"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" by George C. Wolfe (2020)

OK so I am slowly capitulating and it took me forever to warm up to Netflix but there is really no point of resisting anymore - this is reality and it looks as everything else is actually eclipsed by what this platform offers: in the past, I resisted because of my lifelong love for watching movies in the cinema, but now being what it is, cinema is not an option and who knows will it ever be again - my gut feeling is that eventually cinema will simply metamorphose into home watching and cinema as such might be the thing of the past. I welcomed this movie with great anticipation, not only because of its cast and the buzz behind it, but also because it was based on a celebrated theatre play + did I mentioned that I am great fan of 1920s Classic Blues so everything here is right up my alley. 

Contrary to thousands of people who never heard of Ma Rainey and her legendary contemporaries (now you can find all these youtube introductions and explanations like its something that no one could ever find before) I was well aware of them, in fact there was a time when I was passionately collecting their music, back in the day when one still had to purchase and collect music on physical format - I was buying CDs and books about this music and it was my hobby, unlike today when kids have to click on Spotify and find everything online for free (and still need a Hollywood movie to tell them about it). I do return to my Blues ladies from time to time, but nowadays I feel as it was a chapter that thrilled me before, almost like a love affair from years ago. Several years ago there was a TV biopic "Bessie" with Queen Latifah in the main role and for some reason it failed my expectations - it had all the right ingredients (based on a famous book that I own, good cast, female director, etc) but felt overtly deferential to the point that characters were one-dimensional. I started suspecting that this brilliantly exciting period has not been properly investigated because people are too sensitive about being politically correct and in order not to offend anyone, they either romanticise it or skip it completely (or, like in "Bessie" case, just make a cartoon out of it). 

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is a 1982. theatre play by American author August Wilson - whom I am unfamiliar with and who sounds very interesting from what I had read about him. The play itself is now adapted for a movie screen but its theatrical roots are still very visible - and this is what I love about the movie. Instead of trying to squeeze a life story into a two hours, the play focuses on one particular afternoon in recording studio where Ma Rainey and her musicians have to record new music for the growing "race market". As expected, it does have a bit of "stage" feeling but the director George C. Wolfe does his best to move the camera outside of the claustrophobic, hot recording studio and capture some truly magnificent exterior scenes of 1920s Chicago. The story starts with backing musicians arriving in the studio and their chatter - while waiting for the main star, they joke, laugh, argue and reminiscence about their past - there is a hot headed, young trumpeter (Chadwick Boseman) who is a prototype of a slick, young wannabe in his ridiculously fancy shoes and he basically goes on everyones nerves because he is the one rocking the boat. Older musicians resent and laugh at his cockiness but when you think about it, its people like him who usually brings changes and turn this world. Ma herself arrives much later and the rest of the movie is electric exchange between her and the young musician - there is a push-and-pull energy between them, with disastrous results.

The moment musicians started their chatter in the recording studio I felt this is a great theatre, not unlike from what I heard in "Death of a Salesman"  - when several people have meltdown simultaneously. There is a tons of little details that I might explore later on subsequent watching - exploitation of black artists by white producers and managers, lesbian affair that Rainey obviously have with some unnamed sweet young thing, the tension between northern and southern blacks, the back and forth between artists and money makers, great soundtrack by Branford Marsalis and the amazing shadows in characterisation of main roles of both Rainey and young cocky trumpeter. While Boseman has a explosive presence and lots of energy (he is all laughter and eye twinkling, dancing young hustler) Rainey is more of a massive, tired Earth mother - although this particular interpretation of Rainey is more like modern idea of "sassy black mama" (dominant, salty and aggressive) where in reality, she was known as a very gentle hearted and supportive + she would never dared to talk to white businessmen like this. There is only one hint that Rainey might be caring (because she insist on payment for her stuttering nephew), otherwise she is portrayed as a genuinely demanding prima donna. It is an interesting thought, why the characterisation of her as a domineering Diva seems to be more appealing to modern audiences than some other possibility - for example, judging from what we know about her life, she could have been portrayed as a illiterate, lonely divorced woman who found escape from the crushing poverty in a show business that gave her freedom to be financially independent. And since she ended her days returning to church, its obvious that she always yearned for social acceptance and spiritual peace that this nomadic lifestyle could not satisfy. There is so much more colours in everyone's life, not just black and white but so far the movies have been unable to escape one-dimensional portrayal. Still, I have no complains - this was much better experience than Bessie Smith biopic and I loved it, will watch it again.  

"Miracle on 34th Street" by George Seaton (1947)

Last night I treated myself with this classic, old Christmas movie - I have probably seen it before because some characters appear vaguely familiar but who knows, I might have also seen just a few scenes previously - in any case I was completely on my own on Saturday night, the city streets were deserted and just as during he last Spring, people appear to be all hidden behind their walls. Everybody is terribly busy with their projects so I felt a bit crestfallen since I don't have any important things to do, everything is closed and without a genuine, human contact its getting a bit depressing - one thing is taking a breath from the crowd and enjoying one's own space but living in a Apocalyptic city with absolutely no one around is completely different story. 

Well, one way or the other, I ended up on "Miracle on 34th Street" which was just a perfect movie for that evening. It pulled me in, it cheered me and made me giggle, made me forget about reality. Sure its classic old Hollywood and I see nothing wrong with it - elegant people who are dressed nicely and living in a lovely homes, living some fantasy lives and having cooks & nannies conveniently hidden in the kitchen. Its kind of 1950s Doris Day movie except this one was done just a little bit earlier. Maureen O'Hara and John Payne are neighbours and he is trying to win her over by being nice and charming with her precocious little daughter (no other than Natalie Wood). Payne easily finds out that O'Hara is single mother who tries to bring her child firmly realistic and not believing in fairy tales that later just "bring disappointments and break hearts"  so he wants to introduce her to playfulness and lighthearted fun - one of the things he does is to introduce her to costumed Santa Claus who traditionally sits in the department stores and entertain little kids. And here we come to the real heart of the movie because white bearded Edmund Gwenn is so perfect as Santa, that after initial amusement and gentle suspicion, we actually start believing that perhaps he IS Santa Claus. The movie cleverly never pushes this subject too far and it leaves to the audience to make their own conclusion but we understand that this is not about Gwenn, its about Christmas itself and what it means to people, specially little children who needs magic in their lives. When Santa eventually ends up in a court, the judge Gene Lockhart  understand that his decision might costs thousand people their jobs, not to mention all the kids who would be broken hearted. So we come to the very lovely, old school Hollywood magic ending and I loved all of it. Perhaps little Natalie Wood gets a little bit annoying towards the end, but she was only 9 and was following director's instructions so I am not taking this against her. 

What this beautiful old classic did for me was that it reminded me on the magic of old movies that I always loved and it served as a beautiful escape from this sad reality around us. I loved it so much that I might just enjoy some more of it, specially as its all available online now.  

"The Crown" (season 4)

So I have binged almost every evening - treated myself with two episodes nightly with some Sangrilla that made me feel totally compassionate for Queen Elizabeth II and usually after few glasses I perfectly knew what she went trough and how she felt - on the other hand, four seasons is four seasons and I started to feel slightly saturated with the whole thing - even found myself skipping some scenes because it just went on and on. Every season had its highlights but this is the first time I noticed a certain padding just to make the episode longer. 

At this point I got so used to Olivia Colman that I almost completely forgot Claire Foy (who comes as a flashback in one scene) - Colman does wonders with what is basically a very ungrateful characterisation of a stoic and dutiful middle-aged woman who hardly ever shows her opinions or emotions. Her perfect match is Gillian Anderson in a role of the first UK's female prime minister and when these two lock the horns, its a white-hot duel and a highlight of the whole season. Both ladies are strong willed and fight in a silk gloves, bouncing and dancing around each other - you get the impression that Elizabeth never met someone as Thatcher. They are just perfect. The rest of the cast pales in comparison to them - everyone has a scene or two, an episode where focus is on them but honestly I didn't really care for anybody else. Both Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin as ill-matched Charles and Diana eventually become tiresome - as Elizabeth herself once said, they are both spoiled, immature and endlessly complaining unnecessarily. I guess this will be a focus of the future season but I kind of dislike them both and have no patience for such whinny, entitled aristocrats who are so busy with navel-gazing that they expect the whole world must be focused on them. While media loves to portrait Diana as a victim, I do think that despite her youth, she got what she wanted - Charles was never a dashing prince and obviously his main attraction was in his social position - once things soured, both found themselves bad-tempered and demanding attention, where in fact two mature, confident people would just turn the blind eye and keep their private life secluded. Another link in the chain is somehow obscured role of Camilla Parker Bowles who was in fact very important in all of this and how she managed to be adulteress all awhile married to her husband and dating Charles. At this point the family suddenly doesn't look so nice anymore, you get the impression they are Mafia in their own way. Now I need a break. 

Marjana Deržaj debut LP (1960)

"Let's dance Rock and Roll!" cheerfully announces Slovenian songbird Marjana Deržaj and than goes straight into some wild Dixieland that has absolutely nothing to do with Rock - it is clear that Rock mentioned here meant more like latest dance novelty, Cha Cha Cha or Twist. We are still in pre-Beatles era when artists on the old continent mostly hark back to previous decade, old-style jazz and doggy in the window - even the song itself is cover of Italian original (Adriano Celentano) so its kind of second-hand Rock, as translated in Italian and than re-imagined again for Slovenia. 

Deržaj is of course forever associated with breath of fresh, modern pop sound in her native country - one of the first artists in post-WW2 era, she embraced Western sound, dances, lighthearted fun and basically family mainstream entertainment - not unlike some Slovenian Alma Cogan or Teresa Brewer - it was all terribly urban and modern for audiences back than, specially her hit "Vozi Me Vlak V Daljave" that in hindsight seems to have been not about the trains at all. It is bit unfair to judge her recordings today because they all sound very dated - this is pre-Beatles era, when artists were perpetually cheerful and Deržaj is not an exception. She is actually perfectly fine for a song or two, but the whole LP is a bit too much - her Dixieland band and backing vocal quartet Optimisti are suitably energetic on such old chestnuts as "Careless Love", "Jeepers Creepers" and 1950s hits by Perry Como and Paul Anka. Make no mistake, this has absolutely nothing to do with Rock but is instead a nice, polite and swinging collection of 1950s hits. 

Ancient Egypt

 

"The Crown" continues (sesons 2 & 3)

So as the whole world suffers lockdowns, stress, anger, frustration and whatnot, I am getting along somehow and spending my evenings watching "The Crown" - it is something I could have not enjoy earlier because back than I was working on the cruise ships and had no access to internet or Netflix. And truth to be told, I had resisted Netflix for the longest time because I didn't want to become "one of those people" who never leave the house and preferred going to cinema with friends. Alas dear reader, the times became so dark and depressing that either cinema closed completely or my friends all hid behind their walls, or both. So with public places basically closed, with absolutely no one in deserted streets, with cold December upon me, I had a curious peek at this TV show, liked what I saw and continued with a second season.

Season 2 was in fact, even better than the first one. I must really compliment the actors, specially Claire Foy as young Elizabeth II and her feat is even bigger when you check her TV interviews and find out that she is in reality such a sweet, charming and completely spontaneous young person, nothing like a dignified, controlled character she plays in the series. True, I enjoyed the other actors as well (specially Vanessa Kirby as princess Margaret) but for me it was all about Foy and her very strange combination of sternness and vulnerability, I could just watch her forever. As the TV show suggest, her younger sister might had more flair or more public success but it was a serious, focused and hard working Elizabeth who was constantly doing all the work without ever showing a trace of strain, tiredness or indisposition. The series suggest that royal courtier are the ones pulling the strings, but Elizabeth mostly does what she wants without making too much fuss about it - no matter what they all politely suggest, or what her sulky husband might bark, at the end its her decision and you can bet she would always consider the feelings of others. I just love how she professionally welcomes all these new prime ministers who are constantly coming and going - this is her job, she does offer them a hand and smiles politely, listen what they had to say and than ring the bell, goodbye. 

Season 3 did something I had not expected and bravely changed the whole cast to represent ageing of the characters. It is quite epic, I must admit and great idea to present Elizabeth life story trough a prism of whole new actors portraying different chapters. Initially I was not so sure and I sat there sulkily but not for long - the new cast is brilliant and Olivia Colman brings a new colours to Elizabeth who is still serious, still firm, still vulnerable under all that cellophane but now she is middle-aged. (And again, surprise to see Colman in real life who is completely adorable chatterbox and nothing like this role). Tobias Menzies has ungrateful role as her sulky husband with too much time on his hands, though there is one episode where he goes trough a mid-life crisis and I must say he was genuinely brilliant. Helena Bonham Carter comes in as princes Margaret but this time around I found the character one-dimensional and basically she is Cruella de Vil who drinks and drinks and smokes. Surprisingly, this time they managed to make a character of young prince Charles somehow appealing in all his geekiness - played by Josh O'Connor - and everybody already understand he is not exactly the material for a sovereign so its kind of life wasted, really. I am now at the very end of the third season and really looking forward to continue.