A short article about Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski made over 40 films 1966-1994 (see below), 26 of them short documentary films for the communist regime of Poland. He is the greatest European film director since Bergman … Continue reading
Documentary film: my picks
THE BEST documentary film has all the qualities we appreciate in feature films: drama, excitement, suspense and a vivid appeal to our imagination. Films that content themselves merely with imparting … Continue reading
Star Maker
The other day I finished re-reading a book I first read nearly 20 years ago, Olaf Stapledon’s Star Maker. I am just as amazed at its imaginative scope as I … Continue reading
Recommendations in Asian cinema
This is a survey of Asian cinema I have enjoyed. The emphasis is on drama, not on martial arts or special effects (the staple of cinema all over the world) … Continue reading
Chara: truly unique pop music
FORGET JPOP, disco, singer/songwriters, bubblegum, romantic or any of the thousands of classifications which writers like to use to group pop music. As anyone who likes a band or a … Continue reading
Mr and Mrs Oscar Wilde
THERE SEEMS to be a lot more to say about Oscar Wilde’s homosexuality than his 1895 prosecution as a kind of precursor to Bill Posters. I started by looking at … Continue reading
The Dubliners waked Finnegan
In 1969 my friend Patrick Kearney introduced me to the music of the Dubliners and I’ve been listening to them ever since. I can still recall the thrill of finding … Continue reading
