Films and Feasts

[tcpip]

In recent weeks I have had the opportunity to see a few good films on the silver screen; specifically The Grand Budapest Hotel with caseopaya at the slightly dilapidated Palace Balwyn. The film is beautiful, charming, funny, and in a nostalgic way, a little sad as well, as a glimpse to an idealised another time. Two other recent films have been through ACMI Cinematheque, dedicated to screening oft-forgotten classics. In this instance, attending with recumbenteer, watched the Soviet-era classic, Solaris, deeply immersive and psychedelic science fiction. The other viewing were from a Luis Bunel feature, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and The Exterminating Angel. Both dealt with the trivial and hypocritical aspects of the upper classes in an absurd manner. The latter was particularly amusing when various technical problems recreated the psychology of the film in the audience itself.

Feasted on Tuesday evening at Quanjade Peking Duck Restaurant for the annual dinner of the Australia-China Friendship Society, which Anthony L., is president of the Victorian branch. A relatively small gathering, attendees included an expected collection of politicians and diplomatic staff. Guest speaker was former Victorian Premier John Brumby, who spoke extremely well on the sheer scale and importance of Chinese development and was able to impress with his sheer knowledge of facts and figures at hand. Took the opportunity to have a brief chat with him; it had been quite a while since we've conversed and thanked him for his role in setting up VPAC.

Another episode of cheesequest with ser_pounce, hathhalla, and caseopaya saw the consumption of one of the oddities of the skit - czechoslovakian sheep's milk cheese. Specifically I went for a Slovakian orthodox Easter feast with savoury and sweet hrudka with paska, along with a main of bryndzove halusky and chicken paprikash.

Comments

[iris]

Do you guys actually call it cheesequest? If so, is there inside jokes using references to D&D terms when you discuss it?

[tcpip]

We certainly do; and ser_pounce is a fellow gamer of that ilk, although we haven't developed use of traditional roleplaying terms.

Closer to RuneQuest rather than D&D tho'. Maybe a runic association of the cheese?

[wildilocks.livejournal.com]

We saw Grand Budapest Hotel on Monday @ Cinema Nova, love their $6 special. Great film, magic realism at its best.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It was a wonderful and beautiful film, but I don't think I could call it magical realism. There was no "magic" as such.

It would have been even a little bit better if the fictional country was Ruthenia.

[wildilocks.livejournal.com]

It does depend on your understanding / definition of magic realism, given that it was originally a literary genre which then moved to visual and then moving arts, and there is significant disagreement over how the genre should be defined in all the arts. I personally see it more as a stylistic choice, where others may describe The Grand Budapest Hotel more as "anti-realist". To me, the visual choices (fantasy colour palettes, set design which fantastically interprets the era(s) rather than faithfully reproducing it, dramatic cinematography as opposed to unobtrusive) goes hand in hand with the story having an overtaking sense of the fantastic without actually firmly setting any specific element clearly into fantasy, and are all clear signs of magic realism. Other Wes Anderson films are easier to place into the genre as they have clear elements of fantasy, but even the films without those have a sense of the fantastic which have led to him being described as one of the greatest magic realist film directors. Having something you can clearly point at and say "this is magic" is not required : it is that overwhelming sense of not - quite - reality is what makes magic realism so magical.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

OK, I'm coming from a literary perspective and the best of my knowledge that's never incorporated anything but the subtle inclusion of the fantastic, surreal, or magical in an otherwise realistic setting, even if it is left potentially explicable, such as in Rushdie's works. In film, Jameson's, "On Magic Realism in Film" is probably the most important contribution that I can think of, would certainly equate with this.

Having something you can clearly point at and say "this is magic" is not required : it is that overwhelming sense of not - quite - reality is what makes magic realism so magical.

I sort of agree with this; but would define the "overwhelming sense" of "not quite reality" to be magical, fantastical, or surreal. I don't hold The Grand Budapest to be these, but rather just fictional.

[wildilocks.livejournal.com]

Well without jstor access I don't think I can read that specific paper =p

I think the genre is controversial enough in terms of what people consider includable or not that we can agree to disagree, but a quick Google search for Grand Budapest Hotel and magic realism comes up with enough reviews to show there's significant numbers who feel it is =)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well without jstor access I don't think I can read that specific paper =p

Email me. :)

... but a quick Google search for Grand Budapest Hotel and magic realism comes up with enough reviews to show there's significant numbers who feel it is

I searched for "magical realism" "Grand Budapest Hotel"

The first hit is The Miniatures Page forum comment that says "Grand Budapest Hotel created a whole world for the characters to inhabit, and within its constraints the Magic Realism used to drive the story feels natural rather than forced."

The second is a brief review in the The Escapist "I think it sets out to do: distance the viewer from the story in such a way as to create a verisimilitude of literary magic realism". Good lord, what is that author trying to say?

The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth hits were referring to the two search phrases independently, but just so happened to be on the same page.

The seventh hit actually had a relevant reference: , Anderson infuses a very real period of turmoil and societal evolution with his trademark brand of magic realism. But of course that's not an argument that it is magical realism, just an assertion.

At that point, I felt I'd done enough for five minutes :)

[wildilocks.livejournal.com]

Kinda surprised you feel strongly enough to continue to argue this, but as I said before, I am happy to agree to disagree and its clear there are different opinions out there. But in the interests of retaining an open mind, my email is cass@wildilocks.com so feel free to send article.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Magical realism is pretty important to me :)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Oh, and in the middle of the night I woke up and realised that I should mention that the two Bunel's films, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and The Exterminating Angel are great examples of magical realism. Both contain absolutely surreal elements that could be supernatural or explicable to some very extreme realism.

In The Discreet Charm the distinction between reality and dreams within dreams within a stage play is completely broken down through recurrence, whilst in The Avenging Angel a household becomes a prison by which nobody can enter or leave even to the point of thirst and starvation.

[delphipsmith]

agh I think your icon gave me a seizure lol

[wildilocks.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service! Tehe.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

Stanisław Lem for the win.

(Tarkovsky, too, although I've always found his pacing terribly slow. And speaking of Soviet sci-fi, I've been vaguely trying to get my hands on film adaptations of the Strugatsky brothers' Noon Universe books.)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Tarkovsky is slow-moving, but I don't mind that sort of immersive film where there's a creeping psychodrama. I especially want to see his film "Stalker", which he considered his personal best.

Oh, and Lem's great, I proudly have several of his books in hardback. 'The Futurological Congress' is more Phillip K. Dick than he dared to be and then some. In fact, I think I might even get my copy and start reading it again.

[delphipsmith]

We saw Grand Budapest a couple of weeks ago and loved it. Farce, but done in the best possible way -- best bit was the prison break -- and yet yes, a few heart-tugging moments. Cheered when M. Gustave stood up to the military thugs (both times).

Edit: Every time I hear "chicken paprikash" I think of Dracula...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

The second set of military thugs certainly indicated the end of an era.

And thanks for the reference to "Dracula chicken" - I had no idea that was an alternative name.