Yelena Bonner (1923 – 2011)

Yelena Bonner died today in Boston.

source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/8585381/Yelena-Bonner.html

Many people call themselves today human rights activists and freedom fighters. So many and so different are the people and their aims and causes that the very notions seem to have lost value. Yelena Bonner was the real thing. She fought together with her husband Andrei Sakharov for the human rights of the people oppressed by the Communist system – one of the most repressive in history. She spoke up when everybody else was silent. She never stopped fighting for the freedom of the people suffering under dictatorship and repression. She supported the right causes for all her life with no fear of prison or exile and nothing could silence her voice until the very last days of her life.

May her memory be blessed.

 

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‘Woyzeck’ at the Cameri Theater

I remember too little from the performance I must have seen more than 40 years ago with Buchner‘s ‘Woyczeck’ at the Bulandra Theater in Bucharest, by the time when Liviu Ciulei and Lucian Pintilie dominated the Romanian theater in a short period of artistic Renaissance in the middle of the dictatorship, yet a great time for the Romanian theater and culture in general. I do not remember who the director was, and who where the actors, if somebody around still knows I would be grateful to be reminded. The main memory I have was of a first meeting with a text that was asking many questions about the relationship between the individual and the society, about what is sanity and what causes insanity.

source http://cameri.co.il/index.php?page_id=9

 

There is one great advantage to deal with a text like GeorgWoy Buchner wrote and which remained unfinished. As a viewer and also as a director you can imagine and fill in the missing from your imagination, you can develop the characters in directions that the author did not have the time and maybe even the intention to do it. The story of the humble wig-maker and soldier Franz Woyzeck who in order to subsist and help the widow Marie he lives with enrolls not only in the army but also in a medical program that endangers his sanity, a story that cannot end but in tragedy has received at least two principal lines of explanation – the social conditions that push the poor to despair and beyond the borders of morality and the existentialist one, where there is no chance to an individual to face destiny and the social system and the military play in this interpretation the role of tools of destiny.

 

source http://cameri.co.il/index.php?page_id=2039

 

I was extremely eager to watch the scene rendition on the stage of the Tel Aviv Cameri theater. The vision of the director here packed the whole performance in the atmosphere of a mental institution, with the play acted by patients in the institution. This interpretation is questioning the definitions of sanity and insanity and provides them with a relativity load from start. Moreover, the play is prefaced by another quote from a different work of Buchner which talks about the lack of options of the oppressed and the recourse to violence when no other options are left. Here and now this message sounds political, although there was little in the performance itself that emphasized it.

 

(video source itayti2011)

 

Itay Tiran who plays Woyczeck is no doubt the leader of the younger generation of Israeli actors. He already played on stage Hamlet and Amadeus and had important roles in Beaufort and Lebanon, two of the successful films of the last years. He is different in each role, and has a personality as an actor that crosses the stage as soon as you see him. He is again fabulous in this performance here, and is very well matched by Ruthie Asarsay who creates a tragic Marie full of pathos and vibration. The problem of the performance is the director, and the director is also Itay Tiran. I do not know if this is his first try in stage direction, it is the first I am aware. As director Tiran mobilizes his actors and all of them give everything they have on stage. It’s a shame that this energy and devotion does not translate into a great stage performance, and the problem is I believe the lack of experience of Tiran in building the story, explaining the context to viewers that may not be familiar with the text, providing fluency and linking the disparate episodes. A few years ago a much smaller theater (in means at least) – Karov staged in the South of the city Romanian writer Matei Vishniec‘s play ‘The History of Communism Told for the Mentally Ill’ which used exactly the same theatrical convention. Looking back, despite the big names and the huge differences in budgets between the two theaters I believe that the performance at Theater Karov was from many respects as good or even better than this one.

 

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Film: Hanyo (The Housemaid) – Sang-soo Im, 2010

‘The Housemaid’ is based on a Korean classic movie from the 60s which I have not seen, but which is referred to by many critics and viewers knowledgeable in Korean cinema. With no term of comparison I have the (maybe) advantage of judging the film by itself. As with many other Korean films it takes a well-known genre (the rich home family drama and the relation to the servants in the house) into directions unexpected for viewers accustomed to the European or American cinema styles.

source http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1314652/

Eun-yi is a young woman from a poor background who takes a job into a house of people so rich that no pleasure seems to be refused to them from birth. Besides housemaid she is the caretaker for the only child of the rich couple, for the time being – as the lady of the house is expecting to give birth to twins sometimes soon. She soon will find herself as the alternate object of desire for the master of the house, and when she becomes pregnant she starts being perceived as a threat to the luxurious routine of the family life of the rich. The older servant in the house, the mother-in-law and the cheated wife will thread a plot to eliminate the danger. Her chances of successfully fighting back are minimal.

(video source indiefilmworld)

Director Sang-soo Im had the privilege of building a full house of his dreams to describe the environment the rich live, which contrasts sharply with the few realistic shots in the modern city environment. The visuals he created, sets and colors are excellent and are part of the quality of the film. I personally also enjoyed the acting, with Do-yeon Jeon in the lead role the only character with human feelings and uncertainty I could relate to contrasted to the fantasies of the spoiled and the cool interest manner the other characters around behave. The psychological pressure amplified by the surrounding is well built, and provides the justification for this story which starts with a suicide and ends with another one. The film has also an epilogue which is left open for commentary – I read it as a supplementary touch of emphasis of the social commentary in the story.  The director seems to have learned and integrated some of the lessons taken from great world cinema masters as Kubrick or Bunuel, but his voice is clear and original enough in this film to expect more in the future.

 

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Theater Evenings in Paris

We spent five out of the eight evenings of our Parisian vacation at the theater. Paris is of course a city of great tradition on this respect, with tens of options every evening and the problem for the occasional visitor is to find the good performances and then to find tickets. We tried to see plays both in larger and smaller theaters, and mix commercial with more experimental shows, drama and comedy. One common trait that I can identify from start – all five performances were extremely well acted. It may be chance or it may be a trend or a school of theater issue, but acting seems to be on the focus of French theater and to a large extent all the performances we saw relied on fine acting.

 

The first performance was an experience at one of the established comedy theaters on Champs Elysees. La Comedie des Champs Elysees is located at 15 avenue Montaigne and is directed since 1994 by Bucharest-born director Michel Fagadau. The theater itself will celebrate its centenary in 2013 and the hall is quite impressing if you survive the climbing of the three levels.

 

(video source TeleramaVidcast)

 

The performance was of Jean Anhouil’s last play Le Nombril (The Umbilicus) – the story of an egocentric aging writer who is assaulted by all his family and by his friends who try to use his money and influence. It was a nice and well paced comedy performance with a great comedian named Francis Perrin in the main role. Michel Fagadau was the director.

 

The second evening led us to a very different kind of experience, although at best quality as well. Espace Marais is one of the several theaters in Paris who continue the tradition and the name of the commediens du roi at the Theatre du Marais founded in 1634. Located at the extremity of the Marais district close to Place de la Bastille, the 80 seats hall hosts nowadays two companies with impressing repertories.  It’s a small theater, the director is also selling tickets and there were no more than 15 people in the small theater, but it was again a good performance.

 

The company of Sissia Buggy was in charge with the performance that evening, and they played with respect and sensitivity an adaptation of the novella The Chess Player by Stefan Zweig – a study in sanity and madness under a repressive regime.

 

The next theater event was exaggerated by our friends in Paris. Despite living a couple of kilometers from Le Theatre de la Huchette they had never seen the legendary performances of Ionesco’s plays, on the repertory for more than 50 years. To our surprise the theater was full to the last seat, with the combination of tourists (it is located in the heart of the Cartier Latin) and the high-school students (for which Ionesco is a subject in the French literature program) making most if not all the audience.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpGrT780BP8

(video source cap24paris)


La Cantatrice Chauve which we saw that evening keeps the original direction of Nicolas Bataille. 17000 performances were acted since the 50s, generations of actors took over and passed the torch to other generations and Ionesco’s line still sound as absurd, as comical, as fresh and sharp as at the night of the premiere.

 

Our next theater experience in Paris took place at the theater that inherited the Theatre de Marais name on rue Volta.

source http://www.theatre-du-marais.com/theatre-du-marais-programmation--FRANCAIS,m,210

 

Russian authors seem to be one of the preferences of this troupe and the performance of the evening was an adaptation after Anton Tchekhov’s stories titled Sourpriz Kakoi! Director Delphine Piard understood well the mix of sarcasm and tenderness of Tchekhov towards his characters and what resulted was an excellent comedy evening. Acting was against perfect with a young actress named Sophie Staub shining even more than her two colleagues.

 

We did not have any booking for the last evening, so we decided at the last moment to go to Le Theatre du Splendid located on rue Faubourg Saint Martin, an area that looks more like a banlieu although it is not that remotely located from the center of Paris.

 

(video source camilleazzoug)

The play we saw that night was Mission Florimont, kind of  Monty Pyton medieval comedy a la francaise – taken over at this more peripheral theater from a successful run at Theatre Tristan Bernard. It was probably the one performance we could have given up, yet the theater was full on a Friday evening and the attendance (many of them young) was enjoying the show and the genre, so we ended by entering the atmosphere having a good time as well.

 

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David Reinhardt at ‘Sunset’ in Paris

The heroes in Woody Allen’s film Midnight in Paris about which I wrote about a few days ago dream to a ‘golden age’ of their own in the past which they idealize and would like to live in rather then in their disturbed presents. I am quite happy with my present, but if I were to chose a time and a place I would love to visit depending on availability of tickets on a time machine this would be Paris in the 50s and especially the jazz clubs of the period. I would not mind crossing steps and listening to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis or Boris Vian. Some of the jazz clubs in Paris keep the resonance of their sounds in their walls and especially the spirit. That is why we chose to spend our first night in Paris listening to jazz.

Sunset-Sunside has actually a shorter history and was started only in 1983, but became soon one of the best known jazz clubs in Paris. It is located on Rue des Lombards, close to the Pompidou Center, one of the areas to go if you want to listen to good live music. Name an important jazz musician, French, American or from any other part of the world who created during this period from Miles Davies and Herbie Hancock to Wynton Marsalis or Didier Lockwood and good chances will be that he played at Sunset. Since 2001 there are two halls in the same complex – the unserground Sunset dedicated to electric jazz, magnet jazz and world music and the ground level Sunside where mostly acoustic jazz is played. Performances are being hold in both halls every evening, seven days a week, all over the year. A restaurant and a bar is open most of the day, and especially before and after the shows.

The performer of the night was guitarist David Reinhardt, the younger performer in a dynasty of jazz manouche guitarists that starts with Django Reinhardt, his grandfather whose centenary was celebrated last year and continues with Babik Reinhardt, Dango’s son and David’s father to whom the performance at Sunset was dedicated. For the occasion David changed his usual trio or quintet formats to a trio that included organist Emmanuel Bex, the longtime partner of his father.

(video source harmonik9)

Despite being only in his mid 20s David Reinhardt is an accomplished artist, with a great technique, sensibility and understanding of the genre he grew in. While the three sets of the evening were mostly structured around compositions of his father or around the genre that he practiced, it will be interesting to follow the development of his talents, which have the potential to spread much beyond the borders of the family tradition.

(video source ivelane64)

Emmanuel Bex is in exceptional musician by himself, and his role in the evening was equal to David’s and even shading the young guitarist at certain moments. Bex not only makes great music, he is living it in a style and with an intensity great musicians do. The music the two played was both respectful for the tradition and innovative in its details and precise in execution, a truthful homage to the jazz manouche style which they proved is alive and vibrating.

 

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Film: Le Chat du Rabbin (Antoine Delesvaux, Joann Sfarr – 2011)

Joann Sfar is the director of Gainsbourg, Une Vie Heroique, a film that I loved immensely, one of the best I have seen lately. I was not astonished to learn that his Jewish origins are doubled by some Belgian identity, as he is a well known author of bandes dessinees. The character of one of his most popular series – the rabbi’s cat is coming now to screens and we spent a couple of hours in our last day in Paris to see this 3-D animated movie. If you are curious about Sfar and his (small) world see his blog Le Petit Monde de Joann Sfar at http://www.joann-sfar.com/. Some of his other heroes are Chagall and Brassens.

source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joann_Sfar

The story is set in the Algiers of the 30s and the characters are the strongest side of the film. Rabbi Sfar is one of these venerated figures of Sephardi rabbis we would like to see more in real life. He is wise and has a great sense of humor, is tolerant and his best friend is the Muslim sheik  Mohammed Sfar (of course, a mirror of himself in tolerance and ecumenicism), he gladly bends the strict rules of Judaic conversions when faced with true love and even pardons the cat who has swallowed his beloved parrot just because it got the divine gift of speaking. The ideal rabbi.

source http://www.facebook.com/LeChatDuRabbin?sk=app_190322544333196

Although we get too little time to know the other characters in the story we are already charmed by the daughter of the rabbi and we hope to meet her in the next episodes of what must become a series. A few other colored characters embark in a cross-African adventure with Indiana Jones flavored promises in the search of the ideal Jewish city where pure Jewishness and proud independence is to be found. Short after the city is found and proves to be a militaristic fortress (any hint with present tense on the responsibility of the viewer) the movie quite abruptly ends. So it must have a continuation, as almost nothing is solved from a characters or story development, and as the action happens in the 30s we now know too well what happened to the Jewish world in the 40s.

(video source ucgdistribution)

The film has a lot of charm and a lot of flaws. I loved the way it is drawn, which descends from the best French and Belgian tradition in the genre. The 3-D effects seem under-used, and I do not think it will make much difference to see this film in 2-D. The characters are interesting and as a viewer you start caring for some of them almost as soon as they show up on screen. The Jewish world of North Africa is well rendered, and the story of the Russian refugee has a touch of Chagall. The message of tolerance and understanding between faith may be naive but such a message is never preached too often. It is exactly the action component so string in other films of the genre which is missing in this movie, or maybe this was just a prelude, in which case I would preferred to see it together with the first and maybe second episode in the series.

 

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Film: Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011)

There is no better way to start a series of blog entries about the vacation in Paris than writing about this wonderful film by Woody Allen. There is no better way to see this wonderful film of Woody Allen than in an art cinema on the Rive Gauche, then go out and just wonder through the streets of the city. Some miracle will happen, even if it may not be identical to the one happening to the hero in the movie. Miracles are not supposed to be identical any way, are they?

source http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/

Gil, the hero of the movie is a script-writer at Hollywood, successful enough not to care about being in love with the wrong girl, successful enough not to care to walk away from her and her corporate magnate daddy when he realizes what we all know from the first scene – she is not up to him, to his artistic and human aspirations, to his dreams to become a real writer and maybe live in Paris like Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway did in the golden 20s and 30s of the previous century. So when magic happens and a classic 1920 Peugeot Landaulet picks him at midnight to meet his idols and Picasso, Bunuel, Dali (Adrien Brody), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) and the lovely Adriana (Marion Cotillard) un-famous muse to Picasso and Modigliani and interest of love for the 21st century Gil and maybe for other 19th century artists nobody is too astonished. We are not because Woody Allen tells the story with the fluidity of the feelings and sentiments rather than caring for any rational or mechanical explanation, and the hero is not because his idols behave exactly as they are described in text books. Is our representation of the past more a collection of clichees than a true representation of what really was? This is one of the more serious questions triggered by the film only after the viewers quit the screening theater. Is everybody more or less unhappy with his own present and seeking the refuge in a Golden Age which looked close proves not to be as shining as from the perspective of history, certainly not for those who live it as present?

(video source MoviePediaTrailers)

The charm of the movie and its omnipresent element of continuity is provided by the presence of the city for which ‘Midnight in Paris’ is a love declaration. The film starts with a series of postcard or touristic shots in the city, just to fill them with content and flavor. In Allen’s view in this film Paris is the kingdom beyond the mirror. The didactic message may be as obvious as ever in Allen’s films and is even enhanced by the off-screen voice which sounds like Allen’s whoever is the actor that plays the story teller – Allen himself or somebody else. French viewers were conquered by Allen’s film which was seen by more than a million of viewers since it premiered at Cannes last month. I do not know about exact statistics but recent films by Allen may actually have more viewers in France than in the United States. For Paris lovers this is the song that they always wanted to hear. The rest are in danger to become lovers of Paris after seeing this film.

 

 

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Gica Manescu – Comparatii

Daca ar fi sa caut un titlu alternativ al acestui episod al notelor lui Gica Manescu el ar putea fi ‘Povestea a doua orase’ – titlu clasic care in acest caz se refera la cele doua orase intre care calatoreste de obicei Gica – Bat Yam-ul israelian in care locuieste si capitala Romaniei pe care o viziteaza des. De fapt in acest episod este mai mult vorba despre Bucuresti, unde Gica a petrecut recent cateva saptamani.
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M-am intors acum cateva zile, dela Bucuresti. Nu a fost concediu, nici vacanta, pe care le am in permanenta. Doar o schimbare de mediu si de cei cu care am venit in contact.

O umplere in buna masura, cu mai bine,  a sufletului, dorului si mai putina singuratate,  in care traiesc aici. Alte strazi, alte magazine, alte conditii de trai. Fara greutati de orientare si limba.

Cum medicul mi-a prescris doua actiuni importante pentru mentinere  in  stare fizica buna si necesare : bautul lichidelor in cantitati suficiente si mersul, cel putin  30 minute zilnic, l-am ascultat si depasesc cele 30 minute, cu inca altele similare.

Deci mergand si privind in  jur, indiferent unde, vad oameni, locuri, miscare, situatii diverse. Mintea le inregistreaza si le pot pune unele langa altele, scotandu-le  asemanarile sau deosebirile.  Avantaje sau nu, pentru mine, care ma bucura, ma necajesc, sau imi sunt indiferente. Am un  gand care se duce si la semenii mei, cei de fiecare zi, unde ma aflu, mai multa sau mai putina vreme.

sursa itp-mm.ro

Nu pot compara decat unde ma aflu, in bucati ale vietii : Bat Yam si Bucuresti. Cum e in  alte localitati stiu  sau presupun. Diferentele pot fi minore, ca oamenii sunt cam aceiasi. Ca Bucuresti este cam de 10 ori mai mare decat Bat Yam, ca suprafata, populatie si altele, se stie.

Incep cu o deosebire importanta  pentru mine, intre Israel si Romania si nu numai. Cum mare parte a vietii noastre, in tara stramosilor si intr-o democratie, recunoscuta, ne abatem de la regula de a suferi rigorile legilor religioase, pentru unii, printre care si eu. Nu se permit incinerari. Nu exiata crematorii  pentru oameni. Unuia care sufera de frig, i se refuza caldura postuma si toata “ceremonia“ nedorita.

Dar sa ma apropii de obisnuitele si nu  de  exceptii.

A viziona un  film  si a  asista la o piesa de teatru, pe care in urma cu ani  le “inghiteam “ cu bucurie si placere nu imi sunt tabu, dar nu pot ajunge la ele, sau semi-alfabetizarea care ma impiedica. Totusi cateva cuvinte importante, le-am prins de la inceput si mi-au usurat intelegera uneori . Dau cateva exemple : situatia, alternativa ,pompa s.a.

Am fost la o versiune  a “Scrisorii pierdute“ la sala “Radu Beligan “,  fostul teatru Alhambra, al anilor ante-belici. Este strada  care se numea (poate si azi)   Stavropoleos. Cu biserica si “ Carul cu bere”. In orasul vechi al Bucurestiului, refacut, reconstruit, unde, in  special seara, e un du-te vino, tineret si maturi, restaurante cu mese pe trotuare, anunturi in limbi diferite,  fara a mai gasi un loc, si de toate felurile.

source travelblog.org

In piesa respectiva, cum stim cu totii, Catavencu spune ca“ Industria Romaniei, e buna, productiva,  dar.. ea nu exista. Scriu eu : Salile de spectacole, concerte, adunari festive sunt frumoase, incapatoare, comode, aerul conditionat bine venit, dar … el nu exista.

Asa a fost anul trecut la Sala Palatului, anul asta la teatre. Specatorii isi mai fac vant in fata, miscand  ca un evantai, caietul-program.  N-a fost o placere pentru mine, avand din cand in cand, in fata ochilor,  miscarea ritimca stanga-dreapta, “a aducatorului de aer rece “

Parca Ben Gurion s-a inspirat de aici, cand tot Catavencu declara patetic “ La noi, negustorii sunt evrei. Falitii , tot evrei. Toate tarile, Franta, Italia,au falitii lor. Noi nu avem falitii nostri “.

Primul nostru Premier,  declarase  ca: ”trebuie sa ajungem sa avem prostituatele si hotii nostri“. Si s-a indeplinit. Doar suntem un popor deosebit.

source panoramio.com

La cinematografgul “ARO “- sala splendida, scaune confortabile, ecran urias, la ora 8 seara, aproape  20 de spectatori. la comedia americana , din mediul TV “ Morning glory “tradusa cu “ Matinal  cu scandal“. Protagonisti Diane Keaton, Rachel Mc Adams si Harrison Ford. Jocul minunat al actorilor si atmosfera americana.

A  plouat puternic, intr-o zi frumoasa.

Strazi pline cu apa, treceri de pe un  trotuar pe altul, cu ocolire, baltoace  in infundaturile de pe trotuare. Ca pe Balfour, in centrul Bat Yam-ului si in alte parti. Soarele cand vine, la noi mai repede,le usuca. Aici, se spune de “munca arabeasca“ a terasamentelor si strazilor. Acolo e a autohtonilor, dar facuta prost, platita pentru buna. Spaga a fost prea mica.

source gabrielursan.ro

Am vizitat o cunostinta in Drumul Taberii dar  in straduta ei pana la blocurile de apartamete era o mica Venetie pe care am ocolit-o.

Tinerii socotesc  simplitatea de a traversa strada pe unde nu e permis, de pe o parte pe alta. Pe Blv.LascarCatargiu (fost Ana Ipatescu), asa scrie si pe tablitele de strada, circulatie foarte mare si deasa. Autobuze si  automobile. Doi tineri – in jur de 20, s-au strecurat cu ochii la stanga, o pauza la mijloc si apoi cu ochii spre dreapta, pana au ajuns la tinta.

In Bat Yam, pe strada Ioseftal, de acum 2 ani, s-au facut pregatiri pentru viitorul tren. S-au micsorat trotuarele, s-au facut locuri libere pentru pietoni, iarba si flori, de o parte si alta a unui  gard metalic, despartitor, cam   de un metru inaltime. Trecerile de pietoni, la distante nu mari, dar cu semafoare. Nu odata, am vazut tineri, elevi si altii, fugind pana la gard, sarindu-l si ajungand dincolo. Tablii cu “Nu calcati pe iarba“ nu sunt. Sau chiar daca erau, tot nu le citeste nimeni.

source imemc.org

Un mod  de a matura unele strazi in Bucuresti, parca eram acasa. Muncitorul municipal, prost platit si plictisit, mai face curatenie “de ochii soacrei“. Daca poate, impinge cu matura depe trotuar,intr-o curte cu poarta deschisa,  tot  ce  aduna,  fara a le  lua cu lopata si azvarlite in carucior. Asa e pe Dorobanti, asa am vazut de cateva ori, pe strada Hashmonaim, cu multa circulatie, dar si porti deschse  la casele de acolo. Nimeni nu  a vorbit cu  celalalat, in legatura cu situatia asta. Am folosit, “situatia “ – un cuvant din limba ebraica.

Drumurile mele, in afara de plimbari, in 5 zile din saptamana, au fost cu taxiurile. La comanda, sosesc in  cateva minute pana la adresa data. Conducatori auto foarte buni, civilizati cu clientii si te duc la locul cerut, fara ocolisuri si fara vorbarie. Doar necesarele : pozitia scaunului, taria aerului conditionat, deschisul sau inchisul geamului.

Din Bat Yam , Tel Aviv, Natania, s.a. conducatorul auto devine “prietenul“ tau . Mai ales daca te asezi pe scaunul de langa el. Daca n-are o convorbire la celular cu cineva de acasa sau sa povesteasca unui prieten, ce a patit, te abordeaza. Unde pleci, daca esti spre aeroport cu un bagaj, daca ai mai fost, pe cine ai acolo?

source wikimania2011.wikimedia.org

Intr-un rand, m-a intrebat unul, ce profesie am si plictisit i-am spus “medic pensionar “,  si am facut-o cu mana mea, gasindu-mi beleaua. Obraznicia lui, fara margini. A sunat-o pe  mama lui, i-a cerut amanunte despre boala ei, si apoi m-a mitraliat pe mine cu intrebari, pe care le intelegeam pe jumatate si raspunsuri tot asa. Mama ramasese pe linie, si-i raporta, cat se putea. La coborare, am rasuflat usurat.

Biciclistii, au pe unele trotuare, in capitala Romaniei,  un  coridor al lor. Ele sunt bune, marcate, dar nu pot fi folosite decat partial si uneori de loc. Multi isi parcheaza masinile pe trotuar, chiar in miezul zilei si in special duminica sau sarbatori. Aici avem un punct in plus, ca la noi se face doar vineri seara pana sambata seara, sau de sarbatori. Biciclistii nu au nevoie de coridoare speciale. Ei  circula pe trotuare, fara a fi stingheriti decat de pietoni. Unii evita, in  felul asta, sensul unic al strazii.

Am  tras o spaima intr-o zi, cand am simtit o atingere a cotului stang . A trecut ca fulgerul, un biciclist care m-a atins cu cotul lui drept. Nu s-a imtamplat nimic. Doar spaima mea. Noroc de “prietenul“ nedespartit la drum, bastonul.

Suntem codasi la spatii verzi si adunatul deseurilor menajere.

Inteleg, tara mica, pustiu mare, secete, calduri, nu ploua. Plantarea unor padurici sau nasterea unor parculete cu jocuri de copii si cativa arbori e dificila, prost intretinute si din puietii plantati candva, se vad mai tarziu patrate de pamant unde fusesera locuri pentru  viitorii arbori  falnici.  Acum au devenit   scrumiere pentru fumatorii care au terminat tigara sau se azvarle bonuruile de la  case, nefolositoare dupa diverse targueli facute in drum.  Umbra e rara dar des cautata.

La noi, de curand s-au amplasat pe strazi colectoare de hartii. Pentru sticla si obiecte din  plastic, sunt doar pentru flacoane. Putine si rare.

In Bucuresti le vezi pretutindeni si locutorii le folosesc. Un merit de mentionat.

Tot aici, si nu numai a fost din totdeauna in programul orasenesc, dechiderea unor spatii verzi, cu o  flora variata si le admiram si  azi.

Am vizitat si  m-am plimbat prin Cismigiu, Parcul Carol, (fost temporar al “Libertatii“), al Circului. Mai sunt si altele – Tei, Lia Manoliu, etc.

source celendo.eu

Curatenia e de admirat, pe langa ingrijirea cu meticulozitate a plantatiilor, lacurilor, fantanilor arteziene si ale locurilor de destindere pentru adulti si copii.

O idee minunata a acelora ce au conceput si dat viata Parcului Circului, a fost ridicarea unor coline mici, artificiale si cu gazon de un verde incantator. Aleele parcurse, sunt la niveluri diferite si au cateva trepte largi, din piatra, intre ele. A te aseza la umbra unui arbore cu frunzis bogat, a citi sau a admira imprejurul, e o destindere si bine facere.

Pentru calatoria in autobuz, s-au  desfintat cozile de la soferul – taxator. Modelul, israelian, cu dexteritatea respectivului e de admirat, prin felul cum o face si porneste vehicului.

La Bucuresti , coada s-a mutat la niste ghisee prin oras, unde se cumpara biletele de autobuz si metrou. Ce stiam de pe vremuri, un  casier, langa usa din fund a autobuzului sau tramvaiului si iesirea prin  fata (unii spuneau “pe branci”), e amintire. Soferul tine volanul, picioarele pe pedale si cu mana dreapta deschide si inchide usile. N-are cu  cine si ce a vorbi. Doar un raspuns la o intrebare.

source bucuresti.tourneo.ro

Nu asculta muzica pe un ton obositor pentru multi si nedorit, nu-l intereseza ultimele stiri. Nimeni n-o cere pe Maria Tanase sau manele.

In Israel, indiferent unde, orice calator, e supus dorintei si placerilor soferului. Multora le place muzica arabeasca, numita “mediteraneana “ sau sunt interesati sa auda ce s-a intamplat in ultima ora. Cum in ultima vreme nu prea folosesc  mijloacele de calatorie in comun, sunt scutit.

Pentru sufletul meu, pentru memoria ce o pastrez si veneratia celor dragi, disparuti, am fost la Cimitirul Giurgiului, la mormantul mamei. De la  un functionar al Federatiei am primit – Parcela 1 A, randul 32, locul 12. Eram cu fiul meu, cu masina. Distante lungi, soare nimicitor. Am gasit parcela si am inceput sa numar randurile. La 32, nici un nume  cautat. Portarul,  pentru 5 lei, ne-a descurcat. Cine facuse numaratoarea,acum atatia ani, a procedat ca in scrierea ebraica.De la dreapta la stanga. Mormantul  cautat, era in   randul al treilea de la inceput. Multumiti, ne-am recules, mi-am sters lacrimile, am lasat florile si  am pus  pietricele, conform  traditiei. Cu bagare de seama, am calcat peste si intre buruienele, care ni se incolaceau, peste  incaltaminte.

Aici termin  ce am adunat pe niste notite si in minte. Pentru unii, sunt probabil cunoscute, fie acolo, fie aici. Ii plictisesc. Sa ma scuze si sa ramana pentru necunoscatori sau de  cei care nu au dat atentie sau sunt obisnuiti.

Gica,

Mai 2011.

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Film: The Matchmaker a.k.a. Once I Was (Israel, 2010)

For once the translation of the title works better than the name of the film itself. I did not like ‘Paam Haiti’ – the Hebrew name of Avi Nesher’s film which translates into ‘Once I Was’ – which says too little about the characters in the movie and the world they live in. ‘The Matchmaker’ while focusing only on the principal character catches the essential, as the best part in the film in my opinion is indeed the hero played by Adir Miller.

source http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/132201-ciff-2010-the-matchmaker-avi-nesher-2010

Yankele Bride is a Holocaust survivor who lives in the harbor area of the Israeli city of Haifa in 1968. This is the year after the victory of Israel in the Six Days War, maybe the best year in the history of the young country, although the clouds of the continuing conflict with the Arab countries around are often seen or heard in the headlines shouted by the boys selling newpapers (there were no TV news flashes then, at least not in Israel who was going to have its first TV station only one or two years later). However, the principal heroes of the film do not and cannot share the atmosphere of optimism around – they are Holocaust survivors who live in a country which was created to harbor them, but is unwilling or unable to cope with the horror, the pain, the shame of what they went through. The extraordinary person who is Yankele Bride tries to cure at least part of them, to find for them the peer souls, to heal by bringing love. It’s an extraordinary story, which unfortunately did not result into a good film – at least in my view.

(video source israelifilms)

Although not as succesful as Nesher’s previous film ‘Turn Left at the End of the World’ (that one had a fantastic title!) ‘The Matchmaker’ enjoyed a good reception in Israel. I confess I did not like it. I simply cannot cope with Nesher’s style which mixes moving stories with the traditional (and outdated IMO) style of film-making that was popular in the 70s and 80s in Israel. His usage of popular actors is a waste, and having the extraordinary Miller and the tragic act of Maya Dagan coexist with the unnecessary make-up applied to Dov Navon and the clowny act of Eli Yatzpan is a combination that simply does not work. The coming to age story while acted quite well by the younger actors was unclear and brought back forcefully memories of an older film of Nesher (Ha Lahaka – The Band) from the beginning of the 80. Nesher has problems in telling the story even with the help of off-screen comments. Emphasize was put on building the atmosphere of Haifa in the 60s and this succeeds pretty well, but other details are carelessly treated – the characters are supposed to speak Hebrew with a Romanian accent, but this not how Romanian accent sounds in Hebrew, and worst of all – a Jew from Iasi (Yassi) in Romania would have had close to zero chances to get into Auschwitz during the second world war where numbers where tattooed on the arms of the prisoners. Overall this film deals with an important theme and brings to screen interesting characters, but the realization is disappointing, and even Adir Miller’s impressing performance cannot save it from failure.

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Jazz: Rene Marie in Tel Aviv

The American singer Rene Marie was the guest of the 7th concert in the Hot Jazz series at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which is having this year one of the best seasons I can remember. The increase in the number of concerts did not lead to a dilution in quality, quite the opposite, and led on the other side for more diversity and more genres and more new and surprising artists to be brought on stage for the audiences in Israel. This is great.

source http://renemarie.com/presskit/highres_9.jpg

Rene Marie is born in Virginia and the story of her life is quite interesting. She married young in a deep religious family belonging to the Jehova’s Wittnesses Christian denomination, and had little time to sing while she was raising he children. It was only after turning 40 that her elder son convinced her to take upon a singing career, but this cost her the marriage. Success was however almost immediate, as she got national and international recognition, awards and opportunities to perform at the some of the greatest festivals of jazz worldwide.

(video source ReneMarieGalax)

Rene Marie’s style and repertoire focuses on classical jazz, with elements of blues, soul, gospel, musicals and pop music. It’s not a singer that you would appreciate enough if you just listened to her CDs, you need to see her on stage. She has stamina and a very special human touch combined with a direct approach in talking to the audiences and singing for them. You feel that singing did not come easier for her, she may not be the most naturally gifted vocalist you met, but she has something deep inside that she wants to share and she does it in a vibrant manner.

(video source richmondjazzsociety)

The Israeli musicians who played with Rene Marie last Friday succeeded to form a coherent ensemble which resonated and amplified the American singer’s music. Koby Solomon is a balanced and professional clarinetist and saxophonist whose musical experience is felt and appreciated as soon as you hear him. Alon Tayar is a young pianist of talent that I wished would have dared more and I am sure that he will do it soon with excellent results. Rene Marie loves duet-ing with bass players and this allowed Assaf Hakhimi the opportunity to prove his skills. Shy Zalman was as always in a category of himself.

signing autographs on CDs after the concert

I bought a CD of her named Experiment in Truth which is a good introduction to her music. One can find here ‘Vertigo’ one of her best and well known songs, the pop-sounding and socially engaged ‘This is (not) a Protest Song’ and ‘O Nina’ – a tribute to Nina Simone, one of the inspiring figures for her career. However, trying to find the opportunity to listen to Rene Marie life is the best way to know her and her art.

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