A Special Stamp

The Portuguese Post has created a world first – a stamp made out entirely of cork, of which Portugal is the world’s greatest producer. The picture is above.

Radio Dramas from 30's and 40's

Recently discovered (very recently, like two days ago) US radio dramas from the 30’s and 40’s with big Hollywood stars of the time and became a small fan. I knew they existed because some are used as extras in WB’s R1 DVDs but I had never bothered… until I listened to Myrna Loy in “Library Book” (from a radio show called “Suspense”)… and I loved it! It is a hilarious comedy mystery about a prim and proper librarian who discovers that a page is missing from a copy of “Gone with the wind” and that it was used to write a ransom note.

Deborah Kerr (1921-2007)

I always loved Deborah Kerr. Here's five reasons why:

1. Tea and Sympathy (Minnelli, 1956)
2. The Innocents (Clayton, 1961)
3. Black Narcissus (Powell and Pressburger, 1947)
4. Heaven knows, Mr Allison (Huston, 1957)
5. Bonjour Tristesse (Preminger, 1958)

What I am reading...

sadly not very much... a few pages a day of "Le coté de chez Guermantes" (in a very good Portuguese translation) during my daily usage of the tube, meaning that it will take me forever to finish it (I am about half way through it) and "The Complete Peanuts 1965-1966" which is, with its immediate predecessor, far more interesting that the previous volumes.

Feras no Povoado (1947)

I recently finished a book that made me wonder if it wasn't better forgotten: “Feras no Povoado” (published 1947, something like “Beasts in the Village”) by portuguese writer Gomes Monteiro. I had neither heard of the author or the book until a few months ago when the publisher announced its release on their website. Try google it and all you get is a list of sites where you can buy the book. Nevertheless, I bought it because I like the publisher, because I know they are small and because they produce in the same series books that I treasure for their quality.

To be honest, these are the only arguments I can use to make anyone buy the book.

Mixing history and fiction, wanting desperately to be a serious historical novel but never really achieving being more than dull, the book tells the story of a man during one of the most violent and less talked about periods of Portuguese History, the civil war in the XIX century and political chaos that followed.

There are three main problems with the book in my opinion. One is that the story is never really that interesting, mostly because the characters are one-dimensional and sometimes disappear for long periods of time. The second, which bugged me a bit more were the long (very long) passages which are nothing but very subjective and highly arguable takes on the history of the period. Finally, he wants to be a famous writer. Not just any writer but Camilo Castelo Branco (1825-1890) one of the greatest figures of Portuguese literature of any century, and from whom he draws considerably.

Scarface (1932) and other Pre-Codes

For a long time I ignored American cinema of the early thirties, the so-called Pre-Code films. There were a few exceptions: several Garbo films and Lubitsh's "Design for Living" come to mind. I don't think there was a reason for this other than limited availability and a few bad experiences, the most "memorable" being Katharine Hepburn's first Oscar winning performance in "Morning Glory" - the style of acting of those first sound years isn't always to my liking.

Recently I have became interested in these films. And the more I see of them, the strongly I feel that I missed some brilliant films for far too long. Yes, there were some flops, including some big titles, but also masterpieces like "The Public Enemy", "Baby Face", "Shanghai Express", and in particular "I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang". And "Scarface" (the Howard Hawks version, of course). Violent and sexually charged, it amazed me. It included heavy suggestions of incest, a maniac leading character and a ending has to be one of the greatest in film history (Gangster films always had such powerful endings).

Less achieved but still with many interesting aspects is "The Bitter Tea of General Yen". Two years later and it couldn't have been made: it contains an inter-racial love affair between a white woman and a chinese man, something that wasn't allowed by the Hays Code. At some stage in the film there's a dream sequence where Barbara Stanwyck reveals her most secret desires, and by any standards these are very explicit. For those who are in London and never had a chance to see it, the London film festival next month is showing a restored print. Otherwise there is an OK R2 DVD in a Barbara Stanwyck collection.

Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)

I recently attempted to watch this film and couldn't endure it. I think I lasted a very brave 40 something minutes before my patience was completely exhausted. The film tells the story of a family with 12 children (11 when the film starts), but the emphasis is on the father more than any other characters. There isn't really a plot but rather episodes with lose connections, like "Meet me in St Louis" had a few years prior. However it has none of the charm of that film, although it must have been a success in 1950 as it had a sequel in 1952.

What were the problems with it? First and foremost, the script. No plot and annoying characters throughout get you nowhere. Clifton Webb as the father is irritating. His character is at best described rose tinted father in a bad sitcom. And he overacts. He's fine as a sophisticate in "Laura" or "The Razor's Edge" but he seemed to take no real interest here. Myrna Loy is pure background. Jeanne Crain, who seemed to have a larger part in the sections I fast forwarded is way too old for her character. She wanted to be Judy Garland, she's only dull.

The other major point which really annoyed me was the cinematography. This was the dullest Technicolor film I ever saw. The skin colours were way too pastel. Maybe it was just the print used in the DVD [UK R2] but it seemed to me that there was far too much blue and too little red (the Technicolor process divides light in blue, green and red). Technicolor 20th Century Fox films have a distinctive look, not as bright as those say MGM, but nothing like this - just look at the beautiful "Leave Her to Heaven".

Not often a remake is better than the original, but the 2003 version of this film is far more interesting.

The funniest fact about the film, was that I thought I recognised the street from the aforementioned "Meet me in St Louis" - and according to IMDb I was spot on.