Silly, Sweet, Bitter; an update

[smokingboot]

Doubtless we have all wondered what would have happened if the Rocky Horror Time Warp had ever worked and Dr Frankenfurter had made his escape into ancient history. It seems indisputable that he would have mutated himself into a 12 foot long cheesey poove, and kicked Greek arse aided by an enormous collection of persian crabmen and goats from his harem.

If the above seems unlikely to you, there is the vague chance that 300 may disappoint. But in case any reader of my journal should find themselves transported back to this strange world, let me give you one word that will get you out of all difficulties. Simply roar 'SPAHTAH!' and everyone will understand and leave you alone.
Roaring 'SPAHTAH!' gains you a six pack at the cost of your cerebellum, allows you to laugh hysterically at any and all situations, despise the ugly/corrupt until they give you information (which you must then believe entirely of course) and best of all, helpfully kick your enemies down your own city well. Impressive. 'SPAHTAH!' is a short word for testosterone without reason, and the standard reply is a resounding 'HOOON!' meaning 'We too, are very stupid.'

I am enjoying this far too much. 300. It's just not very good.

There was more to enjoying larians birthday than this, thankfully. We spent the weekend in London with his brother and brother's girlfriend, enjoying the many mooded ambience of Beach Blanket Babylon, and going on to the infinitely funkier Electric House bar. I was pleased to see my boyfriend finally enjoying the Big Smoke. I've always liked the area around Notting Hill. It was a good weekend.

There was other good news. Some may recall I recently had to do some location shoots with Hard Wired, the producer who once notably called me a complete spastic. I was dreading the entire experience; turns out that the results have delighted our bosses. 'The best so far,' they call it, though considering their delight with the hideous ads, I won't break out the champagne just yet.Hard Wired, on the other hand, may well be unbearable after this.

And on Friday, was the funeral for Rick of course.

I should record this so I don't forget.


I am not likely to forget. Michael sans LJ, late throughout all the years I have known him, first there, greeting us. Rick's partner, her face thin and lined; and his face too, as he lay in his casket. How little and sunken he seemed. I remember Rick, big, golden, laughing. This shrivelled face, eyebrows drawn together, was not his surely. It was just a body, not a bad thing or a good thing, just a thing. Not his face.

The ritual was beautiful and I hope pleased him. I knew it was his face when the pallbearers came forward and closed the casket forever, screwing it down all along the edge, and I thought' 'I will never see you again,' and this hurt.

We followed down to the green edge of the wooded place he now lies, and the day grew so windy and freezing cold, my ears are still not popped properly from it. There was one moment when I almost felt angry. 15 years is it? Of amity and friendship, to end here with one of us in a box and the other, like a confused child by the roadside, holding a flower, dropping a flower.
Afterwards we walked back towards the cars, black coats all around, a parade of crows flapping along the track, a silent comfort in the presence of years of friendship. We went to The Cross Inn where we were greeted with swan shaped profiteroles and mountains of quiche and sandwiches.

I confess to feeling weary and lonely when I write this. I will not speak too much of the ritual, for it was private, but am honoured to have walked with him to the edge of his heaven; the Osiris-Rick-Merneptah, long may he shine! I had waking dreams of him afterwards telling me I should try the Egyptian afterlife, I would love it. He was laughing, yellow haired big Rick again.

And that is that.

Comments

[binidj.livejournal.com]

I maintain that it is the best film I have seen in a very long while, and far far more subtle than many seem to think.

As it is your birthday

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

I am to give it another go in deference to your own subtlety, cos I must admit, I missed even a trace of nuance throughout.

More importantly, many happy returns of the day to you:-)

Re: As it is your birthday

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Ok, after one mistake and one deletion, three makes the charm:

Happy Birthday!

Re: As it is your birthday

[binidj.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your kind wishes.

With regard to 300 (although this may well be a case of teaching my grandmother how to suck eggs) the two most important questions to ask are: Who is telling the story? And who is the story being told to? From those two questions, many other questions arise.

Of course, I am a boy and therefore adored the battles too.

Re: As it is your birthday

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the battles too, though the slowing down irritated me. Your two questions are interesting, but in fact, that dreadful narrator irritates me all the more.

How does he know about the stupid queen's ignominious bargain? (and by the way, why does she make it? So let's see, my husband's enemy. self proclaimed manipulator of the council and all round slimer, wants an evening tryst, and he comes over to my house alone? Unguarded? At night? I'd be laughing in my sandals!) And of course, the heroes are uber beautiful, the villains grotesque; but if this is a subtle commentary on propaganda, it is too subtle, I think, for the audience, who will just think pretty = good, ugly = evil.

Re: As it is your birthday

[binidj.livejournal.com]

And yet the film starts with the heroes proudly explaining (or is it defending?) their policy of institutionalised infanticide and child abuse. How "good" is that?

The queen's bargain I find slightly harder to rationalise as it was added by the film makers but even so it didn't jar with me ... I don't recall if that section was narrated or not? As I accepted that as literal truth, and knowing a little about Spartan society that section is not quite so implausible as one might think.

Re: As it is your birthday

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

The 'Good' are us, the 'Bad' are them and everyone who's too ugly to join in our games of beating the crap out of each other; and that's as far as it has to go. But this is nothing new surely, ugly/disabled kids are teased every day in schools, though the ones who do the teasing know that the way they are behaving is not 'good' - and yet it has enjoyable benefits. The teachers may shout but the gang will cheer. Do we really need films giving this a heroic veneer?

That's me getting too into it. Perhaps I need to look again...

Re: As it is your birthday

[binidj.livejournal.com]

Again, it's the narrator giving it a heroic veneer ("and look at the monsters we get if we don't kill our kids") as the rest of Greece really didn't like the Spartans at all (they were the only Greek nation to keep Greek slaves - the Helots). The film is an exercise in successful propaganda but because it achieves this by representing that propaganda perhaps it is too subtle?