Elizabeth, that pot of curry looks incredibly delicious! Oh man, I hate to say it, but it's all I can do not to send Instagram comments when you make food posts. I know I said I wouldn't post comments anymore (because of your birthday post, I didn't wanna be a nuisance in any way), but is it okay if I comment just on food posts, or non-personal posts? You can always trust my discretion, but the thing is, in this case, your curry looked so good that I wanted to let you know right there on the spot, and not wait until tonight's blog. :)
Well in any case, you have extended your talents into the culinary arts, and I'll bet (or rather I know) that you had an amazing dinner tonight! I also liked your second photo, and especially because your painting matches up with the fire in your fireplace. I'ts perfect, and that's a great painting. I have one of my own abstracts on my wall too, and what I've noticed is that living with your own painting causes it to reverberate in a small but noticeable way. Life is Art, and it's good to live with your own creations. I can't wait to paint again myself (need a bigger place though). But soon!
I hope you enjoyed your Snow Day. Maybe you can get out and take some "Winter Wonderland" pictures, too. Here, we had Gale Force Winds, so on my CSUN walk this afternoon I thought of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, only it was way too blustery, haha.
Well anyhow, more food posts! And I hope you are working on your music, as always. :) /////
As for movies, here's something a little different: how about a film covering The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, but shot as a Noir and directed by Anthony Mann? Quite a unique approach, eh? The film was "Reign of Terror"(1949), starring Richard Basehart as Maximillian Robespierre, the Jacobin leader who ended up becoming a tyrant once he took power. To maintain his authority, he played his friends off one another, and he kept them in a state of fear by keeping a Black Book of those he planned to execute. He would hold jam-packed rallies in Paris where he would tell his public that he "did it all for them", the overthrow of Louis XVI and the royal court, etc.
Does all of this remind you of anyone? (cough cough)
To avoid a political tirade, let's get back to the movie. Anthony Mann was known for his panoramic Westerns starring Jimmy Stewart (pronounced Jimm-ay Schtoo-art). But he also made some noirs and crime films, including "T-Men", and in "Reign of Terror" he extends the genre further by taking a historical narrative, imbuing it with period piece art direction, and filming it as the darkest of noirs imaginable. Richard Basehart is ruthless and without mercy as Robespierre. Most of us know him as "Admiral Nelson" from the "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" television series, but before that, he was a motion picture actor of some range, portraying everything from troubled criminals to powdered wig French autocrats as we see here.
In the plot, he is opposed by Fouche (Arnold Moss) his Chief of Secret Police, who knows about the Black Book and therefore cannot be blackmailed by Robespierre when it goes missing. But the real star of the movie is Robert Cummings, who - like Richard Basehart - was a fine motion picture actor before he became famous to later generations for his television work, such as his hit series "Love That Bob". Here though, he makes a star turn portraying "Charles D'Aubigny", a patriot loyal to the King who has been marked for death by Robespierre. With the help of Fouche, and his long lost love Madelon, he sets out to find the Black Book, with which he will expose Robespierre to the populace.
Mann directs this picture as a fast paced thriller, but it's unique because he also manages to include some actual history, due to the dialogue, and Richard Basehart's performance as Robespierre. But the real star of the show may be cinematographer John Alton. Looking at his IMDB just now, I see that I've mentioned him before, because he began his career as a lab technician at MGM, just like me. His filmography was prolific, though made up of mostly nondescript films, but he did work with Anthony Mann on "T-Men", and here, on "Reign Of Terror", he photographs the movie so darkly in shadow that the lighting and framing of the characters becomes a thematic element itself. It's one of the darkest photography jobs you'll ever see, and it's brilliant.
The plot does get bogged down for a minute or two, here and there, by the yearnings of the romantic subplot, but it's a minor distraction in what is otherwise a taut suspense film. Again, I must stress that I'm a huge fan of romance. It's just that when you mix it in with a thriller, you'd better do it in small and well-timed doses, so as not to break up the action. Still, this is a highly recommended movie. The photography alone will keep you watching, as will the performances of Basehart and Cummings, and while Mann's direction is maybe more suited to the pace of his laconic Westerns, he does an admirable job here of bringing in a very tight Film Noir, as History Lesson. /////
That's all I've got for tonight. Tomorrow I'll be back home and off work until December 28. We'll be queuing up some Christmas movies and hopefully some Charles Dickens as well, if my holds from the library arrive in time. I hope you are enjoying the Holiday Season.
See you in the morning, tons and tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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