RSC Casting Coups

The Royal Shakespeare Company emailed me a promo of one of their upcoming shows, A Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht. They've even posted a trailer on YouTube which you can see right here.



With all the controversy around Galileo, I'm glad to see the RSC is not afraid to be even more controversial with their casting choices. Yes, that actor is none other than Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars! I guess the RSC think Galileo is evil, or the Emperor is a great actor.

In another odd bit of casting, the fellow who played Malvolio in the Twelfth Night production I saw last summer is playing the title role in Hamlet this summer! That has to be a tough transition to make. At least for me as an audience member.

Keep up the exciting choices, Royal Shakespeare Company!

Book Review: The Last Crusade by Warren Carroll

The Last Crusade by Warren Carroll

The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) is an event that generally goes ignored in American history classes. At most it is a sidebar leading up to World War II, explaining why Spain was not involved on either side. The country had been devastated by an internal war between pro-Carlist (supporters of the exiled Spanish royalty and of Spanish Catholic tradition) Nationalist forces and the pro-Communist, pro-cultural overthrow Republican forces. The Nationalists eventually won, though their main general, Francisco Franco, was declared head of state. A restoration of monarchy was seen as an impossibility but a strong leader was needed to put the country back together.

This book's main thesis is that the Spanish Civil War was the last crusade, a war fought by Christians to protect their liberties to worship and live in peace. After several regime changes and coups in the early 1930s, the Spanish government was lead Manuel Azana, a nominal Catholic with more political ambition than conviction. He was left-leaning and allowed Socialist, Communist, and anarchist groups to grow in power and influence throughout the government. Their plans were for a social revolution like the 1917 Russian Revolution. They would tear down society and rebuild it according to their own principles. Using government forces and revolutionary mobs, attacks on churches and religious people began. A group of traditionalist generals met and made plans for a military coup in case things got out of hand. By the summer of 1936, the plan was put into action.

The book goes to great lengths to document the deaths of priests, bishops, nuns, and seminarians at the hands of the Republican forces. The stories are interesting and worth remembering, especially since most people only crow about the unjust death of poet and homosexual Federico Garcia Lorca at the hands of Nationalist forces (one of many atrocities on the Nationalist side). Carroll goes to great length to document what happened, especially as it shows how far the Communist forces were willing to go to create a cultural revolution that would eliminate Catholicism from Spain.

The battles between various forces are also described, often quite vividly. The best part of the book covers the siege of the Alcazar in Toledo. Nationalist forces in the Alcazar (an ancient military fort on a hill in the city) had brought in supplies and their families when Republican forces took the city. They held out hope for the main Nationalist Army to liberate them. After three months of heavy fighting and many different intrigues (including an attempt to tunnel under the castle and blow it up with five tons of TNT), they were liberated.

The book is very well written and well documented. Carroll captures the various personalities vividly and tells the dramatic stories of those individuals. The book is unabashedly Catholic but also aware of its viewpoint. Carroll is aware of other viewpoints on the war and argues against them with documentation and reason. The book is a very enjoyable read and fills in a gap that most general histories ignore.
  

Sample Quote: On the atrocities committed by both sides during the Spanish Civil War

Only academics cut off from human reality by the walls of their study, invincible naivete or prejudice, could expect that crimes of the type already described here [the butchering of male and female religious and the desecration and destruction of churches] would not arouse at least in some men an anger so ferocious as to override all moral considerations, or that other men would not use these horrors as an excuse for moves to gain personal advantage or personal vengeance. Men are not angels. No cause purifies everyone who fights in its name. To a degree perhaps not surprising in an age which has so largely abandoned reason as well as faith, men have forgotten that the justice of a war is not determined by acts committed by any individuals during it. It is determined at the outset by the right or wrong of taking up arms, and the prospects for success with them.

The planners of the Spanish military uprising of July 1936 believed they could win quickly, with little bloodshed, and save Spain from the fate of Russia which so much evidence indicated it was about to share. With better planning and better fortune they might well have done so. It was a risk worth taking. The alternative was what actually happened: a devastating war that took more than 250,000 lives. [p. 96]

Movie Review: The Hobbit (2012)

The Hobbit (2012) directed by Peter Jackson

I managed to go to the very last showing of The Hobbit at our local theatre. It was in 3D but I had kept my glasses from Prometheus, so they did not charge me extra for the glasses (though there is a £2 charge for 3D movies before the £1 charge for the glasses). After hearing a lot of different reviews (some glowing, some glowering), I settled in with medium expectations.

The movie has a lot of stunning visuals and fine performances. Both the New Zealand landscapes and the CG versions of various towns, fortresses, and homes. The CG creatures (trolls, goblins, Gollum, etc.) are seamlessly woven in with the live action actors. The cast does a great job, especially Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. He has the difficult task of balancing the Tookish adventurer (his mother was from the Took family) and the Bagginsy home body he's been for most of his life. Freeman does a great job expressing his emotions and thoughts on his face without looking like he's mugging for the camera. Even CG characters like Gollum or the Goblin King are well realized and more than convincing.

Much have commented on how the story is being made into a trilogy of movies with a lot of extra material from Tolkien's other writings. In the book, Gandalf leaves the dwarven fellowship for a side quest involving a person called "The Necromancer," though no details are given in the novel. Jackson's movie sets this plot up as a b-story that looks intriguing though I am not sure how it will be tied thematically to the main story. I assume Tolkien added it so that the wizard wouldn't just magic them out of trouble all the time. I found this element pretty interesting.

The movie opens with a long sequence of old Bilbo (played by Ian Holm) and Frodo (Elijah Wood) getting ready for the party that starts the first Lord of the Rings movie. This drags for a bit and seems more or less superfluous, unless they are planning to bookend it in the final film with an extra ending. I found this element pretty uninteresting.

The movie also goes through the back story of the dwarfs being cast out of their kingdom by the dragon Smaug and their tribulations as an exiled race. Considering how tightly the history of the Ring is told at the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring movie, this sequence drags on more than it should while explaining the motives of key characters. So there are many parts that could use a director's cut that tightens them up rather than makes them longer. Yeah, I'm saying the inevitable "extended DVD" should really be shorter than the theatrical version.

Another weakness of the film is the tone. Occasionally it has the light-hearted spryness of the novel, such as in the Bag End dinner scene. But too often it is ponderous and heavy-hearted, with long battle scenes that are more grim, limb-chopping combat than adventurous, swash-buckling fight. There are flashes of humor in some of the battles, such as the escape from the goblin kingdom, but not enough to keep the movie from a PG-13 rating or a 12 Certificate in the UK. Considering the novel is appropriate for 6- or 7-year olds, it seems an odd choice. I know that movies should not mirror their source material slavishly but the novel is so much better on this count.

One thing the film makers did brilliantly was adding in songs and music. Tolkien had lots of poetry in his writings, mostly songs sung by characters. The film captures quite a bit of this very well, from the famous dwarf song in the trailer to even the Goblin King having his solo. So maybe the extended edition can have more of that.

I don't mean to sound so negative. I did enjoy the film but considering how great the source material is, expectations are still pretty high regardless of what others have thought. I think the movie would over all benefit from a lighter tone and tighter storytelling. The performers do a great job and the movie looks spectacular.

Movie Trailer

Granada Cathedral

After the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granada in 1492, they commissioned a grand cathedral there. Construction of the cathedral began in 1523 (on March 25, the feast of the Incarnation!) with a Gothic plan by Enrique Egas. Emperor Charles V wanted a cathedral even grander, something appropriate for an imperial mausoleum. Diego de Siloe became the chief architect in 1528. Using the same floor plan from Egas (who had gotten as far as laying foundations), Siloe planned a church more Roman or Renaissance in style. Siloe died in 1563 without completing the church and a few other architects had a hand in crafting the final result.

The Main Facade was supposed to have two towers, but one of the subsequent architects, Alonso Cano, switched the design to the triple-arched doorways now extant.

Main Facade of Granada Cathedral

The roof is amazingly ornate, a bit of Counter-Reformation splendor.

Lots of magnificent detail work

The streets around the church also have many beautiful works.

Doorway to the Presbytery (we thought)

Imperial logo

Fran Suarez relief

Gotta have a Madonna and Child

Most beautiful of all

Inside, we bought tickets from the office and followed past another statue of Mary to go into the church.

Come this way!

The nave of the church is quite breathtaking. There's quite a bit of open space and natural light.

Nave

The main altar is currently undergoing some construction or restoration and was not accessible to visitors.

Main altar (under construction)

The dome above it is richly ornate with gilding, stained glass, and paintings.

Dome

Over a dozen side chapels line the walls of the cathedral. Here are a few samples.

The Altarpiece of Saint James of Compostela was designed by Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo, completed in 1707. In the center is "The Apostle James on Horseback" by Alonso de Mena, certainly the most unusual decoration I've ever seen in a cathedral.

Altarpiece of Saint James of Compostela

St. James on horseback with sword?

The Altarpiece of Christ the Nazarene was made for the varied paintings on display. Designed in 1722, it is a nice example of Baroque exuberance.

Altarpiece of Christ the Nazarene

The doorway to the tower (which leads into the church museum) was built by Juan de Maeda in 1665. The relief is called "Justice and Prudence accompanied by two children holding up cartouches."

Maeda's "Justice and Prudence..."

This stained glass window is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

Holy Trinity window

The organ is also quite ornate and gilded, as befits the rest of the cathedral.

The organ

The church is very awe-inspiring and definitely worth visiting along with the Royal Chapel where Ferdinand and Isabella are buried.

Comic Review: Hellboy in Hell #2

Hellboy in Hell Issue 2 by Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart

Hellboy continues his descent into Hell begun in the previous issue. His mysterious guide leads him through many empty places. The guide tells Hellboy that all save one have fled at his coming. They arrive at Pandemonium, the deserted capital of Hell. Hellboy sees his throne and crown jewels of Hell, which are his by right. Hellboy reiterates his rejection of damned glory. He then has the opportunity to slay Satan, the one being who has not fled because he's been asleep for two thousand years. A black panel quoting Macbeth ("Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?") and a bloody knife indicate he did. They move on to the river Cocytus, where Hellboy sees little fish, the souls of people who are begging for mercy. The guide and Hellboy have this exchange:

Hellboy: What are they?
Guide: Misspent lives. Not the great monsters, but the common damned.
Hellboy: And who decides who's damned?
Guide: Each man's soul is his own. How he chooses to spend it...that is for each man to decide for himself.

They continue on to the place where Hellboy was born and a particularly gruesome flashback of his birth and the attachment of the Right Hand of Doom.

The blend of various mythologies is quite interesting. There are plenty of references to Shakespeare, Dickens, and Milton. Not a whole lot happens in this issue but a lot is communicated. As always the art by Mignola perfectly matches the mythology and murkiness. Hell has a creepy sort of wonder about it. Where the story is going is pretty unclear but I can't wait to find out more.

You can buy a copy digitally here. or look for a local comic shop here.

Granada Cathedral Nativity

Before I write about the cathedral itself, I thought I'd provide something on their nativity tableaux. The cathedral, like every other self-respecting church in Spain, has scenes from the infancy of Jesus in a delightful model.

Nativity, Granada Cathedral

More of the Nativity

Some of the details are interesting. The Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel visits Mary, has a nearby scene of the angel visiting Joseph in his dream. It's a nice instance of bilocation. I thought that was a nice touch.

Receiving messages, asleep or awake

The birth of Our Lord seems to have taken place in the nicest stable in town. I imagine (though I could not find) a nice story about the pots hanging on the wall. Maybe they're for milking the cows?

Shepherds come to worship

Herod can also be seen ordering soldiers to kill the Christ child.

Herod orders his soldiers

As usual, the flight into Egypt is also depicted.

A very busy (and very green Egypt)

Alas, no Caganer was found here like in Marbella.

Next post will be on the Cathedral itself!

Royal Chapel of Granada

Capilla Real Granada or the Royal Chapel of Granada was built next to the Granada Cathedral between 1506 and 1521. It has the tombs of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, the Catholic monarchs who finally reunited Spain under one monarch in the late 1400s. They also created links to England, Portugal, and Austria through the arranged marriages of their children. They financed the Spanish discovery of America, laying the groundwork for the world-wide Hispanic presence we experience today.

Near the entrance for the Royal Chapel

The Chapel is more museum than place of worship now (they do have a daily Mass). They don't allow photographs, so I've scanned a sampling of postcards to give you a view of the interesting parts of the interior. The first room is The Exchange, a space for commerce that is not part of the Chapel. Visitors buy their tickets there so commerce still takes place (though the gift shop is on the other end of the museum). We proceeded on to the chapel itself, where the massive main altarpiece commands attention. The artist is Felipe Vigarny and the detail is quite incredible.

Main Altarpiece

Right in front of the altar are the tombs. Ferdinand and Isabella are memorialized on the right. On the left is the memorial of Philip the Handsome and Joanna I, son-in-law and daughter to Ferdinand and Isabella.

Tombs of the monarchs

A small staircase leads down to the lead coffins where the bodies are. Ferdinand and Isabella are in the middle, flanked by Philip and Joanna. The other coffin on the right side of the picture below is the remains of Prince Michael, grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella by their eldest daughter. He died in 1500 at the age of 2.

Crypt of the Royal Chapel

A door on the right of the chapel leads into the Sacristy-Museum, which has artifacts and artworks from the 1500s. The sceptre and crown of Queen Isabella are on display along with a sword from Ferdinand. Other personal items owned by the Queen, including chests, silver work, and prayer books, are displayed. Paintings and statues in the museum date from the 1500s and are by a variety of Flemish, Spanish, and Italian artists.

Santa Parentela by Bernabe de Gabiria, 16th c.

San Miguel by anonymous artist, 15th c.

Isabella the Catholic in Prayer, from the Queen's missal