Bill Petro

AMAZING GRACE, part 2

As we mentioned in our first article on the History of Amazing Grace this is the story of the lives of two men and that one song. In the first part we discussed the life of the song’s author John Newton. The recent film “Amazing Grace” however is about the life of one of Newton’s protégés, William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a man well known to the Framing Fathers of the American Revolution and became in his day not just a politician, philanthropist and abolitionist, but also a writer of such popularity (in his own day) as C.S. Lewis was in the 20th century.

William Wilberforce was born to privilege and wealth in 18th century England and though physically challenged, worked for nearly 20 years to push through Parliament a bill for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire 200 years ago.

Born in 1759 in Hull in Yorkshire, upon his father’s death in 1768 he was sent to live with an aunt and uncle in Wimbledon. While there, he came into contact with the great evangelist George Whitefield. He was also influenced by the former slave-trading sea captain, pastor John Newton. However, his mother and grandfather wanted him away from Newton’s influence, which they thought was too evangelical and “Methodist”, much too enthusiastic for respectable Anglicans, and returned him to Hull.

Following private school Wilberforce took both his B.A. and M.A. at St. John’s College in Cambridge — where he began a lasting friendship with the future Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger — but Wilberforce was not a serious student and he was given to late nights of drinking, gambling, and card playing. At the youngest age at which one could be elected, at 21 he was elected to Parliament. He was noted for his charm and eloquence, indeed, his phenomenal rhetorical skill caused the young Prime Minister William Pitt to later challenge Wilberforce with a considerable undertaking — abolition.

The abolitionist Thomas Clarkson influenced Wilberforce to become an activist in the issue of slavery and together they proposed to Parliament a dozen resolutions against the slave trade. Wilberforce’s early optimism was met with one defeat after another. This did not dissuade him from the cause against slavery, or other issues for that matter.

Where did his motivation come from? At the age of 25 he heard very clearly the Gospel of Christ and converted in a way that changed his life. Within two years he determined to serve God by serving the lowest and most ill-treated. But what of his blossoming career in Parliamentary politics? At this point, he decided to visit his old preacher, John Newton, who was now an influential Anglican clergyman installed as rector of St Mary Woolnoth in London. Wilberforce considered retiring from public life in order to engage fully in the spiritual life.

Newton helped them understand that an awakened faith did not necessitate flight from society. He told him that just as Esther had been put in the palace of King Xerxes “for such a time as this,” Newton went on to say,

“…One may not be able to calculate all of the advantages that may result from your service in public life. The example, and even the presence of a consistent character, may have a powerful, though unobserved, effect upon others. You are in a place where many know Him not, and can show them the genuine fruits of the religion you are known to profess.”

At the age of 28 Wilberforce wrote in his diary: “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners [morals].”

Though he continued to be plagued by poor health that kept him bedridden at times for weeks, he attended to his causes. All his life he suffered chronic ill health that included a crooked spine, poor eyesight and stomach problems. He wrote:

“So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the [slave] trade’s wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition.”

When in 1797 he settled in Clapham, he became a member of the so-called “Clapham Sect,” a group of devout Christians dedicated to correcting social ills. Wilberforce was himself dedicated to and help found numerous parachurch groups like the Society for Bettering the Cause of the Poor, the Church Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Antislavery Society, and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He championed the cause of chimney sweeps, single mothers, Sunday schools, orphans, and juvenile delinquents. In total, he supported 69 philanthropic causes, giving one forth of his annual income to the poor.

In the same year Wilberforce completed writing his book “A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes of This Country Contrasted With Real Christianity” which he’d been working on for some 4 years. He spoke against the decline of morality in the nation but more than anything his own personal testimony and views. His book became a best seller and a strong and influential apologetic for a vital and living Christianity. The book sold widely for over forty years.

Though his bill in Parliament called for the abolition of the slave trade, slavery itself continued, although he always hoped for emancipation of the slaves. As old age set in, he lacked the vigor to work to its accomplishment, though he continued to attack it through speeches in public meetings and the House of Commons. Finally, 46 years after he began his fight in Parliament, the Emancipation Bill gathered sufficient support and had its final commons reading on July 26, 1833. He died three days later and was buried in the north transept of Westminster Abbey next to his friend William Pitt, Prime Minister.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

AMAZING GRACE, part 1

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the British parliament passing a bill banning the nation’s slave trade. In these two articles we’ll explore the lives of two men and one song that played a large role in that effort.

John Newton’s devoted Christian mother dreamed that her only son would grow up to become a preacher. But he lost his mother when he was six years old, and at the age of eleven followed his sea-captain father to sea. He did not take to the discipline of the Royal Navy and deserted ship, was flogged, and eventually discharged.

In looking for greater liberty, he ended up on the western coast of Africa in Sierra Leone, where he worked for a slave trader who mistreated him and made him a virtual slave of his black mistress. At this time he was described as “a wretched looking man toiling in a plantation of lemon trees in the Island of Plaintains… clothes had become rags, no shelter and begging for unhealthy roots to allay his hunger.” After more than a year of such treatment he escaped the island through an appeal to his father in 1747.

The next year at sea, his ship was battered by a severe storm. Newton had been reading “The Imitation of Christ,” and in great fear while he rowed and bailed for hours (for he could not swim!), he cried out to God to save him, a wretched sinner. Years later he looked back and penned these autobiographical words.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind but now I see.

Epilogue: Ironically, following his conversion to Christianity, Newton spent the next six years as captain of a slave ship. While he had religious services on board, he eventually came to abhor slavery and later to crusade against it. He influenced British Member of Parliament William Wilberforce to become active in working to abolish it. (We’ll discuss Wilberforce’s story in a subsequent article.) Newton later studied for the ministry and attracted large audiences when he preached where he was known as “the old converted sea captain.” He collaborated with the poet William Cowper in producing the Olney Hymns, which became the standard hymnal of evangelical Anglican churches.

In his old age, when it was suggested that he retire due to his bad health and failing recollection, he said,

“My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!”

His song, Amazing Grace, has become the American anthem and influenced many generations. You can learn more at www.amazinggracemovie.com

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

THE WAR: part 3

So what did Ken Burns show in his 1.25 hour preview of his 14.5 hour, 7 part documentary on World War II called The War? The audience included hundreds of Air Force cadets, virtually the same age as the soldier’s were who fought in the story.

Using still photos and film from the National Archives, most of it taken by the U.S. military, much of it never seen before by the general public, through the words of newspaper clippings, letters, and 40 first-person accounts we were told about:

Tarawa: A strategically located Pacific atoll, America lost almost 3,000 Marines in November 1943 in a bloody attack against 4,700 Japanese soldiers defending an air strip. Only 17 Japanese survived.

On March 9, 1945, 354 B-29 bombers dropped jellied gasoline, napalm, on 16 square miles of Tokyo. 100,000 died, over a million were left homeless. And that was just the first raid.

B-29 bombers: In the Pacific theater, the B-29 “Superfortress” bomber was fitted with Norden bombsighting technology. Bombardiers liked to boast that with the “Norden bombsight they could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel from 20,000 feet.”

In Europe, the Allies would do their bombing runs over Germany at night, to avoid detection in the pre-radar era. Their accuracy, however, showed that only 1 in 5 strikes were within five miles of the target. When the American’s joined the war, they’d fly during the days — more accurate, but much more dangerous.

B-17 belly gunners: One airman told the story of how he had joined at 19 to experience the excitement of flying. Of the 9 guns on a B-17 “Flying Fortress,” he was a belly gunner. They’d fly over Germany with an Allied fighter escort, but the smaller planes would run out of fuel be reaching the drop zone. As the bombers approached their targets, now unescorted, German fighters would climb into the skies. They were fast, and he had a hard time tracking them with his 50 caliber guns. But the German fighters used rockets, and could attach from a much greater distance. “Our guns couldn’t reach them.” On one sortie (shown with an incredible accompanying audio track), he was hit and began to bleed in the belly turret. Using his training as a Boy Scout, he saved his own life by properly applying a tourniquet. It was “minus 30 outside and the blood began to collect and freeze. I had to gather it up, or it would be a mess to clean up when we landed… It was about 4 hours to fly back to base.”

Operation Cobra. Following the Normandy Invasion, the Americans wanted to break out of the area. Hedgerow warfare in August of 1944 closed the “Falaise Gap,” and ultimately drove the Germans out of that area of France.

B-29s would fly bombing raids from Saipan to Tokyo, but there was an airfield on a small island along their route that would send up fighters to harass them. This island was Iwo Jima. Six thousand tons of bombs were dropped on the island. Then another day of naval bombardments. Three waves of Marines went in, and it looked like it would be easier to take than expected… but twenty thousand Japanese were waiting. By February 17, 2050 Americans were dead, and the battle would rage for a month, until 6821 died. Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded, 13 posthumously. They were called the X-ray Company, so many of them were lost.

Flame thrower. One humorous story was told of a soldier using a flame thrower during the attack of Iwo Jima. After several hours of battle, he went to the beach, stripped of his equipment and clothes, and took a swim. He got out, suited up, and continued fighting.

Ken Burns says that we often look back on these years and believe they lived in “simpler times.” But, he pointed out:

The 30s were the time of the greatest economic dislocation in the world, and the 40s saw the world greatest conflagration. In many ways, it is we who live in simpler times.

Much of the narration of documentary was done by the actor Keith David. Ken Burns concluded his preview with a song called American Anthem, written by Gene Scheer, but not for this documentary. However, Nora Jones did a special recording, and he played it with scenes interspersed from the film. It was quite stunning, indeed.

Don’t miss the September 2007 debut of The War.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

THE WAR: part 2

Ken Burns explained to the audience at the Air Force Academy last week why he had spent the last 6 years researching and producing The War, his 7 part, 14.5 hour documentary on World War II which will debut on PBS in September 2007:

Every day, over 1,000 WWII veterans are dying.

WWII was the greatest cataclysm in the history of the human race

We wanted to dispel the myth of the “gallant bloodless war”

There are young people today who think that in WWII the Allies fought against the Russians, and on the side of the Germans

We don’t think of memory as a concrete thing, but we must preserve it before it’s gone. This is the story of WWII told from the bottom up, not by experts. We wanted to tell the whole story, not small parts of it like “Saving Private Ryan.” It is a difficult story to tell.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, who was wounded 6 times in the Civil War and later became a Supreme Court Justice talked about the “incommunicable experiences of war.”

CBS news journalist Eric Sevareid in 1985 said that “War happens inside a man…and that is why, in a certain sense, you and your sons from the war will be forever strangers. If, by the miracles of art and genius, in later years two or three among them can open their hearts and the right words come, then perhaps we shall all know a little of what it was like–and we shall know then that all the present speakers and writers hardly touched the story.”

Ken Burns continued:

In extraordinary times, there are no ordinary people. We selected first person accounts from 40-50 veterans across four geographical locations across America:

• Mobile, Alabama - which was an important shipyard
• Sacramento, California - a larger, varied town
• Westbury, Connecticut - populated with Southern European immigrants: Italians and Jews
• Luverne, Minnesota - in Rock County

As we watched the 7 or 8 clips during the preview, we heard a newspaper column being narrated from the editor of the Rock County Herald. He described getting a phone call early in the morning on D-Day from a woman acting like a modern day Paul Revere. As the editor described what was different about this day in America, the Air Force Academy cadet next to me did not realize it was being narrated by Tom Hanks. It was riveting.

To be continued…

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

THE WAR, part 1

Tonight I talked with Ken Burns, who you know for his award winning documentaries including The Civil War, Baseball, and JAZZ. I had the privilege of sharing with him two questions, after he presented a preview of his new documentary coming out in Fall of 2007, about World War II called simply The War. This presentation took place at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. We got to see 7 or 8 clips, or about an hour and a quarter of his 7-part, 14.5 hour series that he has been working on for some 6 years. He’s previewing this documentary at military academies around the country.

I’ll tell you more about it in my next article, but now I’ll share the two questions.

1) I asked:

Mr. Burns, in terms of the power of pictures, the “Ken Burn Effect” is so renowned, that Apple computer includes it in their iPhoto desktop application. Can you share with us where this came from?

Ken Burns’ answer:

I am the son of a photographer, and I started in photography long before I ever hoped to do film making. But photos should not be static, they should move and suggest action. So I used common techniques like inserts, pans, zooms, fades, and dissolves… in my first work on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, and then in The Civil War, which of course, only had still pictures.

Several years ago, Steve Jobs said “Come see what we’re working on.” He showed me a rudimentary application of these techniques in a program he was working on that he wanted to label the “Ken Burns Effect.” He and three other geeks were talking in technological terms way above my head. I said “Steve, I don’t do commercial endorsements.” Eventually we worked out a deal where he donated some gear to a charity that my wife is involved in, and he got to use the term.

2) I continued:

My second question relating to the power of pictures is about a question that was asked of me when I was visiting the Dachau Concentration Camp memorial years ago, and I mentioned to those who worked there that my father had liberated Dachau some 48 years before. They asked me a question, and what is remarkable is that they all asked the same question. The question was “Do you have any pictures?” I shared with them the website I created as a tribute to my father that had the pictures my father had brought back and his story. Since then there have been over 30,000 visitors to the site. And I still get phone calls and email from men who tell me, “I went on leave in Paris with your father,” or “I was with him when we liberated Dachau,” or “I was with him after the war in Austria.” Such is the power of pictures.

Ken Burns replied:

We deal with the holocaust at the end of the series, a particularly difficult section of the documentary.

Ms. Lynn Novick, his co-producer on many of his documentaries, added that when they started the research on the documentary they began at the National Archives with photos of the Holocaust. After having made so many films, it was easy to believe that they were somewhat inured to grueling scenes, but she noted that one of her interns — whose responsibility it was to collect and record the images that would later be used for this documentary — had to stop, as he could no longer take in all these images.

Such is the power of pictures.

To be continued…

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG AT RED ROCKS IN DENVER

The show called “An Evening with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young,” Freedom Of Speech ‘06 was one of three sold out events at the Denver Red Rocks open air amphitheatre. Their first tour since 2002 started in July in Philadelphia. Their 2000 reunion tour was their first since 1974.

Living With War, Neil Young’s new, highly political and stridently anti-Bush album was featured prominently (and seemingly entirely) during the first part of the show, including a 3-letter LWW logo over film clips from Iraq that was intended to look like the CNN logo. Some were tributes to veterans but others called for the impeachment of the President, which encouraged the inebriated behind me to chime in on the chant. Initially it seemed that the set was an indulgence to Young, but there’s more to it. Most of the big hits got pushed to the end of the second set of the show and past the 11 pm bedtime of not a few attendees who left early. Young’s new album was a late addition to the show, as the concert had long been planned before the release of his new work. Graham Nash is quoted as saying,

“We wanted to provide a balance, too. We didn’t wanna just be there as four raving madmen against this administration,” he says. “People come to see us because they fell in love to CSNY music. We didn’t want to make it just about how (screwed up) things appear to be in certain respects.”

In this respect they failed. Those who came to listen to classic CSN&Y were hijacked with a “solo” album they hadn’t come to hear.

The new Young songs were written about current events were clearly topical, including Living With War and Families. “Strange weather we’re having,” Young observed after noting how the band’s tour buses ran on bio-diesel. He didn’t mention that these were half a dozen luxury buses parked down the mountain with pop-outs like fifth-wheelers, including one tricked out with chopped classic 40s cars as their skylights.

Let’s look at the concert chronologically. The walk up to the venue was greeted, in an unusual way for Red Rocks, by numerous booths, including environmental and political issues like Progressive Democrats for America (and the other Democrats are…?)

The show started late due to heavy winds. A significant thunder storm was passing over the Denver area though Red Rocks was spared the heavy rain and hail during the event. However, the dark grey glowering sky with repeated lightning over Denver was far more impressive than the feeble on-stage light show.

The first thing you were struck with was how old the band looked. Steven Crosby, the first spotlighted looked like a long-haired version of the actor Wilford Brimley. This is a band that has been performing publicly since Woodstock, though one wondered how many in the audience knew that. One particular hyper-active 20-something in front of me shared with her neighbors that her mother had seen them at Woodstock in 1969.

Almost immediately the air smelled of dope… and onions from the bratwurst. It was a veritable reefer-o-rama, I had not smelled that much burning herb since I saw the Grateful Dead in the late 70s.

Their early song, “Carry On” was marred by bad microphone work that left out the melody track. A real shame. This was followed by “Wooden Ships” and “(It Appears To Be) A Long Time.”

This was followed by “Military Madness Is Killing My Country (No More War)” and “After the War Is Done.” This was not just the recycling of old Vietnam anti-war protest songs, though they were mining the same vein. Nevertheless, the “Power to the People” flame did not ignite.

Did I mention they looked old? They’re all in their early to mid-60s. Neil Young wore a hat for the show, and the jumbotron showed a face that made the Rolling Stones look young. By the time that Young got to “Living With War In My heart” you felt that there were too many Neil Young songs during the evening. The song “The Restless Consumer” with it’s repeated rant of “Don’t Need No More Lies” made it seem like a Country Joe and the Fish political pep rally in Berkeley.

The “We the People” preamble to the Constitution was visible on the stage, which was flanked by a curtains of horizontal red and white stripes. Just so you know, this was tour is called the “Freedom of Speech” tour. Young called out to the crowd “Muchas gracias” as they went into the song “Immigration Man.”

Crosby, Stills and Nash, formerly with The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Hollies remind one of fabulous harmonies. And while they didn’t measure up to studio perfection, they showed that they could still do it. In a flood of Baby Boomer revival tours, there are so many who can’t. Paul Simon is reaching for the high notes, the group Chicago just can’t any longer.

They took a break at 8:40 to return “with some of our acoustic stuff” but the break lasted over 35 minutes as the stage crew fumbled with faulty sets. Nevertheless, the second half was rewarding. They started with “Helplessly Hoping” as they sang

…they are one person, they are two alone, they are three together, they are four each other…

proving that they could do the great harmonizing that still works.

Graham Nash took to the keyboard for “Our House” that caused most of the crowd to sing along. This is my favorite song of theirs and took me back to college days sitting in the courtyard of my university residence hall on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

But it was Neil Young’s keyboard and lead for “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” that got the rest of the audience on their feet.

However, the crowd was unrestrained as Crosby began the guitar introduction to “Guinevere.” Nash’s vocal pairing was haunting.

Nash then introduced the next song by saying “You people in Boulder and Red Rocks have it over everyone else. You’re closer to the Milky Way than anyone!” …which led into them singing “The Milky Way Tonight.” Stephen Stills and Neil Young then played “Treetop Flyer,” a favorite with this crowd.

By 11 pm, they still hadn’t played their favorites though. They’d overstayed their welcome with some concert goers who were beginning to leave, before they played “Teach Your Children” following the shout from the stage “Teachers should be paid three times what they’re paid now.” Next was “Southern Cross” nicely done, followed by a Jimi Hendrix-style “Star Spangled Banner” which could only introduce “Woodstock”.

I can only assume they saved “Love The One You’re With” for the encore. But I didn’t wait for it.

Photos of this concert can be found on their website here.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood culture vulture
www.billpetro.com

Mission: Impossible: III

I was privileged to see a private sneak preview the third installment of the Mission Impossible franchise, and what is arguably the first blockbuster popcorn movie of the summer of 2006.

Let me say from the onset that it starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. It’s non-stop action from beginning to end. It’s like watching 2 episodes in a row of the TV show 24. Total adrenalin rush. It has “video game” written all over it.

The female lead, and love of super-agent Ethan Hunt’s life is Julia, played by Michelle Monaghan, with a preternatural resemblance to Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise’s real-life fiancée. Ms. Monaghan has been seen in the films North Country, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (ironically, the title of a song in the James Bond movie Thunderball), and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Speaking of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in a scene in the first act of M:i:III, new recruit Lindsey, played by Keri Russell, and Ethan engage in “synchronized shooting” like that seen in the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie movie.

There were a number of other “tributes” as well. We see Ethan and Lindsey repelling on a cable like in Batman (the latest installment of which Katie Holmes was in, but that’s another subject.) The HQ role of Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg reminds one of James Bond’s Q, though the more eccentric one from the non-canonical Sean Connery outing Never Say Never Again.

There is skyscraper-to-skyscraper swinging, a la Spider-man. Indeed there are a number of great stunts, though it is at times difficult to believe that Tom Cruise did all of his own as claimed.

We can say that this time his hair is normal for a change. In the first installment, it was unusually short, it what many called “a bad hair day.” In the second it was quite long. In this one, it’s just right.

While this movie is back to the ensemble cast, unlike M:i-2 which was more of a “mano-a-mano” film, in this movie Ethan is not just one of the agents, as he was when he started in the first Mission: Impossible movie. Rather, he’s the leader of a group that seem more like his chorus.

Ving Rhames is a welcome return as Luther Stickell. Didn’t we see him play essentially the same role for Sean Connery in the 1999 movie Entrapment?

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Declan the transportation expert. We don’t usually hear his natural Irish accent, but it’s evident here, and much better than the Irish accent that came and went when Tom Cruise tried it in the movie Far and Away. It’s interesting to see him play a good guy, as we’ve usually seen him do somewhat unpleasant characters earlier, as in The Magnificent Ambersons and Vanity Fair.

The Asian beauty Zhen is played by Maggie Q and has played in few English-speaking movies, though she’s a star of Hong Kong films.

Laurence Fishburne plays head of operations Brassel, though less iconic than he was in The Matrix.

The villain, and international weapons dealer is Owen Davian, played by recent Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. It’s great to see how good he is at being bad. Quite coldblooded.

There is the usual intrigue, assumed and mistaken identities, and split-second timing we’ve come to expect of Mission: Impossible. And we’ve got the strains of the original theme music for the TV show written by Lalo Schifrin, including the military drums as the mission begins.

There were four units with filming going on all over the world, including the US, Berlin, Shanghai and Rome. Most of the Roman filming was in and around the Vatican, including Declan’s unlikely parking in the middle of the piazza of St. Peter’s.

The action is fabulous and there’s lots of eye candy – from beautiful locations to beautiful women to beautiful cars. The gadgets are improbable, but flashy. Nokia got listed in the credits (for some cool phones.) But Cisco was listed too!

The previous M:I movie came out in 2000, before the TV show 24 became a hit. There are many similarities to it in the new M:i:III movie, from hand-held camera action to the “speak or die” ultimatums. Yet somehow, this movie does not hook the viewer on a visceral level like 24. Kiefer Sutherland brings an angst to his role of Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer that Cruise does not for his character. Rather he brings intensity, passion and fear. This is not as engaging, the audience does not care for his character like they do for Jack.

Final take: the movie is a bit formulaic. By that I don’t mean to say that it’s derivative of other spy movies, though it is, but rather I mean that they include the most successful elements of highly popular movies, mix them together in a winning formula, put it in a blender, set it on “cacophonous,” press all the right buttons, and out comes a movie that is sure to be a hit. It will please most of the movie-going public, though it’s a rollercoaster ride with little in the way of modulation or variety. But for my money, I’d give it a B. Jack Bauer needn’t worry about his job at CTU.

• You’ll like it if: mindless, senseless action with lots of gadgets is what you crave
• You won’t like it if: you are looking for plot sense, depth, plausibility, logic or character development

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood culture vulture
www.billpetro.com

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I had the opportunity to catch a private pre-screening of this movie. What a treat!

It opens in black and white with a dark and stormy night and the Warner Brothers logo. Then a snake slithers along the ground… and then the title. But soon afterwards it explodes into full color fireworks of the World Cup of Quidditch. But we aren’t shown this exciting game as it’s portrayed in the book (you’ve got to cut something from the 734 page book. They were toying with making two movies from it, to be released close together, but ultimately decided against it.) Rather we’re ushered into a different contest, the TriWizard Tournament competition.

It soon becomes clear that this isn’t your previous kiddies movie. As the first PG-13 movie in the Harry Potter franchise, it’s darker, more frightening and more mature. In many ways, it is the most satisfying of the series. However, the appearance of the personification of Lord Voldemort and some other scenes may be too intense for younger viewers.

This is not about fun and games, the struggles here are about life and death.

This movie picks up our heroes at the age of 14, whom we haven’t seen since they were 13, and the awkward challenges they face with their teenage years including testing the nature of their friendship. Associated with the TriWizard Tournament is the Christmas Eve night Yule Ball (a Christian holiday mentioned amongst the magic?) As each of our trio struggles with who to go to the dance with, some of the sly humor comes out.

As the visiting contestants from two other foreign wizarding schools arrive at Hogwarts, the special effects are the most dazzling yet. With a submarine sailing ship and a pegasus-pulled carriage, it’s fabulous.

The budding romance between Ron and Hermione is set aside as she is squired to the dance by an older visiting Bulgarian contestant. But Hermione is now revealed as a budding lovely young lady. This was hinted at in the previous movie, but now showcased with her dramatic entrance to the Ball.

While Ron complains and mostly mopes, he does get one delightful scene with the delicious Maggie Smith as she instructs her charges in the fine art of formal dance.

Harry, on the other hand, laments how difficult it is to ask a girl to the Ball when they tend to “travel in packs.” His gaze has turned to a new face, the fresh face of Katie Leung in the role of Cho Chang, picked from an audition of 3,000 young ladies. The clumsiness and awkwardness of adolescence are poignant and touching, deftly and honestly handled.

Even Hagrid gets in the act with the French school mistress Olympe Maxima, an effecting and rather touching scene where both reveal some of their giant histories.

The climactic portion of the movie deals with the Tournament, with three tasks: in air, the water and on land (no it’s not Earth, Wind, and Fire… though when one thinks of dragons, one does tend to think of fire.) The contest with the dragon shows the decidely Gothic spires of Hogwarts’ roofline in great array. But, it is the second contest that shows Harry’s character.

Harry Potter is an “everyman”, a rather ordinary boy with extraordinary power. But as a hero he’s unexpected and reluctant, not the quickest in mind or body, but his character is revealed in each trial as that of “strong moral fiber.”

The third trial, in an ever changing hedge-maze really shows what he’s made of as he faces difficult choices as he competes for the same goal as the other combatants.

Meanwhile, the co-starring roles of the Hogwarts’ faculty is delightful. Brendan Gleeson does a terrific job as the curious “Mad Eye” Moody, a new Professor of Defense against the Dark Arts, and his arch Dublin accent puts him just short of a Pirate. He’s had significant roles in recent movies, including Menelaus in “Troy” and Reynald in “Kingdom of Heaven.” He is probably best remembered as Mel Gibson’s right-hand man Hamish in “Bravehart” which was filmed mostly in Ireland. Ironically, Gleeson spent 10 years teaching school before becoming an actor.

Miranda Richardson plays the role of Rita Skeeter the gossip reporter for the Daily Prophet. You may remember her in the role of Madame Giry in the movie version of “Phantom of the Opera” or as Queen Elizabeth for fans of the BBC series “Blackadder II.”

Alan Rickman’s deliciously loathsome Professor Severus Snape is a delight to see at any time. My first recollection of him is as the bad guy in “Die Hard” but he’s been in a ton of English movies and other fine American ones. And who can forget him in “Sense and Sensibility?”

While the other professors have less screen time than in the previous movies, Hogwarts’ headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon, knighted as CBE) has decidedly more exposure. We’ve loved him in “Gosford Park” and many other roles especially in West End Theatre in London.

Obligatory Movie trivia: he once auditioned for the role of James Bond after George Lazenby’s single performance in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” but was turned down as they didn’t want to hire another “unknown.” More ironic still, he appears in the 2004 movie “Layer Cake” with Daniel Craig, who has been cast as the new James Bond in the next 007 outing “Casino Royal.”

But this film especially felt the absence of Richard Harris in the role. Gambon seems to be more of an academic functionary and a less wise and powerful wizard than Harris. Something about Harris suggested his kind affection for the lonely orphan Harry. And Harris has played his share of regal characters.

Obligatory Theatre trivia: I had the pleasure of seeing Richard Harris in person doing the role of King Arthur in the revival of “Camelot” some 25 years ago in Los Angeles. While Harris did have a hit single in the 60s with “MacArthur Park” he is not known for his singing. However, he was a stand in for the original Richard Burton, who is even less known for his singing, but Burton had been permanently sidelined from the revival tour by a pinched nerve in his back.

At the end of each movie, Dumbledor has a brief interview with Harry where he asks simple yet deep questions and imparts some wisdom. The same happens here as he notes that with his coming of age he will have to make decisions “between what is right and what is easy.”

Ralph Fiennes is cast as the now corporeal Lord Voldemort. Lithe and reptilian he is both charming and loathsome as the evil wizard who years ago killed Harry’s parents. Harry’s contest with him is quite dramatic and revealing. I’ll say no more.

This is the first Harry Potter movie where John Williams does not do the music, other than the theme, and he wasn’t missed. I find the theme too reminiscent of his music in “Hook” and rather distracting in the Potter movies. Instead, in this movie the music is by Patrick Doyle, who had a small role as an actor in my favorite movie “Chariots of Fire” (1981). He’s also done the music for “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “Gosford Park.” It’s got more of a sense of wonder and whimsey.

This movie was sincerely entertaining, a real pop-corn pleaser for the holidays, but those who know me have heard me describe the Harry Potter books as “Diet Tolkien” or “C.S. Lewis Lite.” While it does enjoy magic, it is derivative of Ursula K. LeGuin’s wizard school in “A Wizard of Earthsea” books. And the creatures, culture, history, and languages in no way compare to the depth and scope of Tolkien. Not that J.K. Rowling is not a good writer, it’s just that Tolkien was a professor and new his history, language and literature to a level far beyond Rowling. And Tolkien’s close friend, fellow professor and novelist C.S. Lewis was equally popular, especially with his magic series. Tolkien is my favorite writer of fiction, but I love Lewis’ non-fiction writing.

It will be interesting to see what December’s movie “Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” brings.

Grade: B+

• You’ll like it if: You like action, special effects, teen romance
• You won’t if: You’re disappointed by movies that don’t cleave close to the book, or are easily frightened

Bill Petro
http://www.billpetro.com/

Concert Review: Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire at Red Rocks in Denver

Red Rocks above Denver is a natural amphitheater that has been hosting concerts for almost a hundred years and is where the Beatles appeared 41 years ago. Paul McCartney, during his last concert in Denver commented that when the Beatles performed there, they had a hard time finishing their set, due to the elevation. The walk from the parking lot alone is a formidable ascent.

The teaming of these two legendary bands is phenomenal, each performing for over three decades. Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) originally came from Chicago. The band Chicago, I’m not sure where they’re from.

The play list for Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire was essentially the same as their Platinum selling DVD recorded in Los Angeles in 2004 Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire - Live at the Greek Theatre.

Everyone cheered and rose to their feet as both bands entered together to do the Chicago song “Beginnings” with 21 musicians on stagetrading guitar licks between the bands

Already, the smell of burning herbs wafted across the twilight air. By the end of the evening the air was redolent with the unmistakable fragrance of superheated recreational pharmaceuticals.

EWF then did some funky dance music from “We Can Make It Happen” as the bands intermingled sides and shared lyrics.

They slid right into “We can make it happen,” then upshifted into an energetic tune with their trademark high voices.

Philip Bailey, the young lead singer of EWF is local to Denver and said, “Nice to be home. We used to sneak over the fence back there to see Chicago.”

–

Chicago left the stage and EWF opened their solo part of the show with an instrumental of blaring guitars superceeded only by horns gone wild. It was more felt than heard.

Then they did “Party People”, heavy on the thump, that was followed by “Party Like It’s Saturday Night”

The awaited “Boogie Wonderland” was pure discomania.

Philip played the kalimba, a beautiful African thumb piano.

It was a real treat to watch aging boomers recapturing their youth. But the middle aged gent in front of me was dancing to the music in a way that suggested he never had rhythem, even in his youth.

Then EWF did some blues followed by the love song co-written by Chicago’s Bill Champlin “After the Love Is Gone.” He invited the participation of the audience to sing along, and instrumental solos covered the fact that he just couldn’t hit the notes anymore.

EWF did some songs from their forthcoming (on September 20) CD, Illumination

They then did “Hearts Afire ” followed by Philip doing a riff from somewhere “Over the Rainbow” where he hit notes higher than many women I know. What a set of pipes!

This was followed by the Beatles cover “Got to Get You ionto My Life” and “12th of Never.” It was a funkalicious fantasy.

They had 12 people on stage, though only two from the original band: Verdine White and Ralph Johnson. They had 3, count ‘em 3 drum sets — and bongos. Did I mention the cowbells?

–

Following the break, Chicago started their part of the show with a drum duel between their drummer and EWF’s drummer, and were later joined by steel drums by EWF. While there were 8 people on the stage, only 4 were from the original band: Robert Lamm, Walt Parazaider, Jimmy Pankow, and Lee Loughnane.

Then was “Great Shouts of Joy.” Great horns, but Bill Champlin’s weak voice couldn’t hit the notes so he kicked beyond it. Where EWF made up for their lack of precision with energy and enthusiasm, Chicago made up for weak voices with horns and guitars. While the horns were brassy, they couldn’t make up for the missed vocal fidelity.

When Chicago did “Color My World” the crowd went wild, especially for the flute solo.

Phillip Bailey of EWF (mercifully) sang “If You Leave Me Now” as no one in Chicago had the voice for it.

At Red Rocks, the wind came up and microphones got wind blasted.

Chicago did lots of hits from the 70’s. When they sand the lyrics “I Love You, you know I do, you love me too” one longed to have their former bassist/vocalist Pete Cetera on the stage.

They did “I am Alive Again” but not nearly as many people were on their feet as they had been for the entire EWF section. Indeed, while I came to hear Chicago and not EWF, Chicago suffered by comparison following EWF.

Chicago did some hits from their landmark album “Chicago 16″ from 1982: “(Youre a) Hard Habit to Break.” When the sang “Being Without You” it pointed out that the band was without Pete Cetera. Did I mention that? I felt that way more than once.

“Old Days”, good times I remember brought them to their feet again.

When they did “Just You And Me” they covered their weak vocals with improvizational instrumental emblandishment.

The crowd came alive for “Saturday ion the Park”
“Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” then brought everyone to their feet.

“I’m a Man” sounded like a plane taking off.

Chicago’s final song was the rambunctious double hit from Chicago 16 “Hard to Say I’m Sorry/Get Away”. It was a veritable rock-o-rama.

–

EWF joined them for the encore including “25 or 6 to 4″ and “Shining Star” but I did not stay, I’d had enough.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood culture vulture
www.billpetro.com

Concert Review: James Taylor at Coors Amphitheater in Denver

I’ve seen James Taylor in concert about half a dozen times from the Greek Theater in Berkeley to Red Rocks above Denver. This performance at the Coors Amphitheater in the Denver Tech Center was the most relaxed I’ve seen. It is wider than either of the other venues and seemed to add greater intimacy and immediacy to his style. He has a very easy going style with audiences and a relaxed manner but I’ve never seen him so chatty with the crowd. He was cracking jokes, handling hecklers and signing autographs several times between acts and encores.

He began with a relaxed acoustic “Secret Of Life,” then was joined by the band for “Summer’s Here,” where each mention of “beer” in the lyrics brought people holding their Coors beer bottles high.

Andrea Zonn, one of his female singers is also a terrific fiddler. Her Irish tunes were delightful, especially as he performed the unexpected “The River is Wide.”

He performed two of his original pieces that were distinguished by having had Ray Charles cover them: “Nothin’ Like a Hundred Miles” and the mournful “Everybody Has the Blues.”

“Fire and Rain” seemed to be what everyone was waiting for. And “Handy Man” lit up the audience. With 8 instrumentalists and three background singers there were quite a lot on stage. The harmonies were rapturous. He improvised still more beyond his already jazzed up live versions (which you can hear on his Live album) than his studio standards.

At numerous times during the concert he joked with the audience. He talked about his “Elvis collar” that phenomena which occurs when the wind blows your collar up. At another time we couldn’t hear the question from the audience, but his reply was

“…their pitching is a little weak, but it’s still early in the season.”

When people felt compelled to call out song requests, “Mexico” came out loudest. His reply,

“We’ll get to it (holding up his blackboard). See, it’s right down here. We’ll have to get through this crap first though.”

Later, when someone was quite insistent about a song he said,

“I’m going to do this song instead. It’s really just like that song, except there are some differences, actually it’s not at all like that song. Never mind.”

When he did get to “Mexico” it he introduced his Cuban drummer who dazzled the audience. Following a 20 minute break, he pointed out that to be environmentally friendly the second half’s songs were written on the backside of his blackboard. He performed “Sonny’s Eyes” and a song he said he learned from the Dixie Chicks “Some Days You Gotta Dance.”

His horn section was terrific: Walt Fowler on trumpet and Lou “Blue Lou” Marini on sax and flute — you’d know him from the Saturday Night Live Band and The Blues Brothers.

James’ performance this time of “Carolina” used the backup singers like an a cappella church choir. I’ve never heard it so good.

He did a rather long introduction to “God Have Mercy on the Frozen Man” where he told the background to the story, then got off-track and decided to forget it. He similarly had a long intro to “Line Em Up” discussing the Nixon Whitehouse juxtaposed to the last verse relating to the marriage of 5,000 people by Rev. Moon at Madison Square Garden. He said there was so much matrimonial energy that some of it leaked outside and some people on the street were spontaneously married.

But one introduction caught the crowd by surprise.

“This is a song I wrote for my nephew… on the occasion of his birth. It’s been a number of years now. He was named after me and this was intended as a cowboy lullaby” — and now the audience has figured it out — “His grandmother is in the audience tonight.”

Could this have in fact been both the grandmother of Sweet Baby James as well as the mother of James Taylor? This performance had an an according and a steel string guitar. Lovely.

He did “Country Road” and donned his electric guitar to play “Steamroller Blues.” It turned into a jam session featuring solos by trumpet, keyboard, and guitar. He ended with “How Sweet It Is.”

The expected encore brought him back to do the old Drifters’ hit “Up On the Roof.” By now, the sky above the venue was dark. As he sang about “the stars up above” a shooting star lit the sky.

He followed this with “Summertime Blues” and left the stage, only to return with another encore and signing of autographs for the front row. A good time was had by all.

Bill Petro
www.billpetro.com