#Peter Gorski

[sacredwhores]

Gustaf Gründgens & Peter Gorski - Faust (1960)

[lookcaitlin]

[lambergeier]

2023 bookpost 🥳🥳🥳

43 books read this year! about 2/3rds of last year's number, but i fell off pace in summer and for the last two months and never actually have a target or care about my pace anyways, so 43 is a good solid number imho. as last year, full list with light commentary below, recs are bolded:

JANUARY

Neuromancer by William Gibson

The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation by Miriam Pawel (i am punished for my desire to learn more about the two governors brown's effects on the state of california with: family hagiography. should have known tbh)

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman (SOOOOOO GOOD. apocalyptic/religious horror in 1350's france during the black plauge. for fans of the terror, and fans of people who are in love but for whom the love won't alwayshelp!)

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (hilary ilu u were one of the greatest novelists of the past hundred years it was an honor to be alive at the same time as you. this could have been 200 pages shorter. ilu tho)

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamas O’Reilly (short, sweet childhood memoir of the irish writer/comedian who, famously, tweeted that story about meeting the president of ireland on ketamine.)

FEBRUARY

Either/Or by Elif Bautman (girls can i tell you. i didn't realize this was a sequel until like 100 pages into the book. that was on me.)

Two Doctors Gorski by Isaac Fellman (ah mr fellman. lol)

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka (really cool piece of fiction, first half told from the collective viewpoint of a group of regulars at a public swimming pool, second half about the one specific swimmer who's losing her independence to dementia. short, packs a punch)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (UNDEFEATED!)

One Man’s Terrorist: a Political History of the IRA by Peter Finn

Nightcrawlers by Leila Mottley (love to see local 22yos succeed wildly. does NOT mean this book was good god bless)

MARCH

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy (to be clear, if you are not a cormac mccarthy fan, these books will not make you his fan. they are very much about this man's incredible hopelessness regarding a world that has invented and used the atomic bomb. what can be redeemed, etc etc. i loved them, despite a major part of the plot being consensual sibling incest, they were beautiful and phenomenal, they were not light reading)

APRIL

A Smile in his Lifetime by Joseph Hansen

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo (cannot recommend the audiobook highly enough. emma read the paper copy to catch up to where i was in the audiobook so we could listen together on a car trip, and she agreesTM that the audiobook is the way to go)

MAY

Barbarian Days by William Finnegan

The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Dianna Wynne Jones

JUNE

We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole (really really really cool nonfiction about ireland since the 1950s, part autobiography, more parts cultural history of a very quickly changing nation. fascinating to read this within 12 months of finn's one man's terrorist, which was a very leftist history of the IRA, and keefe's say nothing, which was an only very slightly leftist history of the IRA that was most interested in like, how compelling the history is (not a drag on it). o'toole not as big on the IRA as the other two! understandable!)

JULY

The Binding by Bridget Collins

The War That Killed Achilles by Caroline Alexander (for all fans of the history of the story of the illiad!!! short and passionate!)

Flux by Jinwoo Chong (solid new debut scifi - who thought it could still happen!)

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy

The Witch King by Martha Wells (this book sucked ass!!! have mentioned this several times already this year!!!)

An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072 by Eman Abdelhadi and M. E. O'Brien (some things about this book were fun, many were infuriating, absolute worst had to be the insistence that in the future: therapy would solve even more problems that it does today :))

The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt (see my beautiful wife's post on the subject)

Stay True by Hua Hsu (beautiful, deserves the pulitzer, not 100% my thing but still very good)

AUGUST

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (the voice was hard to get used to for the first 50 pages, but i ended up really liking this tbh. i've never read copperfield, so not sure if that improved the experience)

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

The Boys by Katie Hafner (a mistake to read this, but at least the twist was funny! there wasn't anything else in the book, but only a partial waste of time at the end)

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (finally read this, which has truly polarized my extended social circle, but i ended up liking it. i didn't always get what it was doing 100% of the time, and didn't so much feel compelled to find out, but i tore through it and will always be a sucker for a story about that doesn't fix you but does keep you alive. can see both sides of this debate)

American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts by Chris McGreal (we have to kill every sackler. solid history of the epidemic. EVERY sackler.)

SEPTEMBER

The Season by Kristen Richardson (half-baked history of the debutante social ritual. but, not like there's many other histories of the subject!)

All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (funny, contained extensive dirtbag lesbian behaviors, but lacked some heft at the end)

In Memoriam by Alice Winn (do you s2b2? do you want some solid, tome-like origfic? do you want all of those things and also siegfried sassoon rpf? well great news!)

Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller (pleaseeeeeee tell me if you have read this or do read this it was SOOOOOO GOOD and i had NEVER heard of this guy before!!! fantastically written prose, everything builds with infinite dread to a single horrible punchline, i am still wowed thinking about it)

The Trees by Percival Everett (haha hey wanna get fucked up. dark dark dark comedy)

OCTOBER

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale (really enjoyable if slightly overlong romance novel that i got off a rec list for historical romances with disabled love interests. does a really good interesting job of giving the love interest full breadth and agency despite severe processing impairment following a stroke)

Mobility by Linda Kiesling

The Rachel Incident by Rachel O’Donahughe

NOVEMBER

NO BOOK NOVEMBER MFS

DECEMBER

Not Even the Dead by Juan Gómez Bárcena (would also like to know if anyone else has read this so we can try and figure out what the fuck was going on right at the end!! also the fact that this is primarily about mexican history, written by a spaniard, with the specter of the US very prominent in the book is like. hm i would love to be able to read some mexican press reviews of this lol)

When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era by Donovan X. Ramsey (picked this up following the opioid book, which discussed but didn't go deep on how the country's reaction to the opioid epidemic was so vastly different from the crack epidemic. put a lot of stuff into context lmao.)

WAIT AT SOME POINT THIS YEAR I REREAD RUMO AND HIS MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES BY WALTER MOERS. I DON'T KNOW WHEN. DIDN'T WRITE IT DOWN. BUT I DID REREAD IT. 44 BOOKS. shout out to mr. moers for writing some extremely fucking creepy books for teenagers <3

okay i was gonna do more about like general trends and vibes of this year's books, also about the four books i am still reading rn lol, but i have been typing for soooooooooooo long so i'm just gonna reblog with more thots in the morning. stay prepared everyone

[rhaenyra-the-gracious]

All males, because I'm straight. :)

I was tagged by lovely @nataliajames, thank you, Nat!

I tag:

@atlantidea

@redthreadoffate

@keikomiura

@carrionsflower

@nynazenik

@aryasnow

@theroncharlize

@bloodbuzz-ohio

@yenneferschaos

@bymine

@christopherherondale

@euphcme

@starswerealigned

@widowkills

@lucy-ghoul

@lordlykisses

@henrywinteris

[gusty-wind]

WHEN DO THE ARRESTS, PROSECUTIONS & EXECUTIONS FOR PREMEDITATED MASS MURDER, GLOBAL GENOCIDE, TREASON FOR PROFIT, CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY…BEGIN!?!

-Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer

-Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna

-Pascal Soriot, CEO of Astra Zeneca

-Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson and Johnson

-Dr. Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation

-Klaus Schwab, President of the World Economic Forum

-Tedros Adhanhom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO

-Anthony Fauci

-Peter Daszak

-Francis Collins

-Bill Gates

-George Soros

-Barack Obama

-Hillary Clinton

-Bill Clinton

-Joe Biden

-John Podesta

-John Brennan

-James Comey

-Adam Schiff

-Peter Strzok

-Mark Zuckerberg

-Melinda Gates

-Nancy Pelosi

-Lindsey Graham

-Gen. Mark Milley

-Volodymyr Zelensky

-Henry Kissinger

-Ralph Baric

-Blackrock, Vanguard, Statestreet

-MN Gov. Tim Walz & Keith Ellison

And about100 other treasonous bastards in politics,7 Dem. Governors Grandma & Grandpa Killers, Judges, Prosecutors, Federal Agencies, Darpa, DOD, FDA, CDC, WHO, WEF, WEF Health Governors, United Nationals, *Liberal Main Stream Media*, *Big Tech*, Medical Field, Hospital CEOs, Pedowood/Pedoland/Pedo-world, Banks & Corporations, etc…..

NEVER EVER FORGET WHAT THEY ROBBED YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES OF…

THE DEMOCRATS CAN NOT WIN ANY ELECTION WITHOUT CENSORSHIP, LYING, RIGGING, STEALING, CHEATING AND DOING THE UNTHINKABLE…

WE WANT THESE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, ARRESTED, PROSECUTED AND GIVEN THE DEATH SENTENCE. UNLESS THEY PAY THE ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT, IT WILL ONLY BE REPEATED AND WORSE THE NEXT TIME!

[byneddiedingo]

Gustaf Gründgens in M (Fritz Lang, 1931)

Cast: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widman, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke, Theodor Loos, Gustaf Gründgens, Friedrich Gnaß, Fritz Odemar, Paul Kemp, Theo Lingen, Rudolf Blümner, Georg John, Franz Stein, Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur. Screenplay: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang. Cinematography: Fritz Arno Wagner. Art direction: Emil Hasler, Karl Vollbrecht. Film editing: Paul Falkenberg. 

Point of view is everything in a thriller. Let the viewer see events through the wrong eyes, and suspense goes out the window. The remarkable thing about Lang's great thriller is that the point of view changes so often. It starts with that of anxious parents, knowing that a child-killer is on the loose, then narrows to one particular parent, waiting for her daughter to come home from school for lunch. But then we see the object of her fears, her daughter, making contact with a strange man, and our suspense builds as we return to the worried mother. But as strongly as we sympathize with the mother, we also eventually learn to focus our anxieties elsewhere: on the beleaguered police, on innocent victims of people's suspicions, on the criminal underworld harassed by the police, and eventually even on the murderer himself. There are even moments when, as he becomes the object of the manhunt, trapped in the attic of a building swarming with the criminals in search of him, we find ourselves semi-consciously rooting for him to escape. Then we find ourselves rooting for the criminals to capture him and to escape being caught by the cops. And then, when he is put on trial by the criminals, we root for the police to arrive and rescue him. In short, the movie is a study in the ways in which sympathy can be manipulated. Lang and his soon-to-be-ex-wife Thea von Harbou wrote the screenplay, and the atmosphere of the film is superbly maintained by the cinematography of Fritz Arno Wagner and the sets of Emil Hasler and Karl Vollbrecht. But none of it would work without the presence of some extraordinary performers, starting with Peter Lorre as the sniveling, obsessed Hans Beckert: a career-defining performance in many ways, considering that Lorre had been known for comic roles on stage before Lang made him a movie star. Then there's Otto Wernicke as Inspector Lohmann, whose performance was so memorable that Lang brought him back as the same character in The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), stereotyping Wernicke as a cop for much of his career. And Gustav Gründgens, the imperious leader of the criminal faction, who later became identified with the role of Mephistopheles in stage and screen versions of Goethe's Faust (Peter Gorski, 1960) -- not to mention in Klaus Mann's 1936 novel, Mephisto (and István Szabó's 1981 film version), based on Gründgens's embrace of the Nazis to advance his career.

[isharaneith]

Whumptober 2023 Masterpost

No 1 – Stargate SG-1 – Jonas Quinn

No 2 – Eureka – Zane/Jo

No 3 – Being Human US – Josh Levison, Josh & Aidan

No 4 – Alice (2009) – Hatter

No 5 – Stargate Atlantis – John & Ronon

No 6 – Dark Matter - Raza crew

No 7 – Firefly - Mal Raynolds

No 8 – The Bastard Son & The Devil Myself – Annalise, Nathan, Gabriel

No 9 - Travelers - Core Traveler Team

No 10 – Lucifer – Lucifer Morningstar

No 11 – MCU – Bucky Barnes

No 12 - Dollhouse - Topher Brink

No 13 – Primeval – Captain Hilary Becker, Becker & Matt

No 14 – Killjoys - Alvis Akari, Alvis & D'avin

No 15 – Timeless – Wyatt Logan

No 16 – Forever – Henry Morgan

No 17 – Shadow & Bone - Kaz & Inej

No 18 - Farscape - John Crichton

No 19 – Supernatural – Dean Winchester

No 20 – Grimm – Nick Burkhardt

No 21 – Being Human UK – Hal Yorke

No 22 – The Boys – Frenchie/Kimiko

No 23 Alt 1 – Fringe – Peter/Fauxlivia

No 24 Alt 12 – Once Upon a Time – Killian Jones, Killian/Emma

No 25 – Warehouse 13 – Claudia & Steve

No 26 – Sense8 – Will Gorski

No 27 – Carnival Row - Rycroft “Philo” Philostrate

No 28 – Babylon 5 – Marcus Cole

No 29 – Wednesday - Tyler Galpin

No 30 – The Wheel of Time - Moiraine & Lan

No 31 – Daredevil – Matt/Claire

I'll be updating this post with links and new entries throughout October.

[ribombeee]

2022 reads!

(*) = reread, (^) = for school, ratings are from 1 to 5

1. shipbreaking — robin beth schaer — 3

2. her body and other parties — carmen machado — 5

3. the left hand of darkness — ursula le guin — 5

4. the benevolent sisters of charity — sam johns — 3.5

5. good omens — neil gaiman and terry pratchett — 4

6. dark matter — michelle paver — 2.5

7. dancing in odessa — ilya kaminsky — 3.5

8. the math campers — dan chiasson — 4

9. gideon the ninth* — tamsyn muir — 5

10. ghost wall — sarah moss — 4

11. harrow the ninth* — tamsyn muir — 5

12. maurice* — e.m. forster — 5

13. strangers on a train — patricia highsmith — 3.5

14. their eyes were watching god — zora neale hurston (school) — 3

15. the terror — dan simmons — 3

16. universal harvester — john darnielle — 4

17. piranesi — susannah clarke — 4

18. in the dream house — carmen machado — 5

19. when i grow up: the lost autobiographies of six yiddish teenagers — ken krimstein — 5

20. the book of delights — ross gay — 4

21. wolf in white van — john darnielle — 4

22. station eleven^ — emily st. john mandel — 3

23. the norton book of science fiction — ursula le guin and brian atteberry — 3.5

24. the apparitionists — peter manseau — 4.5

25. annihilation — jeff vandermeer — 4

26. are you my mother? — alison bechdel — 4

27. the other wind — ursula le guin — 5

28. soft science — franny choi — 4

29. house of leaves — mark danielewski — 4.5

30. gustav klimt: art nouveau & the vienna secessionists — michael kerrigan — 4

31. orsinian tales — ursula le guin — 3

32. all systems red — martha wells — 5

33. the color of magic — terry pratchett — 4

34. any way the wind blows — rainbow rowell — 2.5

35. freshwater — akwaeke emezi — 4

36. christine — stephen king — 1.5

37. dracula — bram stoker — 2.5

38. ancillary justice — ann leckie — 5

39. authority — jeff vandermeer — 4

40. collected short stories of e.m. forster — e.m. forster — 5

41. non-places: introduction to an anthropology of supermodernity — marc augé — 4

42. every imagined tundra — elisa rowe — 4

43. gilgamesh — herbert mason — 3.5

44. mortal trash — kim addonizio — 4

45. small black box — mary rose manspeaker — 3.5

46. oranges are not the only fruit — jeanette winterson — 4.5

47. hangsaman — shirley jackson — 4

48. essays against publishing — jamie berrout, isobel bess — 4

49. nona the ninth — tamsyn muir — 4.5

50. surviving james dean — william bast — 4

51. cat’s cradle — kurt vonnegut — 3.5

52. the odyssey^ — homer tr. emily wilson — 3

53. nightwing volume 1: traps and trapezes — kyle higgins and eddy barrows — 1

54. booster gold: the big fall — dan jurgens and mike decarlo — 4.5

55. antigone^ — sophocles — 3

56. flag and the cross: white christian nationalism and the threat to american democracy^ — philip gorsky and samuel perry — 3.5

57. it — stephen king — 2

58. and then the gray heaven — r.e. katz

59. redacted school book^

60. the runaway restaurant — tessa yang — 4

61. redacted school book^

62. the historian — elizabeth kostova — 3

63. how we became human — joy harjo — 3.5

64. against paranoid nationalism — ghassan hage — 4

65. cities — william carney — 3

[fanoftheimagines]

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[redthreadoffate]

I’m pretty sure I’m missing other people…and like my wonderful tagged, @rhaenyra-the-gracious , all males because I am romantically straight (but sexuall confused) 🫶

Tagging later!

[svenhemingway]

Film-Rezension zu "Faust" (1960)

Ein wahrlich alter Schinken - aber besser wird's nicht

Es war 1960 - ein volles Jahr vor der ersten Singleveröffentlichung der Beatles (Love Me Do) - als Regisseur Peter Gründgens-Gorski die Theateradaption von Goethes Faust I wiederum als Film adaptierte und damit ein Werk für die Ewigkeit schuf.

Die Theateradaption Faust ist natürlich die, bei der Mephistopheles (oder kurz: Mephisto) von Gustaf Gründgens verkörpert wird - dem Adoptivvater des Regisseurs. Zum Zeitpunkt des Drehs war Gründgens bereits 60 Jahre alt, was man ihm keineswegs ansieht. Er war es, der die Forderung stellte, dass dieser Film die "goldene Mitte" zwischen Theaterstück und Film finden müsse - ein Unterfangen, das den Machern dieses Faust-Films zweifellos gelungen ist. Des Weiteren in den Hauptrollen sind Will Quadflieg als Heinrich Faust und Ella Büchi als Margarete. Für den Schnitt verantwortlich war Walter Boos und für die Kamera Günther Anders.

Größtenteils folgt der Film der Handlung von Goethes Faust I sehr genau: Mephisto geht eine Ijobs-Wette mit dem Herrn ein, während der Gelehrte Faust unzufrieden mit seinem Leben als Mensch, der nie in der Lage alle Geheimnisse der Welt (und was sie im Innersten zusammenhält) zu lüften, ist. Mephisto und Faust schließen einen Pakt, der Faust das Höchste der Gefühle versprechen soll. So kommt es, dass Faust sich verjüngen lässt und sich in Margarete verliebt, in der sie das Ebenbild Helenas (bekannt aus der griechischen Mythologie) sieht. Der Beginn der Liebesaffäre ist der Beginn der Gretchentragödie: Gretchens Mutter stirbt durch einen Schlaftrank, ihr Bruder Valentin wird von Faust erstochen, Gretchen tötet ihr uneheliches Kind und letztendlich stirbt Gretchen selbst im Kerker - wobei sie aber vom Himmel gerettet wird.

Stellenweise wurden Dialoge leicht verändert. Auch wurden Dinge ausgelassen, wie zum Beispiel das Intermezzo - das Stück im Stück - das im Drama in der Walpurgisnacht stattfindet. Da die Walpurgisnachttraum-Szene die Handlung nicht vorantreibt, ist das Auslassen dieser allerdings kein großer Verlust und sogar eine gute Entscheidung, da der Film mit 123 Minuten Spielzeit bereits ausreichend lang ist.

Da es sich im Kern eben doch um eine Abfilmung eines Theaterstückes handelt, komplett mit immer lauten Dialogen und simpler Szenerie, kommt alles "Filmische", das die Umsetzung ausmacht, aus der Arbeit mit Kamera und Belichtung. In diesem Bereich wurde aber wirklich alles rausgeholt, was es rauszuholen gibt. Kamera und Licht tragen maßgeblich zur Atmosphäre bei und machen Goethes Lebenswerk um einiges intensiver. Ein wunderbares Beispiel ist die Debüt-Szene der Hauptfigur: In der Dunkelheit mit irrem Blick schaut Faust auf seine merkwürdige Apparatur, während er halb gut zu sehen und halb selbst von der Dunkelheit eingenommen ist. Genau zu Beginn sieht man von Augenhöhe aus die Verzweiflung in seinem Gesicht. Kurze Zeit später aber sieht man ihn oft aus einem Winkel von unten, sodass er erhaben wirkt, wie er es ist, als jemand, der alles gelernt hat, was ein Mensch wissen kann, und selbst nach oben schaut, wie wir zu ihn aufsehen. Nur, dass er in den Himmel und ins Universum schaut, wo der Mond ist, mit dem er so gern spazieren würde.

Auch bei seiner ersten Begegnung mit Mephisto fällt die Kameraeinstellung auf: Mephisto als Teufel ist es nur gestattet, über dort zu fliehen, von wo er hereingekommen ist, und ist damit Fausts Gefangener. Als Mephisto die Bitte äußert, das Studierzimmer verlassen zu dürfen, ist er vor Faust ganz klein. Ein wenig erinnert die Szene an die Treppen-Szene aus … denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun (Originaltitel: Rebel Without a Cause) aus dem Jahr 1955, in der Hauptfigur Jim Stark (gespielt von James Dean) auf der Kellertreppe steht, zwischen seiner erhabenen, engstirnigen Mutter und seinem unterwürfigen, rückgratlosen Vater, der sich von Frau (und letztendlich auch Kind) herumschubsen lässt. Sehr bildhaft werden die Beziehungen zwischen den Figuren in beiden Szenen dargestellt.

Großartig ist ebenfalls die erste Szene der Nachbarin Marthe Schwerdtlein, die erst von Kopf bis Oberkörper am Tisch sitzend sichtbar ist und über das Verschwinden ihres Ehemanns jammert. Beim Monolog kommt die Kamera immer näher an ihr Gesicht und letztendlich liest man sehr deutlich aus ihrer Mimik, dass ihre Worte nicht ihre wahren Gefühle widerspiegeln.

Zu loben sind auch die Übergänge zwischen den Szenen. Häufiger zu sehen sind Überblenden, die den Zuschauer entspannt von einer Szene in die nächste begleiten. Teilweise gibt es aber auch harte Schnitte, wie zum Beispiel die genannte Szene mit Marthe, die einen mit einem Schlag auf den Tisch ihrerseits fast schon erschreckt. Ganz nach Hemingways Eisbergmodell, ist auch das Auslassen eine Kunst: Am Ende der Dom-Szene gibt es gar keine Art von filmischen Übergang; stattdessen reißen sich die betenden Leute die schwarzen Kleider vom Leib und werden auf einmal zu tanzenden Hexen auf dem Blocksberg in der Walpurgisnacht. Gründgens-Gorski, Anders und Boos machen mit ihrer immensen Kreativität Goethe alle Ehre.

Faust (1960) ist nicht allzu kompliziert gestaltet, aber doch meisterhaft mit dem, was da ist, und könnte von jedem jungen Regisseur als wertvolle Inspiration betrachtet werden.

Die schauspielerische Leistung ist enorm - allein schon deshalb, weil es vermutlich ungeheuer schwierig für alle Akteure gewesen sein dürfte, all die Texte auswendig zu lernen und dann auch noch in so einer hohen Geschwindigkeit vorzutragen. Auf eine sympathische Weise werden viele Dialoge geradezu runtergerattert, damit die Handlung auch zeitig voranschreitet. Dadurch wird dem Zuschauer auch keine Chance gegeben, sich zu langweilen. Immerhin möchten die komplizierten Dialoge noch verstanden werden. Der Film bittet den Zuschauer nicht um einen Teil, sondern um all seine Aufmerksamkeit. Faust ist kein Film, der es einem erlaubt, nebenbei noch etwas zu tun, wie etwa auf sein Handy zu starren. Man muss ihn aufnehmen und sich von ihm aufnehmen lassen. Goethes so schon wundervollen Texte werden auf eine Weise vorgetragen, die teilweise Gänsehaut aufkommen lässt. Zu Beginn im Prolog bereits wären da zum Beispiel die drei Erzengel, die den Herrn für seine Schöpfung loben und zu dritt abschließen mit den Worten:

Der Anblick gibt den Engeln Stärke,

Da keiner dich ergründen mag,

Und alle deine hohen Werke

Sind herrlich wie am ersten Tag.

Während alle Schauspieler gute Arbeit leisten, ist einer natürlich (noch einmal) hervorzuheben: Gustaf Gründgens. Mit seiner Dichtung hat Goethe das Grundgerüst gelegt - vollendet hat die Figur von Mephisto dann Gründgens. Wüsste man es nicht besser, würde man meinen, Goethe hätte die Rolle direkt für ihn geschrieben. Wann immer von Mephisto die Rede ist, kommt nur ein Bild im geistigen Auge auf: das von Gründgens schneeweiß angemaltem Gesicht mit den spitzen Augenbrauen und der schwarzen Haube, die man gerade so als Haar erkennen kann. Und die Stimme im Ohr kann auch nur die von Gründgens sein. Während die anderen Figuren alle glaubhaft von anderen Schauspielern ersetzt werden können, wird es wahrscheinlich niemals jemanden geben, der Gründgens ersetzen kann. Das muss wohl auch Maik Schuntermann erkannt haben, der in seiner Faust-Verfilmung aus dem Jahre 2020 aus Mephisto eine Frau namens Meph gemacht hat.

Will Quadflieg als Heinrich Faust darf aber auch nicht unterschätzt werden. Er schafft es, die Hauptfigur in all seiner emotionalen Bandbreite überzeugend und fesselnd zu verkörpern - sei es Fausts Verzweiflung und Skrupellosigkeit zu Beginn, das Erkennen der eigenen Gefühle (Armsel'ger Faust! ich kenne dich nicht mehr) oder die Wärme, die er seiner Gretchen entgegenbringt. Es ist wundervoll, dass auch diese schauspielerische Leistung mit diesem Film verewigt wurde.

Ebenso wundervoll ist, trotz des etwas unangenehmen Altersunterschiedes, die Beziehung zwischen Gretchen und Faust. Wie im Original sind die beiden ein Paar voller Gegensätze. Gretchen, das junge, unschuldige, christliche, hart arbeitende Mädchen trifft auf Faust, den älteren, skrupellosen, ungläubigen, im Studierzimmer lebenden Herrn, der auch noch mit dem Teufel selbst befreundet ist. Diese extreme Gegensätzlichkeit ist schon ziemlich formelhaft, aber bereits in Goethes Originaltext dennoch effektiv. Ella Büchi und Will Quadflieg hauchen ihren Figuren und deren Beziehung nochmal so viel Leben ein, dass der Beigeschmack der Konstruiertheit komplett verschwindet und die gemeinsamen Szenen sehr menschlich und real wirken. Wie Gretchen so viel Zärtlichkeit aus dem anfänglich depressiven Faust herausholt, ist wahrlich eine Sicht.

Ein weiterer wichtiger Punkt der Umsetzung sind die Figurendesigns. Diese Faust-Verfilmung ist insofern auffällig, dass er deutlich ein Produkt seiner Zeit ist und das Mittelalter-Setting von Faust I nur skizziert. So hat Gretchen offensichtlich blond gefärbtes Haar, da ihre Augenbrauen noch dunkel sind und der Herr hat eine mittellange Wachsfrisur, anstelle von langen Haaren mit Mittelscheitel wie man es von vielen Darstellungen aus anderen Filmen und Medien gewöhnt ist.

Der absolute Höhepunkt der Aktualität ist allerdings in keinem Charakterdesign wiederzufinden, sondern in der Walpurgisnacht-Szene, als Faust am Ende des Tanzes zum Himmel schaut und ein Clip von einer echten Atombombenexplosion eingeblendet wird. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg fanden zahlreiche Kernwaffentests statt. Bekannterweise in den USA, aber auch in Frankreich in den Jahren 1960/61. Somit verfügt der Film über einen gewissen Aktualitätsbezug und erinnert den Zuschauer an das Weltgeschehen um seine Erscheinungszeit. Wer sich eine Zuflucht von der Realität erhofft, ist hier also wortwörtlich "im falschen Film". Wie Faust (1960) über Goethes Originalwerk hinaus so unapologetisch eine eigene Identität entwickelt, verleiht ihm nur noch mehr Charme.

Unter Berücksichtigung aller Aspekte bleibt letztendlich zu sagen, dass - genau wie Goethes Werk selbst - diese theatralisch-filmische Umsetzung von Faust I nie in Vergessenheit geraten darf. Wäre es polemisch, zu behaupten, dass es sich hier um die beste und wichtigste deutsche Literaturverfilmung aller Zeiten handle? Wahrscheinlich. Doch angesichts aller Tatsachen: Welcher Film soll an diesem schon herankommen?

[pavspatch]

What does the future hold for Stalybridge Celtic?

PEOPLE have been on at me over the last week, asking me to pen some thoughts on Stalybridge Celtic’s relegation.

Here goes . . .

THE pictures show thousands of people in Armentieres Square. They've gathered to salute their heroes — players like Steve Pickford, Martin Filson, Kevin Parr and Matty McNeill — who have just stepped off an open-top bus after a triumphant tour of the town.

In their hands, being proudly shown to the vast crowds, are the the Cheshire Senior Cup and the Northern Premier League championship trophy and President's Cup. A couple of months later a fourth piece of silverware will be added, the Peter Swales Shield.

That was 2001. Move forward 22 years and it's a completely different scene. Stalybridge Celtic have gone from being Tameside's most successful club, and membership of the National League, to relegation to the NPL's first division west — the lowest level of foot ball they have experienced since their North West Counties League days 40 years ago.

Ostensibly, Celtic's decline mirrors that of Mossley in the 1980s. However, while the Lilywhites collapse was sudden — two NPL titles and three runners-up spots followed by a plunge to bottom place in 1983-84, Stalybridge's decline has been much more gradual and painful.

As recently as 2008 they were facing Barrow, now members of EFL League Two, in the National League North play-off final. Four years later they spent the first half of the 2011-12 season vying for the championship with Hyde United who ultimately won it. In 2015 they reached the first round of the FA Cup.

At the same time, Celtic's slick commercial operation was the pride of the area. Every match seemed to be preceded by a packed sponsors' lounge. The club exuded professionalism from the moment you stepped through the doors and saw the trophy cabinets and team pictures. Other clubs could only look on with envy.

In my BBC Radio Manchester days I would regularly describe Celtic as among the most successful of sides. And then I'd get a phone call from my late friend Keith Trudgeon who would point out that Bridge hadn't actually won anything since 2001.

So what went wrong? Or should that be what didn't go right?

There have been plenty of false dawns, such as the plan to move the stadium to the town centre, which collapsed almost as soon as it was announced. The squad briefly went full time, and there have been personalities who arrived at Bower Fold promising great things and then quietly departed.

Many, perhaps even most, people would lay the blame for Bridge's steady decline at the feet of one man. Indeed an ex-manager I asked about Celtic's problems actually answered: "You can sum it all up in two words — Rob Gorski."

But not every former boss is of the same opinion. Another commented: "Whenever the resources were provided to bring good players in, it was down to Rob Gorski.

"At any level, if you have a big budget, you should be able to push for the top. The board all worked tirelessly to make it a great club.

"It's a long road back. Those days can return but without the money, and leadership on and off the park, the club will struggle. Hopefully they can bounce back."

I know from personal experience that when things aren't going well people fall out at non-league football clubs. Jobs that would normally be taken care of without fuss can be ignored or become the cause of arguments and ill-feeling. People are constantly quitting or threatening to.

The departure of one or two key people can also leave huge gaps to fill. At Hyde United, Steve Johnson is constantly mocked as a silly old duffer, but when he stands down in ten or 15 years' time, who will replace him?

Will there be another person waiting in the wings who wants to spend their every waking hour at Ewen Fields working in the tea bar and doing a host of other jobs from accounts to emptying bins, and for no payment? Such people are extremely difficult to find.

With any luck relegation will prove to be a catharsis and Celtic will indeed start to bounce back. It is possible.

In 2009, Hyde United were wound up in the High Court for a week. After their two seasons in the National League they suffered three consecutive relegations. Now, they're among the serious candidates for promotion from the Northern Premier League.

Curzon Ashton, Tameside's only National League North outfit, had a terrible time in the mid-1990s, falling from the NPL first division north into the Northern Counties East League and then the NWCL second division.

As Bridge manager Chris Willcock stated in his message to supporters, Celtic are at a crossroads but one where the club has the power to choose its path forward. The massive setback it has just suffered can be a catalyst for positive change. Energy needs to be channelled towards creating a brighter future.

At some point soon, the majority of fans will get what they want. Rob Gorski will find a buyer for his shares, he'll cut his links, and Stalybridge Celtic will have a new owner with a new broom and a new plan. Whatever people may think of Rob Gorski, and his methods and motives, he wouldn't risk the club's future by selling to a swindler. He genuinely loves Celtic.

There could be a bigger role ahead for the supporters and all manner of other possibilities.

While those who fail to learn history's lessons are doomed to repeat them, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, it's equally true that you can't fixate on the past. You have to look to the future and that's what Stalybridge Celtic need to do now as they pick themselves up off the canvas.

[fridaythe13ththeseries]

Night Prey

Episode Recap #60: Night Prey Original Airdate: November 25, 1989

Starring: Louise Robey as Micki Foster Steve Monarque as Johnny Ventura (as Steven Monarque) Chris Wiggins as Jack Marshak

Guest cast: Michael Burgess as Kurt Bachman Eric Murphy as Evan Van Hellier Genevieve Langlois as Michele Vincent Dale as Tom Baker Jill Hennessy as Vampire Woman Donald Carrier as Finn (as Don Carrier) Dan MacDonald as Father McKinnon Tamara Gorski as Hooker Kirk Austensen as Young Preppie Matt Birman as Doorman Helen Sofos as Woman with Michele Wally Bolland as Security Guard (as Wally Bollard)

Written by Peter Mohan Directed by Armand Mastroianni

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Open on Jack, sitting on a bench by the water, remembering about a time in 1969 and when someone he knew took a wrong path. We see a couple enjoying a romantic dinner back then, unaware another man is watching them from the shadows. Later, they stroll by the shore, and kiss, when suddenly, the man from earlier swoops down. He knocks the man out and bids the woman to come with him. She falls under some trance as the man reveals vampire fangs and bites her as her paramour awakens. He calls to Michele as she is lifted off as the vampire flies away.

Cut to credits.

Cut to the present, and a voiceover from Jack saying for 20 years the man, Kurt Bachman, learned the ways of the vampires and hunted them. Jack thinks this hunt twisted the man. But that this night, Kurt's path crossed with Jack's.

A woman is leading a man away from a club. The hunter Kurt follows them. The young man is reluctant, since she leads him to an alley, but he goes. They make out a bit, the hunter grows closer. She bites the man's lip, then kisses it. Suddenly, she bares her fangs and attacks the young man, killing him. As she rises up, Kurt appears with a crucifix, which she knocks aside with him. She goes in for the kill, but he has a wooden stake and she lands on it and dies. Kurt takes off.

As he runs, he hears a vampire above somewhere, screeching. Kurt breaks into a church to hide and finds a crucifix in a glass case. He breaks it open and a priest comes out to stop him. They struggle and Kurt accidentally kills the priest when a blade comes out of the bottom of this cross. It then glows in his hands. The vampire is levitating outside the window, watching. Another priest comes out, in shock at the body, and Kurt takes off. Outside, he can't find the vampire. He hides the cross in his coat.

Later at the church, Jack and Micki are told about the death of the priest, who was an old friend of Jack's. Micki asks about the stolen cross, and the young priest says it was valuable, called The Cross of Fire, and that it was from The Crusades. He mentions the blade inside, as well. He also describes the hunter to them.

Back at the store, Johnny has beer and pizza, but Jack is in no mood. Micki explains about the priest, then looks in the manifest to see if the Cross of Fire is one of their items.

Outside a club, Kurt watches as people arrive. He sees the vampire from year ago with a woman he thinks is Michele. He tries to follow them in to the club, but the guard stops him. The vampire, Evan Van Hellier, is the owner of the club. Kurt is turned away.

Micki and Johnny find the cross in the manifest.

Kurt tries another way in to the club, but the guard again stops him. Kurt pulls out the still glowing cross, and a beam of fire and light shoots out of it and kills the guard. Kurt runs when he hears other guards and Van Hellier come to investigate.

Johnny shows Micki an article about the murder at the club, the description matching the man who killed the priest. They also read about the woman killed in the alley and wonder if it is all connected. Jack tells them to visit the young Father Finn for more information and he is going to go talk to Van Hellier.

In an old factory warehouse, Kurt is also reading the article and holds the cross, repeating Evan Van Hellier's name.

Jack arrives at Van Hellier's mansion. An assistant, Tom Baker, answers the door and says Van Hellier is away. Jack asks about the murder at the club, and mentions that he thinks it is connected to the priest's murder. Jack mentions the stolen cross, but Baker has no more information. Jack leaves his card.

At Curious Goods, Micki fills them in on the Cross of Fire, which was first used outside of Transylvania, but seems to be used by superstitious people. Jack says Lewis' curse could have made it into a true vampire killing weapon. Jack tells them about being unable to see Van Hellier. They speculate that the man using the Cross may be using it to hunt actual vampires. He sends Micki and Johnny to stake out the club.

Kurt shows up at the mansion asking to see Van Hellier. The security guard is reluctant, but Kurt shows him the Cross and says his boss might be interested in it. Kurt then releases the blade and kills the guard, powering up the cursed item. He runs toward the mansion.

Breaking in a door, he slips inside, looking for Van Hellier. The place is dark, but then Van Hellier slams the piano. Kurt accuses the vampire of killing his wife. Van Hellier asks who he is, then bares his fangs and tosses Kurt to the floor. Kurt pulls out the glowing Cross and the vampire flees.

Kurt makes his way upstairs and finds two vampire women in bed. He uses the cross to kill one of them, and finds that the other vampire is his wife, Michele.

Kurt brings her back to the factory, where he chains her up. He has a shrine for her with old photos and candles. He tells her not to be afraid. He says she'll be safe once he kills Van Hellier, but she says to stay away, she isn't the person he remembers. She just wants to be let go, but Kurt wants vengeance.

Jack is surprised when Micki is home, but she says the club closed at 3am and everyone went home. Jack says the clubgoers might have been vampires. Micki wonders why her and Johnny weren't attacked. He tells Micki to go to bed, he has to write the eulogy for the priest's funeral tomorrow. Micki is worried about Jack. He feels like even with all they do, there is still so much death.

Van Hellier and Baker arrive at the factory, since the vampire can sense Michele is inside. The go to find her. Michele can also feel his presence, and Kurt grabs the cross to find them first. Kurt and Baker, the assistant, struggle, as Van Hellier tries to get past all the garlic and protections keeping him from Michele. Van Hellier cuts his arm so Michele can feed on his blood.

Kurt stabs Baker, but he he pushes Kurt off and runs. A weakened Van Hellier also flees. Outside, then sun hurts Van Hellier, so Baker pushes him into the car and they speed off. Baker mentions Jack having visited the mansion and maybe they can get answers from him.

Kurt goes to Michele, who tells him that holding her there is killing her, but Kurt only sees the woman he used to love and cannot free her. She then asks him to feed her.

Jack and Micki are back home after the funeral, having a drink in his friend's memory. As Jack goes to change, Micki notices a man at the door, who introduces himself as Evan Van Hellier. Micki invites him inside. He says he has information that could help Jack. Van Hellier slightly works his charms on Micki, but Jack comes back. Van Hellier says he owns the old warehouse, and rented it to Kurt Bachman, who showed him the Cross he had. As Van Hellier talks, Jack notices a mirror and Van Hellier has no reflection. Van Hellier gives them the warehouse address, and Jack plays it cool. After the vampire leaves, Jack gets some holy water. He tells Micki they are going to pick up Johnny and head to the warehouse.

Kurt walks a street and approaches a prostitute. He takes her back to the warehouse, where the woman is surprised to see Michele. But Kurt reminds her he paid already, so she goes to Michele, who acts gentle and then lightly bites. The woman gasps, but Kurt holds her and tells her not to be afraid. Michele then feeds on her, killing her, as Kurt watches. They hold hands.

Micki, Johnny and Jack arrive at the warehouse, and Kurt goes to investigate. Michele tries to stop him, and says Van Hellier never hurt her, he loves her. Kurt asks if she loves him and she doesn't answer. He takes off.

Kurt finds Micki and tries to kill her with cross, but Johnny intervenes. Micki gets the cross, Kurt runs off. Jack tells the others they need to get out of there.

A frustrated Kurt goes back to Michele. She tells him to go while he can, but he won't go without her.

Outside, Van Hellier and Baker watch Micki and crew leave the factory with the Cross. They go to enter the factory to find Michele.

Kurt wants Michele to turn him into a vampire, but she is reluctant. Kurt kisses her as he pleads. She bites him.

Micki wants to go back in to stop Kurt and whatever is going on, but Jack doesn't want to endanger their lives since they have recovered the Cross. He knows Van Hellier tricked them. Micki says without the Cross, Kurt is a sitting duck. Jack says they can't save the whole world. He gets in the car, but Micki runs back inside, followed by Johnny.

Van Hellier and Baker look around inside for Kurt and Michele. Kurt kills Baker, and Van Hellier is shocked to see that Michele turned Kurt into a vampire. She says Van Hellier lied to her, having told her Kurt was dead. Kurt flies up to fight his foe, and Van Hellier gets tangled in a chain and falls, hanging upside down. Kurt jumps down. Van Hellier frees himself and the two struggle on.

Micki and Johnny hear the commotion and go to investigate.

Just as Van Hellier is about to kill Kurt, Michele begs him not to, for her. He drops his weapon, but Kurt grabs a piece of wood and stabs him. Michele watches Van Hellier die. Kurt then goes to attack Micki when she arrives, but Jack shows up and tosses holy water on him. Kurt falls, then bursts into flames as Michele screams. She hisses and bares her fangs. Jack tells Micki and Johnny to go and raises the holy water, but Michele stops. Jack leaves with the others as Michele screams.

At the store, Johnny and Micki wait on Jack, who hasn't come home yet. Johnny is surprised Jack let Michele survive. Johnny says he'll wait for Jack to come back, but they can't understand why he let Michele live.

Cut back to Jack as he was at the beginning, on the bench by the water, contemplating all that happened. He wishes he could have the wisdom the vampires have, almost envious of how much they learn over centuries of life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts:

First up, the night scenes are sometimes so dark here, it is hard to see what is actually happening. I know it might be a combo of the time and not great resolution, but sheesh.

The set up here was odd, too, with Jack so melancholy by the water. I get it, once we see the frustration he's feeling about all the death that surrounds him, but at first it made me think Kurt was an old friend of his, as well. And in the flashback to 1969, I was unsure if the man was just a younger version of Jack. Wasn't made very clear who was who.

Glad they showed that Jack isn't always the rock that isn't bothered by the curse and all the deaths. It would get to anyone, so it's glad to see this side, even if it is brief.

Also liked Micki being understanding up until Jack wanted to just take the cross and go. She ran back in their with no weapons and at least two vampires waiting! Brave of her. Dumb, but brave.

Kind of funny how this vampire and his club have been there awhile and it is only now that Jack and crew are clued in to it. Also, if Jack was such good friends with the priest, why did the man never mention that Cross to him? Or Jack even just notice it when visiting? Nitpick, I know.

Wonder what became of vampire Michele? Guess we will never know.

Next week: Femme Fatale

[voguemadrid]

Coppelia - Varna International Ballet at De Monfort Hall Review

Coppelia at De Montfort Hall, Leicester performed by Varna International Ballet | Review*

A family-friendly introduction to ballet Performed by Varna International BalletChoreography by Alexander Gorsky and Gergana KaraivanoyaAccompanied by a live orchestra Varna OrchestraArtistic Director Daniela DimovaMusic Director Stefan BoyadzhievConductor Peter Tuleshkov The Varna International Ballet have jeté’d their way around the UK on their first-ever tour and this week its De Montfort…

[im-goin-mad]

power bottom ! mephistopheles

[vagabondedlife]

Faust - Gustaf Gründgens, Peter Gorski