Downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983

Downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983
STMcC in downtown Los Angeles, circa 1983

Thursday, May 31, 2018

SET THE "WAYBAC MACHINE" TO SEPTEMBER, 1969

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GROOVY '60s
2-Disc Compilation by Various Artists
copyright: 2001 by Medalist Entertainment
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Back in the day, all the smart kids dug 'The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show', so I'm sure that you remember the segment featuring that brainy dog, MR. PEABODY, his boy, SHERMAN, and their time travel device called THE WAYBAC MACHINE. Well, if Mr. Peabody escorted us back to September of '69, do you know what we'd find?
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* The city of Los Angeles is still gripped by fear after the bizarre Tate & LaBianca murders. Rewards are being offered by private citizens as LAPD seems stymied. (It will be a couple more months before the world hears the name Charles Manson.)
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* Julie Newmar (37"-22"-37") sans her Catwoman outfit -- or any other outfit, for that matter -- appears in the pages of Playboy magazine, making every MAN BATTY and every BOY WONDER.
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* A groovy little kid named Stephen T. McCarthy sits day after day at his desk in Mr. Oldham's fifth grade class at Grant Elementary School in Santa Monica. He doesn't learn much but he enjoys flirting with the girls and making a tie-dyed T-shirt in class.
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* "The Real" Don Steele of KHJ is spinning these 26 songs through transistor radios all over Southern California.
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Only a few Septembers ago {September 17, 2002}, my Brother and I drove across the desert to visit the lost kingdom of our Boyhood. We were listening to old tunes along the way. When "Aquarius" by The 5th Dimension played, I said that it was, for me, one of two songs that most exemplifies the day-glo paint & black-light poster daze of the late '60s. The other candidate being Oliver's version of GOOD MORNING, STARSHINE (both songs, coincidentally, originating with the Broadway musical HAIR, a dippy hippie sign of its times). It then occurred to me that I'd really like to own Oliver's trippy hippie flashback...
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When we got to our earliest childhood stomping grounds in Orange County, I spent 45 minutes looking through compilations at the Tower Records store at 220 N. Beach Boulevard in Anaheim, but to no avail. I was just about to give up when my Brother holds up the 2-disc set GROOVY 60s and says, "Does this Go-Go Girl give you any ideas?" I replied, "Nah, she's not my type. ...But let me see that!" And sure enough, there was Oliver with his "far out" musical tribute to Hippiedom: Disc 2, Track 7, GOOD MORNING, STARSHINE. "Right on!"
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There are two things that I especially like about this collection:
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1) It does not indulge in the outrageous excesses of the era. Not to be found are... Frank Zappa's "SUZY CREAMCHEESE" nightmare; the acid-induced "EXPERIENCE" of Jimi Hendrix; the shameless BLUES HEIST of Led Zeppelin; or the (for me) unbearable artsy pretentiousness of The Beatles and their "TOE JAM FOOTBALL" and estimate of "HOW MANY HOLES IT TAKES TO FILL THE ALBERT HALL". Instead, you'll find the mainstream mid to late '60s AM radio favorites.
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2) Unlike many collections that claim to capture an era but actually offer mostly minor hits, GROOVY 60s really does represent the apex of the Pop Music charts. 22 of these 26 cuts found their way into BILLBOARD's TOP TEN in their day. Of those, 14 climbed within the TOP FIVE, with 5 making it all the way to NUMBER ONE!
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Some of these tracks go beyond just the novelty of nostalgia: Nilsson's EVERYBODY'S TALKIN'; The 5th Dimension's WEDDING BELL BLUES and UP, UP & AWAY; Sergio Mendes' THE LOOK OF LOVE; Dionne Warwick's I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER; and The Percy Faith Orchestra's THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE" are genuinely fine musical pieces.
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Finally, we've found a first-rate collection of AM radio-friendly songs that gives us an authentic everyday taste of the groovy, psychedelic '60s. And now if we could just find someone who can actually remember the groovy, psychedelic '60s!
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(*I couldn't help noticing that the only other person to post a review of this 2-disc set at Amazon.com was also living in Phoenix, Airheadzona. Well, I guess now we know where all of the "freaks" went.)
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Sunday, May 27, 2018

THOREAUly Enjoyable!

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THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU
by Walter Harding
published: 1965
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'THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU' by Walter Harding is as fine a biography as I have ever read.
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On August 8, 1984-- my twenty-fifth birthday -- my very good friend, Marty Brumer, gave me the tome 'WORKS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU'. I had no way of knowing at the time that Thoreau would become one of my very favorite writers, nor that Marty (just beginning to establish a career as an actor in Hollywood) would be killed 5 years later when a man in a stolen car, trying to elude the police, would run a red light at high speed and collide with my friend's Volvo in the intersection. In a way, Marty still lives through my interest in Thoreau, which he played a significant role in establishing.
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In the Introduction to my copy of Thoreau's collected works, editor Lily Owens writes, "Thoreau was not a naturally political man. He was essentially an individualist and moralist. What he wanted most from government (and from most people) was to be left alone. Thus, few can embrace his philosophy whole." I'm hardly a naturalist; my interest in Thoreau originates from his wry observations about human nature, his passion for self-reliance, his Transcendentalist ideals & ethics, and his "plea that each follow his own inner light." And because there is so much "Thoreau" in me, I probably come as close as one can to embracing "his philosophy whole."
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I acquired Walter Harding's, 'THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU' in preparation for my Summer vacation (from which I've just returned) that took me to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the country's birthplace), and Concord, Massachusetts (site of "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" -- the first battle for American self-determination -- and Thoreau's beloved hometown with its Walden Pond, the body of water he made so famous). 
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But I read the book with some trepidation: biographies have not always been kind to my heroes. I always felt that Samuel Clemens was THE genius of letters, but unfortunately, I learned through a highly esteemed biography that the man had a materialistic bent which disappointed me. I felt that Andrew Jackson was arguably our last truly principled and heroic president, primarily because of his courageous and righteous battle with America's third central bank. ("You are a den of vipers! I intend to rout you out and by the Eternal God, I will rout you out!" Jackson thundered at Nicholas Biddle and the other supporters of the dictatorial Bank of the United States. And rout them out he did. That's the stuff legends are made of!) But a biography made me too aware of Jackson's many character flaws. I half regretted having read it.
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And so I wondered if perhaps I'd be better off knowing Thoreau only through his own written words; remaining blissfully ignorant of the details of his life. But I took a chance and read Walter Harding's extensive examination of the life of Henry David Thoreau, only to find that my misgivings were unfounded.
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Harding paints a very balanced portrait of Thoreau, the writer / naturalist / abolitionist, showing why some contemporaries found him insufferable while to others he was an inspiring leader, known to be fully committed to his high vision and avowed way of life. What I most appreciated was how Harding was able to remove himself from the picture and simply state the facts and the opinions of those who knew the man, allowing each reader to extrapolate what he or she will, and arrive at their own conclusions. Too often, the biographer can't resist trying to psychoanalyze their subject, meddling in the mind and seeking to unveil cloaked motivations and read into the most insignificant details, grandiose theories and subconscious meanings. Like a good detective, Harding sticks to the facts and lets the story tell itself. Along the way, the reader is treated to a lot of very interesting information. For example:
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* How appropriate that one of America's most influential writers should have revolutionized the pencil-making process in America while working for his family's pencil production company.
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* It was Thoreau's friend, Ellery Channing, writing from New York City who proposed the idea that the naturalist build himself a hut to live in at the shore of Walden Pond.
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* Evidently Thoreau was far from a natural carpenter: when his Walden house foundation was excavated a century later, hundreds of bent, antique nails were found discarded in the cellar hole.
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* In adding raisins to his dough before baking it, Henry invented raisin bread; the Concord housewives were shocked at the idea.
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* The abolitionist, Thoreau, was a regular conductor on the Underground Railroad and his Walden Pond cabin was used as a station on a couple of occasions.
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* True to his own solitary ways, Thoreau was more fond of the independent and aloof cat than of the loyal, but sociable dog.
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When Thoreau was very ill and dying, it was a touching scene to read of his friends and neighbors flocking to his bedside to say their "goodbyes". Greatly moved by the genuine outpouring of their affections, he commented that had he known, he wouldn't have remained so standoffish.
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All in all, 'THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU' by Walter Harding is a prime example of the biographer's art. It will be enjoyed by anyone who wants to learn about: the nativity of the conservation movement; the life of a naturalist; one of the founders of the Nineteenth Century Transcendentalist movement; and one of America's foremost men of letters and philosophy. I highly recommend it!
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Hey! Whaddaya know?
I read the biography
And I STILL like Thoreau!
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"Man flows at once to God when the channel of purity is open...
He is blessed who is assured that the animal is dying out in him day by day, and the divine being established."
~ Henry David Thoreau
'WALDEN'; chapter XI
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Monday, May 21, 2018

Ol' Stephen T. Rescues Another Album From OBLIVION!

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[This review was originally published at
BigBitch.com on June 29, 2005]
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LIVE OBLIVION -- Vol. 1 & 2
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
released: 1974 & 1976
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Well, here I am again, posting a review for something th t's been utterly neglected. Of my current 67 reviews, 10 or 11 of them  re the only posting for their respective product. In the song 'THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE', P ul Simon mentions, "writing songs that voices never share". In my case, however, it is "writing reviews that no one ever reads." What does that say  bout me? I guess, as in those immortal words of Waylon Jennings, I'm either "one step ahead, or behind." At any rate, I'm cert inly not a "Helpful" votes hound.
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In 1978 (when this recording was but 4 years old), I was driving North on Highland Avenue in Hollyweird, and shortly after crossing Sunset Boulevard (yes, THAT Sunset Boulev rd), this live version of 'BUMPIN' ON SUNSET' was pl yed on the AM radio station I was listening to (yes, AM radio! Unbeliev ble, I know!) I was immedi tely spellbound. It was one of those instances in which I started silently pleading, "Oh, ple se Mr. D.J., tell me who this is!" Well, he did, nd I went right out and bought LIVE OBLIVION, Vol. 1 (in those days, this was p ckaged as two separate LPs). I liked it so much that I later purch sed the 2-record, Vol. 2 set also. At th t time, I was a Rock 'N' Roll junkie, and these were the first JAZZ albums I ever owned. By the early 1980s, I had gravitated to The Blues, but since the mid-'80s, Jazz has been far nd away my musical preference.
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My favorite instrument is the Hammond B-3 Organ -- it is so soulful, so expressive, and so electrified and "electrifying!" Some of the B-3 Masters I like re Jimmy McGriff, Bill Doggett and of course, Jimmy Smith. But BRI N AUGER is my favorite -- he plays with such passion. Herbie Hancock (yes, THAT Herbie Hancock!) has s id, "Brian Auger is one of the best B-3 artists I have ever heard in my life. His technique is awesome nd the amount of energy he generates is unparalleled and relentless."
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So, when I affix 5 Stars to THE COMPLETE LIVE OBLIVION, you must take into consider tion my affinity for its featured instrument, the nostalgic value this set holds for me, nd the fact that THIS version of 'BUMPIN' ON SUNSET' remains one of my 5 f vorite instrumental pieces of all-time. (I'm const ntly whistling it.)
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Recorded at the intimate WHISKEY-A-GO-GO nightclub on Sunset Boulev rd in Hollywood, this is the rare live set that really conveys th t "you are there" feeling. Most of the pieces are top-notch: this is easily my f vorite version of Auger's signature tune 'BUMPIN' ON SUNSET', as the livelier pace makes the funky groove more pronounced. I really dig 'TRUTH', nd the closer, 'COMPARED TO WHAT?' (with its then-contempor ry Watergate reference), is a flat-out barnburner! (Too bad bout the "G-damn" lyric that infringes on my enjoyment of it.)
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But will YOU like this? It is JAZZ/ROCK/FUNK FUSION with a pronounced 1970s feel. The first few notes of 'BEGINNING AGAIN' immedi tely propel my mind back to that ancient decade. And I prefer these extended jams taken at a slightly quicker pace than their studio counterparts, even if it me ns a sound qu lity that is just a bit raw. In the liner notes, Auger wrote, "Although the sound on the lbum may not be all we would wish it to be, I am satisfied th t the spirit shines through." Indeed it does. I'm not a fan of Alex Ligertwood's frequently over-the-top voc ls, but since they are largely incidental to these lengthy and searing improvis tions, they rarely detract signific ntly.
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The currently "out-of-print" status of this  lbum means an inflated price for a used copy. I'd pay it, as THE COMPLETE LIVE OBLIVION makes my Top 25 album list. Listen to the song samples,  nd if you're already an AUGER fan, consider acquiring it. This IS a hot live set,  nd the band can really work that thang! But if you're fairly new to this surprisingly funky English B-3 bloke, you might w nt to start with the anthology [link> AUGER RHYTHMS: BRI N AUGER'S MUSICAL HISTORY, which is a more sonically varied and re sonably priced 2-disc collection. It presents a decidedly inferior 'BUMPIN' ON SUNSET', but otherwise, has A LOT to offer.
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I hope you didn't have too much difficulty in deciphering this review. For some reason, the letter " " on my keyboard isn't  lways registering, and I'll tell you this much: it's a real p in in the ss!
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~ Stephen T. McC rthy
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Monday, May 14, 2018

SHARIN' DARIN

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MACK THE KNIFE: THE BEST OF BOBBY DARIN -- VOL. 2
by Bobby Darin
released: 1991
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It strikes me that the individual human response to music is one of life's most intriguing mysteries. What is that unexplainable thing inside us that resonates to a certain combination of musical notes, or to the tonal quality of particular instruments, but not others? And why is this response not universal?
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For me, the melody of MY FAVORITE THINGS is so pretty, so clever, so addictive that I can't hear it once without it bouncing around inside my skull for the next several hours. And yet I know people who are apathetic about it. How can that be? We even find this mystery taking place between people who inhabit the same musical orbit. The "King Of Rock 'N' Roll" might have two devoted fans; the first who loves SUSPICIOUS MINDS and MEMORIES, but is not overly thrilled by HOUND DOG and IN THE GHETTO. The second fan's opinion is the complete reversal.
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Some might think that this is comparable to our myriad responses to food flavors, but in that example there is a physiological explanation -- something to do with chemical reactions in the glands, the taste buds. With music it's entirely intangible: some "it" within the inner being responds and makes the body move, the toes tap, the mind rejoice... or mourn.
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That "it" within me loves Bobby Darin's music, but "it" is selective. "It" doesn't care for Darin's pop hits, of which only a few appear on this collection. And although "it" really digs LAZY RIVER (which has one of the greatest, most energetic vocal performances ever) we play this album for the fabulously moving standard ballads -- some with Big Band arrangements. WAS THERE A CALL FOR ME; I GUESS I'M GOOD FOR NOTHING BUT THE BLUES; DON'T DREAM OF ANYBODY BUT ME; WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE; BLACK COFFEE; SKYLARK; and even CHRISTMAS AULD LANG SYNE -- these are the reasons you find me in this place. "It" likes 'em!
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There is a certain quality in Darin's voice that can be discerned on his ballads. It's an innate melancholia that can't be taught, nor faked. I have found this in the voices of only two other singers: the Jazz vocalist, Astrud Gilberto, and Karen Carpenter, who had it in spades! In fact, Karen had it so much so that it sometimes bled through even on her uptempo numbers like TOP OF THE WORLD and SING. It's a kind of faint whisper of an intense inner aloneness, or a vague remembrance of something; a wistful yearning for what has passed and can't be retrieved -- like a dream of something that glowed golden way back when, in the recesses of the mind. Hell, I don't know what it is, but "it" sure loves it!

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Anyway, that ("saudade") quality permeates so many of these recordings and that's why "it" makes me play them so often.
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If you know what I'm yakking about here, and if it appeals to your "it" too, then also obtain a used copy of the "out-of-print" album 'CLASSIC DARIN', if you can locate one at a reasonable price. That collection also contains many ballad tracks like WHERE LOVE HAS GONE; FLY ME TO THE MOON; A TASTE OF HONEY; SOFTLY, AS I LEAVE YOU; and SOMEWHERE, with Bobby's "blue" voice thang goin' on.
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According to his [link> 2004, July 13th Amazon.com review of this album, it seems that 'The-Big-Dong' doesn't have this same "it" inside of him. You think maybe I should go see if his priest can exorcise my "it", too?
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Thursday, May 10, 2018

SHORT ON STORY; LONG ON STYLE AND PERCUSSION

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BLACK ORPHEUS
directed by Marcel Camus
released: 1959
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I had seen BLACK ORPHEUS in the late 1980s and remembered being underwhelmed, but I procured a copy from my library to see it again as I’ve just discovered that I’ve been in love with Bossa-Nova music most of my life. (A long story and not worth retelling.) But my impression of the film remains mostly unchanged.
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BLACK ORPHEUS is of course based upon the Greek myth in which Orpheus -- the offspring of the god Apollo and Calliope -- is able to tame beasts and alter nature with his music, but is unable to save his true love. In this movie, the “beasts” are represented by roosters, goats, kittens, song birds, and puppy dogs (they ALL taste like chicken), and the manipulation of nature is the belief among the poor children residing in the hills above Rio de Janeiro that the sound of Orpheus’ guitar and songs cause the rising of the sun.
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The story takes place in the days leading up to Rio’s famous Carnival and, thus, the sights and sounds of that festive event just explode on the screen. The cinematography is a delight, featuring imaginative camera angles, compositions and movements, and gorgeous panoramic shots above and around Rio de Janeiro. 
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I have very little desire to travel outside of the U.S. (Egypt and The Holy Land being my dream destinations), and other than a couple of misadventures South-Of-The-Border, I’ve stayed “home”. (The accommodations in a Mexican calaboose leave EVERYTHING to be desired -- another long story not worth retelling... or reliving.) But my second viewing of BLACK ORPHEUS has convinced me that an all-expenses-paid trip to Rio offered by a wealthy Brazilian woman desiring a (tired & old) kept man / love slave isn’t something I would automatically reject. Additionally, this is one of the most colorful movies I’ve ever seen; there’s enough color on the screen to turn Walt Disney from blue to green with envy in his cryogenic tube!
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Most of the acting is of the amateur variety and it’s apparent (in ANY language). BLACK ORPHEUS sports two of the more annoying female film characters in my recent memory: Mira (played by Lourdes de Oliveira) and Serafina (played by Lea Garcia). But despite the non-professional status of their performances, Breno Mello (as Orpheus) and Marpessa Dawn (as Eurydice) are watchable: Mello for his charisma and handsome looks, and Dawn for her innocent charm and exotic attractiveness (pretty features and dark skin dressed in a crisp, virginal white dress. Yikes! Put me on her dance card!)
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Orpheus’ true love, Eurydice, is pursued by a mysterious man (the personification of Death) throughout the picture, but nobody -- including Eurydice -- bothers to inquire why. (Ah, them Greek myths -- never overburdened by genuine character motivations.) And there are a few other problems: During the Carnival, it goes abruptly from morning light to the black of night while we’re in the midst of a single dance. (Man, the days are short in Rio, and when its Sun falls, it falls FAST!). And the story (what there is of it) periodically bogs down in excessive lingering over some sequences. (Say what you will about what a moral cesspool the U.S.A. has become, but when we tell stories well on the silver screen -- an increasingly uncommon occurrence in recent decades -- no country tells ‘em better.)
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The truth (according to Stephen T.) is that, really, unless the viewer is paying their admission fee to vicariously experience Rio’s Carnival and/or to enjoy the complex rhythms of the Bossa-Nova beat and the simple beauty of composer Antonio Carlos Jobim's melodic lines, there isn’t a great deal of reason to spend 107 minutes with BLACK ORPHEUS. The score, however, is the main attraction here, and the payoff is rewarding if you’re a fan of Brazil’s great music. (I myself would be willing to view this movie yet again someday, just for that.)
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I’ll add that the final scene wherein three small children begin to reprise the Orpheus / Eurydice story theme while the sun rises to illuminate them gave me a wistful, inarticulate joy -- a kind of Saudade. Their enthusiasm was infectious, making a lovely ending to a so-so movie. But, of course, we know that ultimately Enduring True Love, the “Happily Ever After”, will slip through their hands like a... well... like a myth, as it does to us all. (But I suppose that for me, living in Rio and listening to Bossa-Nova daily as a wealthy Brazilian woman’s kept man / love slave would be the next best thing.)
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GOT BOSSA-NOVA?
[link> Bossa Nova for Lovers
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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