Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Riveting. I think its my new favorite movie. I was riveted to the screen the whole time. From the sultry notes at the beginning as Maggie sashays about her bedroom to Brick's brooding look, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is an amazing performance by all actors.

Passing

Passing, written by Nella Larsen in 1929, tells the story about two women Clare Kennedry who has severed all ties with her past and Irene Redfield who refuses to acknowledge that racism constricts her family's happiness. Its another one of those books that makes you ponder and look at the world in a new way even if it is only for a short while. It's the story about two African-American women who have light enough skin to pass as white during the roaring twenties.  Clare Kennedry decides to completely "pass" as white and marries a white bigot business man who is unaware of her lineage. Irene Redfield has chosen to stay with her African-American community in Harlem and only passes occasionally. It's a fascinating story about race and sexuality in the United States.
                                    
Don't read the introduction because it gives the ending away, but do read it afterwards because it is enlightening. Thadious M. Davis discusses Clare and Irene and the linkage between race and sex in Larsen's narrative (xx). Clare and Irene are opposites; Clare is adventurous, sexy, ambitious, elegant, and takes risk knowing that the consequence is sacrifice whereas Irene is more subdued, controlling, and revolves around her young boys and husband. Their story talks about the struggle about  accepting race, culture, and sexuality as one's own.
Passing was recommended by NPR and yours truly.

Summer Films 2010

I adore days where you sit in bed or on the couch and watch movies all day. In my case I was watching to be educated: This Film is Not Yet Rated, Jules et Jim, The Postman Always Rings Twice and The John Garfield Story. The night before I had watched Pretty in Pink and today I watched 'It' with Clara Bow. Did you know that Gary Cooper had a bit role in that film as the reporter, isn't that amazing? Next on my list is some Elizabeth Taylor, Mae West, Film Noir and I am slowly acquainting myself with Westerns. Barbara Streisand will also be making an appearance in my film education this summer. Any suggestions of films that I haven't seen are always appreciated.

Arranged

Arranged is a wonderful Film Movement movie that tells the story of a Muslim woman, Nasira, and an Orthodox Jewish woman, Rochel, who both are going through the process of getting arranged marriages. They live in New York City with their families and teach at a public school, where they become friends. It's a beautiful, sweet, and funny story that depicts the challenges of keeping strong traditional values in contemporary times. Reflecting on the film, I realized that I kept anticipating some tragic or dramatic climactic event because that is what most movies now currently do. Arranged held you by the hand and portrayed truthfully and simply a story.

I recently also saw Amreeka, which tells the story of a Palestinian woman and her son who come to live in the U.S. with her sister. There she experiences the difficulty of being Arab in an American town just after the invasion of Iraq.

A Room of One's Own

Published in 1929, A Room of One's Own is still relevant to today and was the first time I (finally) discovered Virginia Woolf. The first chapter was quite dull but after that I loved finding the gold nuggets of Woolf's knowledge as she processed her thoughts onto paper. Many times I wanted to underline passages and discuss them, but I try not to mark library books so I folded tips of pages. It was her questions that often provoked me to think more about the place, position, influence, freedom, creativity and liberty of women today.

Bill Harper's sermon this past Sunday was about who does God love more? The answer was (of course) women and children. Now there are specific reasons that women and children were "favored" and continue to be because at the time they had no rights and were considered as property. Thus, the Bible preached a message for men to reach out to women and children. The examples were from Elijah and the Gospel of Luke.

Woolf discussed women writers and how women write in a patriarchal/male dominated society. Her examples were the Brontë sisters and Jane Austen. Questions arose such as was the brain androgynous or was it actually female or male? (Read the Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, M.D .and you will come to find that females have specific hormones that alter the brain in different ways).

La pluie

I promised myself I would finish A Room of One's Own this weekend. I have only a couple pages left but the overcast skies always tend to lure me towards hibernation and trying to become a vegetable while watching movies or reading novels. It's been raining (I should say overcast) on Bainbridge since I came home about two, almost three, weeks ago. Right now I can hear the soft pitter-patter of rain as it hits the pavement and the leaves. Birds are calling, because that's what birds do in the spring, and there is an overcast, grey glow coming from the sky. The beauty about the rain in the pacific northwest is that it beautifully contrasts the bright, luscious greens on the side of the road. It also can cause seasonal depression which is what happens when you don't have proper gear or don't get the courage to get out the door and take a walk.