Tag: 05.22.00

CANNES’T BUY ME LOVE

Controversial director Lars von Trier wins the Palm d’Or in Cannes, then insults the head of the festival and “assured his leading lady – whom he called a ‘mad woman’ only a fortnight ago – that he ‘loved her very much’.” – The Guardian 05/22/00

  • A DISSENTING VOICE: “Daft as a brush, and about as visually interesting, for most of its extended duration, Lars von Trier’s ‘Dancer in the Dark’ arrived in Cannes on a wave of anticipation and to prolonged applause, with some viewers reduced to tears. There were others who, like me, found the entire exercise self-indulgent, pointless and even unintentionally funny.” – Irish Times 05/22/00

  • MIXED CONSENSUS: “The bad news for Trier-watchers, who since ‘Europa’ and ‘Breaking the Waves’ have included most intelligent cinephiles on the planet, is that dozens walked out – noisily – on this Death Row musical about a Czech-American worker condemned for killing a cop who stole the savings earmarked for her child’s eye operation. The good news is that it is a daring, fascinating, boldly unorthodox film.” – Financial Times 05/22/00

REVENGE OF THE CONSUMER

Time Warner’s throwing ABC off its cable system in dozens of cities a few weeks ago ranks as one of the all-time stupidist corporate decisions. “What the company said, at a time when people everywhere expect to be able to get what they want when they want it, was, We won’t let you have it, if it doesn’t suit our corporate agenda. Disney took out ads in the papers, offering free installation of satellite television to Time Warner cable systems customers. Over twenty-five thousand Time Warner customers took them up on the offer. – New York Press 05/22/00

TEST DRIVING A CONCERT HALL

On tour in Europe, the Philadelphia Orchestra stops for a concert in Birmingham England’s acclaimed concert hall. The hall was designed by the same architect who is designing the Philadelphia’s new home. The verdict? “For many, the concert had been tough. The strings could hear neither in front nor in back of themselves. ‘The rehearsal was frightening. Ensemblewise, we were all over the place. It feels like you’re walking on eggshells.’ ” – Philadelphia Inquirer

GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE

Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry has won the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, “awarded on behalf of the Queen by the Royal Institute of British Architecture, and still, despite the big bucks attached to newer international prizes, the most prestigious of its kind.” – The Guardian

GAY “FIDDLER” CAUSES FUSS

A Hartford high school reinterprets “Fiddle on the Roof” and draws controversy.  “In their interpretation Tevya became an African American female; Yente the Matchmaker became a drag queen, and Tevya’s daughter, Chava, became a young man who falls in love with another young man. ‘There was no objection to making one of the characters gay, only that two sets of male lips came together.’ – Hartford Courant

VIRTUAL THEATRE ONLINE

A new British internet venture aims to promote British theatre, enabling visitors to “go backstage” with interactive video access to the cast and companies. Visitors will able to chat with actors, watch rehearsals and see some of the backstage trauma involved in putting on a theatrical production. Also online will be 3-D virtual reality models of set designs, costumes and the theatres, as well as digital excerpts of plays. – The Independent (UK)