midnight Cowboy. My post of 31st January ("John Barry RIP) starts with "John Barry was always one of my heroes... " from the John Barry seven onwards. My favourite was his theme from Out Of Africa.
Lastly we get to Elle from 2016. Anne tells us she is quite chuffed because Paul Verhoeven originally wanted to start the film with that scene of violence, and instead when he heard Anne's main theme started with that instead with some titles over a black screen, and then that attack. The track played was "Primal Scream" which still made me jump. All the music played in this programme is listed on the podcast. There are many films and tv programmes that Anne scored that were not mentioned, and obviously those that came after 2017 including Mamma Mia - Here We Go Again and Benedetta.
.jpg)
As a close contemporary of Gyles Brandreth, I was looking forward to reading about his life as a schoolboy in London in the 1950's. I was not disappointed. Although he is just over three years younger than me, I agreed when he says about his older readers "some of my memories might chime with theirs". They certainly did.
We might even have crossed paths, living as we did in West London. When he tells us that he was a choirboy at St Mary Abbots (the church on Kensington High Street), he may remember those monthly Sunday church parades for scouts and cubs. That was me carrying a flag. Although it has to be said. we were not nearly so affluent as Gyles. And although we both loved the theatre from an early age, for me it was only down to some great aunts for a Christmas treat.
Although the shrubs next to the side patio look as if they are all in leaf, on closer inspection I found some unusual flowers. Especially this one in navy blue that is nearly over.
As is this one.
These are just some of the bulbs that have flowered well this year. The very last photo is from some tiny daffodils that were blown over in the pots at the front and are much happier in a vase. Just before that photo are the Snakes Head Fritillary that did nothing in containers last year.
The front border has been at it's best over the last few weeks. On the far left is the Magnolia "Stellata". The flowers are nearly over now, but recently looked like this. not as good as previous years.
Next to it is the Photinia "Red Robin" with those bunches of crimson flowers.
Then the Viburnum "Eve Price" where the flowers are over.
But the Viburnum Opulus "Roseum" is only just coming into flower. That's the bush with the white flowers in the top photo.
At one moment the "heroine" of this film thinks she might be The Worst Person In The World. "I feel like I'm playing a supporting role in my own life". Sometimes you want to give her a good shake. Directed and co-written by Joachim Trier, at last we have an intelligent and moving portrait of a young woman looking for love in the 21st century "where an entire generation can seem so aimless and indecisive". Renate Reinsve is outstanding as Julie who is bright enough that she could be anything she wants to be. (I thought of Strindberg's Miss Julie?). But there is something in her psyche that makes her into a butterfly. Sometimes you just want to give her a good shake.
The best scene of the 12 chapters plus prologue and epilogue in the movie is when Julie leaves her partners event and walking home in the dark, gate crashes a big wedding party. Some chapters are stronger than others but they make a wonderful whole. Not sure we needed a narrator at odd times, but I did like the epilogue, too neat in some ways but I thought truthful to Julie's journey.
This was a Norwegian film where the subtitles were never a problem despite the vast amount of great dialogue, Renate actually won best actress and Cannes and was nominated for the BAFTA. At the Oscars it was nominated for Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay.
I was thankful that The Phantom Of The Open was so much more than a film about golf. It worked much better as a family drama. Mark Rylance gave his role as shipyard crane operator Maurice Flitcroft too much subtlety and depth, but then he would. Sally Hawkins was wonderful as his long suffering wife and was Oscar worthy. Then there was Jake Davies who I thought gave an excellent sympathetic performance as the eldest, successful son.
Well directed by Craig Roberts, the screenplay was terrific. It was written by Simon Farnaby (well known in this house for his role as the trouserless MP in Ghosts). He also played a Scandavian professional in a ridiculous wig. As did Rhys Ifans as the tournament director. It was all great fun.
As Ambulance was not. For one thing Michael Bay's film was far too long. Basically a one trick pony that needed daft repetitive scenes to fill out the running time. All the jerky camera work and excruciating soundtrack made my head hurt. There is one shot early on there the camera whizzes round and round the two leads for no apparent reason, only that very late on a sort of reprise. There were odd instances of a witty script trying to claw it's way out from the mayhem. I'm not a big fan of where the two leads, Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya_Abdul-Mateen_II (Yes) are crooks. Far better was Eiza Gonzalez as the paramedic.
Amongst that dreadful soundtrack came two superiors songs - Sailing by Christopher Cross (a big favourite of Alison's) and California Dreamin' by Bobby Womac. I guess they just couldn't face using the brilliant original by The Mamas and The Papas.
Shakespeare on Film was the latest episode in BBC4's award winning arts series. Apparently the film that started it all was Laurence Olivier's Henry V. The actor took over directing when William Wyler and Carol Reed ruled themselves out. Released in 1944 it was a rallying cry and a morale booster for the country suffering the deprivations of the second world war. It's patriotic tone was what was needed. I always loved the introduction in a replica of the Globe Theatre that cuts to the fields of Flanders. We were then given a preview of some iconic movies, from an epic Russian Hamlet from 1964 and Olivier's adaptation of the same play that won the Oscar for best picture. And Orson Welles' Othello.
Penelope Wilton made a brilliant job of narration. We were told about the days of silent movies when there must have been over four hundred based on Shakespeare plays. One surviving piece of film is actually a short advertisement for a stage production of King John starring the famous Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. The first Shakespeare film with sound was the 1929 Hollywood production The Taming of the Shrew starring Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Other versions of this battle of the sexes included Ten Things I Hate About You that I always thought was very clever.
There were, however, some notable failures including Roma Polanski's 1971 Macbeth. But Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet was popular and won awards. King Lear became an international favourite. We were shown a Russian film, then Akira Kurosawa's 1957 Throne of Blood and Ran. Next came Peter Brook's King Lear. This was his 1971 film based on the stage production from 1962 that I was lucky to see in London at nearly 18, it being on the syllabus for A Level English. Paul Scofield was in both.
Chimes at Midnight is an Orson Welles adaptation of five Shakespeare plays where Falstaff appears. It contains one of the greatest battle scenes in the mud. This was followed by some strange foreign interpretations of plays. Fortunately the final section included some of the best recent movies. Of course Baz Luhrmann's wonderful Romeo + Juliet was included among some modern versions of The Tempest. There was the one in 2010 that starred Helen Mirren as Prospera and Felicity Jones as Miranda with a supporting all star cast. But I was disappointed that the ending featured Star Trek - The Undiscovered Country. This was never a reference to Hamlet, only that it sounded nice, like quotes from other Shakespeare plays that littered the movie. They could at least have included the speech about the afterlife, The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns. Hamlet's monologue is one of Shakespeare's best.
Our Forsythia has never been that neat upright shrub you see in most gardens. Every year it seems to spread horizontally.
