September, 2005 - Nr. 9
KW & Beyond
by Irena Syrokomla
The Princess Cinema in Waterloo showing Ladies in
Lavender and March of the Penguins.
Ladies in Lavender, a film by Charles Dance, is one of the most delightful pictures being shown this summer. British made, it features Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in a story taking place during World War 2 somewhere in the British Isles. Two sisters residing in a small seashore community find a young man lying on a beach, obviously washed ashore from a sunken ship. They take upon themselves to rescue him. He is Polish, he does not know English, and, as the sisters teach him to speak English, he gradually integrates into their life and the life of their village. It turns out he has a great musical talent, and his violin playing is far beyond the skills of local musicians, and eventually he leaves them and goes to London to pursue a musical career. It is a heart-wrenching story of two sisters reacting to disruption in their very stable sheltered lives, their reactions to the young and attractive male. The faces of both actresses are an amazing study of human emotions, their reminiscences, possible regrets, hopes, disappointments, and finally dealing with reality. Ladies in Lavender, one of the best movies of 2005, is very subtle and will appeal to a sophisticated mature audience. In Kitchener-Waterloo it is being shown at The Princess Cinema, which is not your standard commercial movie theatre. Nevertheless the seats are taken day after day, evidence of the demand for better and more complex movies.
March of the Penguins is another unusual movie very much worth seeing. French director Luc Jacquet and his crew spent 13 months filming a one year cycle in the lives of the emperor penguins in Antarctica. These birds live in the most inhospitable environment with km between their average –57C and winds of up to 200 km/h, following their instincts they march back and forth 112 km between their breeding site and edge of the ocean where they can feed on fish. The filming crew followed the march, the process of laying a single for each mother-penguin egg, transferring it into the care of the father-penguin, hatching of the baby-penguin, their growth, the family relationships, survival in the cold winter of Antarctica. Since there is no food in the breeding location the parents alternate marching 112 km back and forth – to feed in the accessible ocean. One parent stays with the young, the other walks back and forth, then they change and the other walks to feed. It is an incredible story and an incredible film. In the original French version the penguins were dubbed with human voices, resembling a movie for children. In the North American version the commentary is read by Morgan Freeman and it makes it much more like a "national geographic" type film.
It is difficult to even imagine how it was filmed, the snow,
the storms and the marches. Until the credits at the end there is not a
single human figure, no evidence of any human present. If you go to see the
movie – do not rush from the theatre, wait and watch the credits where the
crew with the equipment is shown, also some unusual methods of filming e.g.
the camera being attached to the balloon and flown above the area. Another
movie suitable for adults and children, well worth seeing!
Stratford Festival of Canada – Fallen Angels
Noël Coward was only 24 when he wrote Fallen Angels. It was staged for the first time in England in 1925 to exceptionally bad reviews and moral outrage, described as a play about "soused sluts", labelled disgusting and obscene. The times have changed. Some eighty years later it is being received with great enjoyment and laughter, as the characters of two very British couples, the aforementioned wives, golf-playing husbands and the much-anticipated French lover are so wonderfully acted on the stage of Avon Theatre.
![Front ltr: Lucy Peacock as Jane Banbury, Nigel Hamer as Maurice Duclos, Seanna McKenna as Julia Sterroll / Back ltr: Keith Dinicol as Fred Sterroll, David Kirby as Willy Banbury [Photo courtesy of Stratford Festival]](509c-IS-10.jpg)
The play is directed by Brian Bedford, with actors Lucy Peacock and Seana McKenna as wives, David Kirby and Keith Dinicol as husbands, Joyce Campion as Saunders and Nigel Hamer as Maurice Duclos. The stage design and costumes are the result of Susan Benson placing it in the early 1920’s with tassels, fringes, glamorous décor and brilliant colours. Altogether it is a frivolous joy for a hot summer night.
The story – outrageous and immoral for the Brits in the 1920’s – is of two wives, best friends to each other, both comfortably married for 10 years and experiencing boredom and being taken for granted in their marriages. The husbands are so wonderfully British, chauvinistic, focused on golf and so sure of the devotion and affection of their respective spouses. The wives unexpectedly receive a letter announcing the forthcoming visit of their old lover, a Frenchman, with whom each one of them had a hot affair about 12 years ago. They are both terrified and excited, they reminisce about passion and romance and the possibility of renewing the affair. In the second act – awaiting the arrival of the Frenchman – they get drunk and a bit too frank with each other. In the third act, after some confrontations with husbands and further creative explanations, Maurice appears. I will not disclose the ending, as it plays as a farce on several levels, with bored wives being taken for granted, desire for new adventure, traditional British husbands unable to see and accept what is happening in front of their eyes, and finally, Maurice Duclos , who is so very French in his mannerisms and accent. His "continental" flair flows from the stage, the easy way of handling the compromising situation … what fun it is. The Brits meet the French.
Special recognition is due to Joyce Campion playing the part of the maid, Saunders, as her acting and her contribution to the show is a jewel by itself. I am not sure if her part was intended to be so self-contained or if it was developed like that in this particular production, but it should not be missed! The audience gave her a special ovation at the end.
Well, there is classic Shakespeare, there are difficult plays and there are musicals and comedies. Fallen Angels is a wonderful comedy, so uplifting and amusing this summer!
Local festivals in K-W area
We are blessed with local festivals, entertainment opportunities and crowds of eager participants. There is something happening on a monthly basis, and so much available and free to the public. Here are just few of them:
At the beginning of July there is the Jazz Festival , located in the parking lot of the Waterloo City Hall, off Regina Street, and featuring well-known and accomplished performers. This year’ crowd was appreciative and enjoying themselves till late at night. Several local restaurants offered jazz sessions at the same time. Regardless of the time of the year, local restaurants offer jazz sessions: Ali Baba Steak House, Allessandro’s and King Street Trio – just to name a few.
In August, King Street was closed for 3 days and a stage erected in front of the City Hall for the
Blues Brews & Barbeques Festival. It was great, Jack de Kayzer, Roxanne Potvin deserves special mention. Nathaniel Mayer, a legend of its own kind, could not come for health reasons. People kept coming and going, all ages having an equally great time. The music was wonderful.In the crowd there were two tall hefty males wandering about looking like police, wearing bullet proof vests, however without batons and certainly with no guns. Being curious I inquired about them and I was told that they were certainly not the police, just the security guards. Why were they wearing the bullet proof vests then? Well, I was told – the union demanded that. I love Canada.
At the end of August there is The Busker Festival, a real treat for the youngsters and their parents. It takes place on King Street in front of the Waterloo City Square and gives you a one of a kind experience of street performers, jugglers, magicians, fire-eaters, musicians and overall fun. You can see a show you have never seen before or again, something unique and again – free to the public.
Summer Festivals in Ontario have evolved, matured, are better organized and more numerous than in the years gone by. So much to see and be a part of. So much fun.
And, of course, Oktoberfest is just around the corner.
