A review of the charming but poignant film “The Farewell”
October 20th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
This mostly Mandarin-speaking film is billed as “based on a true lie”. since it is the lightly-fictionalised experience of writer and director Chinese-American Lulu Wang. The lie in question is the deceit perpetrated by the family of Chinese grandmother Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) when she is diagnosed with incurable lung cancer and given little time to live. She is not told that she is ill, but instead treated to an unprecedented family reunion through the device of a hastily-arranged marriage.
The events – amusing, moving, sad, poignant – are seen from the point of view of Nai Nai’s beloved granddaughter Billi, played with sensitivity by rapper-turned-actor Awkwafina (real name Nora Lum) whom I saw in “Ocean’s 8”.
Most of the narrative is set in the north-eastern Chinese city of Changchun, a metropolis with the population of London that is totally unknown to almost everyone outside China (including me). In fact, I have visited China four times and spent many hours in Chinese flats eating huge meals in large family gatherings, just as is featured so often in “The Farewell”, so much of the movie really resonated with me.
But, anyone with a heart will enjoy this delightful film with its subtle comparison of cultures and portrayal of very different – but all too human – characters, all of whom mean well.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Brexit bingo – on the day of the Commons vote and the people’s march
October 19th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
A drink is not compulsory each time you hear these, but it might not be a bad idea:
- “Customs border in the Irish Sea”
- “Get Brexit done”
- “The will of the people”
- “17.4 million people”
- “No more dither and delay”
- “A reckless Tory Brexit”
- “No-deal cliff edge”
- “Chlorinated chicken”
- “No one voted to be poorer”
- “Race to the bottom”
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the new Will Smith film “Gemini Man”
October 18th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Although this movie has had poor reviews, I wanted to see it, partly because I like Will Smith (and you get two of him here) and partly because there was location shooting in Cartagena, Colombia during my visit there last year (the other non-American location – Budapest, Hungary – is familiar to me too).
Taiwanese director Ang Lee scored a success with the CGI film “The Life Of Pi” and the central plot device here – a brilliant hit man of 51 wants to retire after 72 kills but they send a young clone of him to take him out – had promise. I think the ‘youthification’ of Smith works very well and some of the action – notably a motorbike chase in Cartagena – is entertaining, but the plotting is weak and the dialogue is clunky.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
How did America come to be called America?
October 15th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
This is an interesting letter in the “Guardian” newspaper:
I fear Thomas Eaton (Weekend Quiz, 12 October) is giving further credence to “fake news” from 1507, when a German cartographer was seeking the derivation of “America” and hit upon the name of Amerigo Vespucci, an obscure Florentine navigator. Derived from this single source, this made-up derivation has been copied ever after.
The fact is that Christopher Columbus visited Iceland in 1477-78, and learned of a western landmass named “Markland”. Seeking funds from King Ferdinand of Spain, he told the king that the western continent really did exist, it even had a name – and Columbus adapted “Markland” into the Spanish way of speaking, which requires an initial vowel “A-”, and dropped “-land” substituting “-ia”.
Thus “A-mark-ia”, ie “America”. In Icelandic, “Markland” may be translated as “the Outback” – perhaps a fair description.
See Graeme Davis, Vikings in America (Birlinn, 2009).
Colin Moffat
Kingston upon Thames, London
Posted in History | Comments (0)
Which nationalities are the tallest and the shortest?
October 14th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
I’ve just returned from a week’s holiday in Montenegro and Serbia. I was surprised at how tall both the men and women were in both nations, so I’ve done a little research and I find that these are the 10 tallest countries:
The world’s 10 tallest countries
- Netherlands – 1.838m
- Montenegro – 1.832m
- Denmark – 1.826m
- Norway – 1.824m
- Serbia – 1.82m
- Germany – 1.81m
- Croatia – 1.805m
- Czech Republic – 1.8031m
- Slovenia – 1.803m
- Luxembourg – 1.799m
So, it was not just my imagination. Montenegro and Serbia are second and fifth respectively. Interestingly, two other former republics of the former Yugoslavia – Croatia and Slovenia – are also in the top 10.
So, what about the opposite end of the scale? Here’s the relevant data:
The world’s 10 shortest countries
- Indonesia – 1.58m
- Bolivia – 1.6m
- Philippines – 1.619m
- Vietnam – 1.621m
- Cambodia – 1.625m
- Nepal – 1.63m
- Ecuador – 1.635m
- Sri Lanka – 1.636m
- Nigeria – 1.638m
- Peru – 1.64m
All these data is for men, but the picture for women is similar. You can learn more here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Holiday in the Balkans (8): Stari Bar and Lake Skadar
October 12th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Our last day (Saturday) in Montenegro was another long excursion, starting at 9 am and concluding at 7.15 pm. Our first visit was to a local family operation for producing olive oil from their olive trees. Our guide described the “smashing” of the olives to create the oil.
Then we made a longer visit to the ruins of Stari Bar, the original medieval settlement founded by the Byzantine emperor Justinian in 6th century, located five km (3 miles) east of the modern city of Bar. There is still a lot of restoration going on here. It was a rare opportunity for a refreshment break and I had the best baklava of my life outside Athens.
The next part of the day was a two hour boat trip on Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans sprawling across the border between Montenegro and Albania. In winter the lake swells to over 500 sq km (190 sq miles) and some two-thirds belongs to Montenegro. We boarded our boat at the village of Virpazar and only saw the the most north-western corner of the lake. During the ride, we were served a kind is doughnut which is dipped in honey and eaten with soft, white cheese.
The final visit of the day and the tour was to a vineyard called “Vinarija Mrkan” at the tiny village of Rvasi. Over a late (4.30 pm) ‘lunch’ of cheese, tomatoes, and other bits, the owner of the vineyard invited us to sample a succession of six different wines and several liqueurs. The group were pretty merry on the ride back to our hotel.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Holiday in the Balkans (7): Kotor
October 11th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Yesterday we viewed the Bay of Kotor from high up in the surrounding mountains, but today (Friday) we took a boat ride on the Bay and spent some time in Kotor itself. The whole bay area including the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it really is a magnificent location.
The coach ride from our hotel in Petrovac to the boat in Kotor was around one hour and the weather was glorious. The Bay of Kotor is widely referred to as a fiord, but technically it is not a fiord which is created by glaciers but a ria which is sunken river basin. Whatever you call it, the views are stunning.
After half an hour or so on the boat, we called on the tiny artificial islet of Our Lady of the Rocks, almost all of which is taken up with a small Roman Catholic church. Then we sailed the short distance over to the little town of Perast. In spite of being small, its location has given the place a distinguished maritime history including supplying ships for the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
While we were on the bay, our coach had driven round to pick us up at Perast in order to drive us back to Kotor. This medieval walled city is known as the most fascinating city in Montenegro. Like all towns and cities in the country, it has been occupied many times, but it belonged to the Venetians from 1420 to 1797 and most of current remains were built by them. Indeed it looks a lot like Venice but without the canals and with surrounding high hills. Another difference is the experience of earthquakes, especially in 1667 and 1979.
Entering by the Sea Gate (or West Gate) of 1555, our guide took us on a walking tour of some of the main squares: the Square of Weapons (with the Clock Tower), the Square of Flour, the Square of St Tryphon (with the cathedral of the same name dating back to 1166), the Square of Circulation (with the Maritime Museum), and the Square of St Luke (with its Romanesque church of that name).
Like so many locations of this kind around the world, most of Kotor is given over to hotels, cafes, restaurants and gift shops so, when we were given some free time, Kathleen and I had no problem finding a good place for lunch and a shop to buy some jewellery for gifts.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Holiday in the Balkans (6): Cetinje & Njegusi
October 10th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Another day (Thursday), another excursion – but shorter this time (9 am – 3.15 pm). We started with our first experience of rain but the weather soon brightened up and then became warm (22C).
Our first destination was the charming town of Cetinje. This was founded in the 1480s and it was Montenegro’s capital for over four and a half centuries until 1945. We visited the Museum of King Nikola who was the ruler of Montenegro from 1860 to 1918, a period regarded as the country’s ‘golden age’. The building dates from 1871 and is the former residence of the king. All the furnishing is original except for the silk wallpaper.
Next stop was the sleepy village of Njegusi which was the birthplace of the ruler Petar II. Here we visited a restaurant called “Konoba Kod Radonjica” where we were treated to a light meal of cheese and the local version of prosciutto which is an air-cured ham called “prsut”.
From here, our coach took a precipitous and winding single-lane road down to the coast with fabulous views of the Bay of Kotor on which we will sail tomorrow. The road has 23 numbered hairpin bends (or “serpentines as our guide called them), but there are almost 50 in total and all the while there is a huge drop by the side of the narrow road but spectacular views of this World Heritage Site.
Driving through the coast town of Budva, we stopped opposite the tiny island of Sveti Stefan which is connected to the mainland by a stone causeway. Today this is Montenegro’s most exclusive resort and the location of some scenes from the James Bond film “Casino Royale”.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Holiday in the Balkans (5): Albania
October 9th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
It was another long but interesting day (Wednesday) with collection from the hotel in Petrovac at 8 am and return towards 6 pm. It was a day of two halves: one in southern Montenegro and one in northern Albania.
So the morning involved time in the nearby town of Ulcinj. This is the southern-most town of former Yugoslavia with a very long history. It was settled by the Illyrians and Greeks in the 5th century and regularly raided by pirates and used for a slave market. It was an Ottoman possession for over 300 years and today it is 70% Albanian and 70% Muslim.
We climbed steep, stone steps up to the Old Town to look around the Citadel which includes a slave square, a church-mosque, and two tiny archeological museums.
After over three hours on the go, the group rebelled and I negotiated with our guide that we would have a stop for drinks and toilets. Then we headed for the border with Albania. Our guide had asked us to bring our passports and warned that she had experienced delays of up to two hours going in and coming out of Albania. In fact, as she put it “We have the luck” because our passports were not examined and we were over the border in 5-10 minutes.
Albania is a small nation with a population of less than 3 million, over a third of them living in the capital of Tirana. When communism ruled throughout Central and Eastern Europe, Albania had one of the most eccentric and xenophobic of all the communist leaders in Enver Hoxha. Our guide pointed out several of the more than 173,000 bunkers built in the country during Hoxha’s rule to protect against possible invasion from foreign powers.
We joined a local guide who took us round the remains of the Rozafa fortress located on the outskirts of the city of Shkodra on a rocky hill 130 metres (430 ft) above sea level. We were told that there have been fortifications on this site for some 2,500 years but what one can see today is mainly of Venetian origin.
Afterwards we drove down to Shkodra itself. This is one of the most ancient cities in the Balkans and was founded in the 4th century by Illyrian tribes. Today it is a significant centre in modern Albania with a population of around 110,000.
At this stage, the group instigated another revolt when we challenged the plan to visit a museum before we had lunch. After all, we had had our breakfast around 7 am and it was now 2.30 pm, so it was agreed that we would eat first and visit the museum – a collection of historic photographs called the Marubi Fototeka Collection – after we had enjoyed the local cuisine.
Leaving Albania took no more time at the border than entering. Although it was a very short visit, it was enough to see how under-developed the country is, although our guide assured us that “They are in good progress”.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Holiday in the Balkans (4): forest and monastery
October 8th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Tuesday in Montenegro started in Kolasin in the mountains in early morning when it was just 4C and ended in Petrovac on the coast where it was a balmy 22C.
First we visited the National Park of Biogradska Gora which is one of only three primeval forests in Europe. The trees here are around four hundred years old. We had a most enjoyable one hour stroll around Biogradsko Lake but the low water level was yet another indication of climate change. Then we returned to Kolasin for a coffee break and Kathleen and I shared a small pizza.
Next stop close by was Moraca Monastery which was founded in 13th century by the Serbian prince Stefan Vukanovic Nemanji and centres on a small church with frescoes from 16th & 17th centuries. Then we travelled by a spectacular limestone ravine down to the Adriatic coast to Petrovic nad Moru which is part of the so-called Budva Riviera where we are staying at Hotel Riva for five nights.
This delightful little coastal town has a promenade with hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops plus a beach and remarkable stratified cliffs. Sunset was glorious and later we even saw a shooting star. And, at a local restaurant for dinner, I found a banana split.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)