I watched Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot again the other day.
I remember going to see it in Bordeaux at the little arts cinema (Le Trianon? It may have changed name or no longer be there, this was back in '88 or '89). I went with an English friend, Maggie.
I can't remember ever laughing so much before, or since. There were times that I struggled to catch my breath. I really did think it was the funniest film ever made.
But, I'm sorry to say that it doesn't transfer well to the small screen. It is definitely an experience that needs to be shared. There is so much humour in the film but not all of it "clicks" with everyone. With an audience present, there is always someone who finds something funny and one gets swept along with their laughter.
I have a great affection for the film (hence the title of this blog) and I will return to it. I am not laugh at every gag but I will always feel a little bit like I am back in that audience in Bordeaux.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Si je me souviens...
...la ballade etait bien.
What a great song.
Still haven't worked out how to get accents.
What a great song.
Still haven't worked out how to get accents.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Blogging
I've just been looking at the Stephen Duffy/Lilac Time website (http://www.thelilactime.com).
I am impressed that SD updates the blog section frequently. It's something I've decided to try to aspire to. (Some might say, to which I have decided to try to aspire). I have to admit that for someone who has a blog, I'm not much of a blogger.
Henceforth, I intend to get more onto this blog and see what transpires.
Looking back at previous posts, it's hard to see how seeing a cowboy on a bridge can be of any relevance to anyone (and I include myself in that assertion).
I have already discovered a marked tendency towards parentheses (or brackets).
More soon.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Cowboy
As I drove into work this morning, I saw a cowboy (or rather a man dressed as a cowboy) crossing a footbridge over the dual carriageway. This was at about 9.15 in the morning.
Surely most cowboys have already hit the trail by then...
Surely most cowboys have already hit the trail by then...
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Election
Well, I got one of my wishes: that the Conservatives would not sneak in. The other wish that my Tory MP would be ousted did not come true. I really had hoped that the local Lib Dem candidate would break through his slim majority but the Tories had obviously mobilised their rural voters. His slim majority was more that doubled. Just goes to show how you can put the frighteners on some people.
Just before I voted I overheard someone hissing "asylum seekers" to a friend as she walked along, polling card in hand. I may be wrong but I don't think this was a positive comment she was making...
I just hope that the Labour government won't be tempted to inch further towards the Tories hateful (hatefilled?) policy on the issue of asylum. I just hope that Blair hasn't "listened and learned" from Howard on this.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Post Office
Large, central Post Offices are odd places.
Quite aside from that disconcerting voice that beckons you to the counter ("cashier number five, please") there is the clientele*.
Now, I don't want to appear non-PC but odd people seem to visit central Post Offices. It's a fact.
Today while queueing to post my banker's draft to Belgium (see previous post) there was a woman in a tracksuit shouting instructions to the cashier while listening to a portable radio. This made communication somewhat difficult. Then, at one point, she stopped and said in a loud clear voice:
"This music is doing my f###ing head in!"
At the other end of the row ("cashier number two, please") there is a mum with a pushchair and a face full of stainless steel piercings. At the risk of sounding like Seinfeld/Larry David, what's the deal with lip piercings? When you do that big gulp of coffee thing where you swirl the liquid over your front teeth there must be some sort of incidental fine spray.
If I make a point of not sitting near these people in cafes** and bars, this could be taken the wrong way.
Perhaps I will need to think about this one.
* I need to work out how to do accents on this thing
** My education demands an accent here but it isn't necessary in English. I can't just leave that sort of thing hanging though without a footnote. As someone once said : "a pedant is what someone who is wrong calls someone who is right".
Quite aside from that disconcerting voice that beckons you to the counter ("cashier number five, please") there is the clientele*.
Now, I don't want to appear non-PC but odd people seem to visit central Post Offices. It's a fact.
Today while queueing to post my banker's draft to Belgium (see previous post) there was a woman in a tracksuit shouting instructions to the cashier while listening to a portable radio. This made communication somewhat difficult. Then, at one point, she stopped and said in a loud clear voice:
"This music is doing my f###ing head in!"
At the other end of the row ("cashier number two, please") there is a mum with a pushchair and a face full of stainless steel piercings. At the risk of sounding like Seinfeld/Larry David, what's the deal with lip piercings? When you do that big gulp of coffee thing where you swirl the liquid over your front teeth there must be some sort of incidental fine spray.
If I make a point of not sitting near these people in cafes** and bars, this could be taken the wrong way.
Perhaps I will need to think about this one.
* I need to work out how to do accents on this thing
** My education demands an accent here but it isn't necessary in English. I can't just leave that sort of thing hanging though without a footnote. As someone once said : "a pedant is what someone who is wrong calls someone who is right".
