Pilcher had been writing short stories and novels for decades before her most famous book made her a star, and not just in Britain and the U.S. “A string of German TV productions based on her books and short stories was so popular in that country that German tourists traveled by the thousands to Cornwall to see the area where the films were shot and where some of her stories were set.” – The New York Times
Tag: 02.08.19
Post-Apocalypse Now
The future, and present, of fiction is cli-fi – books about what humans do while, and after, we change the climate. “We need to show people what life will look like under current and future climate-change conditions, and to share ideas about how to mitigate those conditions. We know that people are more likely to absorb information from stories than from data and lectures.” – The Millions
A Brief Timeline Of All Of The Shady ‘National Enquirer’ Doings, Pre-Bezos
Just in case you haven’t been following along, here’s the deal. “The Enquirer makes no pretense of following journalistic norms, and its parent company has a longer history of ethical indiscretions. The warning signs have been there, from David Pecker’s early years in magazine publishing.” – Slate
James Baldwin Deserves Better Than Barry Jenkins’ ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’
Sure, it’s a nice celebration of two young Black people in love, but: “It has been defanged, declawed—and Baldwin’s novel works precisely because of those jagged, painful edges.” – LitHub
Actors Equity Strike Ends For Shows In Development
The strike was against the Broadway League; Actors Equity said that actors and stage managers involved with readings, labs, and developmental shows hadn’t seen a raise since 2007. “The new agreement will include profit sharing, higher wagers, and additional stage manager contracts.” – American Theatre
Netflix’s Sendup Of The Art World Is A Blast At Elites
Phil Kennicott: “This is a perfect film for the age of Donald Trump, a revenge fantasy perpetrated against elites, who are caricatured as venal, corrupt and beyond redemption. And despite a few attempts on the director’s part to distinguish authentic art from his parody of art as a vast con game, the film ends on a profoundly anti-art note.” – Washington Post
Actor Albert Finney, 82
Finney became the face of British cinema’s international explosion after being cast in the title role of Tom Jones, directed by The Entertainer’s Tony Richardson. Tom Jones, with its bawdy humour and rollicking atmosphere, was a sizeable hit in the US, and won four Oscars (including best picture); Finney received the first of his four best actor nominations, but lost to Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field. – The Guardian
Hollywood’s History Of Blackface
Most Americans today are so removed from the heyday of blackface, when an entertainer like Al Jolson could cement their iconic status with it, that, like the Confederate flag, it is embraced by some as a triumphant act of transgressive rebellion and/or willful ignorance, a thumb in the eye of the politically correct. – The Daily Beast
Is This Leonardo Da Vinci’s Only Surviving Sculpture?
A small terracotta statue, titled The Virgin with the Laughing Child and housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, has been attributed to various Italian Renaissance artists, most recently Antonio Rossellino. Now art historian Francesco Caglioti says that “there are a thousand details, which dispel any doubts regarding the attribution [to Leonardo].” — The Art Newspaper
The Opéra-Bastille, The House That Gets No Respect
When it opened (not quite finished) in Paris in 1989, this joke made the rounds: “What is the difference between the Bastille Opera and the Titanic? The Titanic had an orchestra.” It was over budget (of course), the acoustics didn’t work, it was put in an awkward location, and it was (and still is) considered the ugliest opera house in Europe. As the behemoth hits its 30th anniversary, Joshua Barone pays a visit — and, while he acknowledges its flaws, he points out some successes as well. — The New York Times