A review of the 1941 classic film “Citizen Kane”

May 24th, 2020 by Roger Darlington

I’ve just used lockdown to view “Citizen Kane” once more.

Widely considered – at least by critics – as the greatest film ever made and nominated for nine Academy Awards, at the time this film actually failed to recoup its costs at the box office and in fact only won one Academy Award (that for Best Writing). It was very much an Orson Welles creation: at the age of only 24, it was his first feature film but he was its producer, co-writer, director and star.

The quasi-autobiographical film examines the life, loves and legacy of American newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, a character based on a number of real personages, most notably William Randolph Hearst (who tried hard to prevent it from being made and then from being distributed).

The structure is non-linear with a series of flashbacks representing the points of view of various Kane associates – a technique unusual at the time – and the plot is driven by something called Rosebud as a MacGuffin (an object that shapes the narrative but is itself unimportant).

Having seen “Citizen Kane” several times, I always admire it but never warm to it. I admire it for its technical brilliance with use of deep focus photography and a whole series of unusual camera angles. But I find it a dark, even unpleasant, work because Kane is such a vain, cruel and unsympathetic character.

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In the age of Covid-19, how far should we be physically distancing?

May 23rd, 2020 by Roger Darlington

Ever since the UK started social (or, more accurately, physical) distancing in the face of the coronavirus crisis, we have been observing a 2-metre rule. But where does this guidance come from and is it the ‘right’ measure?

In fact, most older people – who are the most vulnerable – are not so familiar with metric measurements and therefore we are often told that 2 metres equates to 6 feet but in fact it is just over 6.5 feet. I suppose the government felt that a whole number was presentationally clear and that 2 was better than 1.

In recent days, however, the authorities have acknowledged that 2 metres is a “precautionary approach” and accepted that 2 metres is out of line with the advice in most other countries and with recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Other countries have opened for 1.5 metres. These nations include Australia, Germany and The Netherlands. Some countries have judged that 1 metre is sufficient. These nations include China, Singapore and France. The WHO advice is 1 metre.

For some reason, Korea has gone for an approach that is equivalent to 1.4 metres.

The varied advice on physical distancing may or may not have made a difference during the lockdown phase with minimal outdoor activities allowed. I suspect that, in clinical terms, the difference between 1 metre and 2 metres was tiny.

But the varied advice matters a good deal now that we are planning a return to work and the opening up of businesses including shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs. The difference between 2 metres and 1.5 and especially the difference between 2 metres and 1 metre would make a massive difference to the economic viability of many financially vulnerable businesses.

Expect the advice in the UK to be reviewed and revised.

Posted in British current affairs, Science & technology | Comments (1)

Who should presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden choose as his running mate? (2)

May 22nd, 2020 by Roger Darlington

I have done a posting on this subject before with my own view (Kamala Harris).

Now we have the ranking of the “Washington Post” as follows:

POSITION	POTENTIAL VP	CHANGE OVER LAST VP RANKING
1.	Kamala D. Harris	—
2.	Amy Klobuchar	DOWN 1
3.	Elizabeth Warren	UP 5
4.	Gretchen Whitmer	UP 1
5.	Tammy Duckworth	UP 4
6.	Val Demings	ADDS TO RANKING
7.	Stacey Abrams	DOWN 4
8.	Michelle Lujan Grisham	DOWN 4
9.	Tammy Baldwin	UP 1
10.	Gina Raimondo	ADDS TO RANKING

Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)

The meaningless of so much management and political language

May 21st, 2020 by Roger Darlington

Have you ever heard of …

… a problem that was not challenging

… a target that was not stretching

… a solution that was a silver bullet

… a solution that is one size fits all

… an organisation that was not on a journey

… a situation that was not going forward

… progress which was not at pace

… a sector that was not experiencing unprecedented change

Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)

Word of the day: anosmia

May 19th, 2020 by Roger Darlington

The word means a loss of the sense of smell. This is often accompanied with loss of a sense of taste.

One of my grandmothers had this on a permanent basis which meant that she could not smell if she had left on the gas cooker and she did not really enjoy her food.

The word is in the media today because the four chief medical officers of the UK have now added this as a warning symptom of Covid-19.

This has been general knowledge for a couple of months and I don’t understand why it has taken so long to be highlighted by the government.

Posted in Cultural issues, Science & technology | Comments (0)

A review of the recent film “Jojo Rabbit”

May 17th, 2020 by Roger Darlington

When “Jojo Rabbit” was released at the cinema, I had no wish to see it – for me the idea of a Hitler comedy is an oxymoron. But the film received some excellent reviews and proved popular with viewers. Then I found myself in lockdown during the coronavirus crisis and, with little else new to watch, I decided to give it a go.

Although it is based on a novel, the film is very much the creation of New Zealand comedian Taika Waititi, who is part Maori and a bit Jewish, since he wrote and directed it as well as playing the role of Adolf Hitler as the imaginery friend of the eponymous 10 year old German boy (a remarkable performance by the British Roman Griffin Davis in his first professional role).

I can see what Waititi was trying to do – present a parody of Nazism and anti-semitism – but I’m afraid it just doesn’t work for me. I found it silly, sentimental, surreal – but never convincing. You might feel differently.

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A review of the recent movie “Knives Out”

May 15th, 2020 by Roger Darlington

When “Knives Out’ was released at the cinema, it was both a commercial and a critical success, but I was not sure that it was the film for me. However, when I was subject to lockdown in the coronavirus crisis, I wanted something light and entertaining and decided to have a stab at this old-fashioned ‘who done it?’ murder mystery both written and directed with verve by Rian Johnsone.

I found it fun but (perhaps inevitably) very contrived. The original set-up is simple enough: successful and rich 85 year old American author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead, supposedly by suicide, but information from a succession of family gatherings at his grand home increasingly confuse the picture.

A particular delight of the movie is to see Daniel Craig, whom we so associate with the role of James Bond, playing southern sleuth Benoit Blanc and Chris Evans, so often the clean-cut superhero Captain America, as the family’s ‘black sheep’. Other familiar actors include Don Johnson, Toni Colette and Jamie Lee Curtis.

So it is very watchable although hardly special. Nevertheless, it seems that is not the point and that “Knives Out 2” is being unsheathed and Blanc is back.

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Al Capone was finally brought down because of his tax affairs. Could the same thing happen to Donald Trump?

May 14th, 2020 by Roger Darlington

This is an extract from the Wikipedia page on American gangster Al Capone:

“The federal authorities became intent on jailing Capone, and prosecuted him in 1931 for tax evasion. During a highly publicized case, the judge admitted as evidence Capone’s admissions of his income and unpaid taxes, made during prior (and ultimately abortive) negotiations to pay the government taxes he owed. He was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. After conviction, he replaced his defense team with experts in tax law, and his grounds for appeal were strengthened by a Supreme Court ruling, but his appeal ultimately failed. Capone showed signs of neurosyphilis early in his sentence, and became increasingly debilitated before being released after almost eight years of incarceration. On January 25, 1947, he died of cardiac arrest after suffering a stroke.”

This is an extract from a BBC report on a current case before the Supreme Court concerning President Donald Trump’s refusal to reveal his tax records:

“The US Supreme Court has heard arguments on whether President Donald Trump should be allowed to keep his financial records secret, in a major showdown over presidential powers. Mr Trump has refused to share documents that could shed light on his fortune and the work of his family company. Two congressional committees and New York prosecutors demand the release of his tax returns and other information. Mr Trump’s private lawyers argue he enjoys total immunity while in office. A ruling is expected within weeks. Unlike other recent presidents, Mr Trump has refused to release his tax returns and a decision against him could result in his personal financial information becoming public in the campaign season. Experts say the ruling will have far-reaching implications for the ability of Congress to scrutinise the activities of sitting presidents and of prosecutors to investigate them.”

At any other time, this court case would be big news internationally, but the coronavirus crisis means that few people outside America – and indeed many in the USA itself – are not aware of this dramatic matter.

Posted in American current affairs, History | Comments (0)

In the UK, it’s Day 50 of lockdown and Mass Observation would like to know about your day.

May 12th, 2020 by Roger Darlington

This year, the Mass Observation Archive will be repeating its annual call for day diaries, capturing the everyday lives of people across the UK. The written diaries will be stored in the Archive at The Keep and be used by a wide range of people for research, teaching and learning. This is the 10^thAnniversary of the 12^th May Diary project.

If you’d be interested in taking part (come on, you’ve got plenty of time now!), you’ll find the information here.

I’ll be contributing to the project. I’ve kept a daily diary since I was 13 which means I have a complete record for 58 years. During this period of lockdown, it has been a strange comfort to me to record what is happening and how I’m feeling,

Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)