Showing posts with label 1960s. Show all posts
The Last House (2026)
5 days ago
The World of Jeeves
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
1967, by P. G. Wodehouse, from the library
You should know
I had seen a few episodes of the Masterpiece Theater: Jeeves and Wooster series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. Since then, I had repeatedly been given recommendations to read P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves series.
So?
This volume is the 1967 omnibus of Jeeves short stories written up until that point. It's a hefty book, but a fast read, and many of the supporting characters show up again and again, making it at times feel less like a short story collection and more like a very episodic novel.
Bertie Wooster is a more-or-less indpendently wealthy British playboy enjoying life between the World Wars. He spends more time avoiding work than working, and more time escaping engagements than wooing ladies.
Wooster's personal valet, Jeeves, is a seemingly omniscient schemer. He can take the most hopeless-seeming dilemma, and arrange things so that in the end, everything works out the best for all involved.
Well, occasionally they don't quite work out all that phenomenally for Wooster, but even that come in handy, as when Wooster's unfortunate engagement is broken when Jeeves convinces the lady's father that his employer is insane. Jeeves himself tends to do fairly well in the end, often receiving tips from at least Wooster if not members of the extended Wooster clan -- not to mention the eradication of certain articles of clothing Wooster picks out against Jeeves's better judgment.
Wooster and Jeeves travel throughout Great Britain, continental Europe, and the greater New York area, and Wooster's friends and relatives are constantly stirring up one kind of trouble or another.
Rating
Read it
It's long but it's fast. Good for the beach, or for a long plane trip -- or, since the summer is almost over, a quiet weekend in.
The Rest of the Internet
Appellation Mountain chose Bertram as its Name of the Day.Flashlight Worthy recommends the Best of P.G. Wodehouse.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
To Kill a Mockingbird
1962, on DVD, from the library
You should know
I’m working my way through AFI’s Top 100 movies. This one currently ranks 25 (up from #34 in 1997) – not to mention #2 most inspiring, #17 best score, and #1 hero for Atticus Finch.
Also, this is my 100th post. Whoo-hoo!
So?
Even now, Atticus Finch comes across as a fairly nontraditional parent; I can only imagine how he would have seemed when the move first came out – or, for that matter, when the book was first published. On that note, I really need to read the book, don’t I?
If you’re not familiar with it, the story is about a single father and his family. The kids are intrigued by their secretive neighbor; the father is a lawyer defending an African-American man in rather racist criminal trial. The movie follows the summer and autumn during which these events occur.
I do have a question: Scout is telling the story, right? So when she says that her brother Jem never told anyone about something that happened to him, that she did not witness, how does she know it to tell it in this story?
Other than that nagging issue, the movie was quite enjoyable. Was it deserving of so many accolades? Possibly; it’s hard to tell the impact of a film so many decades later (viewers who see The Matrix for the first time are already growing unimpressed with the special effects, for instance, and it’s only eight years later).
Rating
See it…
…if only so that you can say you did. Personally, I enjoyed the film, but even if it doesn’t sound like your thing, there’s a lot to be said for having a working familiarity with the canon of your culture.
The rest of the Internet
The Wikipedia pages for the novel and film.
Lots of study guides for To Kill a Mockingbird (warning: some of these have pop-up ads).
And those were just for the book. This is for the film.
Flash movie: How to Kill a Mockingbird.
Excellent reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
Paco Malo at Gold Coast Blue Note was inspired by the movie.
ACR at My Take reflects on the camerawork.
MusicAndShowGirl at Blogs and Such compares the film to the book.
Awesome link of the week
Dumb Little Man has a list of ways we can keep the best parts of the holiday season alive all year. More plants? More letters? I'm in! I hope everyone's holidays have been great, and don't forget: technically, Christmas isn't over 'til Epiphany!
