new book case, new order

There has been a delay with the bookcase. It moved from our bedroom into the living room. All the books have been re-arranged and are on new shelves. I haven't been able to settle down and read as I just finished an artist residency with the Bronx Museum of the Arts. But I did pick up the first book and it's by James Baldwin, "Notes of a Native Son". The book I have was printed in 1968 and it came into my hands when I was 15 years old. My father's bodega is in Washington Heights and he often bought home books from tenants who moved or had passed away. Most were on philosophy, the black power movement, and progressive thought overall. Those books were a social study themselves. Because of the titles I got a sense of the people who lived in the neighborhood at that time. My dad has had that store since 1968 and seen the changes first hand most notably the lose of an active intellectual presence. Through the years, many have not survived the wear and tear of the economic times. Glad to have been able to hold onto this book. Baldwin does not mince words: He makes Beef Wellington with them keeping the meat just cooked enough, but red deep inside.

Apu Not Forgotten- On "The World of Apu"- briefly

With friends visiting from out of town and planning upcoming events, I forgot about Satyajit Ray's film "The World of Apu". The film is short and doesn't use the score to manipulate tears from the audience. It is a seamless fusion of word and image. A love story about a starving artist and fate. When I see corny trailers for contemporary films marketing obtuse love stories, they make me cringe. I see denial being peddled like crack during a depression. The movie begins with Apu having to drop out of school because he can't afford tuition. He's not too disappointed because he's confident that he'll become a successful novelist. A good friend invites him to his cousin's wedding to enjoy some food, drink, and have a good time in the country. When Apu arrives, the bride's mother is enamored by him. Thinking it odd, she dismisses it attributing it to Apu's good looks. The marriage is arranged. Nobody's met the groom who apparently comes from a good family. When he arrives, he is unstable and noticeably mentally ill. Whether out of desperation to marry off his daughter, the father insists that the groom's condition is due to traveling a long distance. If the girl isn't married as planned, she'll be forever disgraced. Someone has got to marry her. Apu being the eligible bachelor and not related, is the prime candidate and chooses to help save the girl's honor. They go back to Calcutta to his small roof top room and fall in love with time. It's amazing how when done by an amazing director/storyteller like Satyajit Ray, this obvious set up is beautiful and resonant. No, I don't want some one to do the Hollywood version or Euro-minimal deconstruction of Ray's film. It's perfect as it is. Yes, there is tragedy. Heaps of it. It's what makes it perfect and none of it is drab. Not one bit.

I tried reading Armes again after the film. And found “Third World Filmmaking and the West” drier than before. When I compare it to Robert Stam and Ella Shoat's “Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media”. Armes' book misses the Chutzpah.

The next book on the shelf is "Assassins", by Stephen Sondheim.....

More Soon

charulata

I'm a sucker for female protagonists. When I got an email alerting me that "Charulata" or "The Lonely Wife" was waiting for me at the library, I ditched "The World of Apu". Charulata is based on the novela by Rabindranath Tagore, "Nastanirh" (The broken Nest). It is such a beautiful film and I wish Armes had gone into better detail about just how wonderful it was. In his chapter about Ray, Armes like many film writers, gives a general synopsis of the film. He summarizes the story line and very quickly goes on to the next film as if trying to finish a term paper. He doesn't go into detail about the lighting for example which is one of the key elements that distinguishes Ray's filmmaking from others of this time (1964). It's high key and frames the characters so gently allowing for their actions to replace dialouge- of which there is little. Charulata's story is a classic woman's tale. It is also a pleasure to see a woman of color lead in a complex position, which ironically we see less of in the 21 century. She's smart and talented and married to a well-off intellectual. Without the need to work, she stays home and is so bored she relies on opera glasses for entertainment, using them to look out the window and even her husband. Ray frames the camera around the glasses illustrating Charulata's distance to her community, husband and general 19th century role of wife. It's a tragic love story heavily focused on how ill equipped Indian and Western societies are to supporting strong female role models. The film's story hits home. As an artist at home with 2 kids looking at oatmeal splattered on the wall, life borders between being an adventure and subdued.

Almost done with Roy Armes. He's not a colorful writer.

More soon.

Apu

This weekend I attended a great workshop at El Museo del Barrio. I was invited to participate in a Creative Capital Professional development workshop. During it I got into a conversation about culture background with a fellow attendee. As part of marketing, we're suppose to look into all avenues one of them being cultural background. My conversation was about how as second generation Americans we felt on the margins between our parents' cultural connection and the one we were born into. Education has tons to do with it. It is where all the propaganda, ideals, and beliefs begin to take shape. How does it affect how we make art? Moving along to "Third World Film Making and the West", I've found my way to the directors' chapters. First one up is- Satyajit Ray. Armes begins the chapter with a bit about his life going into some detail on Ray educational background. Ray was always made conscious of his bordering two cultures. From his stories to his camera work, the Hindu and the British merged through critic commentary. For Ray, it was just how he worked and saw the picture. I just got one of his most famous "The World of Apu". The version form the NYPL is dubbed, but on dvd with special features (bonus!) At 110 mins., I will watch it while the kids are napping. It's safe to say that Tinkerbell the Movie has nothing on this.

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