It wasn’t too long ago that the very idea of a large English-speaking audience embracing a film in a foreign language was laughable. But recent successes prove that “the subtitled film is no longer rooted in notions of esoteric creative worth, tortured self-expression or the possibility of enduring duff movies for a paltry provocative glimpse of Euro-flesh. Instead, the subtitled movie has met the masses, and vice versa.”
Tag: 04.12.07
Inherit The Quagmire?
It’s little remembered these days, but the classic American play, Inherit The Wind was actually intended not just as a rehash of the Scopes Monkey Trial, but as an allegory for the McCarthy witchhunts of the 1950s. Now, a revival is opening on Broadway, and this time around, the subtext behind the evolution debate concerns… can you guess?
What’s In A (Household) Name?
The Sydney Symphony and its supporters are positively giddy over the hiring of Vladimir Ashkenazy as the orchestra’s new chief conductor, but the Russian maestro’s star power will come at a cost: Ashkenazy will spend only eight weeks a year with his new orchestra. Still, at a time when the SSO is trying to raise its international profile and stabilize its finances, a big name on the marquee can go a long way.
Hamburg Goes For Global Recognition w/New Hall
The North German city of Hamburg has unveiled plans for a massive new concert hall designed by the architects Herzog & DeMeuron. The design, which is already being compared to that ghostly schooner, The Flying Dutchman, has clearly been created with global iconic status in mind. “The project is part of ongoing efforts to redevelop the city’s old docklands – known as Hafencity, or Harbor City – as a center of homes, offices and cultural events.”
Reevaluating Elgar, Yet Again
The visage of composer Sir Edward Elgar is shortly to be removed from Britain’s £20 note, which has set off yet another round of the seemingly endless debate over whether Elgar was or was not the UK’s greatest composer. “Now that modernism has receded, we can see the originality of these co-called ‘conservative’ composers more clearly. Strauss, Sibelius and Elgar now seem in their own way just as symptomatic of the troubling modern era as Stravinsky or Schoenberg.”
Seeking The Sweet Sound Of Silence
The world around us is getting noisier every day, particularly for those living in cities, and some in the UK are worried that those with the means to desert the cities are doing so. “Sure, there is much of modern life that is hugely invigorating: on a night out in our cosmopolitan, cultural and affluent cities, that great cacophony can seem like a sweet symphony. But an increasing number of our most accomplished citizens are finding it too much, and are opting out – fleeing to the countryside, or even abroad.”