The Reading Life Review November 2023

November Authors 

 

Column One

1. Thomas Mann - Germany- Nobel Prize Winner

2. Jamil Jan Kochai - Born in Pakistan in a camp for Afghanistan refugees - is the author of The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories, winner of the 2023 Aspen Words Literary Prize and a finalist for 2022 National Book Award. His debut novel 99 Nights in Logar was a finalist for the Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. His short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, Zoetrope, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and The Best American Short Stories. His essays have been published at The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Kochai was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and a Truman Capote Fellow at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Currently, he is a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University. --first appearance on The Reading Life with more to follow 

3. Jane Austen- England - I am embarked on a read through of her novels

Column Two -

 1. Joseph Roth- Born in the Ukraine- moved to Paris just before World War Two began- featured many times

2. Robert Walser- Switzerland- featured numerous times 

3. Christopher Haas- USA- author Alexandria in Late Antiquity first appearance 

Six countries are author birth places for November, only Jamil Jan Kochai is alive. Two writers were featured for the first time. One is a woman.

Blog Stats

As of today our posts have been viewed 7, 379,421 times. There are 4,386 posts online.

The most often viewed posts are all on short stories 

Home Countries of Visitors 

1. USA 

2. India 

3. The Philippines 

4. Singapore- highest per capita 

5. FInland - 2nd per capita

6. Germany 

7. Canada

8. UK

9. Ireland 

10. Brazil

I streamed 18  movies in November and posted upon 16.

  November 2023 Movies 

1. The Man Who Knew Too Much - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock- 1934

2. The End of The River- 1947 -Directed by Derek Twist- produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger 

3. Aguirre, the Wrath of God - Directed by Werner Herzog- 1972

4. The Blue Angel - directed by Joseph Sternberg- 1930

5.People on Sunday (German: Menschen am Sonntag) is a 1930 German silent drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer

6. A Royal Scandal- 1945 - directed by Otto Preminger, produced and Scripted by Ernst Lubitsch 

7. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror), is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau

8. Meyer in Berlin (Meyer aus Berlin) -1919 - directed by Ernst Lubitsch 

9. The Little Shop Around the Corner- 1940 - directed by Ernst Lubitsch 

10. Wild Strawberries- 1957 - directed by Ingmar Bergman 

11. The Love Parade- 1929- directed by Ernst Lubitsch 

12. Osaka Elegy- 1936 - directed by Kenji Mizoguchi

13. The Grand Budapest Hotel - 2016- directed by Wes Anderson - no post

14. A Midsummer Night's Dream- 1968- directed by Peter Hall - no post

15. Sunrise: A Tale of Two Humans- 1927 - directed by F. W. Murnau 

16. Faust- 1927 - directed by F.W. Murnau directed 

17. Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol; literally, God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun) -1964 - directed and written by Glauber Rocha. 

18. My Darling Clementine- 1946 -Directed by John Ford 

19. Madame DuBarry- 1919 - directed by Ernst Lubitsch 

Mel u

 

Madame DuBarry is a 1919 German silent film on the life of Madame Du Barry. It was directed by Ernst Lubitsch, written by Norbert Falk and Hanns Kräly with the title role taken by Pola Negri and Louis XV played by Emil Jannings. Its alternative title for United States distribution was Passion.

 Available on YouTube 

Madame DuBarry is a 1919 German silent film on the life of Madame Du Barry. It was directed by Ernst Lubitsch, written by Norbert Falk and Hanns Kräly with the title role taken by Pola Negri and Louis XV played by Emil Jannings. Its alternative title for United States distribution was Passion.

Ernst Lubitsch 

Born: January 29, 1892, Berlin, Germany - produces 65 silent films before moving to America

1922 Moves to Hollywood- Warner Pictures Signed him to a three year six picture contract

Died: November 30, 1947, Los Angeles, California, United States

Lubitsch directed two of my favourite movies, Ninotchka and To Be or Not to Be.

I am currently reading Ernst Lubitsch- A Biography: Laughter in Paradise by Scott Eyman. I learned of the close artistic relationship between Pola Negri and Ernst Lubitsch from this marvelous book.

"A new addition to the Lubitsch ménage was Pola Negri, who would become his primary object of female contemplation for the next four years. Aggressive where Ossi Oswalda was passive, ferociously sexual where Oswalda was girlish, Negri’s mere presence changed the chemistry of Ernst’s films, and of his surroundings. A naturally imperious personality, born in Poland sometime between 1899 (her date) and 1894 (the likely date), Negri would become virtually the only person who ever referred to Lubitsch as “Ernie.”...I believe she was one of the most vital persons I have ever known,” he would say of her in 1938, “combining those two most important requisites—natural color (the art of being talked and written about) and a highly developed and sensitive artistic instinct.” From Ernst Lubitsch Laughter in Paradise 

Madame du Barry is a 1919 German silent historical film directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Pola Negri as Jeanne du Barry, the last mistress of King Louis XV of France. The film was a commercial success and helped to establish Lubitsch's reputation as a major filmmaker.

The film tells the story of Jeanne du Barry's rise from humble beginnings to become one of the most powerful women in France. She is a beautiful and ambitious woman who uses her charms to seduce King Louis XV and gain his favor. However, her rise to power is met with envy and resentment from the nobility, and she eventually falls victim to the French Revolution.

Lubitsch's direction is stylish and sophisticated, and he makes use of opulent sets and costumes to create a visually stunning film. Negri gives a captivating performance as Jeanne du Barry, and she is well-supported by a cast that includes Emil Jannings as King Louis XV.

Madame du Barry is a fascinating and entertaining film that is considered to be one of Lubitsch's best works. It is a must-see for fans of silent cinema and historical drama.

The film's title is a reference to the famous French perfume house, which was founded in 1775. The perfume was named after Madame du Barry, and it was said to be one of her favorites.

Madame du Barry is a lavishly produced film, with opulent sets and costumes. The film is also notable for its use of close-ups and its innovative camera techniques.

The film was released in Germany on September 18, 1919. It was released in the United States on November 24, 1920. 

Films by German directors are an important part of post World War One German Culture, from the groundbreaking silent classics of the Weimar Republic to the movies of Leni Reisenthal in celebration of Nazi rule, beloved by Goebels, to modern Oscar winners, I am pleased to see German Literature Month XIII now welcomes posts on Films by German Directors

This is a post for German Literature Month XIII 2023

German Literature Month is hosted by Lizzy’s Literary Life

https://lizzysiddal2.wordpress.com/2023/09/22/announcing-german-literature-month-xiii/

My Darling Clementine- A 1946 American Movie Directed by John Ford - Starring Henry Fonda - 1 Hour 46 Minutes

John Ford

Born: February 1, 1894, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, United States

Died: August 31, 1973, Palm Desert, California, United States

"He received six Academy Awards including a record four wins for Best Director for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952). He is renowned for Westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Fort Apache (1948), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

In a career of more than 50 years, Ford directed more than 140 films (although most of his silent films are now lost). Ford's work was held in high regard by his contemporaries, with Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles and Ingmar Bergman naming him one of the greatest directors of all time." Wikipedia 

My Darling Clementine is a 1946 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp, Victor Mature as Doc Holliday, and Linda Darnell as Clementine Carter. The film is a semi-fictionalized account of the events leading up to and including the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

My Darling Clementine was released to critical acclaim, and it is considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made. The film was praised for its realistic portrayal of the American West, its strong performances, and its unforgettable characters.

Here are some of the things that make My Darling Clementine a classic:

• John Ford's direction: Ford was a master of the Western genre, and he directed My Darling Clementine with a sure hand. The film is beautifully shot, and it captures the feel of the American West in the 1880s.

• Henry Fonda's performance: Fonda gives a nuanced and understated performance as Wyatt Earp. He captures the character's strength, intelligence, and compassion.

• Victor Mature's performance: Mature is excellent as Doc Holliday, a gambler with tuberculosis who is also a brilliant gunman. He brings a sense of vulnerability and melancholy to the role.

• Linda Darnell's performance: Darnell is charming as Clementine Carter, a woman who is torn between two men.

• The film's score: The film's score by Dimitri Tiomkin is one of the most iconic in Western film history. The main theme is a haunting melody that perfectly captures the mood of the movie.

 

Black God, White Devil (Portuguese: Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol; literally, God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun) is a 1964 Brazilian film directed and written by Glauber Rocha. It was filmed in Monte Santo, Bahia

Glauber de Andrade (14 March 1939 – 22 August 1981), better known as Glauber Rocha, was a Brazilian movie director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most important movie directors of Brazilian cinema.   

 Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol; literally, God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun) is a 1964 Brazilian film directed and written by Glauber Rocha. It was filmed in Monte Santo, Bahia

Available on YouTube 

Run Time 1 hour 58 Minutes 

Black God, White Devil (Portuguese: Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol; literally, God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun) is a 1964 Brazilian film directed and written by Glauber Rocha. It is considered a landmark film of the Cinema Novo movement, and is a scathing critique of the social and political conditions of Brazil in the 1960s.

The film is set in the sertão, the arid backlands of northeastern Brazil, during a period of drought and famine. The story follows Manuel, a ranch hand who kills his boss and flees into the sertão with his wife Rosa. They soon encounter Sebastião, a charismatic religious leader who promises salvation to the poor and oppressed. However, Sebastião's methods are increasingly violent and authoritarian, and Manuel and Rosa soon realize that he is not the messiah he claims to be.

Meanwhile, Corisco, a ruthless bandit, is also roaming the sertão, preying on the weak and vulnerable. Corisco represents the destructive force of capitalism and imperialism, and he is a stark contrast to Sebastião's religious fanaticism.

The film culminates in a violent clash between Sebastião's followers and Corisco's bandits. Manuel and Rosa are caught in the crossfire, and their fate is left uncertain.

Black God, White Devil is a complex and challenging film that has been praised for its innovative style and its powerful political message. It is a must-see for anyone interested in Brazilian cinema or in the history of Latin America.

Here are some of the key themes of the film:

Religion and violence: The film explores the relationship between religion and violence, and how both can be used to control and manipulate people.

Good and evil: The film blurs the lines between good and evil, and suggests that both are necessary for change.

Individuality and society: The film explores the relationship between the individual and society, and how the individual can resist the forces of oppressiIon.

Mel u

The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) - A 1979 German Film Directed by Voler Schlöndorff - 2 Hours 56 Minutes- Based on Gunter Grass's 1959 Novel

The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) - A 1979 German Film Directed by Voler Schlöndorff - 2 Hours 56 Minutes- Based on Gunter Grass's 1959 Novel

Available on YouTube, Dailymotion.com and The Criterion Channel 

I read The Tin Drum by Gunther Grass during German Literature Month November 2013.  Finding the movie online in 2023 was a marvelous surprise 

"I am very glad I have at last read The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass.   It is often listed among the 100 greatest 20th century novels. It is long sprawling account of life in Poland during the few years prior to the Nazi domination up through the war years.  The story is told through the very unreliable narration of Oskar Matzerath.  Oscar decided at age three never to get any bigger physically when he heard his father say he would be a grocer when he grew. He tells us the story partially from a mental hospital where he is confined.  Imagine a collaboration between Rabelais, Pynchon, and Hunter Thompson and you can get a feel for this book. We see how the people in the story, a motley collection of persons close to Oscar including two of his mother's lovers,  deal with and are impacted by the war.  The plot action is very imaginative.  Everyone praises the new translation of Breon Mitchell, which I read, and the quality of the prose is very high.  The novel is grand masterful account of the corruption the war brought to Poland.  Oscar has a weapon in that his voice can shatter all sorts of things.  We are always wondering how accurate are Oscar's perceptions, after all he is in a mental hospital.  I liked this book and I am glad I read it.  It is a challenging book but worth the effort.  It needs to be reread." From my post in 2013.

The Tin Drum (German: Die Blechtrommel) is a 1979 West German satirical war drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff from a screenplay co-written with Jean-Claude Carrière and Franz Seitz, based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Günter Grass. It stars David Bennent as Oskar Matzerath, a boy born and raised in the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) prior to and during World War II, who recalls the story's events as an unreliable narrator. The film also features Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler, Katharina Thalbach, Daniel Olbrychski, and Berta Drews in supporting roles.

The Tin Drum chronicles Oskar's life from his birth in 1924 to his adulthood in post-war Germany. At the age of three, Oskar falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing, both physically and mentally. He decides to remain a child and refuses to grow up in a world he sees as filled with hypocrisy and injustice. Oskar's primary weapon against the world is his tin drum, which he uses to shatter glass and make a piercing scream that can stun or even kill people.

The film's narrative is non-linear and often surreal, reflecting Oskar's childlike perspective. It jumps back and forth in time, and Oskar frequently breaks the fourth wall to address the audience directly. The film also uses a variety of visual techniques, including black and white, color, and slow motion, to create a dreamlike atmosphere.

The Tin Drum was a critical and commercial success. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy Awards, becoming the first German film to do so. It was also nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. The film is considered to be one of the most important German films of all time.

Films by German directors are an important part of post World War One German Culture, from the groundbreaking silent classics of the Weimar Republic to the movies of Leni Reisenthal in celebration of Nazi rule, beloved by Goebels, to modern Oscar winners, I am pleased to see German Literature Month XIII now welcomes posts on Films by German Directors

This is a post for German Literature Month XIII 

German Literature Month is hosted by Lizzy’s Literary Life

https://lizzysiddal2.wordpress.com/2023/09/22/announcing-german-literature-month-xiii/

Mel Ulm 

Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - A Short Story By Jamil Jan Kochai- Lead Story in his Collection The Haunting of Hajii Hill and Other Stories - 2022

Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - A Short Story By Jamil Jan Kochai- Lead Story in his Collection The Haunting of Hajii Hill and Other Stories - 2022

 Today's Story, along with several others, can be read on the author's website  (or in a Kindle Sample Edition of the collection.)

https://www.jamiljankochai.com/

"Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" was originally published in The New Yorker, December 20, 2019. (Reading time approximately ten minutes.)

Jamil Jan Kochai is a new to me writer I have now added to my read through list.  He was born in Peshawar, Pakistan in a  camp for Afghanistan refugees.  With his family at age seven he emigrated to California.

He now resides in Sacramento, California. He is a O. Henry Award winner with two published books of fiction.  

Today's story is about a young man whose family emigrated from Lahore to California because the morality police had a death warrant out for his father.  They killed his uncle.  All his life he has heard stories about life in Lahore.   He works at a Taco Bell.  He has a passion for Metal Gear opened games.  A new game has just come out and his cousin works in a game store and gets him a discount.

"When you get to your room, you lock the door and turn up MF Doom on your portable speaker to ward off mothers, fathers, grandmothers, sisters, and brothers who want to harp at you about prayer, Quran, Pashto, Farsi, a new job, new classes, exercise, basketball, jogging, talking, guests, chores, homework help, bathroom help, family time, and usually Madvillainy does the trick. Open the brown paper bag and toss the kush your cousin has stashed with your game because he needs a new smoking buddy and he sees you as a prime target, probably because he thinks you’ve got nothing better to do with your time or you’re not as religious as your brothers or you’re desperate to escape the unrelenting nature of a corporeal existence, and—goddamn, the physical map of Afghanistan that comes with the game is fucking beautiful."

As he plays the opened game he imagines changing the past so his father is not wounded and his uncle not killed. 

I do not wish to say much more about the story Other than to say I highly reccomend this story.  

Jamil Jan Kochai is the author of The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories, winner of the 2023 Aspen Words Literary Prize and a finalist for 2022 National Book Award. His debut novel 99 Nights in Logar was a finalist for the Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. His short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, Zoetrope, The O. Henry Prize Stories, and The Best American Short Stories. His essays have been published at The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Kochai was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and a Truman Capote Fellow at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Currently, he is a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University.  - 

Mel Ulm 

Faust- A 1926 Silent Film Directed by F. W. Murnau- 1 Hour 46 minutes

 Available on YouTube In 4 k Restoration with a soundtrack 

Roger Ebert's remarks on Faust

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-faust-1926

"Silent films like this deal more in broad concepts than in the subtleties of personality. Like Greek myth and comic books, they present characters clearly defined by their strengths and weaknesses. There's no small talk. Ekman creates an elderly Faust in anguish over his inability to cure plague victims and too proud to admit defeat. The young Faust is led astray by the stirrings in his loins, and the function of Gretchen, I am afraid, is to be the innocent victim of his lust; she wanders through a blizzard with her innocent infant and burns at the stake, all because of her love for the unworthy Faust"  Roger Ebert. 

Faust is an adaptation of the Faust legend, based primarily on the play Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 

The film stars Gösta Ekman as Faust, an aging alchemist who sells his soul to the devil Mephistopheles (Emil Jannings) in exchange for youth, love, and knowledge. Camilla Horn plays Gretchen, a young woman who is seduced and abandoned by 

Faust is a 1926 German silent fantasy film directed by F. W. Murnau. It is an adaptation of the Faust legend, based primarily on the play Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

The film stars Gösta Ekman as Faust, an aging alchemist who sells his soul to the devil Mephistopheles (Emil Jannings) in exchange for youth, love, and knowledge. Camilla Horn plays Gretchen, a young woman who is seduced and abandoned by Faust 

Faust was a critical and commercial success upon its release. It is now considered one of the greatest films of all time, and is praised for its innovative use of special effects, its Expressionist style, and its powerful performances. 

Here are some of the reasons why Faust is considered such a great film:

Its innovative use of special effects. Murnau was a pioneer in the use of special effects, and he used them to create some of the most stunning visuals in cinema history. For example, he used double exposure to create the illusion of Faust flying through the air, and he used miniatures to create the illusion of a giant city

Its Expressionist style. Expressionism was a German art movement that was characterized by its use of distorted shapes, exaggerated features, and bold colors. Murnau used Expressionist techniques to create a visually stunning and emotionally charged film

Its powerful performances. The film features some of the best performances of the silent era. Gösta Ekman is heartbreaking as the tortured Faust, and Emil Jannings is chilling as the devilish Mephistopheles

F. W. Murnau 

Born December 28, 1888

Moved to California in 1926 - he made three silent films for Fox Studios before forming his own company 

—died March 11, 1931, Hollywood, California, - from injuries in an Automobile accident 

His most famous film is Nosferatu, which was featured earlier this month.

Films by German directors are an important part of post World War One German Culture, from the groundbreaking silent classics of the Weimar Republic to the movies of Leni Reisenthal in celebration of Nazi rule, beloved by Goebels, to modern Oscar winners, I am pleased to see German Literature Month XIII now welcomes posts on Films by German Directors

This is a post for German Literature Month XIII 

German Literature Month is hosted by Lizzy’s Literary Life

https://lizzysiddal2.wordpress.com/2023/09/22/announcing-german-literature-month-xiii/