Eschatological Entertainment

Apparently, Borders is privy to the end of the world.  In music and movies, at any rate.  They’ve just announced The Top 50 Music and Movies of All Time.  Never mind the questionable grammar of the title, spare a thought for their marketing department.  Where do you go after this?  The five books to read in heaven?  Perhaps we’ll see a return to Egyptian burial rites, with people being burried with their favourites cds, dvds, and books.  Penguin aren’t much better with their return to the genesis of the paperback.  There is something about consumer capitalism that gives you the feeling that you are at the end of the world.  At any rate, booksellers and publishers are in that headspace right now.  Can you not feel the doom gathering?  The black clouds of crisis are hanging over the book industry, and they know it.  They are pulling out all the stops they can – (by the by, how is it that an organ (of all instruments) metaphor is so prominent?) – to stave off the apparently inevitable.

Anywho, here are Borders top 5 in albums and movies:

Albums: Thriller – Michael Jackson; Grace – Jeff Buckley; The Joshua Tree – U2; Darkside of the Moon – Pink Floyd; Rush of Blood to the Head – Coldplay

Movies: Amelie; The Lord of the Rings; Love Actually; Star Wars; Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The album top five is acceptable, (but Coldplay? The Beatles came 6 and 7 with Seargent Pepper’s and Abbey Road).  But the movies…. Love Actually?!?  (There might also be protest over the presence of trilogies being a trifle unfair).

See the two lists here.

Filed under: books, cinema, eschatology, hilarious, literature, madness, marketing , books, Borders, Crisis, Lists, marketing, movies, music, Penguin, Publishing, Stupidity, Top 50 of All Time

Schama Schama Schama

You know, I’m beginning to love Simon Schama’s work.  I’ve read Dead Certainties, and watched all of his History of Britain across two weeks or so, recently.  The most fascinating thing about his histories though, is not the content – although it is fascinating; he tells a ripping good story – but Schama himself.  Little slips, about his Jewishness, or comments on not being supposed to talk about Marxist concepts following the collapse of the Berlin Wall, little asides like ‘was this not admirable, Michel Foucault?’ when discussing the history of asylums on p.99 of Dead Certainties, the BBC lecture on history and television that is included with the series, the short promo film of him – in his study presumably – explaining his motivation for doing the History of Britain… all of these things are not directed at other scholars. 

To be sure, his conception of what he is doing comes from the highest scholarly rigour, but they are communicated as a public conversation.  Historians don’t have a monopoly on history.  For better or worse, we all make use of history in our day to day decisions.  And this is what he wants to address.  That is, history is profoundly moral, and political. 

This isn’t a conservative agenda.  Nor is it necessarily what is frequently called progressive.  If you watch, read or listen to his work, you’ll notice that he frequently selects several conflicting accounts of the same events.  This isn’t new, as anybody who has read the four gospels telling the story of Jesus’ life can attest.  The point is to, I think, on the one hand, acknowledge the possibility of different view points, and that no one necessarily has a monopoly on the correct story.  On the other hand, it opens the possibility of, in fact almost forces you to, use your own mind and make your own decision, one that might be different from the one you may have made prior to listening to him.  And that, I think, is worth listening to. 

If you like a good story, read Dead Certainties; if you like history done well, his History of Britain is well worth the read, watch or listen (you can get it on DVD, on CD, or as a book).  He’s got other series as well, which I haven’t got around to yet, but now I think I will.

Filed under: Foucault, Historiography, books, cinema, experiences, history, literature, media , A History of Britain, Dead Certainties, Historiography, history, Simon Schama

Bleak House

I finished watching the BBC’s production of Dickens’ Bleak House on the weekend.  I highly recommend it, it’s thoroughly enjoyable.

Obviously they have to strip the story back a bit to fit it in (even though it is 8 hours long, it never drags), and it does help a little to have read the book beforehand.  However, the acting and direction is brilliant, and the characterisation is phenomenally good.  Flight is surreal in her insane meta-narrative commentary, Guppy is loveable in his sublimely stupid and clumsy way, Smallweed is uproariously hilarious about his bones, and Esther is every bit the angel and Vholes every bit the bloodsucker.  Sir Leicester’s eyebrows play a distinguished role, as does Bucket’s nose, and Lady Dedlock tortured neck is the height of studied indifference.

Certainly worth the watch, and inspiring to go back and read the book once again.

Filed under: Charles Dickens, books, cinema, literature