Tag Archives: At the Movies

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At the Movies: Reading the Nominees

Last week, we considered the art of the adaptation in film, the pros and cons of taking a novel and making it into a film.  As we discussed, it’s not an easy process, and takes a lot more creativity, diligence, and daring than many of us can, I think, appreciate.

Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 2017 Academy Awards–in a new format, over which we were, apparently, supposed to be very excited.  While that part of the pageantry was lost on me, what I did notice was there there are a number of literary adaptations that, in some way or another, made it onto the Academy’s lists.

This is pretty exciting news for us.  Granted, it’s not that difficult to get us excited about books or movies, but when we can talk about both of them (and perhaps put together a few fun Library Displays in the bargain), it’s always a good time.  And, while the Oscars generally seem like a glittery diversion (at best) or a bit of a waste of time (at worst), in comparison to the everyday world, maybe a little bit of glitter now and then is just what we need to keep going, right?

So I thought, for the next few Wednesday that are not graced with Melissa’s super-terrific “Wednesdays at the West” posts, that we would spend some time looking at the films nominated for Academy Awards this year, and the books that, directly or covertly, inspired them.  That way, by the time the Oscars do come around (and the DVDs of the films are all finally released), you (and I) will have added to our ‘To Be Read’ stack of books, as well as our ‘To Be Viewed’ pile of films….and we all will, of course, have decided what to wear.

Best Pictures:

Fences: Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Supporting Actress (Viola Davis) and Best Adapted Screenplay (by Denzel Washington), this film has been generating talk about awards ever since the first trailer was released.  August Wilson’s 1983 play focuses on  Troy (played by Washington), a 53-year-old Black man living in Pittsburgh, who is struggling to support his family, which consists of his wife, Rose (played by Davis), his son Cory, and Troy’s younger brother Gabriel, a veteran whose war injury to his head has caused him noticeable psychological damage.  Though once a promising baseball player, Troy was never able to break the color barrier in baseball, and, after spending time in prison for an accidental murder he had committed during a robbery, he now works as a trash collector.  This is a work about relationships, the ones we break and the ones we chose to mend, and about the barriers that we put between and around ourselves in life (as symbolized by the fence itself that is built throughout the play).   Though one reviewer commented, at the play’s Broadway debut, that it was “very heavy and with its nearly three hours of lost hope and broken dreams it can feel long and depressing”, it won a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 1987–and has proven its power once again.

Hidden Figures: In 1935, the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a precursor to NASA) , hired five African-American women as “computers” in their program, less out of a desire to be inclusive, or to hire the best people, but, as NASA Historian Bill Barry points out, because “The women were meticulous and accurate… and they didn’t have to pay them very much”.  Nevertheless, the contributions of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, were crucial to the space program and, especially, to the US space race.  Margot Lee Shetterly’s book of the same title puts these women’s lives, and their enormous contributions to science, back into American history, while also taking into account the institutionalized racism and sexism, as well as personal antagonism they encountered (they were known as “West Computers”, because they were sequestered, along with other Black workers, to a building on the west campus of Langley, with separate facilities and cafeterias).   This film has been named by a number of outlets as one of the best films of the year, and also netted nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer, who plays Dorothy Vaughan.

Arrival: This film is a bit different from the other two, in that is was actually adapted from a novella by Ted Chiang, entitled Story of Your LIfe, which won the 2000 Nebula Award for Best Novella.  If you haven’t seen this film or read Chiang’s work, it’s really hard to describe the plot without giving the whole thing away….suffice it to say that both film and book are narrated by Dr. Louise Banks, who is hired by the US military to study a race of aliens that have made first contact with humanity.  She discovers that the heptapods (so named because of their seven legs and circular appearance) have a spoken language and, more significantly, a written language that is, essentially, circular.  Her study of their language–and, in so doing, their culture–she begins to think like them, as well (known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis), and realizes not only the nature of the world, and her place within it.  Though Eric Heisserer, who wrote the Academy Award-nominated screenplay (for Best Adapted Screenplay) stated that this was his favorite science fiction book, he also talked about how difficult it was to bring a book that relies so heavily on physics and complex linguistics to the screen.  Ultimately, though, as he notes, “While all of that science and language work went through a hundred iterations, what remained constant was the main character Louise’s emotional journey”.

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At the Movies: Live By Night

The Guardian describes the newly-released adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel “Ben Affleck’s love letter to – and hopefully death knell of – the classic Hollywood gangster flick.”

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And while the first part of this is definitely true, I think the latter part of that statement is unfair.  Its’ true that Ben didn’t seem able to decide what he wanted with this film–it’s a movie that tries to be both a faithful adaptation and a contemporary commentary on the period in which it’s set; it’s also a movie that is so dedicated to looking and sounding like a “classic” film (Affleck’s goal in writing/director/starring in the thing) that it forgot to feel.  But what I think is really the problem here is the one that book lovers despair over every time they go see an adaptation like this one.

The book was better.

Generally speaking, this is true because a book gives you several hundred pages, typically, to get to know a character, to learn to feel something (love, like, hate, curiosity) about them, and to watch their story unfold.  Unless you speed-read or skim, books generally take a number of hours to consume.  Movie give you two hours, give or take thirty minutes or so.  Even the most subtle of screenwriters can’t jam all the events, all the emotions, all the logistics of a novel into a script.  And no actor, however gifted and experienced, can spell out on screen the mental processes that you can on a page.  So choices have to be made.

From FilmmakerIQ.com
From FilmmakerIQ.com

Sometimes, that works out well.  Because, while movies can’t describe things the way books can, books can’t show things the way the movies can.  In this way, I think Live by Night succeeds.  The costumers, the scenery, and the props are stunning, and, even if those 1920s Packards are driving far faster than the real ones were capable of doing, they allow you a glimpse into the world of the book that isn’t always easy to do in your imagination.  I, for one, can’t imagine Florida without the urban development and sky-scraping condos I’ve seen on postcards.  This film gave the the panorama of the coast without those buildings, and made it really easy to understand the potential that Joe Coughlin, our erstwhile hero, and his business partners saw upon their arrival.

2426609Sometimes, films can provide options that books can’t.  Douglas Adams, for instance, substantially re-wrote his The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for every adaptation, which allowed him to try new plots and character development each time around.  Other adaptations explore moments that books intentionally don’t–my mind goes right to the Red Room scene in Jane Eyre, which is a seminal, if understated, moment in the book, but generally a hugely important scene in films.  For me, the recent adaptation of Maugham’s The Painted Veil was incredible, because it made explicit through film the elements that Maugham couldn’t.  Because the events of the book are only seen through the heroine Kitty’s eyes, we can’t see clearly the effect of her choices on her husband Walter.  But this film let’s us meet Walter more clearly, and, even though it is a faithful adaptation, it also allows us to see more of their relationship than Maugham did (and more of Hong Kong itself, which is a huge bonus, too).

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From The Painted Veil

But sometimes, it just doesn’t work.  And that is where Live By Night becomes a bit of a cautionary tale.  This isn’t Ben Affleck’s first time adapting Dennis Lehane.  He adapted Lehane’s Gone Baby Gone in 2008.  But my problem with both these films is that they are books in the middle of series.  Granted, they might be the strongest books in the series (though I would disagree about Gone Baby Gone.  Darkness, Take My Hand will always be my favorite book in the series, hands down…).  But the fact remains that you are, essentially, forcing a movie-going audience to come to enter a conversation that’s been going on for days.  Or invited them to the high-school reunion of a school they didn’t attend.  Or, perhaps most appropriately, to a book club where they didn’t read the book.

2750514-1This isn’t fair to a book-loving crowd who knows these characters well and don’t need the necessary introductions you have to cram into the film to get everyone up to speed on who’s who.  And it isn’t fair to the crowd who haven’t read the books, because you there is so much work to do to establish relationships and history and desires and trajectories that are fully covered in other books.  In The Given Day (the first book in Joe Coughlin’s three-book tale), we come to understand the devastation the First World War had, not only on the bodies of those who fought in it, but on their outlook, on their belief in their country and themselves, and the xenophobia that took root across the United States during this time.  In the film, this is summed up in two lines and some stock photos.  In Live By Night, we get to see the results of those events, and understand why Joe is the way he is…not because the voice-over told us, but because we were there with him.  In Live By Night, we get to reference the racial tensions that the Coughlin family encounters, but they remain background noise to Joe’s life story.  In the books, race and identity are a crucial and deeply complex parts of the story, so much so that without them, the plot doesn’t hang together correctly.  Joe is a man shaped by those around him, but this film can’t afford the time to show his creation, so he emerges as a man with some incredible suits and the right words to say, but without a soul or a heart.  And while the film Live By Night can take us to some stunning places, it can’t get us inside the characters the way three books could.

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At the Movies: Workers Leaving The Lumière Factory in Lyon

Are you a film buff?  Do you come into the Library and make a beeline for the new DVDs?  If so, today is a day worth celebrating–it’s the anniversary of the first commercial film screening.

Auguste and Louis Lumière
Auguste and Louis Lumière

Film History actually goes back to the 1830s, as various European inventors worked on creating spinning disks with images inside them that, when spun, produced the illustion of action.  Thomas Edison demonstrated his “peepshow’ Kinetoscope in 1891, a machine that, essentially, worked like a flip-book.  A single viewer would peer through the viewer at the top and a reel of special film would be run through the machine to show an image.  But though the Kinetoscope was the model of the modern film projectors, it was limited at the time because only one person could use it at a time.  Two of the people who saw the machine when Edison brought it to Europe were Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean Lumiere, who worked in their family’s photographic plate factory in Lyon, France.

A view of the Kinetoscope that shows the inner workings of the film through the machine
A view of the Kinetoscope that shows the inner workings of the film through the machine

When their father saw the Kinetoscope in 1894, he declared (as many proud parents have throughout history, I’m sure) that his sons could do better.  And so, they did.  By 1895, they had developed the Cinematographe, a machine that was considerably lighter than Edison’s ponderously heavy projector, used a good deal less film to project an image, and was capable of displaying images on a screen, thus enabling groups of people to watch the same film projection at the same time.  Though other inventors had shown ‘moving pictures’ to an audience before, their designs were clunky and immediately supplanted by the remarkable Cinematographe.

a918b7da6f806bdf22254eb9c04fa04fThe Lumiere Brothers debuted their invention at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris on December 28, 1895.  In an evening of technological and cinematographic history, they screen ten films, each less than a minute long (each film was approximately 17 meters long).  The program consisted of films shot in and around Paris by the brothers themselves, though it is thought that they used Léon Bouly‘s cinématographe device, which was patented the previous year (just to show you how much inventors were focused on moving pictures at this point).  The order of the films screened were as follows (you can read more about each film in the link in the titles):

  1. La Sortie de l’Usine Lumière à Lyon (literally, “the exit from the Lumière factory in Lyon”, or, under its more common English title, Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory), 46 seconds
  2. Le Jardinier (l’Arroseur Arrosé) (“The Gardener”, or “The Sprinkler Sprinkled”), 49 seconds
  3. Le Débarquement du Congrès de Photographie à Lyon (“the disembarkment of the Congress of Photographers in Lyon”), 48 seconds
  4. La Voltige (“Horse Trick Riders”), 46 seconds
  5. La Pêche aux poissons rouges (“fishing for goldfish”), 42 seconds
  6. Les Forgerons (“Blacksmiths”), 49 seconds
  7. Repas de bébé (“Baby’s Breakfast” (lit. “baby’s meal”)), 41 seconds
  8. Le Saut à la couverture (“Jumping Onto the Blanket”), 41 seconds
  9. La Places des Cordeliers à Lyon (“Cordeliers Square in Lyon”—a street scene), 44 seconds
  10. La Mer (Baignade en mer) (“the sea [bathing in the sea]”), 38 seconds

These films are also hailed as the first primitive documentaries, since they show real people going about their real lives–particularly the workers exiting the Lumiere factory–as well as the first comedies, since “The Gardener” is an early form of slapstick comedy.

largeThe effect their invention had on popular culture was immediate and enormous.  People flocked to see screenings across Europe as the Lumieres took their invention on tour.  The Lumieres opened theaters (which they called cinemas) in 1896 to show their work and sent crews of cameramen around the world to screen films and shoot new material.   New Orleans’ Vitascope Hall–the first cinema in the United States–opened that same year (admission was 10 cents), and The New York Times published its first film review in 1909.  However, neither brother believed that ‘cinema’ had a future, and decline to sell their camera or disseminate their technology, which didn’t earn them many friends.  Though they would go on to develop new kinds of photographic color plates that revolutionized photography, their involvement in film history was quite brief…but no less important for that.  hith-lumiere-brothers-poster-113493490-ab

So why not come into the Library today and check out some of our impressive DVD collection in honor of the Lumiere brothers?  Or, at the very least, to prove to them how remarkable their invention truly was?

 

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At the Movies: Ghostbusters

It isn’t often that summer blockbusters stir much controversy…unless one’s definition of “controversy” includes “Why Will Smith didn’t appear in Independence Day: Resurgence“.  However, there is one film currently gracing the silver screen that has been getting a lot of attention, and not always for the most inspiring of reasons.

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There had been talk about the production of a Ghostbusters 3, which would reunite the original cast (which includes Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd) for years, but the death of Harold Ramis in 2014 put an end to those discussions.  It was decided, instead to make a reboot of the franchise with a new cast that, according to director Paul Fegis, would borrow from the growing popularity of supernatural and paranormal thrillers (like The Walking Dead), and would “tell a story you haven’t seen before. Or tell a story you’ve seen before, but in a way you haven’t seen it.”  In January 2015, it was also announced that the new film would star  Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones.

And that’s when it started.  From out of the woodwork came those who utterly rejected the notion that a movie could, or should, have an all-female cast.  Comment sections of any number of website became vitriolic quagmires of anti-feminist, misogynistic, racist, angry verbiage.  The situation was not helped by the release of an a 5fd866dfe646374688bb29b1ca68df03early trailer in March that…well, it wasn’t very funny, or terribly coherent.  And Those In The Woodwork took it as a sign that women were inherently not funny, not capable of starring in a movie without a leading man, and that the film itself was a complete waste of everyone’s time and money.  There was a movement to get the trailer the “most hated” upload to Youtube, and to make it the lowest rated film ever on IMDB.  Before anyone had ever seen the film.  There was even sizeable criticism directed at the cast for visiting The Floating Hospital for Children in Boston in costume during filming.  Since its release, Leslie Jones was subjected to such an onslaught of racist abuse on Twitter that it caused a national debate about hate speech, and resulted in the banning of several users, including a writer for Breitbart.

Now, we here at the Free For All are not ones to shy away from a controversy, and have always been vocal about our beliefs that women and men are both equal human persons, who deserve equal recognition of their talents and creations.  And it is with that in mind that I state, here and now, that it is a delightful film.

03dc73f6bc290067c61ed4490376b3eafbe1201c0ac4b61d3e9f9a08e609df43Is it Citizen Kane?  No.
Does it ever try to be Citizen Kane?  No.
What it is, is a funny, occasionally whip-smart, generally family-friendly comedy with enough jump-scares to satisfy horror fans, and enough humor to comedy fans entertained, as well.  Running through it all is a really positive message about teamwork, self-confidence, resilience, and keeping a firm hold on your sense of humor in the face of darkness (and a few quips about ignore the comments section of websites, which filled me with real, true joy).  It’s also worth noting Chris Hemsworth’s irresistible and wonderfully understated turn as the world’s most…unique…administrative assistant.  Not only it the film’s willingness to play with large- and small-scale stereotypes a treat, but this cast works together so well that, honestly, it’s a welcome relief from the furor surrounding it. Cameo appearances by original Ghostbusters stars Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Sigourney Weaver will surely give long-time fans something about which to smile, and Sony has already released plans for a sequel,  which certainly made me happy.

So if you’re looking for a way to get out of the heat this week, consider seeing Ghostbusters, and see what all the fuss is about for yourself.  Or, you could come into the Library, where we have plenty of related recommendations for you, too!  Here are just a few to get you started:

2627943Ghostbusters: A movie-fest involving the original film, written by Harold Ramis and Dan Ackroyd, is always a good idea, along with the sequel, made in 1989, which reunited the cast for another ghostly, messy adventure.  This thirtieth anniversary DVD also features deleted scenes, outtakes, commentaries, and a whole bunch of extras to really help you get full immersed in the world of this series, and the throughly wonderful early-modern special effects that will really help you appreciate how far CGI has come since 1984!  Keep an eye out for that ghost in the library, which is a perennial favorite scene.  Don’t worry, though–our ghosts aren’t nearly as messy.  Or as loud.

3222876Goosebumps: As a child of the ’90’s, I was convinced that these books were the scariest things they would let you read in grammar school.  Though time and age has diminished my terror of R.L. Stine’s immortal series, featuring such chilling characters as Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy, or the evil Lawn Gnomes pictures on the left, nothing can diminished the over-the-top thrills and drama woven into each scene of these books.  Last Halloween, Jack Black also starred in a movie based on this series in which he plays a fictionalized R.L. Stine.  Though enormously fun for kids, I think the real intended audience of this film are those of us who grew up sneaking Goosebumps books into school and trading them under our desks, shivering in delight at the cameras that took pictures of the future, or the neighbor’s demon cat.  If you’re honestly looking to scare the pants off your inner child, try the series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.  The illustrations alone are enough to have you hiding under the bed.

3521499 (1)Silence for the Dead: Simone St. James is single-handedly bringing the Haunted House genre back into popularity, and each of her stories feature admirably strong women who survive and thrive despite all everything the world throws at them.  This story is set in Portis House, a sprawling, remote hospital for shell-shocked patients in the decade after the First World War.  Though Kitty Weekes is willing to do anything necessary to get a nursing job at Portis House, she isn’t ready for the overwhelmingly depressing atmosphere, the secrets that everyone seems to be hiding…and the nightmares that plague each patient, as if the house itself were trying to drive them mad.  St. James creates characters who are so vivid that it’s difficult to remember they live only on the page, and that is what makes her stories so gripping, and the darkness they face so chilling.  The romantic subplot in this book is completely charming as well, providing a welcome balance to a novel that deals frankly with very real tragedies, as well as supernatural suspense.

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…It’s only February?

I don’t know about you, but it seems that the presidential election has already reached a fever pitch…and there are still nine more months to go….

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For those of you who revel in the election process, who thrive on the political wrangling and debate, we celebrate your good fortune–particularly in these next few days, as the political machine has descended on New Hampshire.  The airwaves, newspapers, and, in general, any public space, seemed full of debate and commentary–and commercials.  Endless commercials….

….And for those who who are very seriously considering hiding in your Officially Library Approved Blanket Fort until November, then you, likewise, have our full support.  Election decisions are difficult enough without the incessant stress that this process can induce in people, and the realization that the whole to-do is only getting started can be more than a little overwhelming…Either way, we at the Library are here to support you with voting assistance, informational resources, or a quiet sanctuary away from it all.

For President, Abram Lincoln. For Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin. (Abraham Lincoln, 1860) Caption: ÒIt seems as if the question whether my first name is ÔAbrahamÕ or ÔAbramÕ will never be settled. It is AbrahamÓ wrote Lincoln in June 1860. However, one campaign banner opted for the shorter and more typographically convenient ÒAbramÓ during one of the must crucial presidential election campaigns in its history. Credit: The Library of Congress

For today’s If/Then post, we are looking to merge the two, by offering you a selection of political films and tv shows to keep you in the election spirit, but ones that are firmly rooted in fiction, to help you escape the realities of this specific race (or at least the commercials!) for a little while.  This list has been curated, hopefully, with a blend of optimism and cynicism to suit any mood or taste.  So, without further ado…

If you’re looking for some election-themed viewing entertainment, Then check out….

2227184The West Wing:  This show had to be at the top of the list.  For many, it was the medium through which they learned how the electoral and judicial process worked, and in Martin Sheen’s performance as President Josiah Bartlett, a generation of young voters found their ideal Commander-In-Chief.  This show also became legendary for Aaron Sorkin’s linguistically complex, lightning-paced scripts that help characters sound better than any human being had a right to do.  All seven seasons of this series makes for ideal binge-watching, but even a season or two are sure to help you escape–and you’ll definitely come away with a wealth of factoids regarding the Presidency that you never knew you needed.

2089533Dave: Part Prince and the Pauper, part political commentary, this utterly quirky and perfectly heart-warming film is an all-around feel-good success.  Kevin Kline stars as Dave Kovic, an idealistic young man who makes some spare money by impersonating President Bill Mitchell.  But when he is called upon to help the President cover-up a personal rendezvous, he finds his job become much more permanent–Mitchell is incapacitated by a stroke, and Dave is forced to assume his duties…and in the process turns Washington upside-down.   There is plenty to be said about the shortcomings of politicians, but Dave’s wide-eyed optimism is enough to calm the most cynical of viewers, and the unexpected romance within this story rounds out a delightful film.

51dLUfhoZJL._SY300_The Thick of It: Fans of British television should not miss this savagely funny series that satirizes politics across the pond.  Centered around the fictitious Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, this show looks at the wild u-turns, bitter feuds, and hysterical side-shows that accompany every government policy and decision.  At the helm is current Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi as one of the most foul-mouthed, ill-tempered anti-heroes in television, who somehow still manages to be weirdly sympathetic.  Fans of Veep on HBO should also keep a sharp eye out for Chris Addison, the show’s current director, as Ollie, one of the most slimiest young upstarts you’ll ever hope to meet.  The cast reunited to make In the Loop, a feature film that shares many similarities with the show, so be sure to check that out, as well.

3326037 (1)Veep: Since we’re on the subject, don’t miss this show, that fans and critics seem to agree is one of the smartest comedies out there.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as former senator Selina Meyer who becomes the erstwhile second-in-command.  Though a British-conceived and produced show (the show’s creator, Armando Iannucci, also created The Thick of It), a number of Washington insiders have commented on the accuracy of the absurdity of it all.  It’s also wildly refreshing to have such an ambiguous female lead in this show, and to have the chance to follow her wild ride to power, and there is no one who can pull this all off better than Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

3378238 (1)House of Cards:  Though based off a British mini-series of the same name, the American version of this show, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, has become the stuff of legends, and given viewers permission to revel in the dark side of politics.  As the conniving Frank Underwood, Spacey’s almost Shakespearean bid for total power is a somewhat-terrifying, but wholly captivating performance that caused my mother to hang up on me whenever I called while it was on.  Best of all, all three seasons of this show are available through the NOBLE Network, so you don’t have to miss a minute!

Happy Viewing, beloved patrons!

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At The Movies: The Danish Girl

“It is not with my brain, not with my eyes, not with my hands that I want to be creative, but with my heart and with my blood.”

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Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, Universal Pictures

Lili Elbe, the first person to successfully undergo gender assignment surgery, and the subject of the new film The Danish Girl, was born Einar Wegener on December 28, 1882 in Denmark.  Einar married fellow artist Gerda Gottlieb, and the two launched successful careers, with Einar painting landscapes, and Gerda painting portraits for popular magazines such as Vogue and La Vie Parisienne.  Though critics and historians are consumed to this day with which of the two was the “better” artist, it’s very clear that they both helped each other to become better artists, as well as better human beings.

In fact, it was Gerda who championed Einar’s transition into Lili sometime before 1912.  As captured in  The Danish Girl, it was while modeling for Gerda (after the model she had hired cancelled their appointment) that Einar realized how much more comfortable he felt in women’s clothing.  By 1912, the couple had moved to Paris where Einar was far more free to live as Lili.  Gerda also found considerable inspiration from Lili, painting a number of portraits of her and inspired by her, that won her lasting fame and notoriety.

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Gerde and Einar Wegener in front of Gerde’s painting, 1924

However, as the years passed, Einar was growing more and more despondent, feeling thoroughly torn between the two lives he was living, lamenting, “I am finished.  Lili has known this for a long time. That’s how matters stand. And consequently she rebels more vigorously every day.”  Doctors were unable to help, as there simply was no proper language at the time to describe how it felt to be a person trapped in the wrong body and forced to live a charade every single day.  They diagnosed schizophrenia, hysteria, and any number of other psychological disorders, offering rudimentary cures that often did more harm than good in an attempt to render a “cure”.  But, as Einer explained, “I said to myself that as my case has never been known in the history of the medical art, it simply did not exist, it simply could not exist.”

Thankfully, however, Einar found Magnus Hirschfeld, a German physician, as well as the founder of the the world’s first gay rights organization, known as the World League for Sexual Reform.  It was a result of Hirschfeld’s medical theories, and the talents of Doctor Kurt Warnekros (and the support of Gerda) that Einar was able to physically transform, physically, into Lili.  Very little information is known about these surgeries, since all of Hirschfeld’s publications and notes were destroyed by the Nazis, but we do know that the first two surgeries were successful, making Lili the first person to undergo sexual reassignment surgery.

Though the third and final surgery would prove ultimately fatal for Lili, she still rejoiced in the fourteen months in which she was fully allowed to be herself.  “That I, Lili, am vital and have a right to life I have proved by living for 14 months,” she wrote, knowing that she would not survive. “It may be said that 14 months is not much, but they seem to me like a whole and happy human life.”

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Lili Elbe, 1930

 

1915572Though the current film starring Eddie Redmayne as Lili and Alicia Vikander as Gerda is partially based on facts, the title and inspiration were taken from David Ebershoff’s novel The Danish Girl, which used Lili Elbe’s life only as inspiration for a fictional story (Gerda appears nowhere in the novel; instead, the main character is married to an American, in an attempt to attract a wider audience).  This does raise some problems for those looking for the facts in the matter, but what arises, both in the (stunning) film and Ebershoff’s book, is the fierce, enduring, and transformative love that existed between Lili and Gerda throughout both of their lives.  This love gave both of them the courage to be the people they wanted to be, and endures both in Lili’s writings and Gerda’s portraits, which show us the soul of the person that was Lili Elbe.

For those looking for some more information on this film, and the themes within it, here are a few ideas.  First and foremost, of course, is Ebershoff’s The Danish Girl.  In addition, check out:

41whrVMfofL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_Undoing Gender:  Judith Butler’s work is not always easy to understand, but her philosophy of gender, and her ability to cut through our collective cultural inhibitions, is remarkable.  Butler’s career was built on her theories that gender is not something with which we are born, but something that we develop, based on the culture in which we live, and the person that we become.  This book, however, deals more with how gender affects our lives and relationships.  Her first chapter, which discusses what makes a “grieveable life” is one of the most poignant and frank discussions about love, humanity, and loss that you can hope to read, and provides a terrific counterpoint to The Danish Girl.

2071649Scanty Particulars: Though Lili Elbe was a pioneer in many ways, there were others before her who flaunted convention and experimented with gender expressions in their lives.  Rachel Holmes’ biography deals with one remarkable and still mysterious case–that of Sir James Barry, one of Queen Victoria’s most well-respected military doctors.  Throughout his career, Barry insisted on the rights of women, natives, and the poor, fearlessly causing scandal in every colony in which he was stationed.  He also performed the first successful cesarean section in British medical history.  It was only after Barry died that it was reveal that Barry was actually a woman.  Though Holmes makes a number of liberties in her history, and leaps to some thoroughly unfounded conclusions, this is still an incredible story about a person who fearlessly flaunted convention in a lifelong desire to do the most good possible, and died penniless and alone as a result.

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At the Movies: Creed

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Ok, ok, I realize this film came out in November, but one of the joys of Hermitage Week (or Hermitage Month…or Hermitage Season!) is getting to catch up on the films you still haven’t had time to enjoy, as well as the books, and this film had been on my “To See” List about a year before its actual release date.

Creed is more than a rooting-for-the-underdog story–it’s a tribute to the Rocky franchise, particularly the first installment (which is my favorite, so I was thrilled).  Adonis Creed is the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa’s first true opponent and brother in the ring.  But though he’s grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, he’s never had the chance to make a name for himself, apart from his deceased father’s legacy.  So he packs up, quits his lucrative job, and moves across the country to Philadelphia, in the hopes of convincing his father’s best friend, Rocky, to train him.

The result is a phenomenal coming-of-age story, as Creed figures out what he truly wants from the world, what he needs to do to get it, how he has to negotiate a life that isn’t easy or simple or safe anymore, and how to be in love with a strong, smart, independent woman.  Its a really interesting social commentary; the film-makers don’t ignore the racial issues that underlie Creed’s life, but they do it so elegantly that it becomes part of the story, rather than a counterpoint to it.  It’s also a touchingly quirky buddy movie; there is an instant camaraderie between Balboa and Creed that grows into something life-changing for both of them, which may be the best, and most unforgettable part of the film.  And yes, the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art make a cameo, in perhaps my favorite scene in the whole film.

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It’s also a movie about boxing, obviously.  But, like Rocky, boxing isn’t just boxing.  Boxing is a parable for life and love and self-worth, and this film capture the art of the sport, and the dedication of its practitioners, beautifully.  And, if you listen really closely, you can hear “Eye of the Tiger” woven subtlety (if that is even possible) into the film’s final montages.

So, if you’re casting about for a film, Creed comes highly recommended from the Free-For-All.  And if you’ve already enjoyed it, here are some other ideas from the Library to supplement the story:

2249304Rocky: This one should be obvious.  Not only is it a terrific, honest story that has withstood the test of time pretty darn well, Creed is packed with references and allusions, big and small, to this classic film.  This quintessential Cinderella story features a very young Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, a skilled fighter who is wasting his talent working for a loan shark, until he gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot at the heavyweight title.  In the process, he also manages to win the girl of his dreams–Adrian Pennino, who is a fantastic heroine, about whom I could say a great deal (perhaps in a later post?).  The other films in this series are good, but this one is by far the best.

3623456The Professor in the Cage : Why Men Fight and Why We Like to Watch: When a mixed martial arts gym opened across the street from his officer, unhappy adjunct English professor Jonathan Gottschall decided to join, and explore the lure of violence, the thrill of the fight, and the fascination that we, as a species, have always seem to have with combat.  This book is a mish-mash of Gottschall’s personal experiences of training and fighting, a history of fighting, and a consideration on the violence of the human individual that is all highly readable, and helps to explain how and why films and stories about fighters continue to draw us, even though the sight of blood or bruises make us cringe.

3641966Below the Belt: Jeannette Murray’s new romance series featuring the men of the Marine Corp Boxing Team is pretty interesting for a few reasons.  First, her books are really fun, easy, steamy reads, secondly, her heroes aren’t your stereotypical warrior, alpha-male, gun-toting dominants.  Which leads me to my favorite part of these books.  Her characters, and the situations in which they find themselves are remarkably realistic.  In the series’ opener, Brad Costa will do anything at all to make it to the Marine Boxing Team, but he is plagued with doubt that he is too old, and too beat-up to keep up with the new recruits.  He thinks he’s covering things well–until the new trainer, Marianne Cook, sees right through his charade.  This is very much a story about two people with dreams and goals, much like Creed and his Bianca, who strengthen each other, and that kind of dynamic makes for a sensational story, whether you’re a devoted fan of fighter-romances or not.

35393572 a.m. at the Cat’s Pajamas:  For those of you who though Bianca’s music in Creed was pretty funky, for those of you who enjoyed the sights and sounds of Philadelphia that aren’t on the tourist ads, and for those of you just looking for something charmingly different to read, Marie-Helene Bertino’s book is here to satisfy all your interests.  Madeleine Altimari is a feisty, head-strong nine-year-old jazz singer who is determined to perform at a local jazz club that is slated for closure.  This is a laugh-a-minute, cry-a-minute books with a sensational sense of place, an a heroine that you can’t help but love.  I think Bianca and Madeleine would be terrific pals.