Film: Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (Emir Kusturica, 1981)

The first scene of ‘Sjecas li se Dolly Bell’ (‘Do You Remember Dolly Bell’) happens in a tern meeting room, where old people debate the dire state of the morals of the youth and decide that what they need to make a change in their lives is a musical band. The people debating are badly dressed, they use a wooden language, they do not believe what they say, but playing the game of political meetings is part of their lives. The second scene happens someplace in the hills. Music is loud and trash, people are unhappy but funny in their way, there is force and life beyond the poverty of the landscape around. I think that even if I did not know that this is the first full time feature film of Emir Kusturica I would have made the association and recognized that we are in Kusturica’s universe. The main lines and the personality unique to the work of one of the greatest directors of our time are already present.

 

source http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083089/

 

The moment in time when this film was made was 1981. This is significant from many points of view. At the end of the decade Communism will be brought down in Europe, and in retrospective we can say that the signs were there (and this film can be seen as an example) but nobody would have believed it, certainly not the people living with no apparent hope and future behind the Iron Curtain. The film is made in Sarajevo (the city of birth of Kusturica) and the action happens a little more than a decade before, at the start of a period of relative relaxation in the politics of the Communist Yugoslavia. The same number of years after the making of the film the name of the city will become a symbol of the inter-ethnic and religious conflict of the Balkans, the place where neighbors killed each other blindly and relentlessly in the aftermath of the Yugoslav union. The seeds of the conflict are visible in this film as well, in a scene towards the end where dispute arises between the traditional way of mourning of the Sarajevo Muslims and the Communist ways. The conflict seems to emerge from nothing and be about nothing, it cannot be understood by an outsider, but are not so all conflicts where people fight each other for symbols letting humanity slide away from their minds?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4jCvsz0ZoQ

(video source Okanovic78)

 

The film can be read as a political film, and it took certainly a lot of courage for Kusturica to make it this way. Describing the lack of perspective and hope of a full generation, or even bringing to screen a coming to age obsessed by sex and pain may be universal themes when the film is made in freedom, but was no easy thing to bring to screen in Yugoslavia in 1981. It is also a very human film, which gives birth to a plethora of characters like the ones that will continue to populate ‘the land of Balkans according to Kusturica’ in his next few great movies. It’s not a perfect film, it takes off a little bit slowly and heavily, but when we get into the action and the feelings of the characters we start to deeply care for them. The father acted by Slobodan Aligrudic is an unforgettable figure with his mix of irony and ideological stiffness, of rudeness and hidden tenderness. Welcome to the world of Emir Kusturica!

The full film (with no subtitles) is available on youTube.

 

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‘Beyond the Glass Curtain’ at the Litvak Gallery

Liliana and me spent today a morning in the exhibitions in Tel Aviv. We first visited the collective exhibition of Czech glass art opened last week at the Litvak Gallery, then we crossed the bridge and strolled in a few of the exhibitions at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.  I will share a few of the most interesting artists and works we have seen in successive postings on the blog.

 

 

‘Freedom to Create: Beyond the Glass Curtain’ is the name of the exhibition that collects works of 15 of the most important artists in glass from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  The art of glass has a tradition of centuries in this area but there is one more reason for the two countries who were until 20 years ago part of Czechoslovakia to be one of the top centers of glass art in the world nowadays. While artists in the Communist period enjoyed the government support awarded to artists who could improve the prestige of the motherland, they were less subjected to censorship and political pressures for the simple reason that glass art was categorized more as a craftsmanship or decorative art than a mean of expression that could carry subversive political messages. In a genre that requires studios, tools and collective work, the artists from Czechoslovakia continued the tradition and developed with government support a modern school of glass art with a broad diversity of means and expressions.

 

Vaclav Cigler - Star of David

 

Vaclav Cigler (born 1929) is one of the most famous artists, head of school and professor in Bratislava. He already had an exhibition dedicated only to his work at Litvak, I wrote about it here. From his previous presence here the gallery remained with the Star of David made of optical glass in large window towards the Art Museum. Cigler also designed the arrangement and presentation of the works in the current exhibition. Although many of the artists who are exposed belong to the elder generation that emerged and created before 1989, all the works were created in the last two decades, some are very recent. Works created in an environment of full freedom, based on tradition and continuous exploration.

 

Vclav Cigler - Clear Cone

 

Cigler himself is also present with another work in his preferred media – optical glass. ‘Clear Cone’ as many of Cogler’s work catches inside the volume of the optical glass the lights and shapes of the external space, molds and transforms them, and sends them back enriched to the viewer. Observing such a work is a complex process of examination, each different angle offering a different perspective with changing relations between the inner and outer spaces.

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Carte: John Le Carre – Our Kind of Traitor

Spionajul si soarta si dilemele oamenilor angrenati in acesta activitate este subiect pentru literatura britanica de mai bine de un secol, inca din perioada in care imperiul unde soarele nu apune niciodata inca mai exista si se lupta pentru supravietuire cu mijloace mai mult sau mai putin conventionale. Cand spun literatura nu diferentiez intre literatura de divertisment si cea considerata ‘serioasa’ din varii motive, unul dintre ele fiind ca dupa opinia mea literatura buna isi poate gasi mijloacele de exprimare in orice gen. Generatia mai veche l-a cunoscut si admirat pe Graham Greene ale carui carti ca ‘Omul nostru din Havana’ si ‘Americanul linistit’ faceau parte din lecturie mele preferate in adolescenta, cu amestecul lor de fascinatie pentru exotic si pentru lumea de umbre si penumbere a razboaielor secrete si cu personajele lor traind dilemele morale ale oamenilor care sunt pusi in situatia de a-si confrunta propria constiinta chiar si atunci cand faptele lor sunt puse in slujba natiunii sau a ceea ce ar trebui sa fie binele comun.

 

sursa http://www.johnlecarre.com/books/our-kind-of-traitor

 

Urmasul cel mai cunoscut al lui Greene in literatura britanica de astazi este John Le Carre. Nascut in 1931 (numele sau adevarat este David John Moore Cornwell) a parcurs in tinerete o cariera de functionar in serviciile Maiestatii Sale, precum Ian Fleming, creatorul lui James Bond si un alt scriitor considerat printre precursorii sai in genul cartilor de spionaj. Primul sau roman publicat in 1961 ‘Call for the Dead’ il introducea pe George Smiley, personajul care avea sa devina eroul multora dintre cartile scrise in perioada razboiului rece, agent al serciului britanic MI6 numit si ‘Circul’. Incepand de la al treilea roman al sau ‘The Spy Who Came In from the Cold’ suntem plasati in lumea spionajului si a confruntarii intre Vest si Est. Caderea Cortinei de Fier i-a cerut lui Le Carre o repozitionare a intrigilor romanelor sale in lumea complexa si aparent mai putin polarizata (de fapt multi-polarizata) ivita dupa caderea blocului sovietic. Precum serviciile de informatii engleze care si-au gasit adversari noi si Le Carre si-a gasit in ultimele doua decenii eroii in cercurile teroristilor musulmani, traficantilor de arme si de stupefiante, sau noilor mafii si a magnatilor rasariti printre ruinele fostului imperiu rosu. Lumea lui Le Carre nu este insa niciodata descrisa in termeni de alb-negru, critica sa se indreapta deseori in directia clasei politice si a birocratiei din propria sa tara, iar eroii sai pozitivi sunt confruntati cu dileme morale greu de rezolvat intr-o lume in care idealismul este mai intotdeauna o carte perdanta.

‘Our Kind of Traitor’ aparuta in 2010 (eu am citit editia Penguin Books, 2011) are ca subiect incercarea unui bancher rus implicat in afaceri de spalare a banilor mafiei de a se refugia in Anglia in momentul in care simte ca steaua sa este pe cale sa apuna in randurile lumii crimei legate de cercurile guvernamentale ale Rusiei. Modalitatea sa de a contacta serviciile de spionaj britanice pentru a negocia conditiile tradarii este de a alege o pereche de turisti britanici aflati in vacanta in Antile (el, Perry Makepiece este conferentiar la Oxford, tip de intelectual cu vederi de stanga; ea, Gail Perkins este jurista in ascensiune la Londra) si de a-i convinge sa joace rolul de intermediari. Prima parte a romanului este in mare parte scrisa in stil de ‘flashback’ constituit din interogatoriile minutioase prin care urmasii lui George Smiley din secolul 21 incearca sa verifice autenticitatea povestii si sa decida calea cea mai buna de urmat. Una dintre observatiile din citatele de pe coperta a patra a cartii il aminteste pe Hitchcock si cred ca asemanarea este foarte justa, Perry si Gail parcurgand traseul multora dintre eroii maestrului filmelor de suspense, oameni obisnuiti care sunt expusi uneori treptat, alteori brusc intr-o lume a crimei, deceptiei, incertitudinii. La fel ca si acestia ei cauta sa-si foloseasca busola morala si regulile lumii in care erau obisnuiti sa traiasca pentru a se orienta si lua decizii cu repercusiuni de viata si de moarte pentru ei si pentru altii, la fel ca si eroii din filme ei vor descoperi ca legile lumii in care au fost proiectati nu sunt de cele mai multe ori aceleasi.

 

sursa http://www.johnlecarre.com/author

 

Prima parte a cartii construieste deci procesul de trecere al magnatului rus (pe nume Dima) si in acelasi timp introduce o sumedenie de personaje, multe interesante, dar parca totusi ceva mai multe decat era necesar – functionari publici englezi respectabili cu familii si aparente onorabile care sunt de fapt dublati de agenti de informatii luptandu-se nu numai cu pericolele externe ci si sau mai ales intre ei in intrigi bizantine interne, mafioneri, traficanti si politicieni corupti care le sunt aserviti si mai ales familia lui Dima, un fel de transplantare in Rusia ortodoxa si violenta a post-comunismului a familiilor mafiote din filmele din seria ‘Nasul’. Schimbarea de atmosfera si de ritm este vizibila, prima parte a cartii fiind meditativa si cerand o citire atenta pentru a sesiza nuantele psihologice si a descifra motivatiile personajelor si locul lor in actiune, partea a doua se citeste mult mai usor, fiind mai apropriata in ritm si in continut de romanele clasice de actiune.

John Le Carre va implini peste cateva saptamani 80 de ani, si tot in acest an completeaza si jumatate de secol de activitate scriitoriceasca. ‘Our Kind of Traitor’ demonstreaza ca romancierul imbatraneste frumos, continuand sa creeze personaje care capteaza interesul si emotiile cititorilor, plasate intr-o lume reala, o lume in schimbare in care prietenii si inamicii sunt mai putin usor de detectat dar la fel de greu de combatut, si care isi pun intrebari si traiesc dileme etice si politice care ii preocupa pe cititori si dupa ce au inchis ultima pagina. Multe dintre cartile sale sunt memorabile si ele construiesc o viziune aparte a razboiului din umbra care a insotit istoria ultimilor cincizeci de ani. Orice noua carte de aici inainte este un bonus, o lectura pe care o astept cu interes si cu placere.

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Film: Eu sunt Adam! (Dan Pita, 1996)

‘Eu sunt Adam!’ (‘I am Adam!’) is a 1001 nights story that takes place in the inferno. The role of Seherazada is played by a professor of music in the 1950s, the years of the worst repression under the Communist rule, the years when people just disappeared from the streets swallowed into hell by black cars, investigated and condemned for imaginary reasons by a regime that after having liquidated physically its enemies had to search permanently for new ones in order to justify the existence of its institutions of repression, inventing  victims among its intellectuals and later from the rows of its own supporters. His stories are first the subject of the curiosity of a high Communist dignitary, but they soon trigger the curiosity and then the cruelty of the secret police, especially after the fall of his highly placed protector. Adam tries to protect himself and to gain time by inventing stories that meld fantasy and reality, past and present, magic and real but he soon is swallowed by the very fuzzy substance of the stories he is telling. The only reality he gets back to is the one of terror and repression and the price he will pay is eventually the one of his own sanity.

 

source http://www.cinemagia.ro/filme/eu-sunt-adam-eu-sunt-adam-4575/imagini/

 

Director and script writer Dan Pita built the stories and the dreams of Adam from a collection of stories written by the Romanian-born historian of religions Mircea Eliade during his youth in Romania in the 1930s. Eliade who flew to the West after the war to never return to Romania was placed at index during much of the Communist rule years to be fully recuperated after the fall of the Communism when this film was made. The short stories the film is based constitute the basic substance of the film, a mix of stories from the fringes of the Romanian inter-wars society with gates that open permanently to the unknown, with openings to sensuality but also to the moral questions that torment the hero to the same extent as the physical tortures he is put to by his tormentors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLL1oapVfmE

(video source TorianExperience)


The narrative structure of the film is not easy to follow, and may be confusing especially for viewers who know nothing about the literature of Eliade or about Romanian history. Yet the gates into unknown and the fantastic elements do not necessarily demand rigorous explanation, so I would recommend rather a viewing and reading a la David Lynch. When Adam tells the stories about past the juxtaposition is not only between reality and fantastic but also between profane and sacred, and between the tern reality of a country fallen under Communist rule and a past where dreaming and fantasizing were still possible. The main role is played by Stefan Iordache, one of the greatest Romanian actors (unfortunately he died a few years ago) and his creation dominates the film and is one of the best in his career. The final tragic mask, maybe the mask of insanity is the protection of last resort, the only one left when all other defenses, including fantastic have failed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mF4r_rFlqw

(video source TorianExperience)

The quality of the cinematography is unfortunately poor as the film was made a few years before Romanian cinema acquired the technical means for good quality films. Yet, there is a lot to watch in the camera movements, as Dan Pita was at the time he made this film a director who eventually freed from the constraints of the cinematography had the opportunity to make the films he always dreamed to. From an esthetic and creative point of view ‘Eu sunt Adam!’ is one of his best.

 

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Documentary: Waste Land (2010)

In one of the several memorable sequences in ‘Waste Land’ world famous artist Vik Muniz teaches his audiences about looking at art in a museum. People tend, he tells them, to get closer to the painting, then farther, then closer, then farther again, several times. When they are far away they get the overall idea of the art work. When they get close they try to understand how it is made. From far they see the idea. From close they see the matter.

 

source http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1268204/

 

The great idea of the documentary directed by Lucy Walker is to describe the process of creation in which the subjects are the Brazilian garbage pickers, called catadores while the matter is the recyclable materials extracted from the huge garbage ground called Jardim Gramacho, which gathers most of the waste of the huge metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. However this is only the inner circle of this smart film, as the first part describes the search that triggers the project in which the artist explores the space of the big garbage dump. At first it looks like one of its work, a square on the map, getting closer men seem to be visible at the dimensions of ants, then zooming in we discover a full human landscape composed of people who may be working physically in garbage but they do it with pride and dignity and a sense of purpose of their work and its benefits for the overall good of the community. The human dimensions of the characters discovered by Muniz are best material on which relies the quality of his art and the quality of the film director Walker made about the process of creating his art.

(video source lastmintrailers)

‘Waste Land’ is beautifully filmed, the characters are well chosen, and one can say that garbage never looked so beautiful and full of colors and the garbage people never looked so clean and sexy as in this film. There is one more ethical question that needs to be asked about the realization of this documentary. By picking a few of the people of Jardim Gramacho and making them for a few months part of the artistic creation process, Muniz, Walker and their teams took them out of the social medium they were living in and exposed them not only to art, to better work conditions, but also to the broader world living at a very different pace, social relations and living standards. Even as the money raised from the selling of the works returned to the people involved and to the social activities in the ‘garbage garden’ I could not ask whether the human involved will be able to get back to their previous work, or even as they use some of the cash earned for the participation in the project will they be able to overcome the short glimpse they witnessed of the world of glamor of art trade? Although Walker’s documentary tried to give a rather positive answer to this question I could not avoid a slight suspicion of manipulation, or at least of a self-righteous perspective of the facts as they were presented. But maybe I am just over-concerned, or maybe Muniz and Walker are right in their approach, and the path to help the under-privileged of this world starts not with 99 or 100 of the lucky ones enrolling to help, but with the first of the 100.

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Jazz: Ramon Valle and Denise Jannah in Tel Aviv

The new season of the Hot Jazz series at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art started started this year earlier than usual. A new and better Web site, a Facebook group and video presentations by the series organizer Ziv Ben distributed to the subscribing fans improve the media exposure of the leading series of the Israeli jazz scene.

 

source http://www.hotjazz.co.il/

 

The first concert in the series had as guests two artists already known to the Israeli audiences. Cuba-born pianist Ramon Valle and Suriname-born singer Denise Jannah have already been here separately. They both live in the Netherlands, are quite active on the international jazz scene, and seem also to be active politically. They came here at a time when many artists boycott openly or just avoid coming to Israel, but they also were present last year at the ‘Music for Gaza’ event in Rotterdam.

 

(video source bobjazz11)

 

Ramon Valle is one of the finest pianists that I have heard lately. His musical phrasing is generous and expressive, his presence is exuberant and engaging. In some of his pieces he seemed to play successively the roles of a whole orchestra, sometimes sounding as the clarinet or saxophone, to switch then to the rhythmic improvisation, and then back to the piano finale. The clip above was filmed at the Montreux festival nine years ago, he is playing one of the pieces he also made last night together with Denise Jannah.

 

(video source shamaym100)

 

Denise Jannah was a good fit for Valle. She is a gifted singer of the class of performers who embrace the audiences and the audiences embrace them. The program last night was a balanced mix of original music composed by the two artists, Cuban classical tunes, standards by Charlie Parker and Gershwin and even an Israeli final song executed in flawless Hebrew. The audience responded enthusiastically, and the season can be considered to have started on a definite right foot.

 

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Francis Mantel – Despre rodii

Un text interesant si documentat cum sunt intotdeauna cele scrise de prietenul meu Francis Mantel caruia ii multumesc pentru permisiunea acordata de a-l prelua aici.

———————-

Apropo de rodii.

Voi mentiona acum doar trei observatii:

(i) Se mananca traditional rodii de Rosh ha-Shana (anul nou evreiesc, care este considerat si ziua judecatii tuturor vietatilor), acolo unde se gasesc rodii. In Romania nu aveam, si mancam doar mere cu miere, pentru a ne ura simbolic, noi noua, un an nou ‘dulce’. Exista chiar un fel de “seder” de Rosh ha-Shana la masa festiva de sarbatoare in ambele seri de Rosh ha-Shana. La evreii de rit spaniol (sefaradim) ritualul este mai luxos si mai complex decat la evreii central (si est) europeni (adica ashkenazim). Mancatul rodiei, cu binecuvantarea potrivita, este parte traditionala din ritualul serii de Rosh ha-Shana.

 

source http://owlintheoak.blogspot.com/2010/11/pomegranates.html

 

(ii) Talmudul babilonian in volumul (masehet) Haghiga, pe ultima sa pagina, la foaia 27 (caf zain), pagina intai (amud alef), scrie ceva foarte frumos despre pacatosii de printre evrei. Dorind sa ne explice ca focul Ghehenei din Infern nu are capacitatea sa ii arda pe evreii pacatosi (caci chiar si evreii pacatosi au meritele lor), marele rabin amora-it Reish Lakish (sau Shimon ben Lakish, mare invatat, deseori amintit in partea de Ghemara a Talmudului babilonian; fusese bandit sau talhar inainte de a studia; devenise apoi ginerele marelui rabi Iohanan) , afirma ca “posh’ei Israel mleei mitzvot ca-rimon“.

Adica, pe romaneste s-ar traduce cam astfel:

Transgresorii (dintre) evrei sunt plini de fapte bune ca rodia (de seminte).

 

source http://www.drgranny.com/food-nutrition/health-benefits-of-pomegranate/

 

Filosofic evaluand asertiunea de mai sus, as categorisi-o ca un fel de mecanism de aparare, caci in urma cu circa 1,800 de ani in Iudeea ocupata, distrusa (mai ales dupa anul 135 e.n., cand legiunile romane au inabusit revolta iudeilor sub conducerea evreului Bar Kohba) si cotropita de peste doua secole de catre paganii romani, pentru a-si pastra moralul si dorinta de a supravietui, evreul umilit trebuia, macar el insusi, sa aiba o parere pozitiva despre sine. Self-respect. Psihologul ar putea numi actul asertiunii din Talmud ca fiind o incercare de auto-terapie, si de auto-incurajare, pentru a nu despera.

Cum mangaie dulce, alina usor/ Speranta, pe toti muritorii!”

🙂

 

source celebrationofcreativity.com

 

(iii) In alt volum din aceeasi enciclopedie vasta si bogata amintita mai sus, numita Pesahim, la foaia 74 (daf aiin-daled) pagina intai (amud alef), in Mishna de acolo se descrie cum mielul pascal care era sacrificat la Templul din Ierusalim de catre fiecare familie de evrei care venea la Templul din Ierusalim in cinstea sarbatorii de paste (in ebraica: “aliia la-Reghel”), trebuia apoi fript pe foc direct (tzalui esh), dupa ce mielul sacrificat si curatit de maruntaie era strapuns de la cap la coada cu un trunchi de ramura (adica un batz) de pom de rodie, pentru a fi proptit astfelo deasupra focului: “Keitzad tzolim et ha-Pesah (korban ha-Pesah)? Meviin shipud shel rimon vetohvo le-toh piv (shel korban ha-Pesah) ad beit nekuvato (shel korban ha-Pesah) … .” Se explica apoi de ce tocmai batul e bine sa fie din lemn de rodie si nu alt lemn.

Inchei aici, mentionand ca rodia apare si in Cantarea Cantarilor a regelui Solomon, in niste epitete sublime de dezmierdare a iubitei autorului. Acest poem extraordinar trebuie recitat vineri dupa amiaza, inainte de rugaciunile de primire a Shabat-ului, caci este recomandat in codul de comportare evreiasca (Shulhan Aruh) ca (cel putin!!!) in noaptea de Shabat (adica in noaptea de vineri spre sambata) fiecare evreu evlavios (daca este talmid haham, adica invatat si cu minte) trebuie neaparat sa ii dea atentia cuvenita sotiei sale. Nu cred ca e nevoie sa fiu mai explicit. Iar citirea poemului erotic (chiar si fara de metaforele filosofice adaugate despre dragostea lui D-zeu pentru poporul asa zis ‘ales’, ci cu versurile poemului luate asa cum sunt ele … la propriu) il va pune pe omul serios “in the right mood”, cu pofta si libido pentru actiune benefica … trupului si sufletului.

🙂

Pentru ca: “Vita nostra brevis est./ Brevi finietur”.

Posted in Francis Mantel, judaism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Carte: Dan Stanca – A doua zi dupa moarte

Inceputul romanului lui Dan Stanca ‘A doua zi dupa moarte’ (editia a II-a revazuta, Curtea Veche, 2011) mi-a amintit de serialul in gen ‘horror’ ‘Regatul’ (Kingdom) creat de Lars von Trier in anii 90. ‘Spitalul se inalta mohorat pe fundalul acelui cer dogoritor de iulie. Desi vremea frumoasa ar fi trebuit s-o absoarba in norul de lumina si astfel s-o purifice, masiva cetatuie arata mai hidoasa si mai jupuita decat intr-o zi inchisa de toamna. La urma urmei, chiar si numele de Fundeni, care strainilor nu le spunea nimic, dar romanilor le evoca mereu fundatura, un fund gros si ntunecos de unde, daca intri, nu mai iesi, accentua imaginea sumbra a unui spital subdezvoltat, fara dotari, dar in care suferinta e aceeasi dintotdeauna, oamenii injura, blestema, medicii sunt la fel de rai si de abrutizati, fiindca tot ce vad e carnea pacientilor inecata in putreziciune.’ (pag. 7) Spitalul ruinat si bolnav el insusi in care se intalnesc pe paturi alaturate de suferinta doi bolnavi cu numele simbolice de Petru si Pavel, trecuti in mod foarte diferit prin incercarile vietii si vremurilor, este punctul de plecare al unei carti despre o lume ruinata si bolnava, asa cum percepe Dan Stanca Romania post-comunista. Ceea mai mare parte a actiunii cartii se petrece in anii 90, cu flashback-uri ale perioadei dinainte de 89 dar si flashforward-uri pana in 2026. Perspectiva este insa aceeasi, sansele vindecarii societatii sunt nule, iar cele ale salvarii personale se afla – poate – in cautarile cailor ascunse ale spiritualitatii si misticii diferitelor credinte.

 

sursa http://www.curteaveche.ro/A_doua_zi_dupa_moarte_Editia_a_II_a_revazuta-3-1207

Doua personaje principale are aceasta carte, un barbat si o femeie. Numele barbatului este Petru Bota, un singuratic si un supravietuitor reprezentativ pentru un anume tip de supravietuire a perioadei comuniste: ‘Fusese mereu singur si la adapost de grijile curente ale vietii. Nu plecase pe front, nu facuse prietenii riscante, nu se lasase impresionat nici de propaganda comunista care cerea tinerilor specialisti sa se inroleze pe frontul transformarilor revolutionare, dar nici nu raspunsese chemarilor subversive de-a scrie si de-a vorbi impotriva regimului oficial. Ii dispretuise de la bun inceput pe comunisti, dar nu-si tradase gandurile, cum facusera atatia, firi tumultoase avand vocatia contestarii. El ramasese retras, izolat, inconjurat doar de cativa oameni care-i semanau si in al caror fel de-a fi se oglindea.’ (pag. 36) Cercul de prieteni intelectuali ai lui Petru Bota alcatuiesc unul dintre acele mini-cenacluri prin care nu fara anumite riscuri intelectualii romani au supravietuit deceniilor dictaturii pastrand cu grija o flacara ascunsa de spiritualitate. Condus initial de un maestru simbolic despre care (cu intentie probabil) nu aflam prea multe, cercul lui Bota caruia ii revine sarcina indrumarii discipolilor dupa ce maestrul dispare este dedicat studiului a ceea ce in mod foarte inspirat este numita ‘ariergarda’ spirituala – nume generic al atasamentului fata de trecut, traditie, continuitate mai ales pe plan religios.

Personajul feminin poarta numele de Sabina. ‘Sabinei, anul ei’ este de altfel si dedicatia cartii. Premizele personajului dotat cu frumusete si inteligenta parca de dincolo de marginea acestei lumi ar putea prezice un destin extraordinar: ‘intruchipa imaginea odraslei curate si cuminti, recipient nefisurat al spiritului, pamant reavan, abia modelat de mainile bune ale creatorului’ (pag. 47) Destinul Sabinei este departe de a fi liniar, el incepe cu un viol brutal in pragul adolescentei. Cautarea echilibrului in studiu o aduce pe Sabina in cercul lui Petru Bota, pe care il paraseste subit in anii 80, intr-o casatorie de convenienta, iesita din tiparul personajului dar caracteristica acelor vremi, care ii permite emigrarea in Germania. ‘… se casatorise fara sa iubeasca, si pleca din tara, prefacandu-se ca admira Occidentul, cand ea nu visa decat Putna, Agapia si Tismana, visa Romania contemplatiei si sihastriilor, in niciun caz Romania concreta, murdara, a gunoaielor si molozului, a functionarilor de la ICRAL, a securistilor si a activistilor de partid, care cantau la betie cu gura larg deschisa “si noi suntem romani” (pag. 121). Gasim aici poate motivatia pentru reintoarcerea Sabinei in Romania anilor 90 care se afla in miezul actiunii romanului, dar aceasta este departe de a fi o reintoarcere la matca ci mai degraba o coborire in infern, urmata de o inaltare in ceruri. Traiectoria destinului Sabinei atinge abjectul, si pentru a o descrie Dan Stanca recurge la relatari care imbina monstruozitatea cu extazul, mistica cu erosul vulgar frizand pornografia. Cititorii mai sensibili este bine sa fie avertizati, caci cateva dintre pagini nu sunt usoare la citire. Pentru personajul Sabinei destinul personal este o inchidere a unui ciclu, inaltarea spre ceruri descrisa in buna traditie a misticii crestine avand loc in prezenta celui care o propulsase cu violenta pe traiectoria vietii cu ani in urma. Fraza cheie a cartii este rostita de Petru Bota, plecat in cautarea Sabinei si a intelegerii sensului ridicarii ei: ‘Oricand se deschide o poarta sau o trapa…

 

sursa http://www.rightwords.eu/author-details/dan-stanca

 

Dan Stanca este un scriitor cu real talent in  compunerea atmosferei si constructia atenta a structurii personajelor sale. Prima parte a cartii mi s-a parut interesanta, pasionanta in unele momente. Am inceput insa sa pierd contactul cu ceea ce doreste autorul sa transmita in momentele in care pe marginea celor intamplate – reale si fantastice – apar glossele, cele mai multe puse pe seama unui personaj numit Horia Giugaru,  conceput ca un fel de alter-ego al scriitorului. Analiza profund pesimista a istoriei si a starii actuale a societatii romanesti o poti accepta sau nu: ‘Apele, crangurile, toata vegetatia oglindeau sufletul indiferent al poporului, care nu reactioneaza la niciun stimul si din care nu pleaca nicio dorinta, rarele sale zvacniri fiind doar proteste vagi fata de politica de imbacsire generala. 1848, dar mai inainte 1821, Tudor Vladimirescu, fala marlanilor, gata, i-am belit pe turci, pe fanarioti, cand in realitate doar narghileaua isi mai putea lasa umbra protectoare asupra unor pamanturi adormite in ceara si mierea lor, lasandu-se jefuite fara sa le pese, doar narghileaua, salvarii si semiluna puteau sa ocroteasca o tara de jafuri si mai mari, o tara in care crucea era beata, mitropolitii si mai beti, iar domnitorii cu intestinele pline de mancare ivatau deja versetele demagogiei. N-a fost nimic eroic in aceasta tara, numai ca eroismul e si mai jalnic decat lasitatea si noi am stiut sa fim lasi ca sa nu fim ridicoli, avand un pumn de revoltati pe care i-am aruncat ca spuza din foc in ochii lumii.‘ (pag. 242-243) Idealizarea problematica a momentului legionar din istoria Romaniei pus pe seama personajului Horia Giugariu poate fi pusa si ea pe seama degringoladei ideologice si morale pe care o simt dureros toate personajele romanului lui Stanca. Daca solutia sau alternativa marasmului pamantesc este spiritualitatea mistica simbolizata prin ridicarea spre ceruri a Sabinei, firul epic care ar putea duce la aceasta concluzie este incalcit in verbozitate si neclar pe planul ideilor. Ultima suta de pagini a cartii mi s-a parut greoaie la lectura si nu a adaugat mai nimic nici povestirii si nici dezvoltarii personajelor, accentuand doar idei deja prezente in primele parti ale romanului. Doar critica adusa institutiei bisericesti in actuala sa intruchipare din Romania apare ca tema noua in partea finala a cartii dar ea nu mi s-a parut suficienta pentru a sustine lungul si complicatul sir de comentarii din finalul cartii.

In multe privinte ‘A doua zi dupa moarte’ este o carte caracteristica nu numai epocii post-comuniste pe care o descrie ci si stadiului in care se afla literatura romana de astazi care descrie aceasta perioada. Scriitorul a hotarit ca la structura narativa a cartii sa adauge cateva zeci de pagini de prolog, o parte petrecandu-se in viitor, dupa disparitia personajelor principale. Daca stilistic si artistic aceste pagini nu adauga dupa parerea mea prea mult, ele creaza insa sentimentul de continuitate a atmosferei si viziunii pesimiste, nelasand loc niciunei raze de speranta. Confuzia valorilor, incertitudinea in fata viitorului, prezentului si chiar si a trecutului, amestecul cotodian intre plictiseala si hidosenie, ezitarile stilistice si golul existential cu riscurile umplerii sale de catre gazul cu arome ademenitoare dar si ascuns-otravitoare al misticismului, toate acestea sunt prezente in cartea lui Dan Stanca si fac din ea un produs reprezentativ al perioadei.

 

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Gica Manescu – Teatre, spectacole si actori

Impartasesc cu mare placere un nou episod cu tenta memorialistica semnat de doctorul Gica Manescu. Gica implineste la sfarsitul saptamanii viitoare 95 de ani, si este o buna ocazie sa ii urez ‘La Multi Ani!’
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Copil find ma bucuram cand bunicul imi propunea sa mergem la circ sau la un balci. Era si el amator. Admiram animalele in arena sau in  custile lor, cate un scamator cu “Uite Popa, nu e Popa“,  si ma delectam lingand pojghita rosie, dulce de pe un mar.

Aveam si am si acum o curiozitate de a  sti, a cunoaste si  a  intreba “de ce?”. Eram deosebit de fratele si sora mea. Probabil am primit de la un  stramos o gena deosebita.  Memoria mea era si este inca, iesita din  comun. Singur, sunt deseori uimit. Insusirea  asta m-a ajutat sa pot preda Stintele Naturale la cele 8 clase ale Liceului evreesc din Focsani. Nu mai vazusem o carte despre  materiile de predare din timpul cand eram eu elev. Invatam  pe dinafara lectiile de predare pentru fiecare clasa.  Asta a fost mai greu la inceput, dar am reusit si toti au fost multumiti. Daca am fost un dascal bun, sever sau tolerant, asta o stiau doar elevii.

Fratele si sora au fost oameni culti, pofesionisti de valoare, onesti, si apropiati unul de celalat. Nu am simtit diferenta. Am sarit in ajutor cand a fost cazul. Parintii a fost buni, blanzi si intelegatori.

 

sursa http://despreusi.blogspot.com/2011/07/teatrul-pastia-din-focsani.html

In Focsani, urbea mea natala, exista de la inceputul secolului 20,  Teatrul “Maior Pastia“. Cladire  impozanta, cu un interior foarte frumos. Era o copie in mic, a Nationalului iesean.

Parintii mei aveau un abonament pentru toate spectacolele, erau numeroase prin trupele ce poposeau pentru un spectacol si la noi. S-a anuntat sosirea Teatrului idis cu Sevila Pastor. In familie doar mama  stia ceva (ieseanca), tata putin  si eu de loc. Am rugat sa ma ia si pe mine.  Mi-au implinit dorinta si au cumparat un bilet de intrare. Aveam 11- 12 ani. Era prima oara cand am pasit pragul si am admirat in curte, un bust  al unui barbat – Petre Liciu. Fost actor, mi s-a spus. N-am verificat.

Spectacolul, luminile, jocul ansamblului si vocea artistei-cantarete m-au cucerit. Nu trebuia sa inteleg multe. Mainile mele mici au aplaudat frenetic.

 

sursa http://teatrulromanesc.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

In  anii urmatori, am vazut spectacole cu Leny Caler “Soarecele de biserica” si “Fete in uniforma“ . Marunta, subtirica, dar  plina de talent si o dictiune deosebita. Mi-au trecut prin minte spusele  mamei. Moasa oraseneasca,  cea care m-a scos pe mine la lumina zilei era mama actritei.

Un spectacol deosebit a fost cu piesa  “Manasse “ scrisa de evreul Ronetti-Roman. Problema spinoasa si de neinteles in perioada respectiva – casatoria mixta. Rolurile principale le-au interpretat actorul imbatranit, Constantin Nottara si cel feminin Dida Solomon-Calimachi. Era ceva ce nu credeam ca poate fi.

 

sursa http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fi%C8%99ier:Ion_Manolescu_-_actor.jpg

Norcul mi-a suras, cand mai tarziu, la Bucuresti, am revazut spectacolul , cu alti actori si Manasse a fost interpretat de marele Ion Manolescu.

In  toamna lui 34, de cateva luni student al Facultatii de Medicina din  Iasi, am luat bilet la  “Teatrul National “ pe care  il vazusem numai de afara. Intrand am revazut teatrul din Focsani. Piesa era o tragedie “Tatal“ de Strindberg. Eroul principal – un actor Ghitescu, cel pentru drame si tragedii. M-au impresionat, dar amintiri multe nu am.

 

sursa http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milu%C8%9B%C4%83_Gheorghiu

Doi actori, ca fruntasi ai scenei  erau Miluta Gheorghiu si Margareta Baciu. Fara a fi de clasa inalta, erau apreciati si stimati de ieseni. S-au lansat in opereta “Vanzatorul de pasari “ de Zeller. Au trebuit sa cante si au trecut multumitor obstacolul.

Regia o avea Ion Sava,  decorurile, operele lui Th. Kiriacoff.

Erau si teatre de revista. In  varful, piramidei era “Carabus “ al lui C. Tanase. Vazusem un  spectacol la Focsani. Eram la varsta cand intelegeam apropourile si poantele.

 

sursa http://www.divahair.ro/timp_liber/alo,_aici__e__stroe!_-_un_spectacol_extraordinar_la_teatrul_de_revista_

 

La mjlocul anilor 30, au luat finta doua teatre de  revista, Stroe si Vasilache primul cu textele a doilea cu muzica si ambii cu regia si organizarea. Al  doilea, a fost “Alhambra“ a lui Vladoianu, Kiritescu si Ion Vasilescu, compozitorul de neuitat.

In vacanta anlui 1938, fusesem invitat la Bucuresti la familia unor veri de ai mei. A fost cald dar n-am simtit soarele. Am batut strazile, am vazut filme si “ieseam prin Sarindar”. Si multe altele. Printre astea ma opresc la un spectacol de seara, al teatrului “Alhambra“ la gradina de vara din strada Vacaresti.

Am  fost numai ochi si urechi. Un tablou, prezenta un  copac si o tanara sezand pe o ramura. Cu o voce placuta si balansandu-se  usor, auzeam : “Sunt o puica de drac/ Agatata-n copac / Toata lumea-i a mea.. “. M-a incantat. Pe actrita o chema Zizi Serban. Am mai revazut-o ulterior.

source http://filme-carti.ro/filme/si-s-au-dus-ca-vantul-2010-8067/

Au venit  anii urgiei naziste si ai razboiului. A  luat finta pentru evrei, Teatrul  Baraseum “dupa nuumele strazii Spectacole de calitate, cu actori, Al. Finti regizor sj actor,  Wili Ronea, Beate Fredanov – i se spunea Biata –  si multi altii. Decorurile create de Jules Perahim si orchestra o  conducea  maestrul Schwartzman. Cred ca cel putin jumatate dintre spectatori erau crestini.  Moni Ghelerter, regizor care s-a ridicat in recunoasterea profesionala ca profesor.

A fost greu de  uitat pentru spectatorii unei seri din finele  anului 44 si apoi in 45, spectacolul maret “Ce faci asta seara ?” Deschiderea au facut-o surorile Gamberto, apoi Stroe, Jeny Smilovici  si ”Sperietoarea de pasari“, unde Agnia Bogoslava (a murit acum cativa ani in Israel) a recitat “Si s-au dus ca vantul /Maturand pamantul …”. De nemtii care pierdeau razboiul.

 

sursa http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fi%C8%99ier:George_Calboreanu.jpg

In anii care au  urmat “ am mancat teatru cu paine “. N-am scapat pe Caragiale, Sebastian si nici altele. George Calboreanu in “Apus de soare“ sau Jules Cazaban in “Moartea unui comis voiajor”, Liviu Ciulei in “Danton“ si cu Clody Bertola, in alte spectacole.  Nu uit “Tache, Ianke si Cadar“ si nici, la Teatrul Lucia Sturdza-Bulandra, piesa “Nebuna din Chaillot“. Aveam locuri in primul rand. La un  moment dat, caldura mare in sala si mai ales pe scena, doamna Bulandra, sezand pe o banca, spune incet ca nu se simte bine. Se trage cortina. Cineva de langa noi spune cuiva “O fi murit baba” .Tocmai apare in fata cortinei un barbat care anunta ca doamna B. a avut o slabiciune si in  cteva minute se va relua spctacolul. Asa a fost si a continuat cu replica intrerupta.

Nu se poate trece cu vederea, prezenta  pe scene a lui George Vraca. Monologul lui din “Richard  al 3-lea“ era celebru. Se spunea ca intr-un spectacol, cineva de la galerie a strigat cand el terminat monologul ca da un  regat pentru un  cal,  “dar un magar nu e bun?” La care el a replicat: “Da. Vino pe scena” . Cu Leny Caler au dat nastere unui teatru si i-am admirat  in “Pygmalion“ – B. Shaw.

 

sursa http://malcolmsplace100.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html

Dar  se pot trece cu vederea piesele lui Mirodan? In  nici un caz. Succese de neintrecut. “ Ziaristii “ , “Celebrul 702“, scrise pentru Beligan. Cea din urma,cu partenera Sanda Toma,  in regia lui Moni Ghelerter.

Dar pe Storin  in  “Regele Lear“ sau  Maria Filotti,  in   “Calul  nazdravan“, pe Fory Etterle, pe Emil Botta, si atatia altii.

Sau ale lui Aurel Baranga?  Evitam ale lui M. Davidoglu, cu “eroi “ si “succese” – cum  se calea otelul si munca oamenilor. Imitate dupa teatrul sovietic. Si ale lui Paul Everac, nu erau pe gustul si simtul meu.

Scoala de regie teatrala era renumita si in activitate, avea cativa mari creatori de spectacole. In afara lui M. Ghelerter (care  fusese ucenicul lui  Al. Finti) de care am pomenit, erau Sica  Alexandrescu si Soare Z. Soare, al  carui nume si pronuntare nu se facea fara “Z”.

Pe Sanda Toma o vazusem in primul ei rol, in “Hangita“ de Goldoni. Anul trecut la Bucuresti, alaturi de Victcor Rebenciug, in “Toti fii mei“ de A.Miller. Joc de calitate deosebita de la primul pana la ultimul actor.

Am avut norocul ca directorul la  “ ARIA “- Agentia romana de impresariat artistic” era Nori Minei, prieten apropiat. Daca ii telefonam ca n-am gasit biletele le primeam de la el,  platind acolo. O “‘pila “ de mica masura, platita cu  o  strangere de mana si multumiri.

Va fac  o marturisire, intre  noi, dragi listeni.

Acum cateva zile,  am auzit ca in Romania, incepe “Festivalul George Enescu“. Am  aflat   ca  in cele cateva saptamani,  vor fi  prezente,  doua dintre Filarmonicele renumite  din lume : cea vieneza si cea israeliana. Dirijor Zubin Mehta, solist D. Barenboim.

Acum doi ani fusesem in Sala Palatului la un  concert superb al unei Filarmonici  rusesti. Maestrul dirijor si tot asa solistul, in Concertul pentru pianl de Ceaikovski  si o Simfonie. Au fost de felicitat. Ovatii prelungite.

Am gasit biletele pe masa,  cadoul  fiului meu, pentru ziua mea de aniversare.  Mi s-au umezit ochii.

Gandurile n-au lenevit, au venit ca o ploaie si imi era frica sa nu ude creerul si ascunzisul memoriei. A sarit la alte concerte, la cinematograf si la teatru. La oameni in diverse roluri, la numele lor. Poate am mai gresit. Din memorie au intrat pe scena mea virtuala amintiri pe care le-am notat pe scurt. Am gandit sa scriu articolul, aranjandu-l oarecum cronologic. Ideea mea a fost ca foarte putini cunosc multe din cele pvestite sau chiar de loc. Sunt unii doritori de a afla si a medita la multe.

N-a fost simplu si usor sa scriu. A foat o concentrare a  gandirii si memoriei, sa am insa un  rezultat  bun. Nu imi  inchipuiam posibil. Cautarea de a  gasi diverse date si amanunte, intr-un mod la indemana, nu a fost realizabil pentru mine.

As dori sa multumesc poate cuiva, Dar nu stiu cui.

A fost si il  aveti. Voi sunteti arbitri.

Partea asta a vietii mele mi-a lipsit de la o anumita varsta (limba dificila, bat-o vina), mi-a lasat un gol si doar…amintiri. Umplu doar un pic in timpul cand sunt la Bucuresti si ma delectez.

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signs and faiths in Jerusalem

I discover each time I am here the beauty and fascination of Jerusalem, this place unique on Earth for its combination of faith and history, of landscape, people and emotions. The weekend Liliana and me spent here was a quiet interlude in a busy period with many challenges. Jerusalem welcomed us with fresh air and a cool night (well, cool at least relative to the humid heat of the seashore area where we live) which we used for a guided tour on the ramparts of the old city.  We had already met the guide in one of the previous tours, a young Jerusalemite architect, passionate about his city, its history and people named Noam.The tour took us on the fortified walls of the old city which are not that old actually as they were built in the 17th century during the reign of sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The portion of the walls we walked was the one between the Jaffa and Sion gates, then on the way back we strolled inside the Jewish Quarter and stopped in a few of its more significant places.

I will focus my rendering of the night tour around two of the pictures I took, quite significant for the complex and complicated history of this place.

 

The start of our tour was at the Jaffa Gate. The tower gate and the plaza at the entry of the Old City is marked by ceramic tiles signs created in the 20th century by Armenian ceramists. I wrote about this tradition in a previous blog story about a tour that was dedicated to the Armenian presence in Jerusalem. Look at the two signs. The upper one (‘Jaffa Gate’)  is from the 20s or the 30s of the previous century, during the British Mandate. You can see that the first language is English, as the mandatory laws demanded. The lower sign (the name of the square) has a more complex story. If you look with attention you can see it has two frames. Actually it’s been made in two stages, about 20 years apart. First was the sign written only in Arabic and English which was made during the Jordanian rule over the Old City, in the period Jerusalem was divided and no Jewish presence was allowed in the Old City. Then, after 1967, when the city was unified again under Israeli rule the Hebrew name of the square was added on the upper side of the sign. The same Armenian ceramist made the two parts of the sign.

 

Here is another picture made on the roof of one of the most famous buildings with Biblical significance in the Old City of Jerusalem. In the building below according to the tradition no other than King David is laid to rest. Jews, believers or not, come to pray and pay respect to one of the greatest kings in the history of nation, a saint and a prophet for the other religions. Psalms are being read here all day, all days of the year. The church watch tower belongs to the Dormition Church built at the beginning of the 20th century because it is on the same place that Mother Mary is said to have risen to heaven, and the Last Supper took place. The mosque structures built atop the roof mark the fact that King David of the Jews is also Nabi Dawud, a prophet in the Muslim faith. The symbols of the three religions superpose and interleave with an amazing density on this small and disputed territory.

Here are a few more snapshots from the Thursday night tour.

 

 

The Tower of David (actually built during King Herod) and the new complex of Mamilla.

 

The Abbey of Dormition appears at the end of a narrow street.

 

A portion of what is left of the Cardo – heart of the city in the Byzantine period.

 

Entry Gate of the Beit-El yeshiva.

 

 

Old City of Jerusalem, close to midnight.

 

 

 

 

 

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