Laqgħa Storika - Trez

Laqgħa Storika

Ma kontx qed inħossni rilassat bħas-soltu. ’Qas xejn. Jien li dawn l-affarijiet ma tantx jagħmlu bija. Imma dakinhar, il-Ħamis imqaddes ta’ lejla tipika ta’ Marzu, lill-istudenti quddiemi ma rajthomx bħas-soltu. Bdejt nistħajjilhom minjaturi ta’ Braveheart. Daqqa xi wieħed minnhom jittanta jdaħħaq, u niftakar fil-William Wallace tal-pjazza jgħid iċ-ċajt tipikament doppju sens. Daqqa nilmaħ lil xi student jipprova jsolvi xi story sum ekonomika u nimmaġina lill-Iskoċċiż – aktar tard dakinhar – jiċċassa lejn il-menù u jaqleb għajnejh hu u jifli l-prezzijiet u jikkontja f’moħħu l-baġit.

Din il-laqgħa storika, denja - u kważi kważi aktar importanti mil-laqgħa bejn George H. Bush u Mikhail Gorbachev ’il barra minn Marsaxlokk fuq aircraft carrier Amerikan f’maltemp tal-beati pawli – ġagħlitni nħossni eċċitat immens. Ma stajtx nispjegaha. Għax kif se taqbad tispjega li int eċċitat li se tiltaqa’ ma’ raġel? Sakemm skoprejt, grazzi għall-mitiku Facebook, li ma kontx waħdi. Stħajjiltni qiegħed f’Berlin tal-1989. Fuq ix-xwiek niskopri x’kien hemm fuq in-naħa tad-DDR. Fuq in-naħa l-ohra tal-ħajt.

Konna deċiżi li nħallu l-għażla tal-ikel f’idejh – il-kritiku pereċċellenza tar-restoranti medjobaxxi – f’din l-ewwel avventura tiegħu fid-dinja tal-fine dining. Tgħid kienet deċiżjoni għaqlija?

Ftehemna li fit-tmienja u nofs bumm niltaqgħu quddiem il-bieb tal-Fortina, qisna l-pasturi tat-tafal fil-presepji ta’ Wistin Galea, li kien jarma fil-forn ta’ Ħ’Attard. L-awtur ċelebri kien xettiku għall-aħħar li Braveheart joħroġ minn qiegħ l-Isla u jiġi Tas-Sliema. Għarralu. U bl-ikrah ukoll. Kwarta qabel il-ħin previst - jien u nevita ħofra fonda aktar mill-baħar tal-Għadira – nirċievi sms mill-Ġermaniż tal-Lvant li kien ġa wasal. Ħerqan għafast il-gass u f’kemm ilni ngħidilkom sibt ruħi nieħu b’idejn il-kompatrijott ta’ Hellfire.

Il-bużillis beda x’ħin waslu l-menuwijiet. Bejn boqqa u oħra tas-Soave – li jdejja kienu kesħin aktar minnu - kulħadd kien mitluf f’x’se nagħżlu. Tmur tiekol Ċajniż ifottik. Mhux faċli daqslikieku ntfajt quddiem à la carte. Min jgħid li l-banquet menu bomba. Min jipproponi s-set menu. Ħassejtni konfuż għall-aħħar. Wara xi ħames minuti nħambaq – qisni Ġwanni l-Battista f’nofs id-deżert – li jien kont diġà mort darb’oħra hemm, stenbħu. Spjegajtilhom kif kien l-aħjar li nagħmlu. Il-wiċċ imqarras ta’ Patria u Brave faċċata tiegħi ma ħallilix dubju li ma kinux qed jaqblu. Tfajna l-ballun f’saqajn il-wejter. Hu kien iħoll u jorbot. Qatagħha li l-aħjar raġunament kien tas-sottoskritt. 

Kulħadd – ibda minni l-ewwel wieħed – deher aktar kwiet mis-soltu. Tgħid konna maħkumin mis-solennità tal-okkażjoni storika?

“Sparkling water?” saqsietni l-wejtress ta’ mezz’età b’dak l-aċċent tipikament Asjatiku. Xtaqt li kienet iżgħar u iktar ħelwa. L-ikel jinżel aktar għasel. Ix-xorti ma daħqitlix.

Kif waslu l-istarters, wiċċ LasPalmas u Braveheart – li stħajjilthom għaddejjin minn xi sawma tar-Ramadan – ħa r-ruħ. Ħafnu l-platter bl-ispringrolls tal-papra u d-dimsums tal-ħaxix qishom iljuni. Daqqa fuq il-Lejber u daqqa fuq Gonzi, daqqa fuq il-bankijiet u x-xjuħ li jintasbu l-pjazza, u l-ħin tar. Kien wasal ħin l-intermediate – nofs papra con i fiocchi. Rajniha ħafna, imma għall-kuntrarju tal-miraklu ta’ Kristu fuq il-muntanja, ma ħallejniex żejjed. Tiskanta u titnixxef.

Id-diżappunt uniku tal-lejla kien wara l-kantuniera. Il-mains. Wisq normali. Wisq bland. Stennejthom aħjar. Ferm aħjar. Almenu ċ-ċajt li beda għaddej serva biex inissina xi ftit. Fil-kuntest ta’ din il-ġrajja li se tibqa’ msemmija fl-annali dan id-diżappunt huwa xi ħaġa sekondarja. L-aktar meta tqis li safrattant kienet bdiet diskussjoni filosofika denja ta’ Sartre dwar pastizzi sufin, John Holmes u filmati amatorjali lokali. Il-William Wallace tal-Isla jiftaħ idejh jurina kemm hu intiż. Ix-Xlukkajr ma riedx ikun b’inqas. 

Kif ġie l-kont, wara ġelat normalissimu li għoddu ħallieni bid-dentatura, Braveheart b’ħeffa miċidjali kien pront iddividihom u kkonvertihom f’Maltin – ovvjament mingħajr iċ-ċenteżmi. U hekk intemmet għad-duħħan ta’ sigarett din l-ikla.

X’qalet mart Braveheart kif qalilha li nefaq 45 ewro fuq ikla Ċajniż ma nafux...

Tilaru argues For Divorce - Tilaru

 

There are no original arguments here, except in trying to bring forth a favourable view for the issue from a view opposing it. And the opposing views in this case are undoubtedly Catholic, moralist and conservative.

The Catholic argument against divorce in Malta bases itself, at least partially, on philosophy extraneous to Christianity, i.e. on natural law which is a Thomistic re-interpretation of Aristotle's views on human nature. The basic, simplified argument here is that it is a natural law for human societies to rest on stable, long-living, monogamous marriages. Other Christians, such as the Orthodox in particular, point out that Augustine himself - whom the Catholic Church rests on - holds that what is natural for human society is what precedes the Fall, whereas humans presently exist in a post-Fall condition. The Orthodox argument carries further in pointing out that Catholicism's dependency on natural law is a piece of paganism, which affirms a Fallen world and nature. The more religious, and properly Christian, argument is related: this holds that Christ re-instated the original marriage - the original Adam and Eve relation - and thus the Catholic answer to Orthodoxy is that Christ has, in fact, re-instated some elements of pre-Fall nature.

In any case, however, looking at Christ's oft-quoted referral to divorce - i.e. Mat 5:32:  "But I say to you, Whoever puts away his wife, apart from a matter of fornication, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever shall marry the one put away commits adultery" - it would, at a basic reading, seem that the Catholic Church is willfully ignoring one clause of the statement, which is "apart from a matter of fornication" (porneia:- sexual misconduct). The basic fact, therefore, is that Christ makes one allowance, for divorce, which the Church isn't willing to accept or even discuss. Even so, it must be noted that for the Christian (but not necessarily for everyone else), divorce is an extremely serious matter.

A further argument can be drawn from Matthew Ch. 5, and that's the fact that this chapter expresses what I find to be a shockingly honest ethical philosophy. Amongst other precepts which Christ expresses in Chapter 5, there are two which are of interest - namely verse 33 and verse 39. Verse 33 is an outright prohibition against the taking of oaths, since the Christian is expected to tell the truth always. Verse 39 is the prohibition of returning evil for evil, to resist evil and, in extremis, a prohibition against self-defence.

It appears that while the Church is adamant that the Christian  - and everyone else for that matter - shall not divorce, it is not similarly adamant that Christians should not take oaths. In fact, Catholic doctrine on the matter dictates that one should not take oaths falsely - precisely what Christ juxtaposes his precept against.

Again, while the Church is adamant that no Christian shall divorce, it is not similarly adamant that no Christian shall take up the sword. Why is a Christian who becomes a soldier, or a Christian leader who starts a war, not similarly refused sacraments or excommunicated on the same exact grounds, and with the same zeal, that a Christian who divorces or who intends on voting Yes in the divorce referendum? Why, in view of Christ's precepts, is the legalisation of war not fought with the same ardour as the legalisation of divorce? What gives? Are some of Christ's precepts more important than others? I fear that though the Church is largely right in expressing Christian values - divorce being no light matter - it is however guilty of zealotry. They might find pre-Catholic Chesterton's admonition useful: "A heresy is a fragment of the truth that is exaggerated at the expense of the rest."

The opposition to divorce on moral grounds, forgets that a basic fact for morality is the ability to choose. The Classical and Christian traditions in the West have long come to understand that there is a difference between what is moral and what is legal, that what is legal is not necessarily moral and that what is moral is not necessarily legal. Furthermore, avoiding an evil because it is illegal has little moral merit, because morality is built on choice - one must fully choose good or evil to be meritous.

Apart from a few obvious cases that preserve immediate order, the law does not seek to enforce morality. Promiscuity may be judged immoral from several angles - medical as well as religious - and yet it is not illegal, nor would anyone think to make it illegal. Of the Ten Commandments, the basis of Judeo-Christian religious morality, only three of the moral imperatives are actually illegal. Therefore, even if one argues successfully that divorce is immoral from several angles be they social, personal or religious, the case that divorce should be illegal because it is immoral does not hold.

Should we wish to take a conservative view, and be consistent about it, we should find that the troubles that the divorce issue highlights are much deeper than keeping divorce illegal can solve. The problem for the family is rooted in an individualist, economy-centred society. The nuclear family itself is already an impoverished 20th century version of the original, extended, communal family. It is the individualism empowering each and every member of the family that weakens the family.

This is not necessarily an evil thing either. The family is strongest when there exists a solid paterfamilias tradition and there is a strong, fatherly authority. So we find ourselves juggling value against value: what are our priorities? The conservative should understand that to fight against the legalisation of divorce is merely to fight an effect of a deeper cause. To maintain marriage by keeping away divorce is merely to protect ruins from demolition.

To combine both these points, a society in which families and couples stay together because divorce is illegal is not a stronger society, but a society maintained by illusions.

Tilaru

Qrara ta' Moderatur - Sunchaser

Qrara ta' Moderatur

Intervista ma' Sunchaser

Meta kont avviċinat biex issir moderatur?

Mela, l-ewwel darba kien is-Sur Peppi Azzaopardi li talab lili u lil Gambetto vija PM jekk irridux insiru mods ta' xarabank.com, però, kemm jien u kemm Gambetto, ma aċċejtajnix għax dehrilna li l-ħaġa kienet mhux normali peress li ma konniex posters ta’ eżempju.

Kien dak iż-żmien fejn xarabank.com kien hi-jacked mingħand skoss nerds jilbsu bl-iswed, imorru jieklu f’restaurants li ħadd ma sema’ bihom, jiffanfraw li huma “for the few”, kienu jippretendu li huma ta’ intelligenza superjuri, u xi kultant kienu jitfgħu xi ritratt tal-meeting li jkunu għamlu. Ghadni sal-lum il-ġurnata ma nafx ghaliex kienu jilbsu l-iswed sajf u xitwa, jew ghax xtaqu jidhru rqaq, jew forsi riedu jidhru cool, jew huma qammilin biex jixtru ħwejjeġ sura, imma wisq probabbli qatt ma għamluha ma’ nies.

Dawn in-nies ma tantx kienu jinżlu mal-gerżuma ta’ Peppi u miskin il-forum li tant kien jirriklama spiċċa invażat b’nerds li ma jaħmlux is-suwed, però, jilbsu ħwejjeġ suwed u forsi għalekk Peppi xtaq lili u lil Gambetto nkunu mods għax konna wħud mill-ftit li konna nibilgħuh fil-warrani b’dawn il-mitlufin.

Wara li għaddit xi elezzjoni ta’ ma nafx xiex, u dawn li jilbsu l-iswed baqgħu bir-ras għax baqgħu l-art, kienu tlaħħqu xi mods bla sugu mill-klikka (thank god, il-boss tagħhom m’għadhiex magħna), ċertu posters xtaqu lili nsir mod u ma nafx kif u xfatta, applikajt u bħal maġija, fi ftit ġranet sirt mod. Lanqas interview ma għamilt.


Kont aċċetajt immedjatament jew kellhom jikkonvinċuk biex tgħid "iva"?

It-tieni darba ma ħabbiltx in-nukru.


Għaliex taħseb li, minn tant posters, kienu għażlu lilek?

Biex jissodisfaw u jagħlqu ħalq posters oħra. B’hekk taparsi jkun hemm bilanċ.


Kien hemm xi missjoni li xtaqt taqdi fil-bidu tal-esperjenza tiegħek?

Għall-bidu għedt iiiiii xi pjaċir, Doris ħa nibbanjaha left, right and center, però, poġġewni mod biss ta’ l-sports section, ma tantx kont nidħol hemm għax ħlief Rmadrid jitfa’ smiley, u xi tnejn oħra jagħmluha ta’ Nostradamus biex jipprovaw jaqtgħu ir-riżultati tal-futbol ma kienx hemm.

Taħseb li rnexxielek? Kont ta’ suċċess?

Hmm ... ma nafx ruħi, I mean l-istess feeling meta nkun kakkejt kakka kbira kannella fil-bard ta’ Jannar.


L-oħrajn ħasbu li kont suċċess fir-rwol il-ġdid tiegħek?

Le, ma ħadux gost. Ħasbu li ħa ninbidel biex nagħmilha tal-ħelu.


Kien hemm xi problemi li ltqajt magħhom?

Ma ridtx nibqa’ mod tal-isports section allura bdejt immur kontra ir-regoli tal-forum. Ir-riżultat kien dak li xtaqt.


Kellek xi problemi mal-moderaturi l-oħra?

Ovvja, min tridu jissaporti lil Vamp, kienet invażatli il-PM inbox u l-msn tingħi.


X’mar ħażin fl-aħħar? Ovvjament m’għadekx moderatur.

Ma nafx x’għamilt, però, qabbiżtha lil Anson. Dak kien tal-biza’ aktar minn vamp għax dak bl-aħmar kien jikteb.


Kont irreżenjajt jew tkeċċejt mingħajr ċerimonji?

Imkeċċi + ban f’pakkett wieħed, mingħajr l-ebda negozjati.


Qatt qalulek "grazzi" ta’ dak kollu li kont għamilt?

Le.


X’ħassejt wara din l-esperjenza?

Xejn speċjali, ħlief li ma kellix aktar aċċess għal dawk il-buttuni l-ġodda, numri l-istess u każijiet gravi ta’ skizofrenija.


Terga’ taċċetta li tkun moderatur jekk jerggħu jsaqsuk?

Iva, la leħqet Blaze kulħadd jista’ jkun mod, saħansitra anke komodina tista’.


X’taħseb li tagħmel darb’oħra li m’ghamiltx l-ewwel darba?

Nibda norganizza dates bejn il-users u forsi anke xi orġi, b’hekk insiru familja waħda.


Tina kwotazjoni li nistgħu niftakruk biha.

Ħobbuni għax inħobbkom, jekk le, morru ibilgħuh *&^!@#.


Hemm xi messaġġ ieħor li tixtieq tgħaddi lill-ammiraturi tiegħek? ... Issa għandek iċ-ċans li timpressjonahom u tibbrilla mhux bil-ftit ... 

Jekk intom fans tiegħi għandkom problema kbira, u s-soluzzjoni hi biss is-suwiċidju.

An Irish Christmas - Siobhan

An Irish Christmas

Christmas is definitely the most magical time of the year filled with family, friends, food and cherished customs that make it all the more ejoyable. Ireland is no different than Malta when it comes to the extravagant shopping, the exchanging of gifts and the eating until your sides split. It also has its very own Christmas traditions, some more alive than others, which add that something extra special to the Irish Christmas and make it that bit more unique.

  

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The twelve days of Christmas , from the birth of Jesus to the arrival of the three wise men, begin on Christmas Day and end on January 6 which is known as 'Little Christmas' in Ireland. The holiday season is celebrated through this period and it is considered bad luck to take down decorations before January 6. 

  

A Candle placed in a Window

Many Irish homes continue to observe the tradition of placing a large, white candle in the window on Christmas Eve. In times bygone half a turnip would have been hollowed out to set the candle into.  After dinner, on Christmas Eve, the table is set again with bread and milk. Then, the youngest child of the family is given the honour of lighting the candle which is placed in the front window of the house. Later, when it is time to extinguish the flame, only a girl named Mary is permitted to accomplish the deed. The candle in the window is said to be a symbol of welcome for Mary and Joseph who travelled on the first Christmas looking for a place to stay. In earlier times in Ireland, during the penal era when Roman Catholic religious practices had to be hidden from the authorities, the candle was placed in the window to let priests  know that the house was a safe place to come for shelter and to celebrate mass.

Nowadays many households are going for the safer version, and are placing an electric candle in the window.  The little lights shining in all the windows give a warm and welcoming feel when walking through any town in Ireland.

 

Decorations

Homes are decorated beautifully with traditional holly which has been used for decorative purposes by the Irish since ancient times when it was part of rituals celebrating the winter solstice.  Holly is used to decorate everything from picture frames to doorways, mantles, the plates on the dresser and in many other areas of the home.  A holly Christmas wreath is hung on the front door to welcome visitors. The placing of a ring of Holly on doors originated in Ireland. Holly was one of the main plants that flourished at Christmas time making it an inexpensive, easy to obtain item. It brightened up Christmas celebrations in drab houses during the barren winter months.

As in all Christendom, the Christmas tree has now found a place in every Irish household. This is only a recent acquired tradition. It is beautifully decorated with Christmas lights  and dazzling trinkets.

Most people will also have at least a small crib in the house with the baby Jesus only placed in the manger on Christmas morning. Cribs are also erected in churches, town centres and even shopping malls. 
 

Santa a.k.a. Santy

Children all over Ireland start their Santa lists weeks before Christmas. On Christmas Eve most families go through the ritual of leaving out a mince pie, a glass of whiskey and a carrot, intended for Santa and his reindeer who bring gifts for children (good ones only) during the dead of night.

On Christmas morning Irish children discover their gifts from Santy (not Father Christmas, not Santa Claus) at the foot of their beds or beneath the Christmas tree (depending on family tradition).  

The Wren Boys

On St Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas, the Wren Boys come out on their traditional procession which was at one time commonplace in towns all over Ireland, but nowadays you are most likely to see it in the south of the island where this tradition is very much alive. Hunting the Wren is an ancient ritual. In its original form a wren was hunted, killed and hung on a holly bush. As legend has it the wren had earned this punishment by betraying the hiding place of the first martyr, St Stephen.

In reality Hunting the Wren is a tradition that almost certainly refers back to pagan times that predated Christianity and is related to the position of the wren as the king of birds in Celtic Mythology.

Nowadays no birds are killed. The Wren Boys go from house to house, singing, dancing and entertaining the occupants. They dress in old clothes and blacken their faces, carrying a holly bush pole with a wren on top of it (a plastic one these days). The occupants of each house provide the Wren Boys with food, drink and sometimes money. The money collected was in the past used to fund a big party for the Wren Boys. This, along with its probable pagan origins, made the tradition very unpopular with the church. Due to the church’s disapproval this tradition almost died out in the mid-20th century.

It has now been revived and has finally gained the support of the church since the money the Wren Boys collect nowadays goes to local charities.

 

Nollaig na mBan - Little Christmas

Little Christmas which is also known as Women’s Christmas and falls on January the 6th, the feast of the Epiphany. This marks the official end of the Christmas season in Ireland. It is the day when the tree and all the Christmas decorations are taken down and put into storage for another year. It is also the day when women get a much deserved break.

According to tradition, the night before Nollaig na mBan, when the clock strikes midnight, water turns to wine, rushes to silk and gravel to gold. Traditionally, on this day, the men of the house take over, preparing meals and giving the women a day off to celebrate together after all their hard work in the run-up to to, and during, the Christmas period.


Happy Christmas to You All! ... Nollaig Shona Duit! ... from Siobhan


Bibliography 

http://www.fantasy-ireland.com/irish-christmas-traditions.html

http://www.santa.ie/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrenboys

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Christmas

All pictures used sourced from the internet.

Freaks (1932) - Serpico

                               

Cinema Corner Volume I: Freaks (1932)

                                               

         


I was pleasantly surprised, and needless to say, genuinely flattered when the pjazza team asked me to start writing periodic articles primarily focused on discussing my greatest passion of them all: cinema. I immediately accepted the offer without any hesitation. Being completely aware of the fact that there is quite an extensive number of movie lovers out there, I promptly decided to dedicate the space so generously offered to me in reviewing some of the greatest movies in the history of cinema.

Choosing the first movie to review was certainly no easy task. There are so many to choose from that you almost feel lost. However, I honestly feel that Freaks fully deserves this undisputed honour. Firstly, it is a classic movie of which not everybody might be aware. Secondly, it is arguably one of the most unique movies ever filmed. More than 75 years have passed since its initial release, and there has never been another movie quite like it.

---

Freaks tells the story of Hans (Harvey Earles), a German midget performing in a circus sideshow. Early on in the movie, Hans falls in love with Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova), a pretty but ultimately wicked trapeze artist who eventually decides to marry the midget for the sole reason of inheriting his supposedly vast fortune. Hans’ friends, a fascinatingly creepy group of deformed people, all of whom make part of the same sideshow, gradually become aware of the woman’s evil plan to poison and murder their friend immediately after the wedding, and embark on a journey of revenge in order to safeguard Hans’ own life.

The movie is directed by Todd Browning, who is primarily famous for helming the classic Dracula movie starring Bela Lugosi. After the tremendous success achieved after Dracula came out and hit box-office gold, Browning was basically given free reign in choosing which project he should tackle next. His final decision to film Freaks was solely responsible for ruining his career. Audiences found it so upsetting that the movie was banned in the United Kingdom and in a number of other countries for many years.

One of the main reasons behind such a negative reaction possibly revolved around the fact that Browning took the brave route and used people with real deformities for shooting the film. Thus, we are presented with an impressive cast of real life side show performers. There’s the Living Torso, a man born without arms and legs who relies only on his mouth and shoulders in order to carry out the most basic tasks. In one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, he is seen rolling a joint (cigaret) and lighting it with minimal effort. There’s the Living Human Skeleton, a bony character who weighs a mere 58 pounds. There’s Josephine Joseph, a Polish side-show performer whose body was rumoured to be split down the middle – one side male, the other side female. And then there’s Schiltze, my personal favourite – an adorable microcephalic who practically steals every scene that he’s in.  These, along with a number of other performers, made Freaks one of the most controversial movies of all time.

Angry audiences accused Browning of shamelessly exploiting these people for his own personal gain. Unfortunately enough, most people completely missed the entire point of the movie during its initial release. The film actually challenges you time and time again to ask yourself who the real freaks referred to in the title are. There is a certain aura of innocence and purity circling around the disabled characters that makes you root for them from very early on. The first time we get a glimpse of these misshapen human beings is when they are shown playing in the woods near the start of the film. It doesn’t take long before two men enjoying a walk in the sun spot them and shamelessly start throwing cruel insults at them. This scene builds the whole foundation for the entire theme of the film.

Perhaps the greatest scene of them all is the wedding reception scene, in which the characters are all gathered around a table, drinking and celebrating their friend’s marriage. The freaks perform a sort of ritual where everyone is asked to drink from a cup as a symbol of fraternity among them. The cup is finally handed to a bewildered Cleopatra as the freaks keep chanting “We accept her, one of us!”  (a phrase which consequently became synonymous with pop culture, even finding itself in the Ramones song Pinhead). You do feel genuinely sorry for the freaks when they show so much uncompromising love and go to such great lengths in order to be accepted by the supposedly normal community, and you cannot help but watch in agony as Cleopatra blatantly refuses to drink from the cup and starts cursing the freaks in a painfully insulting manner. The tables are soon turned, however, as soon as the freaks come to know of Cleopatra’s true plans, which leads to one of the most disturbingly satisfying endings ever filmed.

To state that the real monsters in this movie are the seemingly normal people is an under-statement. To acknowledge that physical deformity is nothing but an accident of birth is to acknowledge the film’s overall message. As the voice-over in the movie duly states, “But for an accident of birth, you might be as they are”. The film became somewhat of a cult phenomenon throughout the years, slowly being universally acknowledged by many as a misunderstood masterpiece. Shame that Browning was no longer around.

Il-Ħajja fuq ir-Rota - Salvu Werwer

  Il-Ħajja fuq ir-Rota

Ħafna nies tistagħġeb meta tara ċiklista jġorr ruxxmata basktijiet fuq ir-rota. Twaqqfu u tistaqsih fejn hu sejjer u mnejn hu ġej, u meta dan jgħidilha, l-għaġeb ikompli jikber. Hawn min jifraħlu u hawn min jgħaddih b'miġnun. Id-dinja tal-lum ftit li xejn hi lesta tifhem dan it-tip ta' ġenn. Qatt ma kienet tifhmu biex ingħid id-dritt. Minn dejjem kien hemm bħal xettiċiżmu li r-rota tista' sservi bħala mezz ta' trasport, aktar u aktar jekk fit-tul. L-istoriku James McGum jitkellem dwar imħatri li kienu jsiru f'Londra fid-19-il seklu fejn sewwieqa ta' roti hekk imsejħa hobby-horses (roti li timbuttahom b'saqajk fl-art u mhux bil-pedali) kienu jisfidaw il-kuċċiera tal-karozzelli miġbuda miż-żwiemel. Jissemma' wieħed li rnexxielu jtellaq ma' karozzella miġbuda minn 4t iżwiemel minn Londra sa Brighton u wasal nofs siegħa qabilha. Fi Franza ċ-ċikloturiżmu kien beda wkoll fid-19-il seklu u għadu qawwi sal-lum il-ġurnata. Però, il-veloċità mhix l-għan aħħari ta' vjaġġ fit-tul bir-rota kif se nuri aktar 'il quddiem.

Meta tivvjaġġa bir-rota, trid jew ma tridx, dejjem għandek aktar kuntatt ma' dak li hemm madwarek u tgawdih bil-wisq iżjed. Tara l-veduta b'mod aktar kajman u tiltaqa' wiċċ imb wiċċ ma' nies li jgħixu fil-post. Tħossok parti mill-inħawi u mhux maqful ġo gaġġa insulat minn dak kollu li qiegħed jiġri madwarek. Is-sabiħ tesperjenzah bl-istess intensità daqs l-ikrah u tieħu idea aktar ċara ta' dak li qiegħed tiltaqa' miegħu. Id-differenza minn safar konvenzjonali qisha l-ilma fejn in-nar. Tħoss ukoll ċerta libertà li tista' taraha biss mil-lenti ta' ċiklista. Tieqaf fejn trid, tmur fejn trid, u fl-aħħar mill-aħħar tista' tiekol kemm-il pasta u ħelu tradizzjonali trid, bla ebda biża' li se teħxien! X'hemm isbaħ milli tieqaf quddiem kafetterija bir-rota f'xi ċentru storiku, titfagħha ħdejk, tpoġġi bilqiegħda ma' mejda u tgawdi xi pasta u belgħa kafè wara ġurnata taqdef qalb il-kampanja? Sabiħ meta tgħaddi minn dawn l-esperjenzi waħdek, u sabiħ ukoll meta mat-triq tiltaqa' ma' ċiklisti oħrajn u magħhom taqsam dawn l-esperjenzi. Mhix okkażjoni rari li jkollok dan iċ-ċans, speċjalment f'inħawi fejn iċ-ċikloturiżmu tant huwa komuni.

L-ewwel darba li tista' tgħid ivvjaġġajt bir-rota kien meta kelli 13-il sena. Kont tlajt ma' sieħbi sar-Ramla l-Ħamra, Għawdex, u konna tlaqna filgħodu kmieni, għall-ħamsa. Kien għadu kemm beda jbexbex. Konna domna nippjanaw din il-mawra għal ġimgħat sħaħ u tad-dar xejn ma kienu ħadu gost bl-idea. Kellna nkunu grupp ta' 5 iżda filgħodu l-mowbajl ma setax jieqaf idoqq. Mhux bl-eċċitament li ħassew l-erbgħa l-oħra imma b'messaġġi jgħidu li ma setgħux jiġu. Fl-aħħar mill-aħħar spiċċajna tnejn biss u qtajnieha li nagħmluha xorta. Wara kollox, ma kienx hemm għalfejn inkunu pellegrinaġġ. Kelli rota li xejn ma kienet ta' barra minn hawn imma kienet il-mimmi t'għajnejja u għalkemm xejn ma kont nagħtiha żejt dak iż-żmien, bl-eċċitament li kelli lanqas biss ħassejtha t-telgħa tal-Mellieħa. Aħna u ġejjin lura x-xorti messet mod ieħor. Ir-rota qatgħet qalbha f'nofs it-telgħa tar-Ramla u nqalgħetli l-pedala. Kelli nieqaf insewwiha r-Rabat u wasalna b'wiċċ il-ġid lura d-dar filgħaxija. Ħsibt li wara dan il-vjaġġ konna se nibdew nitilgħu b'mod regolari imma kelli nistenna 3 snin oħra qabel erġajt tlajt waħdi Għawdex iżda mbagħad saret xi ħaġa ta' darbtejn jew tlieta fix-xahar. Għal xi raġuni l-ivvjaġġar bir-rota jiżviluppa f'vizzju, vizzju tajjeb imma, li jsaħħek. Ladarba tibdieh ma tkunx trid tieqaf. Tkun trid tibqa' tesplora u timraħ fuq art ġdida. Tħossok qisek Kristofru Kolombu tiskopri triq wara triq wara triq, u kull triq turik affarijiet ġodda. Kull triq dejjem aktar imbiegħda.

Vjaġġ twil bir-rota mhux wisq differenti minn dawra ta' ġurnata bħal dik ta' Għawdex. L-akbar differenza hija li f'nofsinhar ma tridx tibda taħseb biex terġa' lura imma biex tara fejn se tispiċċa għal-lejl u tkompli l-mawra l-għada filgħodu. Kulma għandek bżonn għal ġirja ta' ġurnata għandek bżonnu għal meta tmur vjaġġ itwal, bid-differenza li trid taħseb aktar fit-tul. Trid tagħraf issewwi ħafna problemi li jafu jinqalgħu, anki jekk b'soluzzjoni temporanja għax ma jista' jiġi ħadd għalik jekk tkun tant bogħod mid-dar. Biżżejjed imma jekk tasal fil-belt li jmiss u tidħol tirranġaha f'ħanut. Ħafna nies li tiqfilhom il-karozza waqt is-safar iċemplu lil xi kumpanija li tirmunkahielhom. Dan is-servizz ma jeżistix għar-roti, imma tal-anqas ir-rota mhix goffa wisq u għalhekk f'każ ta' bżonn dejjem tista' tgħabbiha f'ferrovija jew f'karozza tal-linja.

Allura kif inhi l-ħajja fuq ir-rota? Mhix wisq differenti mill-ħajja ta' kwalunkwe vjaġġatur ieħor. Jekk ikun is-sajf, il-ġurnata tibda kmieni ħafna, ma' sbiħ ix-xemx jew ġieli anki maż-żerniq. Dan insibu bħala l-aħjar ħin biex nivvjaġġa għax is-sħana ma tkunx għadha laħqet il-qofol tagħha u n-nies tkun għadha ma ħarġitx għax-xogħol b'hekk it-traffiku jkun minimu u tilħaq tagħmel distanza ġmielha bla xkiel. Mat-tmienja l-aptit ikun fetaħ ġmielu u l-ewwel waqfa tkun għat-trejjiq. Importanti li wieħed ma jikolx wisq għax l-ingumbrar tal-istonku jġagħlek titheddel u agħar u agħar, iħawwadlek l-istonku jekk terġa' taqbad issuq fuq stonku mimli. L-aħħar u l-isbaħ ħaġa hija li fejn jogħġbok tista' tieqaf bla ebda rbit ta' xejn. Ir-rota, barra milli sservi ta' vettura li tieħdok minn belt għal oħra, hija wkoll mezz ta' trasport prattiku ħafna fil-belt infisha u għalhekk tevitalek ħafna mill-problemi relatati mat-trasport pubbliku. Bir-rota tista' tmur fejn trid fi x'ħin trid, u malajr.

Nispera li b'dawn il-kelmtejn tajt idea ta' x'hemm wara din in-namra mar-rota. Il-vjaġġi bir-rota huma meravilja li biex tifhimha trid tippruvaha. Nies li bdew vjaġġ ta' ftit xhur u wara snin sħaħ baqgħu iduru fuq ir-rota jgħoddu bil-bosta. Ara tkunx wieħed minnhom inti wkoll! Jiena ma ndumx ma nibda d-dawra tiegħi madwar id-dinja jekk kollox imur sew.

Thief of Baghdad (1960)

Thief of Baghdad (1960)

Il Ladro di Bagdad, the original title, is another movie in the Steve Reeves cv. Although Steve Reeves does not have many movies under his name, his impact in the peplum or sword and sandal movies will be forever remembered. Before going to Italy, Steve Reeves had two other movies under his belt: Jailbait and Athena. There was nothing too impressive about them, but then luck looked Steve in the face and, in 1959, Joseph Losey took him under his wing and flew him to Italy where destiny awaited him.

Hercules - also known as Le Fatiche di Ercole was the first of a chain of movies about the mythological character, Hercules. It was an instant success. For me it was a milestone. It was the first movie I watched unaccompanied by my parents. I was only 8 years old, but that movie remained vividly imprinted in my mind.

After having seen this movie, every movie in which Steve Reeves took part was an instant favourite with me. I've seen them all, and still treasure them lovingly in my memory. Of course I have them all in my collection, except Sandokan, La Tigra di Mompracem. Steve Reeves' last move was a western named Long Journey from Hell. He quit the movies because of an injury to his shoulder, during the filming of Gli Ultimi Giorni di Pompeii (1959). He returned to the US and started breeding horses as a new passion. He died when he was 70 years old, of cancer.

The 1960 version of Thief of Baghdad is one of the many versions which have cropped up from time to time to entertain us, movie-goers, since cinema came into existence. Douglas Fairbanks, Sabu, Steve Reeves, Kabir Bedi ... all had their vision and added, albeit slightly, to the character from the Arabian Nights. All succeeded with varying success. Douglas Fairbanks' thief was a swashbuckler, Sabu's thief was an adventurer, Steve Reeves' was a romantic, and Kabir Bedi was back in Douglas Fairbanks' mould. But the most remembered, and deemed a success, was Alexander Korda's Thief of Baghdad with Jon Hall, Conradt Veidt and Sabu.

Il Ladro di Bagdad, to limit the confusion of all these movies, was an Italo-French production. It had some good special effects with a flying horse, invisibility, and multiple personalities. On the whole, although not on a grand scale, it was an excellent movie fit for the matinee slot - and there it succeeded. There were many viewings on TV, but it seems that this movie has now vanished into thin air. The last time I've seen it was about 3 years ago, on satellite TV.

The story is about a kind-hearted sort of eastern Robin Hood, robbing the rich to give to the poor. His victim-turned-rival, Arturo Domenici, appeared in many of the Steve Reeves films, one of them being Hercules. If I'm not mistaken Arturo Domenici always played the baddie - sort of the Italian Conradt Veidt - even in likeness.

The adventure, in this movie, is about a search for a blue rose for an Arabian princess, who is love-sick and dying. Only the blue rose can save her. Will our hero manage to get this fantastic flower? Steve Reeves has to pass through many adventures to finally rescue the princess. But at the end, as in all adventure movies of the time, goodness always wins over evil and the good guy gets his gal. Overall, a good movie to pass some time with the kid in us!

Hope you like this short article.  This was published a year ago on Cinemageddon!

Salgister

King Kong (1976)

KING KONG (1976)

and Extended TV version



Since my childhood days, I was always attracted to the subgenre of fantasy, horror and science fiction involving, and featuring, monsters. I remember Cyclops, Terror Strikes and its prequel, and many other movies, including the original Godzilla. But of all the films I have watched belonging to this subgenre, what most stuck in my mind is the time I first saw the 1933 version of King Kong. It had me really stuck to my seat, not even batting an eyelid. From that day I was firmly entrapped in the web of the Monster Movie. I was hooked. That was all of fifty years ago!

After the 1933 version of King Kong - 3 years later - The Son of Kong was produced. I bet that King kong was really rolling in his grave at this one, but who cares? Son was an adventure in its own right, and a very entertaining film. After a lapse of 15 years, we then had Mighty Joe Young from the hands of Ray Harryhausen. This was another milestone in stop motion animation.

Then, in the early 60's Japan took over with its own version of King Kong. Here in Malta, in those days, we could only see American, English and Italian movies. Watching films in other languages (like Japanese films for example) involved watching it through an embassy or other cultural entity. Their only worry was that they couldn't kill Kong for copyright reasons and - I guess  -franchise. Movies like King Kong Escapes, King Kong vs. Godzilla are now part of the whole King Kong myth. Other movies followed, not necessarily from the US or Japanese stables: Konga, the awfulAPE, Queen Kong were some of these.

In 1976, De Laurentiis wanted to have a finger in the pie too and so the 1976 version of King Kong was born. The success of the film depended on the animatronics of Carlo Rambaldi (later of ET fame) but, regretfully, the Kong robot for De Laurentis'King Kong was not up to the job. In fact it only appreas for a few seconds in the movie - something which the viewer cannot help but notice. At the time, there was a great hype about the movie! But was it worth it?

In my opinion the 1976 Kong is in a class of its own for its man-in-the-suit monster. Godzilla (Gojira) was a man in a rubber suit. So why not Kong? Rick Baker (Kong) gives the gorilla its realism and flexibility. The body language is all there: even the facial expressions and gestures. Of course the animatronic KOng was also used to bring out an inter-relationship with the actors and actress. But that doesn't deter from the real (sic) Kong.

The story was further developed for this version and made to fit in comfortably with the more modern times. The back-ground story was all about oil exploration, so introducing the element of consumerism. The story, in itself, was a copy of the 1933 version, but set in modern times and with some alterations. Gone were the prehistoric monsters. Of course this was due to financial reasons and time. Another thing which I really liked about this movie is the John Barry soundtrack. It was catchy, and at times melodic. What I liked were the soundbytes from the movie most.

The locations where some of the scenes were shot, on the island of Kauai, were marvellous to behold and the soundtrack really complemented the scenery. But the music really came into its own when King Kong goes after the, gets caught and escapes again in the Big Apple.

This movie, as happens to all other movies, was edited down to just about 120 minutes, to obtain a maximum screen time at the box-office. For TV purposes, nearly an extra 60 minutes were edited back.  I guess, though, that at 123 minutes, King Kong is at its best. It's fast-moving and never boring. With an extra hour added on for TV ... well, that's another story. The scenes which were edited in again did not add much to the story.

At the time, the critics panned down the movie, and so did most of the public. But don't let this put you off from watching the movie. By all means watch it and enjoy! Kong is never so alive and "real" as he is in this movie. Forget the sequel -  King Kong Lives. Just say it didn't happen! After watching this movie, and Peter Jackson's King Kong, you will that De Laurentiis' King Kong has a soul and a heart which beats. Of course, here in Malta, its competition was another blockbuster, Jaws. In the end, Kong did well in Maltese cinemas.

Fabiola (1949) - Salgister

FABIOLA (1949)

This Italian movie is sometimes thought to be the first peplum or sword-and-sandal movie. In my humble opinion, I would say that peplum movies were already in existence in the early years of the cinema, examples being Ben Hur (1907,1929, 1959), Quo Vadis? (1902,1951) Maciste in Hell (1925, 1960) and other spectacular movies such as Scipione l'Africano  - which was released in the mid-30's to glorify Mussolini when Italy was invading Ethiopia. Of course there are other movies, but let's limit ourselves to the Roman Era, the basis of most of the peplum movies.

Fabiola (1949), which was also made in 1913 and 1918, and then in 1960 as the The Revolt of the Slaves also know as La Rivolta degli Schiavi -  which in itself is a poor remake - is a budget war movie. But this should not deter anyone from watching it as it is truly spectacular. It stands on its own without any of today's special effects, cgi and what not. The story, in itself, is absorbing and, in a way, it's also a thriller. It revolves around the love of two people: a gladiator and girl, from a rich family, with the titular name: Fabiola. All this is enveloped by the background of Christian plight during Roman times.

Fabiola comes in two versions: the US version - the one I saw when I was still a child - and Fabiola, the Italian version, which has a running time of 156 minutes. If you can watch both versions you'll notice there is quite a difference. In the US version, the movie is turned into a thriller and adventure movie, with some Christian insights thrown in to flesh it out. But the soul of the movie is lost. The inter-relationships between the central characters are contracted, which leaves the viewer unaware of the torment they're undergoing because of the political turmoil that is boiling just under the surface. Here ambition and the thirst for power leads to murder upon murder, ending up with the Christians as scapegoats in a spectacular finale worthy of a De Mille.

The gladiatorial fights reminded me of Demetrius and the Gladiators. And such a scene is found in the movie. Of course I won't spoil it for you: you have to see it for yourselves to appreciate it.

Quo Vadis? (1951) excelled in the depiction of the martyrdom of the Christians. Graphic violence was, as yet, non-existence, or minimal. In Fabiola there are full-frontal scenes of graphic violence that make you wince every time. I winced quite a few times! The scenes of martyrdom were so realistic that you could feel the pain!

Another piece of trivia. I noticed that in the Ben Hur version of 1929, there are scenes of nudity. Of course the Hays Code wasn't yet applied until 4 years later. In Fabiola, there is some nudity too. Not of the sexual kind, but essential to the story. In Ben Hur, the nudes scenes happened during a ceremonial march with nubile, semi-nude, dancing girls, and in Fabiola during the persecution of the Christians. Of course in Italy, nudity was nothing new. Two years before Fabiola was shot, a movie called Quando gli Angeli Dormono showed Amadeo Nazzari pulling off the bed covers to reveal a nude Clara Calamai underneath. But then something changed, on a cinema level, that caused frontal nudity in European cinema to almost disappear till the late 60's ... where it erupted and returned with a vengeance, like some explosion of pent-up frustration.

The actors in this movie are top notch to say the least. Gino Cervi, as a soldier returned home from battle; Louis Salou as the scheming politician; Michele Morgan as Fabiola; Henri Vidal as the slave-turned-gladiator, Rual, and many other actors and actress give their best in this movie.

This is really a star of movie-making. It keeps you hooked on and watching the story unfold to its predestined end. Truly a movie to watch!

The Story of Halloween - sage

The Story of ...

 
Halloween is traditionally celebrated on the 31st October and can be traced back for more than two thousand years to the Celts. Halloween was therefore, originally, a traditional Celtic feast marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of a period of darkness (winter). The celebrations as we know them today, though, demonstrate an influence by other cultures and religions - from the Roman Pomona festival to the Christian All Souls' Day which is celebrated at the same time of the year.

The Celts lived in England, Wales, Ireland and Northern Europe (Brittany) and worshipped various gods, including the Sun God. Their new year started on the first day of November and on the eve (31st October), the end of the season of the sun was celebrated, together with the beginning of the season of darkness. The crops having been harvested and stored for the long winter, the Celts set about celebrating. Fires in the homes were put out and large communal fires ignited round which the Druids (Celtic priests) would dance. There would be sacrifices of crops and animals and as they danced around the fires the season of the sun would slowly melt into the season of darkness. The priest gave out embers to each household to enable them to ignite new fires inside the respective household. Nuts and apples were also roasted during the celebrations.

The day after this was known as Samhain (1st November), and the Samhain festival lasted for three days, with people parading around wearing animal heads and skins. This is presumably what gave rise to the tradition of dressing up in various costumes, as is done in today’s Halloween. The Celts believed, that during the winter, the sun god was taken prisoner by Samhain, the Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness. On the eve before their new year (October 31), it was believed that Samhain called together all the dead people.

In the first century AD, the Romans occupied England, conquered the Celts and brought their own customs along with them, including Pomona, a festival which was traditionally held at around the same time in the year as Samhain. Pomona (note the similarity to the French word for apple pomme) was the Roman goddess of fruits and orchards and harvests, and the Festival of Pompona was held in her honour - presumably another harvest-end celebration by a different people, at the same time of the year. Through the hundreds of years of Roman occupation, Samhain and Pomona merged to become one big harvest festival.

The next major religion which took over during Emperor Constantine's reign was Christianity, and Christianity was destined to leave a large effect on the festivals of Samhain/ Pomona. In the year 835 AD, the Roman Catholic Church would make November 1st a church holiday to honour all the saints. This day was called All Saints' Day - or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later ,the Church would also make November 2nd a holy day.  They called this All Souls' Day and it was established to honour all souls which had passed away to a better life. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people dressing up as saints, angels and devils.

As happened with Christmas and other feasts like St. Valentine's Day, the spread of Christianity did not make people entirely forget their earlier, much older, pagan customs. On All Hallows Eve (October 31st) people continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years the customs belonging to all these individual celebrations merged into one and we are left with a charming mixture of traditions which we group together as Halloween celebrations - Samhain and Pomona Day's apples, nuts and harvest, Samhain's black cats, magic, spirits and dressing up traditions (also a Christian tradition for All Souls' Day apparently) ... and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from the Christian tradition of All Souls' and All Saints' Days and from the festival of Samhain, who traditionally called together all the dead on the 1st of November.

The name Halloween, though, finds its origin in the Christian tradition. All Hallow's Even (Hallow meaning holy and probably of Saxon derivation - refering to the holy souls of the saints), which preceded Hallowmas (All Saints' Day), slowly became Hallow Even and finally Halloween.

So what about Jack o' Lanterns, and how did they come to be such significant emblems of Halloween?

Although it is certain that Halloween started off as a festival in England, Ireland, Wales and possibly Brittany, it was then carried to other parts of the World, including North America, the actual tradition of pumpkin carving is, in fact an American one. In America, the carved lantern became an emblem of a good harvest long before any association with Halloween. In 1850, John Greenleaf Whittier, who was born in 1807, wrote in "The Pumpkin" (1850):

Oh!—fruit loved of boyhood!—the old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

The British and Irish did indeed have a long tradition of carving vegetables into lanterns, but they traditionally chose turnips and swedes to do the job, and there is no indication at all that these lanterns were used during Halloween celebrations or tied in any way to Halloween. The carved pumpkin lantern became associated with Halloween for the first time in 1866, and this famously happened in the USA, rather than in Britain (or Ireland), where Halloween tradition was born.

It is thought that the large influx of Irish immigrants into the US in the middle of the 19th century is mainly responsible for carrying the tradition of Halloween to America. The tradition of trick-or-treating is thought to come from Ireland. In times of hardship, Irish farmers would go round door to door begging for what were called soul cakes (pastries). Prayers were promised if pastries were forthcoming, but a curse was cast upon the houses whose owners where not generous enough to oblige.

Americans seem to have taken the Irish traditions to heart, with a move during the late 19th century to remove unpleasantness and excessive goriness and superstitions out of the traditions, whilst turning Halloween into a fun social event which people, especially children, look forward to year after year.

http://www.history.com/content/halloween/real-story-of-halloween
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
http://www.holidays.net/halloween/story.htm
http://www.jeremiahproject.com/culture/halloween.html