WEEK 22, 2021

Public Domain Taking You There The Glory of Albert Bierstadt ‘Among the Sierra Nevada, California’

Wayne A. Barnes been west of the Mississippi, and hardly west of the Susquehanna. I ave you ever had a added a line to my life’s to-do list. painting show up at Someday, I would walk the path different times in your to that lake and look up at those life when you needed mountains. it most? In 1971, I was in training in the HAt Penn State in 1967, in the audi- FBI before there was an FBI Acad- torium for Professor Jim Lord’s art emy at Quantico, Virginia. Classes history survey class, a large screen were held in the Old Post Office in spanned the width of the stage. He Washington, D.C. Arduous studies would flash up slides from differ- and masses of new information ent artistic eras—some older, then kept 30 fit and healthy trainees more modern pieces. Some of the under the gun. On lunch breaks, abstract art with splotched can- my classmates strolled the nearby vases were forgettable. streets of the nation’s capital, but I One day he put up a painting by had something else in mind. Albert Bierstadt. It remained on the The painting I so wanted to see screen longer than the others, giv- was at the Smithsonian’s Portrait ing 500 students a chance to drink Gallery several blocks away. On our it in. It was the most lifelike and second day of classes, I found my immediately fulfilling piece of art feet beating a path to that building. I had ever seen. After a few more I took the broad marble steps two at moments, Mr. Lord said that it was a time to an alcove, where on the quite massive, so its presentation on right, were the Sierra Nevadas in his big screen did it justice. It made all their glory. me feel something I had not known If you have a painting that cura- was within me. It reached into my tors know is worth more than a few soul and took me there, to the heart moments of your time, they place of the Sierra Nevada mountains in a bench nearby for you to sit and California. ponder. Over several weeks, I nearly carved out a spot there. Taking You There Midway through the last month Some 60 years after Lewis and of training, we received orders for Clark’s expedition reached the Pa- our first office assignments. I was cific Ocean, Albert Bierstadt found gleeful when mine was Los Angeles. himself among those wild western In a month I was there, and for all mountains and he was enthralled. of 1972, fighting crime, working un- He created a scene to capture the dercover as a Black Panther, helping loveliest aspects of nature. He found solve the second airplane hijack- just the right pieces, and with his ing—learning the trade I would ply extraordinary imagination, fit them for nearly three decades. together perfectly. The greatest im- A good friend from my days at Vil- pact is on the fortunate who stand lanova Law coincidentally moved right before it. With his detailed to the same city. In the summer, we brushstrokes, he gave life to every took a week off and drove north— facet of the painting. the destination, his cousins in Seat- The massive canvas could have tle. But we would pass close enough been divided into separate, smaller to the Sierra Nevadas to veer off to paintings, each with its own story. the east. In my brand-new Datsun Yet these images blend together and 240 Z, I felt I was driving to hal- are overpowering: white-capped lowed ground. mountain peaks, descending snow- For most fine landscape artists, fields, swirling clouds, craggy cliffs there is no single place to stand and with cascading waterfalls, mist paint. Rather, they will pick the best moving over a high mountain lake, location they can find, with tower- droplets sprinkling down giving a ing peaks, high waterfalls, lakes, glimmer to its surface, the coolness denizens of the forest in tranquil of the wind winding through the terrain, and synthesize it all into a valley floor, and then a dozen ducks memorable image. and deer posed serenely at the wa- Steering on serpentine roads with ter’s edge, sheltered by centuries- views to valleys and vistas at higher old trees. elevations gave all the perspective The eyes cannot move fast enough, needed for a beating heart to revel or slowly enough, to take in the ma- in. I could imagine Bierstadt stand- jestic slopes and scintillating sky in a ing before a glistening lake compos- single viewing. The lake’s reflection ing his magnum opus. The aromas only enhances the splendor from of the forest, chirping birds, water above. Your head swivels left and lapping at the shoreline, a gentle right. You stand farther back and breeze through the trees—and all of then move up close to where you it melodic, like notes of music. Later, can breathe in the forest air, hear the artist would play them out as he its sounds, and revel in this place, orchestrated his visual symphony declaring the timelessness and the in a studio far away. He captured glory and grandeur of nature. the power of the panorama, the nu- ances of nature, and the wonders of Following the Painting the wilderness. From a working-class neighbor- Detail from “Among the Sierra Nevada, California,” 1868, by Albert Bierstadt. Oil on canvas, 10 feet by 6 feet. hood in Philadelphia, I had never Continued on Page 4 Smithsonian American Art Museum. B22 | ARTS & CULTURE TUESDAY,Week JUNE 22, 1, 2021 TUESDAY,Week 22, 2021JUNE 1, 2021 ARTS & CULTURE |B3 3

ALIcJA GrAcZYk/SHuTTErSTock Poetry Th ose of us who are approaching or who have reached our “three score years and ten” understand this need and urgency to appreciate the beauty around us, “to What People Are Saying ‘With Rue My Heart see the cherry hung with snow.” Is Laden’: The Poetry Poet A.E. Housman lived one of the most of A.E. Housman isolated and in many Pd uS I read The Epoch Times daily. I congratulate you and Jeff Minick ways, saddest of lives. I still like hard papers […] and The Epoch Times for the work I still like to grab that paper in you are doing, especially with hen I left graduate my hand, but I get more printed regard to keeping the menace of school long ago with- An Objection out earning my doc- Th ere is a stark beauty to Housman’s versions of stories than ever the communist threat in front of us. torate, one of my first poems, no wasted words, lines as spare before. You guys have done an DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA thoughts was “Now I’ll as trees in winter. amazing job, and really—I think Military and intelligence analyst and Wbe able to read whatever I want.” But having reread some of his poems, former deputy assistant to the president there’s such a void in media, And I set out to do just that. Through- my inclination is to reject the philoso- out my 20s, in my pre-children days, I phy within them. His bleak take on life especially newspapers. They followed my heart and desire in pur- and even his stoicism now strike me slant so solidly one way that suit of literature. For hours every day, as only half a picture of the human there are very few papers that books were my companions, ranging experience. Th ose deciduous trees I can really feel that I can rely on, from the works of novelists as diverse mentioned above are bare and stark as Dostoevsky, John Gardner, and Ray- in January, but by May their branches and The Epoch Times is one. mond Chandler to William Manches- A.E. Housman’s poem “With rue My Heart Is Laden” expresses the sorrow of lost youth. A sculpture in the Monumental glitter with new foliage. Th e reclusive SEAN HANNITY I rely on The Epoch Times ter’s biographies and Shelby Foote’s cemetery, in Milan, Italy. and emotionally wounded Housman Talk show host newspaper for factual and “The Civil War.” seems to have forgotten, or perhaps unbiased news coverage. Some of these writers took up perma- never experienced, the joy and wonder nent residence in my ramshackle man- When I was one-and-twenty Oh never fear, man, nought’s to dread; of being alive. LARRY ELDER sion of literature. Often I’d return to their A.E. Housman in 1910. I heard him say again, Look not left nor right: If my house of writers were real, at this Best-selling author, attorney, novels, essays, and histories, picking up “Th e heart out of the bosom In all the endless road you tread point I would be tempted to head up to and talk show host “The Great Gatsby” or Ray Bradbury’s last book, “More Poems.” Was never given in vain: Th ere’s nothing but the night. Mr. Housman’s room, knock on his door, short stories and read at random to lis- Housman’s poetry has appealed to ‘Tis paid with sighs aplenty and invite him to join the rest of us at the ten to their prose rhythms like some jazz generations of readers for several rea- And sold for endless rue.” A grim mood here, yes, but also a re- party downstairs, cajoling him with his aficionado replaying his Louis Arm- sons. Under the influence of some of And I am two-and-twenty, minder to keep marching on the road. own iambic tetrameter: The Epoch Times is a strong recordings for the 100th time. the ancient authors he loved, he wrote And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true. For 15 years or more, I also taught some simply and clearly of whatever subject Time’s Swift Passage And since to have a little fun great place where you can of these same works to students, and he addressed. Here is poetry that no Stoicism Housman’s obsession with time often Can bring great good to anyone, understand traditional so had the double delight of revisiting reader must work to untangle. More- Though Housman often made death a fi nds a voice in young narrators, but Come down the stairs and raise a glass; values in a way and in a tone It’s our favorite paper. It’s the first favorite writers while passing on their over, his themes—his observations on theme in his verse—“To an Athlete Dying those of us nearer to the end of our No brakes, my man—step on the gas! and through content that is one we read. Thank you so much work to another generation. what it means to be young, the swift pas- Young” remains one of his most memo- lives can certainly fi nd common ground accessible. It’s smart. for your reporting of the news. Poets also made themselves at home sage of time, the unhappiness hiding rable poems—he also advocates what the here. In “Loveliest of Trees,” the fi rst Je Minick has four children and a in my manor house of language. T.S. El- behind triumph and joy, the strength English once called “a stiff upper lip” in the verse describes cherry trees in bloom. growing platoon of grandchildren. For CARRIE SHEFFIELD PAUL GOSAR iot sat down for tea and biscuits, Emily and bravery needed to face up to the face of tribulation. In “1887,” the first piece Th en the narrator observes: 20 years, he taught history, literature, Columnist and broadcaster U.S. representative for Arizona Dickinson preferred the solitary life in adversities of life—all of these captured in “A Shropshire Lad,” he commemorates and Latin to seminars of homeschool- a room upstairs, Dylan Thomas and his Victorian audience and continue to the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s Now of my three score years and ten, ing students in Asheville, N.C. He is friends caroused in the kitchen. draw admirers today. reign by invoking “God save the queen,” Twenty will not come again. Housman’s poetry has the author of two novels, “Amanda Learn more at EpochSubscription.com And then there was A.E. Housman. Housman’s “With Rue My Heart Is but with the understanding that the soldiers And take from seventy springs a score, appealed to generations Bell” and “Dust On  eir Wings,” and Laden” contains several of these in- who fought and died for England were also It only leaves me fi fty more. of readers. two works of non- ction, “Learning A Solitary Life gredients: its salvation: “The saviors come not home And since to look at things in bloom As I Go” and “Movies Make  e Man.” In my imaginary mansion, Alfred Ed- tonight; Themselves they could not save.” Fifty springs are little room, Today, he lives and writes in Front TRUTH AND TRADITION ward Housman (1859–1936) comes to With rue my heart is laden In “Poem LX” from the same collec- About the woodlands I will go Royal, Va. See Je Minick.com to follow the banquet hall for supper, sits alone For golden friends I had, tion, we read: To see the cherry hung with snow. his blog. at a table, offers curt replies if asked a For many a rose-lipped maiden question, returns to his isolated room And many a lightfoot lad. on the top floor, and locks the door. He then spends his evenings reading Latin By brooks too broad for leaping and Greek, writing essays for academic The lightfoot boys are laid; journals—he had been one of the great The rose-lipped girls are sleeping classicists of his day—and if the mood In fields where roses fade. TH strikes him, composes a poem. 2021 NTD 8 The editors of the textbook “Prentice Young People Hall Literature: The English Tradi- Most of the poems in “A Shropshire Lad” tion”—my teacher’s edition has 1,462 have to do with youth, especially boys International pages, weighs 7 pounds and 4 ounces, and young men, a subject seemingly and might serve in a pinch as a weapon unsuited to a university don known Chinese Vocal or a dumbbell—describe Housman as for his stiff personality. “Prentice Hall “distant and humorless” and “sour and Literature” speculates that Housman surly with people.” He kept his distance suffered a broken heart in his youth that Competition from his students and his colleagues at colored his verse with its dark pessi- the universities where he taught clas- mism. sics, and “refused the many honors and A fan of Housman’s verse in his own awards he was offered, including the young days—“When I was about sev- PRELIMINARY SEMI-FINAL & FINAL Royal Order of Merit.” His rooms at Trin- enteen, I probably knew the whole of ity College “were as grim as the man. ‘A Shropshire Lad’ by heart”—George TAIWAN JUN, 2021 NEW YORK SEP, 2021 The only decoration was a large tortoise Orwell later criticized Housman’s verse shell; there was not even a comfortable for “its adolescent themes” and “a con- NEW YORK SEP, 2021 chair.” viction that life is short and the gods are Of all the poets I’ve ever read, surely against you, which exactly fitted the pre- REGISTER Housman lived one of the most isolated vailing mood of the young.” and in many ways, saddest of lives. Doubtless some of this criticism, NEW YORK +1-888-477-9228 , [email protected] Yet my admiration for his verse abides. echoed by others as well, is valid, yet many of the poems still strike me even at TAIWAN +886-2-5571-3838#1133 , [email protected] Overview my advanced age as shrewd in observa- In 1896, Housman published his first tion and commentary. collection of poems, “A Shropshire Lad.” In “When I Was One-And-Twenty,” the The book eventually became a bestseller narrator speaks of a wise man telling and was followed more than 25 years him not to give his heart away, “But I was later by “Last Poems,” which also be- one-and-twenty/No use to talk to me.” came wildly popular. Following Hous- In the second verse, the narrator then Made from Purslane man’s death, his brother published his tells us: Natural Purity for All MuHAMMEd ZubAIr/SHuTTErSTock NATURE’S OMEGA-3 GOLD Puritang plant based Omega-3,6,7,9 is made from purslane and perilla seeds. It contains over 61% concentration of omega-3 — the highest possible without chemical additives, not possible to derive naturally from fish or other plants, and this combined with omega-6,7,9, accounts for more than 90% of product content! Purslane is nature’s gold mine of omega-3, Order containing the highest level of any green Online! plant. Besides 0% trans fat and 0% hormones, VOCAL.NTDTV.COM this product is 100% organic and 100% natural. It has no fishy aftertaste or risk of ocean-borne GOLD AWARD REGISTER contaminants. It is also non-GMO. Made in Korea. +1–888–477–9228 NEW YORK Oct. 2021 VOCAL＠GLOBALCOMPETITIONS.ORG “About the woodlands I will go/ To see the cherry hung with snow” from A.E. Housman’s poem “Loviest of Trees” Puritang Green Vegetable Omega 3, 6, 7, 9 Inspired by Nature. Made from the Heart. www.Puritang.com B44 | ARTS & CULTURE TUESDAY,Week JUNE 22, 1, 2021 TUESDAY,Week 22, 2021JUNE 1, 2021 ARTS & CULTURE |B5 5

PUBLIC DOMAIN

TAKING YOU THERE

Detail from two-step stool right in front so visitors Within a few feet of the painting, she have thought were too audacious to pro- “Among the “Among the could get up close. stopped. She looked up to the left, then the claim out loud. Head back, arms still up, Sierra Nevada, The Glory of Albert Bierstadt Sierra Nevada, For Tuesday’s after-work drinks, I brought right, and then around to all four corners. The eyes she announced: “I feel it. I want to be there. California,” California,” my highest level of enthusiasm and invited Her eyes slowly covered the full acreage of cannot move I am there!” 1868, 1868, by Albert Vlad and his wife to the exhibition. I said the 6-by-10-foot painting, seeming even It was such a shocking display of genuine- by Albert Bierstadt. Oil the Soviets see too little of America with larger in its ornate frame. Her breath was fast enough, or ness. A ripple of light laughter, and then Bierstadt. Oil on canvas, 10 their restrictions on travel. Besides, I want- taken away. applause ran through the crowd. Every- on canvas, 10 feet by 6 feet. feet by 6 feet. ed our wives to meet. She moved to the stool with no hesitation slowly enough, one’s eyes were on little Galena, a woman ‘Among the Sierra Smithsonian Smithsonian American Art What could he say? We set it up for the and took a step up. Her nose was inches to take in in rapture. American Art Museum. next Tuesday. from the canvas. She raised a foot to the The moment was over and I helped her Museum. We started with dinner at Chadwicks, and top of the stool. Her head was abuzz with the majestic down. A flustered Vlad, his face drained, Nevada, California’ then drove across the 14th Street Bridge to the enormity of it all. but resigned to what had happened, said, the Corcoran. Evenings brought a higher Careful not to lose her balance on the slopes and “You must forgive my wife. Sometimes she class of clientele, with suits and ties and small perch, Galena did a slow turn so her scintillating talks outside of herself.” well-dressed ladies. We strolled the gal- back was to the painting. She didn’t focus He put his arms around her, as if to shield Continued from Page 1 FBI. For months I met with my new friend, ment. But, oh no, the painting was gone! Naysayers around the conference table lery, and I told Vlad the history of several on the long gallery in front of her, although sky. her, but also to comfort her as they slowly Vladimir, every other Tuesday for drinks In my place of rejuvenation from grueling asked what could be gained. Wasn’t only pieces. He translated for Galena. She had by now 50 people were staring at this short walked away, her eyes still glazed over. The Painting Helps the FBI after work at Chadwicks in Old Towne Alex- hours and job pressure was an empty al- Vlad the target? Who cared about his wife? a halting knowledge of English, but was woman, completely captivated by a work One must understand the Soviet Union, From the mid-1970s through the 1980s, I andria, Virginia. Gaining personal stories cove. A sign said it was on loan to another Besides, they said, he would turn down the getting along well with my wife. of art. Wayne A. Barnes was where all large pieces of art were dedicated was assigned to the Washington Field Of- for personality analysis was the focus for museum. invitation. “Russians don’t do American Then came the turn to the broad gallery She arched her back and lifted her chin an FBI agent for 29 to “The Worker’s Paradise” and “Heroes fice as a Cold Warrior with foreign coun- profiling our subjects. I had formulated It was in Paris for three months as part of art,” and I was “barking up the wrong tree.” with Albert Bierstadt’s masterpiece at the until her eyes were looking above and years working coun- of the Revolution,” anything to promote terintelligence expertise. On a special three questions to assess our targets: What an exhibition, “A New World: Masterpieces My view was different. far end. We admired Asher B. Durand’s behind her, upside down, at the towering terintelligence. He the Communist Party. They would have squad with the goal of recruiting Soviet makes him laugh? What makes him cry? of American Painting, 1760–1910.” But it I went to the exhibition the day it opened “Kindred Spirits,” and a cowboy scene by mountains and radiant sky of the painting. had many undercover no grand display of nature to revel in. Plus, intelligence officers, my undercover role And does he love his wife? The answers was coming back to Washington and to and learned about the pieces on display. Frederic Remington. Russians, Vlad told She raised her arms from her sides, palms assignments, includ- their internal controls would never have required me to meet a second secretary were crucial, and the last one was the most the Corcoran Gallery of Art, right across I bought the large coffee-table book with me, had heard all about the “Wild West.” up, as a pastor leading his flock to sing a ing as a member of the allowed Galena’s outburst, which Vlad attaché from the Soviet Embassy. This was difficult to learn. If a Russian chose to de- from the White House. all the color images. Studying it was my Then Galena looked down the long carpet hymn on Sunday morning. Black Panthers. His knew well. What he didn’t know was the his own undercover position, because he fect, would he bring his loving wife with I consulted my squadmates about my homework so I could be a docent for my and saw the object of my own affection. Vladimir was as embarrassed as a Rus- first spy stories were ultimate assessment of my intelligence was actually a captain in the KGB. him to start a new life, or would defection plan to invite Vlad and his wife, Galena, Russian couple. While much of the art had She kept her eyes fixed on it, starting sian diplomat could be, but his love for his from debriefing Soviet target from this outing—he loved his wife A complex scam put me in his path so he be his excuse to leave her behind? to the exhibition with my wife and me. We been ribboned off to keep the patrons back, a slow walk toward it from 30 feet away. wife compelled him not to interrupt her KGB defectors. He now dearly. With her feelings on her sleeve, and would report that it was he who had found After a few months, it was time for me could have dinner and make an evening “Among the Sierra Nevada, California” not I tugged on Vlad’s sleeve and my wife moment. investigates privately in her husband’s reaction, it was more than I me, as opposed to his being the target of the to revisit Mr. Bierstadt’s greatest achieve- of it. only had no ribbon but there was also a followed. Galena spoke words that others might South Florida. could hope to have learned. 6B6 | ARTS & CULTURE TUESDAY,Week JUNE 22, 1, 2021 TUESDAY,Week 22, 2021JUNE 1, 2021 ARTS & CULTURE |B7 7

TOSHAUNA/SHUTTERSTOCK As traditional fairy stories show, evil can ‘Without Remorse’ Rated be portrayed as ugly in its imaginative con- Mark Jackson grew up in Spring Val- R ception, and such is the truth. But it should ley, N.Y., where he attended a Waldorf Director FILM INSIGHTS school. At Williams College, his pro- Running Time Stefano Sollima exist in clear contrast to the good and beau- fessors all suggested he write pro- 1 hour, 49 minutes tiful, maintaining the moral compass. In fessionally. He acted professionally Starring other words, wolves should be big and bad, WITH MARK for 20 years instead. Now he Michael B. Jordan, Release Date trolls should be nasty, and dragons ter- writes professionally about Jodie Turner-Smith, Date on Amazon Prime Video: April 30 rible. On the other hand, heroes should JACKSON acting. In the movies. Jamie Bell, Guy Pearce, be strong, life should be sacred, and the Lauren London world wondrous. In short, the imagination should be a mirror of sorts, not a psyche- delic portal, transcending reality without NADJA KLIER/PARAMOUNT PICTURES renouncing the transcendentals. fans to relish him utilizing all his very will allow him to go beyond the call of But when the unconstrained imagina- dangerous skills. What else would such duty to get the job done. Unfortunately, tion conjures teenage mutant ninja turtles, a movie be about? it’s pretty simple to figure out who the how is truth enhanced? Though ostensibly The film might have been a good oppor- mysterious string-puller behind the U.S.- harmless, what is the purpose and the ef- tunity to make a statement about global Russia discord is. fect of such arbitrary creations, such settled politics since it’s directed by Stefano Sol- strangeness? lima, who previously directed 2018’s “Si- The Setup Works While ninja turtles or flying elephants cario: Day of the Soldado” (wherein the The family preparation scenes are scant may be considered within the category of drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border es- and perfunctory, but the good news is that imaginative abominations, they are cer- calates due to cartels trafficking terrorists “Without Remorse” is all about the action, tainly not as dire as pornography, graphic across the U.S. border), and it’s co-written and the action set pieces will hold your violence, disturbing deformation, or plain by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote both “Si- attention, as will the charismatic, physi- immorality. But the initial movements, cario” films. Which makes this the perfect cal specimen Michael B. Jordan—ditto however small, are worth heeding for they team to tell a dark and dirty geopolitics for Jodie Turner-Smith’s no-nonsense Lt. can be the beginning of an imaginative and conspiracy tale, but “Without Re- Cmdr. Greer, who war-fights with the best habit or mode. If the imagination is to be morse” is not that movie. of them. As far as I know, female Navy lieu- moral, truth must matter in the action of tenant commanders exist, but there are as TRADITIONAL CULTURE Pegasus is a beautiful monster, if such a thing may be. imagination, together with goodness and Sleeping Giant Woken Up of yet no actual female SEALs. But movies beauty. John’s pregnant wife (Lauren London) and make magic, and Turner-Smith sells the Imaginative relativism sets a precedent their unborn daughter are killed in their heck out of it. for relativism in general, and moral relativ- home (John is critically injured), in an What else? You get every kind of combat, ism is quick to gain a foothold if given half a Michael B. Jordan stars in “Without Remorse.” ambush that was meant to take John out. every which way: guns, knives, grenades, The Dangers of Imagination chance. Ancient wisdom, from Greek myth Except that he, on this particular night, was jiu-jitsu rear naked chokes, on sea, earth, to the Bible, reinforces the correlation and sleeping on the couch wearing headphones air, and land (which is what SEAL stands connection of the eye, imagination, and when the hit went down. for). You’ve got your vehicular detonation, moral life. ‘Without Remorse’: A team of assassins are taking out John’s vehicular water coffins, Russian fighter Without Borders entire SEAL team because, while in Alep- jets blowing an American plane out of the Is the Sky Really the Limit? po, they happened to attack the Russian sky, and buildings going boom. As the lyric military (instead of the Syrian), due to be- goes, “Let the bodies hit the floor.” PARAMOUNT PICTURES Today, freaks are celebrated in imaginative A Serviceable SEAN FITZPATRICK (Right) As stealth is distortions that blur the lines of morality. ing fed deviously altered intel. Why? They One fun thing I don’t believe I seen before not an attribute of a These forsake the natural interplays of real- got used. And now here come the Russians is Kelly’s interrogation technique of putting se your imagination—com- turtle, the idea of ninja ity, the consonance in the essence of things, SEAL Actioner retaliating against the United States, as himself in the exact same deadly situation pare the modern monsters turtles goes against accustoming young people to imagine be- was the plan by politicians who use the the bad guys are in: He torches a car and Godzilla and King Kong to our understanding of yond the margins of truth. The entertain- military as expendable pawns. John, of then hops in the back seat, interrogating the ancient monsters Pega- reality. A publicity shot ment industry in particular is morphing MARK JACKSON course, becomes determined to avenge the bad guy while the vehicle slowly blazes sus and the Chimera. In this from “Teenage Ninja norms with “new-normal” images that are all these deaths. toward a gas-tank explosion. He drives a comparison spanning eons lies something Mutant Turtles III.” more monstrous than harmonious. Welp, it’s another Navy SEAL movie. “With- You get Following his rehab, and assisted by fel- car off a bridge and then sits unflappably U (Below) A drawing of of the imaginative purpose of monsters. With the conditioning to imaginings out Remorse” is a screen adaptation of Tom low SEAL Lt. Cmdr. Karen Greer (Jodie on the bottom of the river, while the car J.R.R. Tolkien’s Ent. every kind of While the giant ape is outrageous, his es- Like the roots of trees, that are not in the image of truth comes a Clancy’s bestselling 1993 novel, and deco- Turner-Smith), Kelly tracks down the quickly fills with water, interrogating the sence projects alpha-male strength, where- but far more rapidly, normalizing of the abnormal. Modern ap- rated Navy SEAL Senior Chief John Kelly combat, every Russian diplomat responsible for all the bad guy. He’s a SEAL. He’s very comfortable as the atomic lizard (with perhaps a nod Tolkien's Ents could probation for the aberrantly unnatural, for (Michael B. Jordan of “Creed” fame) is the mayhem. What Kelly learns could have in water. Fire too, apparently. Guess that to the dragon) is more egregiously outra- break stone. which is ultimately a motion toward dis- Lady Gaga “Born This Way” abominations, SEAL in question, who lives with his wife which way. possible international repercussions, and makes him a SEALF. geous. Some monsters are more monstrous order and even immorality. defy the moral imagination with creativ- in Washington, D.C. so Secretary of Defense Thomas Clay (Guy Although it has a few fun bait-and-switch

than others. TTTHOM/CC-BY-SA 3.0 Though its realm is the “unreal,” and as ity that defies nature even in “unnatural” This is actually an origin story that shows Pearce) wants to head off further mayhem scenes, it doesn’t, as mentioned, really shed This contrast exists within the other set of an aesthetic act it is prone to subjectiv- conceptions. us how John Kelly turns into John Clark, at the pass. light or offer solutions on global diplomacy combatants as well, distinguishing them ity, the imagination should reflect real- Where, then, are the margins of imagi- who is one of Clancy’s major characters, Clay tasks Greer and CIA analyst Robert or the American military. But then I haven’t too on either side of a strange boundary of ity rather than exalt the bizarre. In other nation? Whether in art, literature, film, or and who is portrayed by Willem Dafoe in Ritter (Jamie Bell; Henry Czerny played read Clancy’s book, and if it’s not in the the imagination: Both Pegasus (a winged words, imaginative horrors that are sim- music, when precisely does reality cease “Clear and Present Danger” and Liev Sch- Ritter in “Clear and Present Danger” as book, there’s no reason for any such high- horse) and the Chimera (with lion head, ply or strangely incoherent should not be to be reflected? How far can the image of reiber in “The Sum of All Fears.” the ultimate weasel) with putting a team minded expectations to be in the movie. goat trunk, and dragon tail) are a hodge- imagined. Or if they are, they should be truth be stretched before it becomes false? Kelly’s about to quit naval special forces of operators together to handle the situa- Lastly, it sets up at least one sequel, and if podge of beasts, but there is something recognized as dangerous to mental and Are there criteria or parameters, or is it just and work for a private security firm when tion. Clay wants Kelly on the op regardless they bring back Jordan, they need to bring naturally fitting and noble in the former moral health. One challenge, then, in re- by Justice Stewart’s famous slogan, “I know a terrible mishap befalls him. The inci- of Greer’s objection that he’s too emotion- back Turner-Smith as well—their chemis- and something unnaturally chaotic and storing a culture of truth is recognizing the it when I see it”? dent will, of course, allow action-movie al; Clay feels Kelly’s revenge motivation try is worth the rental price. crazy in the latter. Pegasus is a beautiful margins of imagination. The more extreme departures are eas- monster, if such a thing may be, in his co- The first step is to recognize that the ily judged. Artists like Salvador Dali and hesive symmetry and is, as a result, the imaginative life, like the intellectual life, Zdzisław Beksinski revolt against reason. steed of a hero. is perfected in truth, the confor- The writings of H.P. Lovecraft smell The Chimera, on the other hand, is a bru- mance of mind to reality. G.K. of perversity. Music and videos REWIND, REVIEW, AND RE-RATE tal monster in its random juxtapositions Chesterton wrote: “The func- Though the produced by Billie Eilish and and is, as a result, in need of slaying. These tion of imagination is not to imagination is Marilyn Manson are degen- monsters are symbols of imaginative con- make strange things settled, capable of any erate. The brutality of Quen- conjuring, perhaps A Terrifically Rousing War Drama sonance and imaginative dissonance, with so much as to make settled tin Tarantino is indefensible. there are some one image that reveres the truth and the things strange; not so much What of the talking ani- UNITED ARTISTS other that rebels against the truth. Though to make wonders facts as to images that mals from Beatrix Potter, IAN KANE “West Side Story”) and his men am- the imagination is capable of any conjur- make facts wonders.” The fact should never be Kenneth Grahame, or A.A. bush a contingent of Germans in imagined. Lt. Erik Bergman ing, perhaps there are some images that of a forest, for instance, is made Milne? (Anthropomorphizing The year is 1944 and World War II Nazi-occupied Norway. Bergman (George Chakiris, L) and should not be imagined. more wondrous, even more real, in the nursery is only natural.) has reached a fevered pitch. Al- then travels to the UK in order to Wing Commander Roy by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Ents. There is tree- How about Mike Mulligan’s steam though the Germans have already divulge the whereabouts of a se- Grant (Cliff Robertson) The Margins of Imagination like truth in their watchful whispering shovel? (Even machines and vehicles have been defeated by the Allies in North cret German V-2 rocket fuel plant take on a dangerous mis- University of Kansas professor and writer and their careful, rooted constancy that a “personality.”) Does the Marvel universe Africa and things are going poorly to Air Vice Marshal Davis (Harry sion, in “633 Squadron.” John Senior possessed a strong imagina- complements and extends the perception and the “Star Wars” galaxy extend too far for them in Italy, the Axis still con- Andrews). tion, which he once leveled against Walt of woodland reality. beyond Narnia and Middle Earth? (Moder- trols much of Europe. Davis then tasks Wing Com- Disney’s Dumbo. With apologies to any In such ways, the imagination can be fan- nity must make its mythology.) The ever-resourceful British have mander Roy Grant (Cliff Robert- with affection for that pachyderm, “Dumbo tastic without losing its connection with The problem of defining objective ground come to rely on their twin-engine son), an American veteran of the is an abomination of the imagination,” he the truth. The truth is, after all, quite fan- for aesthetics, whether creative or recep- Royal Air Force (RAF) de Havilland Eagle Squadron (the RAF’s U.S. said. “Elephants can’t fly. Horses can fly.” tastic, and the imagination embellishes the tive, is analogous to the problem of defining DH.98 Mosquito aircraft to carry volunteer contingent), who leads Dr. Senior’s statement suggests that even fantastical truth of things. The whole point an intrinsic moral dimension to aesthetics. out bombing missions against a motley crew of British Mosquito the imagination should have boundar- of the imagination, therefore, is to draw Though indefinite, it does not change the the Axis with the hopes of tipping bomber pilots, to carry out a do-or- row glens located therein. During score matches the peppy pace of ies, which is not a common notion. It is out and augment reality and its sugges- principle that images which do not instinc- the scales of war in their favor. Al- die mission and take out the Ger- a night of raucous boozing at a local the unfolding action. These rous- obvious that there are limits to the moral tions, giving real objects a representation tively and intuitively serve the good, true, though these so-called Wooden man installation. pub, Bergman introduces his sister, ing melodies pair nicely with the Wonders (they were composed Since the V-2 rockets were a pow- Hilde (Maria Perschy), to Grant and outstanding cinematography by imagination—that is, it is clearly wrong to Some monsters are that is not seen in reality but is sensed as and beautiful should remain unimagined. conceive some things in the mind—but it is more monstrous than integral to their nature. Hence, we have If the imagination is not bound by truth, almost entirely of wood) had only erful, long-range weapon that Hitler there’s a hint of a romance. Edward Scaife (1967’s “The Dirty less obvious that the creative imagination others. A lobby card the imaginative pattern that foxes are sly, it can drift into John Lennon’s dream that been in service a few years, they’d intended to launch against England The secret Allied mission is to be a Dozen”). The aerial combat scenes has limits as well. But when the creative for the 1962 Japa- owls wise, donkeys stubborn, and lions imagines heaven and hell away rather than more than proven their reliability and other Allied countries, destroy- two-pronged attack: The Norwegian are outstanding, and the film crew imagination is disconnected from ex- nese film “King Kong regal. This is not simply a convention; it is foster a more perfect vision of the truth. and effectiveness. ing the facility would save many resistance will conduct an initial as- used a combination of vintage pressions of truth and reason, it becomes vs. Godzilla.” an imaginative expression based in reality There is room for fantasy, and even absur- lives, both military and civilian sault to disable the anti-air guns in Mosquitos as well as models of susceptible to falsehoods (or chimeras!), and recognized ever since Aesop. dity, in the creative imagination, but as Dr. alike. Grant remarks that his men the fjord, followed up by a pinpoint the famous aircraft, used mainly in TOHO Senior taught, it should retain a dynamic are weary from their recent air bombing run by Grant and his fly- scenes in which they are destroyed. Fantasy or Reality? and derivative that befits rational creatures sorties, but since his unit, the “633 boys on the V-2 fuel installation. In all, this is a fine World War II Given the symbolic quality of things, the and forbid the freakish to mentally validate The aerial combat Squadron”, is so effective, he accepts Things quickly go sideways when a film that showcases that the Al- imagination presides over an invisible a trans-reality. scenes are outstanding. the mission anyway. large contingent of German soldiers lied war effort was truly an inter- aspect of the visible world, conceiving Ninja turtles, flying elephants, and a gi- During the mission briefing, it is shows up and forces Bergman to re- national affair. Robertson’s acting something unreal without utterly deny- ant gorilla wrestling an atomic lizard may revealed that the Germans have turn to Norway in order to bolster is superlative as ever, while Cha- ing reality. Even in their distinction, the be outwardly whimsical or even wonder- A Dangerous Mission made the V-2 fuel plant extremely ‘633 Squadron’ his forces. However, Bergman gets kiris’s performance is surprisingly real and unreal should retain some poetic ful, but they may also advance an inwardly Director Walter Grauman’s rous- difficult to assault. It not only lies at captured by the Germans and taken capable and understated, showing ing extravaganza “633 Squadron” the end of a narrow fjord studded D i r e c t o r to Gestapo headquarters. There, he is that he was more than just a pretty relation. Hence the fittingness of a flying perilous trajectory beyond the margins of Walter Grauman horse over a flying elephant, for there is a a healthy imagination. When it comes to covers the exploits of these aero- with flak (anti-aircraft artillery) relentlessly tortured for information. face in his prime. very real sense in which a horse can be said the imagination, the sky is not the limit. dynamic wonders (among the north of Bergen, but it’s also virtu- Starring Will Grant be able to save his “633 Squadron” is a well-paced fastest aircraft of their time) and ally impregnable to conventional Cliff Robertson, George friend and fellow Nazi killer, Berg- and highly entertaining tribute to to “fly” and no real sense at all in which an Truth is. Chakiris, Maria Perschy elephant can, with its massive weight and of their pilots. In straightforward bombs. Grant is told that the only man, or will he have to take more all the men who designed, built, plodding gait. Sean Fitzpatrick serves on the faculty text at the beginning of the film, way to take it out of operation is to Rated drastic measures to ensure that no and flew the remarkable RAF de While both are unreal creations, the for- of Gregory the Great Academy, a boarding we read: “This story is inspired by bomb the entire cliff overhanging Not Rated intelligence is leaked? Will the en- Havilland DH.98 Mosquito in com- mer is a magnification of truth; the latter, a school in Elmhurst, Pa., where he teaches the exploits of the Royal Air Force the plant, thereby entombing it un- Running Time tire mission become jeopardized bat against the German Empire departure. The principle at work is this: The humanities. His writings on education, and Commonwealth Mosquito air der tons of rubble. 1 hour, 42 minutes because of this issue, along with during World War II. imagination is ordered not to outlandish literature, and culture have appeared crews during World War II.” Soon, the good ol’ “633 Squadron” Release Date other setbacks? fantasy but to the hints of reality—to the in a number of journals including Cri- The film kicks off into high gear is off to Scotland, where it trains for 1964 Ian Kane is a filmmaker and author proportion of flying horses as opposed to sis Magazine, Catholic Exchange, and the as Norwegian resistance leader Lt. the mission by maneuvering nim- Sights and Sounds based out of Los Angeles. To learn the disproportion of flying elephants. Imaginative Conservative. Erik Bergman (George Chakiris, ble Mosquitoes through the nar- Composer Ron Goodwin’s spirited more, visit DreamFlightEnt.com B88 | ARTS & CULTURE WEDNESDAY,Week JUNE 22, 2, 2021 WEDNESDAY,Week 22, 2021 JUNE 2, 2021 ARTS & CULTURE |B9 9

MUSIC Summer, Shakespeare, ‘Regieoper’ Versus ‘Werktreue’: Mendelssohn, and Weddings A New Act for Opera KEDARDOME/SHuttERStOCK IGOR BuLGARIN/SHuttERStOCK.COM Michael KureK Tiffany Brannan blood to rival an R-rated film.

wo works of art in the same medi- Opera has become a joke in modern pop Werktreue: The Faithful Opera um can often be connected like culture. From commercials to movies, The opposite of Regieoper is Werktreue. pearls on a string, one leading to it’s always considered funny to make a Literally translated as “faithfulness to the the creation of another, and then crack about opera and its singers. Tropes original,” this term is applied to musical another. However, just as often, of stout blond singers in horned hel- productions, often opera, which consider Tseveral works of art in different media can mets and breastplates are all that most fidelity to the creators’ intentions and nota- be interconnected in something more like people know about opera. However, tions the primary goal. Such productions a three-dimensional nexus. That can be most people have never experienced real give the director much less freedom and fascinating to explore from any direction, opera. Other than Mozart’s “The Queen authority. Instead of adding personal inter- whether starting with music, drama, of the Night” aria and a few Wagner cho- pretation and concepts to the production, dance, or even culture generally. I came ruses, most of opera’s beautiful music is the director’s job is to bring the libretto to across such a labyrinth recently when re- unappreciated. the stage as faithfully as possible, just as visiting “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Unfortunately, modern opera stages the conductor endeavors to faithfully honor its various incarnations. rarely present traditional operas as they the score. The question had arisen in casual con- were written and have been enjoyed This approach doesn’t mean that the versation about the changing seasons, in for centuries. In the 21st century, it has director’s job is easier in a Werktreue pro- regard to a cold spell that came through become standard practice in the United duction. In fact, a truly traditional produc- and threatened our newly planted garden. States to modernize or alter traditional tion requires more work from the director, “When will summer finally begin?” I asked operas. This practice, which originated who must conduct extensive research into my wife in frustration. “And, by the way, in Germany in the 20th century, is called the history of the work and its produc- CHRIS LEE/MEtROPOLItAN OPERA when is ‘midsummer’? You know, like in “Regietheater” or, when specifically ap- tion to do the writers’ vision justice. It is Shakespeare? And why did he choose that plied to opera, “Regieoper.” Its antithesis far easier to be motivated only by one’s as a title?” is “Werktreue,” the German term for personal ideas and imagination. To that, always a step ahead of me, she works that closely adhere to their cre- Perhaps one reason this approach has characteristically non-replied, “O, put on ators’ original intentions. lost favor and that operas have long been the Mendelssohn!” Composer Felix Men- parodied is because of their soap opera- delssohn (1809–1847) had written both a Regieoper: The Director’s Opera like drama. Classic opera plots contain precocious overture to Shakespeare’s play Regieoper elevates the director to an all- melodramatic topics like unrequited in 1826 (Opus 21), when he was only 17, powerful position in creating a production, love, indiscretion, infidelity, political in- and then incidental music for the play 16 since it literally means “director’s opera.” trigue, conspiracies, murder, and suicide. years later, which incorporated the earlier In Regieoper, the stage director assumes However, original productions depicted overture at the beginning (Opus 61). a preeminent role, using his or her own these topics delicately, not blatantly. I discovered that there is, in fact, a par- PuBLIC DOMAIN concept rather than the established tradi- Violence was implied, and amorous im- ticular day called “midsummer,” tradition- (Above) Celebrating midsum- cess used it that it came into vogue. In fact, tions. These ideas often veer from the com- morality occurred offstage. ally June 24, in celebration of the summer mer in Evertsberg, Sweden, on having a procession up and down the aisle poser’s or librettist’s intentions. The direc- Certainly the acting was not melodra- solstice, a holiday that predates Christian- June 21, 2013. itself was an innovation at her wedding. tor’s changes may include modernizing matic. Acting was neither required nor ity. (In some years, the solstice can vary (Left) Queen Victoria began the story to reflect contemporary political expected of opera singers until the 20th slightly from that date.) the tradition of the white wed- Tradition Lives On, but Barely controversies, and often infuse a produc- century, before which singers would just In northern countries, there is also an ding gown with her marriage From this line of inquiry, and having not tion with brutality, blood, and violence sing. Audiences usually went to admire ancient note of magic about the day. In to Prince Albert, but it was been to a wedding lately, I naturally won- either for shock value, dramatic effect, or impressive vocalizing, beautiful music, Sweden, it is a huge national holiday, with their daughter Princess Vic- dered whether people are still marrying in just for laughs. and magnificent sets and staging. Dur- special foods and dancing around a pole. toria Mary Louise who first June and still using the wedding march. The origin of Regieoper is traced to ing the 18th and 19th centuries, people -SA 3.0 In Britain, there is dancing and drumming set the example of using Men- It appears that the midsummer month of Swiss architect and staging theorist Adol- merely went to the opera to see and be y (Top) A traditional production of Gioachino at the site of Stonehenge. It is a day when delssohn’s “Wedding March.” June (whether due to Shakespeare or to the phe Appia, who advocated the use of the seen, paying little attention to the per- /CC B Rossini’s “the Barber of Seville,” per- Shakespeare’s fairies and other magical Queen Victoria and Prince weather) is still the most popular month new electric stage lighting for dramatic formance. formed by members of the Dnipro Opera SPIELE Albert after their wedding ser- t and Ballet theatre in ukraine in 2017. creatures might indeed be expected to play of the year in which to marry, with, ac- effect instead of just illuminating the ES vice at St James’s Palace in F a dreamlike role, hence his title. cording to The Inspired Bride blog, 10.8 performers. Although such ideas hardly Regieoper or Werktreue? (Above) (L–R) Christiane Karg as Susanna, London. Engraved by S. Reyn- RGER u

percent of all weddings taking place that sound comparable to the moderniza- Most American opera companies have B olds after F. Lock. z Rachel Willis-Sorensen as the Countess, and Music and a Play Become month, but it is closely followed by August, tion now associated with Regieoper, his embraced Regieoper trends because they AL Serena Malfi as Cherubino in Mozart’s “Le - S May, and July. books on stage production—particularly need to sell tickets. Does this strategy O Nozze di Figaro,” updated to the 1930s.

a Ballet and a Wedding Tradition ut AP

Shakespeare’s story and Mendelssohn’s Mendelssohn’s wedding piece, and also of Richard Wagner’s works—encouraged work? By including potentially offensive C (Left) Cecilia Bartoli as Cleopatra in a mod- IGI music found a natural intersection in Richard Wagner’s wedding march (popu- impressionistic staging, which captured content to draw younger crowds, they are Lu ernized 2012 production of “Giulio Cesare,” dance. It so happens that the very first, orig- larly known as “Here Comes the Bride”) an integral spirit rather than realism and likely alienating patrons who have been at the Salzburg Festival. inal, full-length ballet choreographed by from his opera “Lohengrin” can still be presentation of every detail. coming for years or even decades. It would George Balanchine (1904–1983) was given heard at a few weddings, but some reli- seem more reasonable to cultivate a new (Below) Hungarian-German soprano Sylvia its premiere by the New York City Ballet on March,” which has since been used for the gious traditions have shunned them both, audience of real opera lovers, those given Geszty as Cleopatra in a traditional produc- Jan. 17, 1962, to Mendelssohn’s music and bride’s entry procession at countless wed- due to the pagan weddings in the Shake- the chance to learn to love operas as they tion of “Giulio Cesare,” from Berlin in 1970.

Shakespeare’s story. dings, perhaps even for the weddings of speare play or the ultimately tragic fate of were written. ABRAHAM PISAREK/CC By-SA 3.0 many people reading this. How did that the couple in Wagner’s opera. Also, many In the 21st century, it There is also the question of whether come about? couples are getting married in parks and has become standard the young will attend opera with added It seems that Queen Victoria originated other outdoor venues, where there are no practice in the United modern content. Does it really make Shakespeare’s story several traditions that were borrowed by organs or ensembles to produce the big operas more relatable or appealing? Will the people of England and eventually made sound ideal for those traditional wedding States to modernize or those needing fixes for lust and violence and Mendelssohn’s their way to the United States and other pieces. really turn to opera? This seems unlikely; countries. For example, she and her hus- Instead, one hears all sorts of popular alter traditional operas. therefore, it’s futile for opera to try to music found a natural band, Prince Albert, began putting up a songs. Searching for the “top wedding compete with movies in these areas. In- intersection in dance. Christmas tree inside their palace, a prac- songs” online produces no consensus stead, a new generation can learn to love tice that he had grown up with in Germany whatsoever, but a whole range of popular At the 1951 Bayreuth Festival, Wieland opera for its own attributes. but which was not the custom in England. hits, from Etta James, to Elvis, to Shania Wagner, the composer’s grandson, Regieoper’s supporters argue that Although Balanchine is widely known as Soon enough, most people in England had Twain, to Adele. was inspired by Appia’s ideas to create artists should be allowed to experiment a father of contemporary ballet, this work is a tree at Christmas, and thus so do we. But as it turns out, according to Pew Re- minimalist productions of his grandfa- with new ideas instead of doing the same choreographed quite elegantly and beauti- Before Queen Victoria’s wedding, brid- search, only about half of couples marry at ther’s operas. Although Adolf Aber of The old thing season after season. Since most fully in the relatively traditional neoclas- al gowns were not typically white—you (Left) “A Midsummer Night’s all now; the other half choose cohabitation. Musical Times found the impressionistic operas are two or three centuries old, Dream (Shakespeare, Act 4, sical style. Neoclassical ballet, invoking guessed it—until she was married in a Scene 1).” Engraving by Sam- However, we like to think that traditions in staging to be confusing, vague, and so some directors understandably feel that the simplicity of an ancient Greek look, white gown. But in this case, it was her uel Cousins after a painting decline, be they musical or marriage itself, dark that the action was barely visible, they need updating. Inventive staging, retains the beautiful traditional music and eldest daughter, Princess Victoria Mary by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer. can return and flourish once more with a Wieland continued staging such pro- newly designed costumes, and other the moves of Romantic ballet but sheds Louise, who influenced the wedding cus- Metropolitan Museum of Art. new generation. ductions throughout the 1950s and ’60s. creative ideas make familiar works new the grandiose sets and costumes in favor toms. She was a fan of Mendelssohn’s music In any case, I have now traveled through This was the beginning of the modern and exciting. of clearer visuals so that one can really and set the example of using his “Wedding (Right) Sheet music for Men- this network of connections and hope to Regieoper movement. However, all these are possible in see the dancers’ arms and legs in motion. March” at her 1858 wedding to Prince Wil- delssohn’s “Wedding March.” return again, full circle, to Shakespeare’s Regieoper productions run the gamut. Werktreue productions. Rather than be- Illustration shows 1790s-era Balanchine’s version of the Mendelssohn liam of Prussia. French bride and groom on play, but to return even more often to the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Le Nozze ing rigid blueprints, traditional produc- remains a classic. That music was known to have been used their wedding day. Lithograph charming flutter of fairy wings produced di Figaro” (“The Marriage of Figaro”), tions only provide guidelines. They still Another notable feature of Mendelssohn’s at a wedding just once before, by Dorothy by Bufford, John H. & Sons; by the violins after the opening five chords has been moved from a count’s Spanish allow directors and designers room for 1842 suite of incidental music for the play Carew and Tom Daniel in Tiverton, Eng- published by Oliver Ditson & that begin both versions of Mendelssohn’s mansion to a San Diego hotel. Giuseppe creativity to explore stories; in addition, was his addition of his famous “Wedding land, in 1847, but it was not until the prin- Co. in 1888. music for the play. Verdi’s “Rigoletto” has been relocated preserving the libretto’s original inten- from 16th-century Mantua to a 1960s Las tions honors those whose work is being PuBLIC DOMAIN BOStON PuBLIC LIBRARy/CC By 2.0 Vegas casino. Mozart’s “The Abduction presented. American composer From the Seraglio” has been shifted from Modernized productions not only dis- Michael Kurek is the 16th-century Turkey to onboard the Paris tort classical operas but also disincline composer of the Billboard Express in the 1920s and even to a “Star the creation of new operas in the clas- No. 1 classical album “The Trek” episode, starring Captain James T. sical form. Creative artists can instead Sea Knows.” The winner (Kirk) Belmonte! express themselves by writing their own of numerous composition Sometimes, in postmodern produc- new works. awards, including the tions, the setting is not changed to just If opera is to continue to survive, let us prestigious Academy one new location and era. Instead, the hope that Werktreue productions will be Award in Music from elements and costumes from many reintroduced to the seasons of major op- the American Academy cultures and periods are included. This era companies. Old works still allow for of Arts and Letters, results in a confusing hodgepodge that great creativity, but if that’s not enough, he has served on the makes no historical sense, burying the let theater artists create new operas! Nominations Committee plot in the jumble. For example, I saw of the Recording a live production of George Frideric Tiffany Brannan is a 19-year-old opera Academy for the classical Handel’s “Giulio Cesare,” intended as a singer, Hollywood history/vintage beau- Grammy Awards. He is romanticized version of Julius Caesar’s ty copywriter, travel writer, film blogger, a professor emeritus of political and romantic alliance with and ballet writer. In 2016, she and her composition at Vanderbilt Queen Cleopatra. It was a comical pot- sister founded the Pure Entertainment University. For more pourris of British redcoats, Bollywood Preservation Society, an organization information and music, dancing, 1920s flappers, Roman armor, dedicated to reforming the arts by reinstat- visit MichaelKurek.com World War II-era artillery, and enough ing the Motion Picture Production Code. 10B8 | ARTS & CULTURE TUESDAY,Week JUNE 22, 1, 2021

Film Review An Uplifting Sports Film for All Ages

KErry Brown/BLEECKEr STrEET & TopiC STuDioS Michael clark composer Benjamin Woodgates) become unseen characters, lifting the production Pooling together every possible narrative from a standard breezy UK-based (and hook from practically every uplifting movie sports) crowd-pleaser into something far ever made (but in a good way), “Dream more moving and resonant. A full-length, Horse” tells a simple story of an unaffected goose-bump-inducing performance group of people united in a cause that will of “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” (the Welsh na- tug at the heartstrings of viewers, espe- tional anthem) by Katherine Jenkins late cially those who have ever had a close con- in the third act is a rousing and fitting final nection to an animal—meaning about 99 number. percent of the entire human population. It’s worth reminding that while “Dark Offering further proof that she is one of Horse” provides the bulk of the source the most underrated and versatile of all material for this movie, there are enough living actresses, Toni Collette stars as Jan differences that would make viewing the Vokes, a Welsh woman deprived of sleep documentary first inadvisable. If you plan by her snoring husband. She whittles to watch both, you should see “Dream away days as a grocery store cashier and Horse” first. her nights as a bartender at the local wa- In a rare showing of full disclosure, the tering hole. Bored out of her mind, Jan is filmmakers and the studio include a ca- looking for a diversion and finds it through veat during the closing credits stating, in checking out the details of becoming a essence, that the movie is a work of fiction race horse owner. based on real events and not the usual and Both a pragmatist and a romantic, Jan Jan Vokes (Toni Collette), in director Euros Lyn’s “Dream Horse.” often misleading “based on a true story.” first picks the brain of previous horse- How utterly honest and refreshing. owner Howard Davies (Damian Lewis) the late 1990s and early 2000s (think “The ment would be in hiring the experienced and then organizes a group of colorful co- Full Monty,” “Calendar Girls,” “Four Wed- trainer Philip Hobbs (Nicholas Farrell), the Originally from Washington, D.C., Mi- investors. If they chip in a little bit each dings and a Funeral,” and “Love Actually”). owners started their journey with eyes- chael Clark has written for over 30 local week for a couple of years, they too can This was a challenge that was not as easy wide-open clarity, kept their expectations and national film industry media outlets have something to look forward to beyond to pull off as it might sound for “Dream in check, and looked at their investment and is ranked in the top 10 of the Atlanta their mundane day-to-day. Horse” filmmakers. as a pricey hobby. media marketplace. He co-founded the In the hands of a lesser-committed per- Instead of a two-hander focusing solely Not exactly known for being a hotbed for Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a former, Collette’s character could have on Jan and Howard, screenwriter Neil top-level horse racing, Wales nonetheless regular contributor to the Shannon Burke been played as rote, phoned-in, or deeply McKay includes over two dozen signifi- had enough race fans and annual events to Show on FloridaManRadio.com. Since rooted in hokum, but the actress delivers cant speaking roles with distinct person- make it a first-rate, second-tier competitive 1995, Mr. Clark has written over 4,000 a high degree of warmth, sincerity, vul- alities and quirks. What could have been collective. The Welsh fans were dedicated movie reviews and film-related articles. nerability, and guarded enthusiasm. Jan a bottleneck of performers battling for dia- and fervent, and once the underdog Dream is instantly empathetic and eminently re- logue and screen time is instead a tight, Alliance began to show promise, he and his latable. Much of the same can be said of well-constructed ensemble piece. The only owners became highly newsworthy media Lewis’s Howard. character that doesn’t work and drifts deep darlings. ‘Dream horse’ An actor with Welsh ancestry, Lewis is into parody is an elderly male town lush best known for playing intense characters who is fond of disrobing in public. All-Welsh Original Songs and a Director in Steven Spielberg’s TV miniseries “Band Based largely on the 2015 documentary Haunting Score Euros Lyn of Brothers,” the TV shows “Life,” “Home- “Dark Horse,” “Dream Horse” also follows The producers were beyond wise in placing Starring Toni Collette, Damian Lewis, Nicholas land,” and the current “Billions.” Howard practically the same narrative trajectory of longtime episodic TV director Euros Lyn Farrell, Peter Davison is eons removed from Lewis’s past roles as “Seabiscuit”—another story about a non- (“Doctor Who”) at the helm. A Welsh na- he reveals previously unseen light-comedy fictional horse with less than stellar lineage tive, Lyn makes it a point to include over a Running Time 1 hour, 53 minutes chops and an ability to present a flawed, and given zero chance of ever amounting dozen original songs covering a multitude somewhat insecure, yet likable everyman. to anything but still does. of subjects and almost as many genres all Rated PG The still-alive gelding Dream Alliance performed by Welsh musicians. An Instant Equine Classic was born in 2001 and came with a lot of Rather than perform the chore of pro- Release Date The film in both style and tone resembles attitude and little in the way of promise. Re- viding mere aural wallpaper, the songs May 21; available on demand June 11 the many British dramatic comedies from alizing that their best and costliest invest- (and the equally outstanding score from

Original artworks, canvas wraps, art posters, and framed prints of Award-winning oil paintings now available for purchase at InspiredOriginal.Org