The Maltese Week /1 – First Impressions

Malta is a place one must go for a vacation. There are numerous things to visit and experience, and one week is barely enough to see the majority of them, as you will see from my stories to follow. There is a lot of history – from the very ancient to the Medieval times until the modern and contemporary era. It’s a deeply religious place and religious art lovers should get ready for a feast when they go to Malta.  It is inhabited by an interesting  and unique people that belongs to both the European and the Mediterranean space. It is not a place necessarily to return for a second vacation.

There are two big islands in Malta – Malta itself and Gozo and a third minuscule one between them with exactly six inhabitants, one being a policeman. The total population is of about 390,000.

People used to the Mediterranean landscape will find the setting familiar. Malta is situated as the same latitude as the North of Israel, and the stony hills and sub-tropical bushes look quite similar to the ones in the Holy Land, somehow greener than central Israel. The rain average is the same and there are no rivers on the islands, so there must be some underground reservoirs.

The feeling of deja vu stroke me as soon as I got into the first city I visited in the first day of my stay in Malta – the city of Mosta. There is very little new construction and development in Malta, and only in the coastal hotels areas. When people build in the cities they still use the limestone blocks in a very conservative manner, so new building looks strikingly similar to old one, and only the level of degradation of the facades tells something about the age of the construction. They also do not seem to demolish, when a house stops being used it is simply abandoned, and not demolished to make room to a new one – quite strange for an island which is a minuscule point on the map of the Mediterranean.

Yet, beauty and style can be found in many places, and I will get back telling a few things and bringing some photos to prove it later. To start with I will just tell that balconies seem to be a national passion and they come in different shapes and color and break the cubical structure of the Mediterranean villas that can be seen in many other places.

The feeling of familiarity is enhanced as soon as you can hear the Maltese language. It is a Semitic language, close and sounding very similar to Arabic, but written with the Latin alphabet. Some Italian influence (Sicily is only 90km North of Malta) rounds a little bit the sounds, but overall the landscape and the language combined make the Maltese cities and villages look very similar to the Arab areas in Israel. It’s just that instead of minarets here we get churches, and many of them, and beautiful ones.

It’s a deeply Catholic country and religion played an important role in it’s history and continues to play an important role in the life of the inhabitants nowadays. I’ll get back to this in a later episode.

Posted in travel | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ashes and Movies – The Holocaust Films

As the Holocaust Memorial Day starts in Israel, I found in the weekend edition of Yediot Aharonot a list drawn by Yehuda Stav and Yehuda Nuriel of some the most important films dedicated to the Holocaust. It’s certainly a personal list, and other may have different preferences, I personally found some surprises but I thought that it’s interesting to bring it up and this is the appropriate moment to do so.

(video source UnitedOffensiveIII)

Elen Klimov’s ‘Idi i smotri’ (Come and See) from 1985 tops the list – they call it the greatest war film of all times and one of the best on a Holocaust theme.

Next comes Paul Mazurski’s adaptation from 1989 of Bashevis-Singers’ Enemies: A Love Story. It’s actually a post-Holocaust drama dealing happening in post-war America. I saw recently a stage adaptation at the Gesher theatre.

(video source EvenstarDreamer)

Another splendid screen adaptation was inspired by Giorgio Bassani’s novel Il Giardino dei Finzi Contini brought to screen by Vittorio de Sica in 1970.

I have not seen Sidney’s Lumet’s The Pawnbroker staring Rod Steiger from 1964 – this was for me the first surprise on the list.

Interestingly enough the Yediot Aharonot critics did not include Roberto Benigni La vita e bella in their list (a miss in my opinion) but rather preferred to point to the lesser known first version of Jakob, der Lugner (Jacob, the Liar) of the East-German director Frank Beyer as the most original treatment of the Holocaust in the comic register. A second film staring Robin Williams followed in 1999.

The Shop on the Main Street made in 1965 by Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos is not only a small and moving human story, but also one of the best films of the short-lived new wave in the Czechoslovak cinema cut off by the Soviet invasion that crushed the Prague Spring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkRpa3lZaJE

(video source isaiasgarde)

I did not know that in 1955, four years before making ‘Hiroshima, mon amour’ Alain Resnais had authored one of the first documentaries about the Holocaust – Nuit et Brouillard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAH3RTRlCHY

(video source GusHammond)

Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993) does not need any explanation – it is probably the most famous and most viewed film about the Holocaust and the director’s best in my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itR0-I9idXk

(video source klappozita)

And yet the highest on my personal list is Polansky’s The Pianist. Like Spielberg, Polansky put the best of his talent in the service of making this masterpiece dated 2002.

(video source sweetshark3)

Claude Lanzman’s Shoah could not be missing from the list. It’s a huge, overwhelming documentary which in 1985 succeeded to catch on film many of the stories of the survivors.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeO89EgDWrM

(video by kurish666 )

The newspaper list ends with another film I knew nothing about previously Le Chagrin et la Pitie – a documentary by French director Marcel Ophuls who in 1969 smashed some myths presenting the extent of the collaboration of the French in the Final Solution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UqjQ55AEE0

(video source giuliodeluise)

I would like to add to the list one film made in France in 1998 by Romanian-born director Radu Mihalileanu – Train de vie. It is not a perfect film, but it has a strong and original idea.

Posted in documentary, Holocaust, movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Film: Xiang ri kui (Sunflower) – China, 2005

The key scene of this wonderful film about a father-son relationship happens towards the end. The father, a former painter whose life and career were crushed by the political troubles of the Cultural Revolution that China went through four decades ago visits the newly opened exhibition of his son’s paintings. He walks through the paintings which like in a time travel bring back the emotions of his son uneasy growing up. Then he stops in front of one work, representing the double portrait of child with blurred features and huge deep hunting and hunted eyes near the portrait of a man whose traits are hard to distinguish, hidden like by fog. The two portraits seem unrelated, but yet we feel that the boy’s uneasiness is related to the man’s portrait absence of clarity. The visiting father sits on a bench. Then his son joins him. Without a word the father extends his hand to his son as a sign of congratulation. It’s almost the only sign of father to son tenderness in the whole film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsqYcM9oQZQ

(video source keane43)

As many good movies ‘Sunflower’ can be read and interpreted at multiple levels. It is the story of a relationship between a father that is taken away from the child to find him back nine years later, a father who tends to dominate and control his son’s life beyond ‘normal’ father to son care, in an attempt to realize through his son’s talent and artistic training the destiny that was refused to him because of the convulsions of history. At this level the film is wonderfully helped by a team of actors were Bin Li and Joan Chen have the leading roles of the parents, and three different actors represent the phases of development of the boy, with Wang Haidi playing the key mature period. Another reading goes beyond the immediate dialogs and makes us reflect to the relation between individual and history in a country which underwent such profound transformations as China did in the last half century. History and politics play all the time a role in the film, they are present in the background even if politics are not openly discussed. A radio or TV set seem to be permanently open, family relations or lodging depend on low scale policies, and the very premises of the film are derived from a huge political event. On this perspective the relation between father and son may become a symbol of the relation between the older and newer generations of China, a country were new ways find their place and replace the older methods in economy and in the life of its citizens. In a country and tradition were elders are respected and order is the supreme governing principle, the story of a rebellious son has a stronger connotation. The title itself of Yang Zhan’s film can be interpreted in multiple ways – the presence of sunflowers in the action is paralleled by a picturesque resemblance of the flowers brought on screen with the famous sunflowers painted by Van Gogh, the supreme master of art rebellion.

At the end the father disappears completely from the life of his son, making him absent at the childbirth of his grandson in what seems to be a gesture of supreme sacrifice knowing his obsession with the life of his son continuing ans repairing his own life and the destiny of the previous generations. Yet, sunflowers are present, and we feel that in the life and spirit of the new generations there is a lot of what the elders induced. An almost Confucianist conclusion to the story of the relation between father and a rebellious son.

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Romanian Easter Traditions in Rome

Rome in the week before Easter is full of tourists, many of whom came in the city for the Easter celebrations, and at the same time special cultural events are being organized supplementary to the traditional religious services and manifestations. The majority are of course Catholic, but an unexpected surprise occurred to me today when near the Santa Maria del Popolo church I saw a poster announcing an exhibition of Romanian Easter painted eggs organized in collaboration with the Accademia di Romania in Rome and the Romanian Peasant Museum from Bucharest.

It is actually more than a painted eggs exhibition, although the tradition of beautifully ornamenting eggs is an original form of art by itself which would have indeed justified a full exhibition.

The opportunity is used to bring in more selected objects that belong to the same space of religious arts and traditional habits where the painted eggs also belong, although not all have a direct relation with the Easter holiday and celebrations

There are traditional shirts for example, out of which I liked alot the one below.

A few icons on glass are exposed and some are really exquisite like the one below whose Last Dinner subject is also quite well fit for the occasion.

I hope that my Christian friends enjoyed this short description of the exhibition. I wish them all a Happy Easter!

Posted in holidays | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On the streets of Rome

Here are a few picturesque, funny, intriguing pictures I took today while strolling through Rome. It’s my second time in the Eternal city, and there is an advantage in getting back to a place you like. No need to run to see the musts any longer, you can enjoy the landscape and the people and focus on a few things that HAPPEN rather than things that ARE (in this case a fabulous exhibition with the paintings of Caravaggio at the Quirinale – thanks, again Marica!

I met for example the invisible man …

… and two dalmatians, a lady and a van who turned the back to me at the same time.

I photographed the narrow streets of Rome that I love …

… as well as the exclusive gallery now renamed after Alberto Sordi.

I looked for the silhouette of Saint Peter’s at day from the Quirinale …

… and at night from the top of the Spanish Stairs.

I saw precious or at least expensive old Russian icons in an antiquarian shop …

… as well as cheap art in Piazza Navona …

… and tomorrow it’s another day!

Posted in travel | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Passover Seder – 2010

Here are a few photos taken last night at our Seder celebration. I hope that you will enjoy them.

Hag Sameah!

This is the Seder table before the action started.

This is the traditional Passover dish. It’s translated in English, so that we know what to put on the plate as ‘maror’ or ‘carpas’ 🙂

That’s me saying my prefered prayer – the one that reads ‘Blessed be You our God, King of the World, Creator of the Grapewine!’ Liliana watches me to make no mistakes.

Did I tell you that Liliana makes the best gefilte fish in the Middle East?

This is how our roasted chicken tray looked when we took it out of the oven.

Posted in holidays | Tagged , | Leave a comment

dr. Gica Manescu – Calendarul si Sarbatorile

Nu poate fi o ocazie mai buna decat ajunul sarbatorii de Pesah pentru a gazdui o noua contributie a proetenului meu dr. Gica Manescu cu amintiri despre calendar si sarbatori.

——-

Am tinut seama de calendarul obisnuit (nu judaic) si am trecut prin mintea si memoria mea, acele sarbatori, evenimente care mi s-au parut mai importante, unele mai vesele, altele mai rascolitoare. Istorie, minuni, noroc, ce au insotit neamul nostru in decursul celor cateva mii de ani ce ne sunt in spate., Le-am presarat unele, cu amimtiri, intamplari deosebite, la care am luat parte sau am fost martor ocular.

source - www.babble.com


Desi sunt um om batran, ma bucur de o memorie, unii imi spun ca e iesita din comun, prin care parca retraiesc zilele si faptele petrecute, acolo, cu multe zeci de ani, in viata mea, focseneana, copil fiind si chiar adult. Daca as putea, as fi voit sa ma adresez  Prof. Eric Kandel, evreu ,nascut  in Austria , supravietuitor al nazismului, si traitor in USA. Este Laureat al Prmiului Nobel pentru medicina din 2000, pentru studiile sale despre si asupra memoriei (am scris candva) .        .
Anul calendaristic, are cam prin februarie, sarbatoarea vesela de Purim. Ne bucurm de  grija si framantarile  reginei Ester,evreica salvatoare a poporul ei de un Hitler al antichitatii. In cinstea si memoria ei, se da citire povestirii Meghilat Ester. La auzul numelui de Haman,- vizirul anrisemit – se fac zgomote : batai cu picioarele sau cu morisca, -“gragarul ” (nu stiu un cuvant romanesc).  Unii, se costumeaza si in Romania, se mascau, si intrau, necunoscuti, fara glas,in casele unde se petrecea,

source www.johnpratt.com

Dupa o luna,suntem, ca acum, cu toti evreii din lume, in zilele de a sarbatori Pesach. ( Anul asta este mai devreme) .Sarbatoare frumoasa, si ca istorie si ca evenimet. Se termina perioada de sclavie a poporului nostru, in Egipt. Moise, un om intelept, cu vointa,  putere de convingere si credinta, a reusit, sa scoata poporul si sa-l duca, timp de 40 ani, spre  Tzara Fagaduintii. Ne-a dat Tablele Legii, cele 10 porunci, venite de la Puterea divina, ca baza a conduitei si regulilor de viata, valabile si azi .
Eram in clasa I – a primara, a Scolii Comunitatii evreesti  si cum ne apropiam de finele anului scolar, stiam deja , dupa cum ne invatase melamedul (dascalul) nostru, domnul Goldstein, alef – bet si mai mult, doua rugaciuni  (una era Mode ani ) si despre  sarbatorile noastre, cu obiceiurile lor. Ce mandru am fost, cand in seara de Seder, am sezut la masa intinsa pentru toata familia, la stanga bunicului, din capul mesei. Erau toate pregatite cu grije, si el incepea ritualul. Asreptam cu nerabdare, momentul cand voi primi semnul de a pune cele 4 intrebari – Ma nishtana..-. cu ce se deosebeste seara aceia de alte seri.Le stiam pe din afara. Tot  cu nerabdare asteptam sfarsitul si servitul bucatelor delicioase. Ii spuneam totdeauna mamei, o gospodina foarte priceputa, ca supa de pasare, ca la bunica, nicaeri n-o mananc. Priveam  sa vad daca se goleste paharul cu vin, pregtit pentru profetul Eliahu  si apoi,fuga, de a gasi, pasca ascunsa.Cum orasul Focsani, avea o garnizoana militara mare (o Divizie), erau si  militari evrei, din alte regiuni. Ei se adunau la sinagogi,  in serile sarbtorilor deosebite si plecau cu cate un enorias, pentru cina festiva. La noi, locul lui, era in dreapta bunicului. Deoarece  aveam senzatia ca am fi mai flamanzi, mereu rontaiam cate ceva: pasca cu unt si sare,oua tari, din oala de tuci din bucatarie, cu sare si pasca. In familia mea nu se manca paine, se mergea la Templu, La generatia mea, religia nu mai are loc de frunte. Noi mancam painea, numai din freezer, si pasca, ca o delicatesa , in cafeaua cu lapte sau in forma de chiftele ( latchis). Este si placere si traditie.

Dupa 7 saptamani, avem Savuot. Ma bucuram, nu numai eu, cu coltunasii si papanasii cu branza si placinta cu branza dulce, presata cu zahar pudra. Unii copii, umpleau sticle cu apa si se stropeau intre ei. Nu mi-a placut ” distractia “..

Sarbatorile, numite ” de toamna ” sunt cele mai importante. Anul nou judaic – Rosh Hashana si Iom Kipur, ziua pocaintei si a iertarii pacatelor. Zi de post, rugaciuni si resemnare. Majoritatea evreilor, chiar nereligiosi, merg in aceasta zi ,la o sinagoga, in amintirea celor dragi, plecati in alta lume. Cum bunicul meu (si cu toti urmasii de sex masculin) au facut sau mai fac parte din categoria ” de elita ” a etniei noastre, a  ” Cohanimilor “, sedea toata ziua la amvon,  in Templul  Coral,unde era si administrator (Gabai), fara incaltaminte, invelit in talit voluminos: ( shalul de rugaciune ). Tzinea sa ma vada, in preajma lui. Mie imi ardea de a fi cu prietenii. Cand se apropia ora binecuvantarii poporului, pe care o facea el, apaream, El ma vedea, zambea si scurt timp dupa aceia, cu capul acoperit si cu ambele maini cu degetele rasfirate in doua litere V, rostea rugaciunea . Erau momente de tacere totala si de smerenie. Eram achitat de datorie. Cand cineva anuntza spre seara ca a aparut prima stea pe cer, se sufla in shofar si  cu ” a ghit yur “- un an bun-ne intorceam acasa. Pe masa visinata ( beam jumatate de paharel ) si rachiu (doar un unchi al  meu, era amator de un “bronfn ” ). Pe doua tablete, felii din doua cake-uri – un “leikekh “.galben si pufos  si o “turta din miere ” Eram sfatuiti sa nu ne indopam si sa  asteptam masa, cu bunatati diferite si gustoase.

Urma Sucot, cad unii isi faceau cabane de scanduri, acoperite cu frunzis si petreceau ore bune, in ele. Mancand, rugandu-se, s.a. Nu am tinut la datina asta. Nu numai eu. Nici ai mei. Bunicii nu aveau loc si la noi, nici nu era vorba, Ultima zi – Simhat Tora – Bucuria Torei, spre seara, la Templu, se scoteau sulurile sfinte, se imparteau unor enoriasi, si in sir indian, se trecea printre randuri, cu urari de bine si noroc.  Cand aveam vreo 4 – 5 ani,ma cocotzam in bratele bunicului, care deschidea sirul   El tinea cu o mana un sul ,iar cu cealalta pe mine, caruia   in daduse o Tora mica, pe care o strangeam, langa piept, sa nu-mi scape. Primeam urari de bine si le returnam multimii.

Anul se incheia cu Hanuca – Sarbatoarea luminilor. Victoria Macabeilor asupra grecilor, baricadandu-se in Templu, pentru lupta si rezistenta. Opaitul aprins a durat 7 zile Desi cu ulei pentru o zi, a dat lumina o saptamana..Minunea de Hanuka.. Bunicul aprindea lumanarele in toate serile,adaugand cate una. Daca ma aflam la ei, ma lua in bratze si cu atentie, tinandu-mi bratul cu lumanarica de aprindere, aplecam flacara  spre lumanarea noua Rugaciunea o spunea batranul .Ma delectam cu gogosi si cum venea si Craciunul, era bucuria de iarna, in alte moduri

Mai sunt  cateva sarbatori , Lag b` Omer, Ziua recoltei (mancam  fructe mediteraniene : portocale, roscove,  smochine, curmale, stafide ), Postul de 9 Av (distrugerea Templului ) ai altele cu importanta minora pentru mine, si nici nu le stiu pe toate si insemnatatea lor.

source - blog.newsok.com


Posted in Gica Manescu, holidays | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Passover Songs

A few Passover Songs in the eve of  the holiday of freedom of the Jewish people.

Hava Alberstein’s version of Chad Gadya is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-dwR8s3i0c

Here is another version written by a famous chazan named Moshe Oysher.

(video by bluesdance)

… and an explanation of the song by rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg which is so fit to the symbolics of the song for the holiday and the history of the Jewish people.

(video by rjhiggins)

Passover songs into the hip-hop era sound like this – here a rap version of the story of Moses.

(video by 12tribefilmsfoundatn)

And to end with – Dayenu at the Passover celebration  in Kibbutz Naan.

(video by UntroubledSpirit)

Hag Sameah, A Happy Passover to all!

Posted in holidays | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Cafe Hiro

One of my best friends at the IETF meetings is a refined amateur of good food and we made out a kind of a tradition to have at least an exquisite dinner at each meeting, wherever we meet. It always ends in having an unforgettable meal, and almost always also ends in visiting expensive places. Quality comes at a cost. However, this was not the case with Cafe Hiro in Cypress, south of Los Angeles. Quality came here at an unexpectedly reasonable price.

cafe hiro

There is something about the decoration of American restaurants that fascinates me. I do not know if books have been written on the subject, they must have been, but I did not read them. In a culture where eating out is a popular entertainment and a mass entertainment as well, interior decoration reflects the personality of the owner, of the team, and of the chef.

Naki's mural at Cafe Hiro

The art in the restaurant belongs to an artist by the name of Naki whose murals and paintings define the style and the atmosphere. They look a little bit like naive representations of Californian icons. Mickey Mouse’s kingdom is not far away actually.

more of Naki's art at Cafe Hiro

We had three type of wines at a table of six. We started with a white Zinfandel, a little bit on the sweet side, but well fit as an appetizer. Glasses were special and generally the glasses, dishes, cutlery are nicely shaped and pleasant to see and use.

white Zinfandel is served

What about the food? I must confess that I am not a huge fan of fusion styles of cooking – I prefer authentic and ‘mono-ethnic’ cuisine. So the self-definition of the restaurant as ‘a blend of Japanese and French, with a touch of Italian’ made me cautious. Yet I had the pleasant surprise to discover that the chef’s Hiro Ohiwa’s is all interesting, not pretentious, tastes and looks well. Probably California is indeed the place to taste ‘fusion’.

Tipsy Manila Clams

Among the starters that we shared I will mention the Tipsy Manila Clams, which came with wassabe andcooked with garlic, shallot and celery in a white wine sauce. A touch of Japanese condiments gave a special touch to the often banal fried calamari.

Tofu Salad

Most surprising was however the tofu salad, which was made tasty and interesting by the combination of fine olive oil and exotic spices. Did I mention that my lover of high-end cuisine friend is a vegetarian? Without the risk of ever converting my carnivore self to his religion, he often succeeds to demonstrate me that you can have a fine dinner without the risk of having indirectly caused the death of any animal in the process.

Chilean sea-bass

The main courses (entrees as they are called in the US) at the Hiro Cafe are not huge, but satisfying in the natural order of a several plates dinner. One of my favorite fishes – the sea-bass here of the Chilean brand comes in several ways, with mushrooms or asparagus for instance. On the European side of the menu one of my colleagues had the osso-bucco and the ‘melting in my mouth’ feedback was heard.

Osso Bucco

Of course we had deserts. I will mention the one I picked, which was really exquisite, although not everybody may be happy with the taste. It was called ‘Green Tea Blanc-Manger’ – a gree tea custard, strongly flavoured and not very sweet. I loved it, but then not everybody likes green tea or green tea based deserts, I know.

The bill came at an astonishing 43 USD per person including taxes, excluding tip (well deserved for an attentive service). Everybody had three courses, at least one of us four. We had four bottles of wine. Many times when I have good dinner I say that it’s expensive but worth, we live just once after all. Seldom I say that a dinner is worth more than the money I paid for it. This was one of these cases.

I recommend the place for everybody who is around in the South Los Angeles area. Information about the restaurant can be found on their Web site at http://www.cafehiro.com/.

Posted in restaurants | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Delia Marc: Documentar – Limba nu minte – regizor Stan Neumann (2004)

 

Contributia de mai jos apartine Deliei Marc, care a participat la ‘One World Romania 2010’ – Festival de film documentar dedicat drepturilor omului – 19 martie 2010

 

LANGUAGE DOES NOT LIE (LA LANGUE NE MENT PAS) – Limba nu minte – regizor Stan Neumann – Franta – 2004 – Productie Les Film d’ici – Paris – Franta, a rulat in prezenta regizorului, cu care s-a purtat apoi o dezbatere interesanta.

Filmul este o marturie complexa si sobra privindu-l pe Victor Klemperer (1881-1960), evreu profesor de literatura in Dresda, casatorit cu o ariana. Inca de la venirea lui Hitler la putere in anul 1933 si pana la incheierea razboiului in 1945, Klemperer isi poarta propria sa lupta de rezistenta, sprijinit de sotia sa, scriind intr-un « jurnal de supravietuire », marturie a faptelor din viata cotidiana si studiu al limbii si al limbajului specific universului dictatorial. El observa si noteaza din postura sa de lingvist si sociolog, pentru viitor, caci stie ca maine, indiferent cand urma sa fie acest maine, faptele vor fi percepute in alte dimensiuni. La inceput a fost cuvantul, dar ce tragic este cand prin cuvant, un dictator simplifica democratia, o simplifica pana la anulare. Faptele petrecute in acei ani sunt bogat exemplificate prin imagini de arhiva personala a lui Klemperer, dar si cu filmari ale vremii, cuprinzand atat liderii germani, cat si oameni simpli. Simpla enumerare a activitatilor umane normale, dar INTERZISE evreilor (si rostite cu o voce egala si trista), sunt o abominabila imagine a « fanatismului » nazist ; fanatism fiind un cuvant cu conotatii extrem de pozitive in acei ani. Evreilor nu li se permite sa circule dupa caderea intunericului, sa se plimbe in Parcul Central, sa circule pe strazile X si Y si Z, sa intre in Gara orasului, sa detina autoturisme, aparate de radio, sa mearga la teatru, la concerte, sa cumpere si sa consume peste, sa detina animale de casa : pisici, caini…Pana si soarta bietelor animale de companie se afla sub controlul strict, birocratic si rece al nazismului : pana si pisica germana intra in opozitie cu pisica straina. Cuvintele par o banala insiruire a unor caractere grafice – insa faptele carora le sunt dedicate, pe care incep sa le denumeasca intr-o noua dimensiune, descriu un nou ghettou, acela al limbii pervertite la nationalismul-socialist. Se naste limba dictaturii, de fapt limba dictaturilor, pentru ca istoria ne-a dovedit si din pacate inca ne-o dovedeste, ca pe langa pervertirea omului, pervertirea limbii este inca unul dintre fenomenele caracteristice acetot marasme social-politice. Luand numai un singur exemplu din cele observate si notate de catre Klemperer, cuvantul « volk », acesta devine precum « sarea in bucate », compunandu-se cu alte cuvinte, repetat cu obstinenta, intrat cu forta in mentalitatea oamenilor, acest cuvant impreuna cu familia lui devine grotesc, devine dusman al notiunii normale pe care o defineste

Cineva observa in dezbaterea postvizionare ca regizorul (ca si Klemperer insusi in Jurnalul sau), a adoptat o maniera lipsita de emotivitatea pe care ar fi starnit-o in mod normal, faptele si imaginile prezentate, insa Stan Neumann  a subliniat faptul ca a stii, a cunoaste si a pricepe rational, la rece este mai important si mai constructiv. Eu insa, spun ca m-au emotionat atat personalitatea si taria profesorului Klemperer, cat si demersul regizorului, documentar, artistic, plastic, cultural, istoric, omenesc  ! Si este extrem de incitanta ideea ca « limba este mai adevarata decat sangele » si merita sa ne aplecam si sa analizam aceasta idee, sa vedem in ce masura s-a dovedit sau se dovedeste a fi reala – si cat – ieri si astazi si in viitor !

Stan Neumann – http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Neumann

Posted in Delia Marc, documentary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment