Being On the Town

[dotinthesky]

Kevin and I want to watch every movie made by Hal Ashby, the director of Harold and Maude. Sunday night, we watched his penultimate film, Being There [trailer]. I had vague memories of seeing it before in Brasil, as a child, but I didn't take much from it back then. The movie is, in many ways, like Harold and Maude -- about age, happiness, the meaning of life -- but it's also an allegory on the role of the buddhist in the modern world. Buddhism, or religion in general, is never mentioned; but the main character's lack of past and family, and his simple home truths and lack of engagement with the real world made me think of the Buddha. The last line of the film, as Chance (as he is called *wink wink, nudge nudge*) walks over the water, is "life is a state of mind".

Last night, Mark scored Ricardo and I some tickets to see the musical On The Town. Ricardo wore a beautiful Italian blazer, with a silk shirt underneath (being new to London, he thought everyone dressed up for the opera.) I looked positively scruffy in comparison. We had a few beers in a pub on St Martin's Lane, where we discovered the bar staff were from Brasil (and gayer.) I think Ricardo will find a boyfriend in this city in no time.

Mark, Natalia and Ian joined us for a quick beer before the show. It was the show's press night; it was also the biggest musical I ever saw on stage. The grandmother from Absolutely Fabulous played a drunk music teacher, eliciting the biggest laugh when she said: "Art and sex don't mix. If they did, I would have shot straight to the top." Nothing like a drunk old lady with a loose mouth to get the Coliseum smiling.

The show had a hot sailor called Gabey (pronounced Gay-be), a taxi that nearly drove into the orchestra, a giant dinossaur, and a typical New York apartment (including those outdoor fire escape stairs that many New Yorkers use during Summer heatwaves - or so I imagine.) The stage was constantly filled with dancers and singers; a suspended piano played songs in the Konga Bar; and it was only a shame that the three main sailors didn't take off their uniforms during one of the songs. The perils of sticking to a musical's 1940s roots. Production images here.

Comments

[foucaultonacid.livejournal.com]

being there and H&M are two of my favourite films - i'd never made the link before of same director. they are special works indeed.

[msanthropist.livejournal.com]

I own both of those films, and the complete AbFab on DVD!!! Ahhh...good times, good times...

[izzybees]

Being There is hilarious satire on modern life, but apparently the book is much better. I got it a week ago but haven't read it yet.

I contrast Chance the Gardener with Kaspar Hauser (in Herzog's The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser) in my head--they both lived lives of seclusion until circumstances thrust them out into the world. Kaspar Hauser cannot integrate--he never learned language and is aggravated by its limits when he does; he doesn't understand the necessity of logic or religion; he finds it impossible to connect with people, and other people find him disturbing for his lack of socialization--in many ways he is infinitely freer than they are, even though he was kept locked up for his entire childhood. He never had the same social limitations placed on him.

On the contrary, although Chance spent much of his life in isolation, he spent that time watching television and gaining all of the social skills he needed from everyone's favourite source of disappointment with their very non-Hollywood lives. When he comes into the world armed with an arsenal of clichéd phrases and scripted reactions, people consider him an oracle, because they have the same reverence for the same nonsense they see all the time on television. So if you're going to become a recluse but you want to make sure you'll still be able to connect with people when/if you emerge, don't stop watching television. :P

Also, I finished The Handmaid's Tale last night. Wonderful.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

The grandmother from Absolutely Fabulous

99% of your UK readers will know the mighty June Whitfield as a stalwart comedy actress of radio and TV from the last 50 years. She's one of those who transcended any roles they may have taken, and hit "national treasure" status.

[stormecho.livejournal.com]

I can't remember Being There, but I believe I've seen it. I still remember my bf making me watch H&M - one of those that fall under the category of delightfully disturbing.

Is On the Town an opera?

Scruffy is good.

[meemeedarling.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a wonderful evening.

[meemeedarling.livejournal.com]

Also. I am very, very glad to hear the good news about your brother..

I lost that post somewhere - so I am replying here!