Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar

Like the Spring gave me sudden burst of energy, immediately very next day I accepted the suggestion to visit nearby Alkmaar and its local municipal museum. I have been to Alkmaar before, it is one of these picturesque little towns surrounding Amsterdam, where quiet life, serene atmosphere and cheerful faces reflect lack of the stress associated with tourist attack like in Amsterdam - people are always, without exception, far more happier and curious in smaller places than in big cities where elbowing is the rule. This particular museum was on my mind for quite some time so I was really excited to visit and the day was just magnificent.It is a very modern building (somehow forced upon quaint medieval square next to spectacular Sint-Laurenskerk) situated on so called "the culture square" because the spiritual life of the city is all here - next to the church are also library and the theatre. To be honest, current use is far better than what is used to be before - a parking lot. So instead of having a parking lot there, now its a lot of interesting subjects - in fact, I probably wouldn't even mind living there, it feels a lot less stressful than in Amsterdam where passersby often radiate menace. 

The very first part of the museum is all about the history so called "the Siege of Alkmaar" when local citizens fought mighty Spanish army and was in fact the very first Dutch city to repel Spaniards. That was one of the most important dates in revolt of Dutch provinces against Philip II of Spain who claimed ownership of the whole territories (the same Philip who was married to childless Mary Stewart - her younger sister and inheritor was Elizabeth I) and here is where Spanish hold started to slip. To be honest, locals fought bravely but it was William of Orange who came to help, with his orders to break the surrounding dikes and this forced Spanish out of flooded area. I would say 50/50 for both Alkmaar bravery and William himself. It was very exciting time and they have every reason to be proud of it. As a part of the exhibition there are several very interesting letters, diaries and portraits from that time. There is also a story about 16 year old brave girl Trijn Rembrants who fought bravely and became a legend. Today she is remembered with affection more as a symbol than a real person and in fact we are not exactly sure did she really exist or was it combination of several people somehow rolled into one - what is for sure is that women of besieged Alkmaar fought aside their men heroically. 

There were also some genuinely beautiful old paintings - I loved the portrait of local businessman Dirck van Os who eventually rose to became real tycoon of his time and one of the main investors of Dutch East India Company that will soon change the history of the whole country and made The Netherlands into world power. Lots of historical glassware and furniture and - best of all - a surreal paining called "Witches’ Sabbath" by Dutch painter Claes Jacobsz. van der Heck who was obviously inspired by much earlier and completely mysterious Hieronymus Bosch - it is a kind of painting that one could gaze the whole afternoon and still find new details. (Come to think of it, so can you with all those paintings depicting skaters on ice) Next to it is another painting by same artist - "The judgement of Solomon" which is perfectly fine and beautifully done, but this time without the nightmare fantasy. 

The upper floor was all about the modern art and something called The Bergen School - all about expressionists Dutch artists who created art between 1915 and 1925 - interesting how tumultuous times seem to inspire artists much more than quiet and peaceful times. At first I thought this might be too modern for my conservative taste (also just coming from downstairs and all that different style of beauty) but to my biggest surprise I really liked what I saw - obviously I am changing as well, perhaps because I worked on it and exposed myself to so many different museums that some of it has rubbed on me. Its actually quite interesting how a person can educate himself despite coming from a completely non-nurturing background (nobody around me during the childhood ever cared a fig about art, history, music or literature). 

There was also a temporary exhibition dedicated to local painter Allart van Everdingen who became world known for his arty landscapes of rough Norvegian and Swedish coastlines. This exhibition was quite magical and we all loved the huge paintings with massive skies, thunderous waterfalls, windmills and the whole shebang, but personally I found the biggest surprise were his little sketches, probably originally made as a study for later much bigger paintings and I was so thrilled with their perfection that I was constantly pulling my companions to have a look again at them. These sketches were a sharp contrast to his huge, majestic landscapes that were obviously created to amaze and impress the visitors of some magnificent buildings - the sketches were not bigger than a matchbox and were extremely detailed and lovingly created. I am really impressed with the art of miniature. 

Keukenhof Gardens

This is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Netherlands but it takes some effort because its out-of-town destination, however the experience is unforgettable so I would really recommend it to everybody. I have visited Keukenhof Gardens once before and would you believe, this time I actually enjoyed it even more - its such a beautiful treat to yourself, really I could do this every year. And its happening only once a year, between March and May, so there is absolutely no excuse not to visit it.

Keukenhof Gardens is part of the whole Keukenhof estate including Keukenhof Castle, but majority of people know only the Gardens - the legendary flower exhibition actually started in 1949. and it aims to showcase thousands of different flower creations. It is a spectacular, huge park with several huge pavilions (named after Dutch royalty) - each pavilion also offering restaurants, refreshments, gift shops, etc - elegant lakes, bridges, windmills and even a hedged labyrinth. The place was closed during Covid epidemic but the gardeners still worked in it, hoping for the re-opening and it is probably the excitement of re-opening, combined with a beautiful Spring weather that brought the crowd in thousands.

As before, I have ordered tickets online - everything is very well organised and run smoothly, because it is gigantic tourist attraction, after all. There is a transport from the centre of the city but me & friend took faster route via Schiphol aiport (easy to reach with a train from where we live) and right in front of the airport there were Keukenhof Express buses with the people waiting in orderly lines. the bus ride was smooth and easy, we drove towards little quaint place called Lisse which was some 45 minutes south of Amsterdam. This whole area apparently had a very good soil for Tulips and true, along the way we saw a beautiful colourful fields but nothing like in the park itself - inside of the park, flowers were not just plentiful and varied but also planted and arranged in particular patterns to create a figure or particular style. 

What impressed me immediately, were sheer size of these flowers - some of them were genuinely gigantic, not just varied. Than you notice the unlimited variety of colours and designs - this was little bit like human imitating God's creation because step by step you are dazzled by never ending new designs and patterns, almost as travelling trough universe - everywhere you go, the flowers on display were more beautiful each step of the way - they all had names on display so we understand this is not something random but carefully selected and designed type of flower. Each flower was purposely created to be just like this, to have particular petals with green top, etc. I don't think that people even stop to think how much time and effort went into creation of this spectacle, it must have been decades if not centuries of planning and designing these flowers. 

It was very crowded but strangely enough, it did not bother me at all. Partly because it was a beautiful day, partly because everybody was excited and happy but mostly because this was not really rowdy crowd - Keukenhof visitors are families with children or grandmothers so everybody was extremely well behaved. Some visitors even came with the dogs, people were careful to walk only on the paths and there was also a "picnic area" where visitors could sit on the grass and eat their sandwiches but I did not see point in that, since there were perfectly fine restaurants available - obviously I am getting old because now I am middle aged creature of the comfort and was disapprovingly looking at some young man lying on the grass and eating his apple - perfectly innocent, but I I just don't roll on the grass these days (specially not in the crowded flower exhibition). We have visited every single pavilion and ended our tour at the place with a huge organ music playing next to a lake - this is where visitors were already dizzy and giddy with excitement, people were actually dancing and smiling everywhere. After this, we returned back to Amsterdam and I had to take a nap to rest from all this walk and fresh air. Just a beautiful day. And it was still not the end because very next day I went to Alkmaar but that's another story. 

Return to the cinemas

It was only because I am paying membership for Cineville that gives me unlimited access to art cinemas, that finally made me get out of the house - this time they offered to bring a friend along for free - an offer impossible to refuse. I was working very hard during March, but now come April, I decided to give it a go.

"The Duke" is very much praised but to me this is just a cute afternoon TV amusement. It is a very clever and affectionate little story with Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren in the main roles, but for all its cuteness and humanity, I start wondering are we perhaps too spoiled with superheroes flying around so at this point a movie without special effects feels kinda old fashioned? It has a very charming feeling of 1960s movies and it does feels like a homage to famous Ealing Studios - I almost waited for adorable little Katie Johnson to suddenly arrive at the front door. The movie is advertised as "ridiculously charming" but there is a sadness and melancholy woven into the script (probably for the sake of such distinguished actors) that stops it from being genuinely funny in sense that "The Ladykillers" were - just like "Calendar Girls" (also with Mirren) it starts as a comedy and than spirals into something more serious and dramatic, which unfortunately drags the whole movie down. The main actors are of course fantastic but watching the mousy haired Mirren furiously brushing wc seat reminds me a bit of similar Judi Dench turn as a quiet, mousy wife in "84 Charing Cross Road" - I simply don't enjoy my heroines being ordinary, invisible housewives. I cried a lot during this movie so this was definitely not a comedy for me, I attributed it to post Covid stress. 

I have written here already about two previous movies by Robert Eggers - it was actually fun to look back on this very blog and read again my reactions. I was initially baffled by "The Witch" and was celebrating "The Lighthouse" immediately as a masterpiece - this guy has such a unique film making style! - so naturally I had to run to cinema to see his latest movie "The Northman" which is basically a Hamlet story transported into much earlier, pagan age (when Christianity was still new sect in North of Europe). I have enjoyed it very much and I am glad that he kept his individual style but suspect that he might get sidetracked into making big budgeted her movies for the machinery, where previously his movies were fairly simple, with small cast and lots of psychological fear going on. I would really hate to see him doing crap like Batman, etc. Swedish actor & my old buddy from "True Blood" is here as a viking prince (Alexander Skarsgård), while the rest of the cast is mostly unrecognisable under long dirty hair, sweat and mud - I was quite alarmed how Skarsgård metamorphosed into such a gladiator because he was previously a personification of hip elegance and now he is ready to tear down the walls of Jericho with bare hands. There is a small, but very effective role for Nicole Kidman who is playing what in Shakespeare's hands would be a queen Gertrude, but here her name is Queen Gudrún - this is one of her best roles ever and she is magnificent but I am still disturbed and distracted with whatever she did to her face and at some points later in the movie (specially with candle lights) it looks as she wears a death mask. Really distracting. Warning: this has nothing to do with meek and mild Hamlet, this one crushes skulls and walks around covered in the enemies blood.

Surprisingly, the one I enjoyed the most was deliciously dirty "Red Rocket" which was a hysterical white trash saga set in alternative Jerry Springer world (but probably not exaggerated at all) with a washed up porn actor Simon Rex knocking back at his ex wive's door and begging for a place to stay for a while. It is very much like John Waters movie, with all sorts of mad characters stealing from each other, smoking crack, poking noses into everybody's business and naturally perpetually smoking and watching TV shows - I honestly don't think this is exaggerated for comedy purpose, I believe this is reality now and the whole world is aware of it. It was so ridiculous that you just have to stop being shocked and let yourself go, I laughed a lot but was also alarmed so that was fun. 

"The Gilded Age" by Julian Fellowes (2022)

 

Dear reader, I am actually watching something that is current and not just catching up, like all these years when I sailed around the world and later had to find out what happened in the meantime. "The Gilded Age" could be described as American branch of hugely successful "Downton Abbey" with the same creator and same lavish production, except that this time story covers 19th century New York. This idea could basically be adapted to any country and any social atmosphere - pile up the costumes, extravagant interiors and lots of charismatic actors and voilà you got award winning TV show. It really doesn't matter is it New York, Iceland or Hungary, it would work everywhere.

I have to be honest and admit that I had actually lost enthusiasm for "Downton Abbey" fairly quickly. It started magnificently and I loved for a while, just to find myself thinking how it all became kitchen sink drama about blind cooks and completely unimportant characters - when the whole episode became focused on annual flower exhibition (which had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the story) I kinda started asking myself why is this dragging so long and stopped watching around second season. I might continue, if inclined. But I am wary of soap operas that bubble just so to keep us watching more. 

So far, "The Gilded Age" had only one season and 9 episodes. That is not too scary or too intimidating. I have actually really enjoyed first 3 episodes and noted how it all started same way like "Downton Abbey", with post arriving at the wealthy home address (obvious nod). Instead of British aristocrats, now we have upper class New Yorkers who look down at their noses at nouveau riche neighbours, whom they find vulgar and pretentious. It doesn't matter that these new arrivals have far more money - what matters is that they were not here with the Mayflower, therefore they don't count. We were explained this trough the eyes of poor cousin Marian (Louisa Jacobson, daughter of Meryl Streep) who must find her way in this complicated world of manipulations and intrigues. Her aunts are icy cold Christine Baranski (obviously inspired with, but nowhere as funny as Maggie Smith) and dizzy Cynthia Nixon, who are disdainfully watching the arrival of new neighbours, banker Morgan Spector and his power hungry, ambitious wife Carrie Coon. There are lots of beautiful costumes, flowers, corsets, hats and ladies with fans - in fact, this is such woman's show that men are here purely  as decoration. 

If there is anything to complain, its the script itself that tries too hard to be witty and charming like in Downton Abbey"  - this time, coming out of the mouth of jaded New York socialites, it just comes out as nasty, bossy and plain rude. For example, there is character of supposedly funny, real life Mamie Fish but to me she just appears vulgar. And our first introduction to banker's wife presents her not as elegant or classy, but as fisherman's wife who behaves as she thinks ladies behave. Not sure is this intentional, but it looks like American counterparts shown here are just smug and loud. And don't even let me start about politically correct inclusion of obligatory black character Denée Benton who is clearly inserted just so that nobody could complain about total whiteness of the cast. I think that political correctness is killing the entertainment and all the fun, because no matter what we did, there will always be someone who will be offended. 

The long twilight of Višnja Korbar (1942 - 2022)

Sadly, the very first news I read this morning was about the passing of Višnja Korbar, who was one of my all-time favourite voices in Croatian pop music. I wrote about Višnja several times in the past, inspired by the handful of her rare recordings and certain mystery around an artist who ended up eclipsed and forgotten, despite magnificent voice and very attractive looks. You see, Korbar belongs to that very first generation of young, post WW2 pop singers who basically created our homegrown local pop music - veteran Ivo Robić was there first, naturally and right after him, suddenly there was a whole explosion of new, young talents who toured pop festivals in Opatija, Zagreb, Split and Belgrade, recorded for "Jugoton" and "PGP RTB", their faces on the magazine covers and family TV shows. Arsen was there, Ivica Šerfezi, Vice Vukov, Tereza, Gabi, Zvonko Špišić, Marko Novosel, both Zdenka's (Vučković and Kovačiček), Ana Štefok and her good friend Višnja Korbar. Nowadays we call them "stars of 1960s" but in reality there was a little glamour in their working conditions, since they were actually breaking the ice and mapping the territory where future generations will later follow with much bigger production, better managements and definitely more financial gain. 

From outside it might have been looking like show business but in reality it was constant touring and most of these artists ploughed trough 1960s fulled by the force of sheer enthusiasm and excitement. Hence all those ubiquitous little EP recordings with covers of international hits - the local homegrown pop music was simply not so established yet and business was still new. From time to time, all these international tours trough Soviet Union or France paid off - Ivo Robić famously broke into German market and Tereza made splash in France, but these tempting invitations were not for everybody - no less than Bruno Coquatrix who owned legendary concert hall Olympia in Paris (and who made star out of Dalida) was impressed with Višnja Korbar and offered her to try new career there, which she refused and returned home. This strange reaction - its not as she was extremely big or successful in homeland - haunted her for the rest of her life, specially as no other big offer ever came and the rest of her career went nowhere. 

As the new decade dawned, most of artists of her generation faced the tide of Rock music that would eventually swept them away to the background - it wasn't immediately obvious but veterans would end up annually performing on the same festivals, year in, year out, with diminishing interest of audiences who clamoured for new faces. While some, like Arsen or Tereza somehow adapted or created strong following, Višnja unfortunately never found her place in the modern times - I suspect that in her heart she was a genuine chanson singer and perhaps she would have been stunning in albums with movie or musical themes, but misguided step in direction of small, regional festivals forever marked her as a folk singer and there was never any invitation to return to pop. So when people talk about "good, old times" and "old stars" the reality is that later generations genuinely benefited from the ice breakers who were there first but Višnja herself never had any hits and one single LP album disappeared without a trace. Trough the years I noticed that lazy journalism endlessly repeated story about Bruno Coquatrix and Olympia, simply because there was nothing else really to mention - like Korbar was cursed to regret her decision ad nauseam. Mind you, personally I don't think that going international is the pinnacle of anybody's life and for example Gabi Novak refused German offers and made perfectly fine career at home instead - its just that neglected, forgotten and overshadowed, Korbar lived quietly the rest of her days with that magnificent voice known only to handful of cult fans. The proverbial "man on the street" would be hard pressed to name at least one of her songs. For me she was one of the best voices we ever had and I cherish her rare discography.