Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Graspop, Klapisch, Aristocrats, Le Silence
Graspop Metal Meeting
An eight-hour bonanza of what my friend Viktor called "the last high-priests of an obsolete religion". It might be obsolete but the faithful turned up in their thousands turning the Flemish countryside into a scene from Lord of the Rings. Iron Maiden were spot on making it clear as hell that they take their 'message' far less seriously than their own fans. Black Sabbath, Dream Theater, dust, beer, frites and kebab with sauce andalouse completed the picture.
Klapisch
Cedric Klapisch kicked off his exploration of the "Erasmus generation" with L'Auberge espagnole (2002). In Les Poupees Russes (out now in Brussels) he chronicles post-Erasmus life and the "Eurostar generation" (work in Paris, love in London). Funny and very clever with the cliches. A voyage into what makes young-Europe tick. I went to watch it with a Polish friend and we came out feeling upbeat.
Aristocrats
Delicate play at The National in London about the painful final days of an aristocratic Roman Catholic family in Ireland and the resident American anthropologist who chronicles it all. Frustration, claustrophobia, half-truths and the longing to leave coupled with the magnetic pull of home.
Le Silence (2004)
The uncomfortable return of a Frenchman to his 'native' Corsica. It centres around the hunt for 'sanglier' (wild boar) in the rugged mountains of this amazing island which I visited twice. Pure beauty, sheer nature.
Vincent: Tu es taciturne.
Olivier: Non, non, je suis fatigue. Peut-etre c'est ce lieu ou tout le monde connait tout le monde...
¶ 5:51 AM
An eight-hour bonanza of what my friend Viktor called "the last high-priests of an obsolete religion". It might be obsolete but the faithful turned up in their thousands turning the Flemish countryside into a scene from Lord of the Rings. Iron Maiden were spot on making it clear as hell that they take their 'message' far less seriously than their own fans. Black Sabbath, Dream Theater, dust, beer, frites and kebab with sauce andalouse completed the picture.
Klapisch
Cedric Klapisch kicked off his exploration of the "Erasmus generation" with L'Auberge espagnole (2002). In Les Poupees Russes (out now in Brussels) he chronicles post-Erasmus life and the "Eurostar generation" (work in Paris, love in London). Funny and very clever with the cliches. A voyage into what makes young-Europe tick. I went to watch it with a Polish friend and we came out feeling upbeat.
Aristocrats
Delicate play at The National in London about the painful final days of an aristocratic Roman Catholic family in Ireland and the resident American anthropologist who chronicles it all. Frustration, claustrophobia, half-truths and the longing to leave coupled with the magnetic pull of home.
Le Silence (2004)
The uncomfortable return of a Frenchman to his 'native' Corsica. It centres around the hunt for 'sanglier' (wild boar) in the rugged mountains of this amazing island which I visited twice. Pure beauty, sheer nature.
Vincent: Tu es taciturne.
Olivier: Non, non, je suis fatigue. Peut-etre c'est ce lieu ou tout le monde connait tout le monde...
¶ 5:51 AM
