Snippets:
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Book on Tape: Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu. Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English. Read by Jacob Needleman. Translation by D.T. Suzuki & Paul Carus with comments at Sacret Texts. Other translations.
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Web: World Wide Web Virtual Library. Many links to various topics.
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DVD: The Passion of the Christ (2004).126 min. Aramaic/Latin/Hebrew with English subtitles. Directed by Mel Gibson. w/ James Caviezel. Also Monica Bellucci as Magdalen. Retells the final hours of Jesus, including his crucifiction. Kept close to the biblical text. Gory representation. Unfortunately leaves nothing to the imagination of the viewer. Overall rating: 3 out of 10.
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Video: Battleship Potemkin (1925). 74 min. Silent movie. Directed by Sergei Eisenstein. Version of 1988 with a score composed by Dmitri Shostakovich. Influential Russian revolutionary propaganda film. Fictional story meant to glorify a real-life event that occurred in 1905, 'Battleship Potemkin uprising' that later came to be viewed as an initial step towards the Russian Revolution. Most famous scene from the movie is the massacre on the Odessa Steps. Probably a great accomplishment for its time, but story too simple for today. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
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Language: Potemkin village (German: Potemkinsche Doerfer): Something that appears elaborate and impressive, but in actual fact lacks substance; hollow or false construct, physical or figurative, meant to hide an undesirable or potentially damaging situation. Named after Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin (1739-1791), who reputedly had elaborate fake villages constructed to impress Catherine the Great (Empress Catherine II) during her visit of the Ukraine and the Crimea in 1787.
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DVD: Nowhere in Africa (German: 'Nirgendwo in Afrika'; 2002). 142 min. Directed by Caroline Link. w/ Juliane Koehler, Merab Ninidze. After the novel by Stefanie Zweig. German movie; won the Oscar for best foreingn language film in 2002. Jewish family flees from Nazi Germany to Kenya and tries to survive there on a remonte farm. Has some stunning pictures of Africa and the people there. Not as dreamlike as 'Out of Africa', more realistic, more down to earth, and still full of beauty. And the story has a lot to give, not as clear cut as some of the Hollywood movies, more ambiguous, more unpredictable. Like the times. Like the country. Nazis against Jews, Blacks against Whites, man against woman, drought against rain. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
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DVD: Botherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des Loups, 2002). 144 min. Directed by Christophe Gans. w/ Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Monica Bellucci. In a village in 18th century France, Chevalier de Fronsac (Gans) is hunting a furious murderous beast, but learns that it is not an animal he is loking for, but a man. Flat, hokey plot, predictable, plenty of inconsistencies. Acting okay. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
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