Whisky for the gentlemen who like it—and for the gentlemen who don't like it, whisky

1. Patrick Leigh Fermor. I shall take his memory as the excuse to watch Powell and Pressburger's Ill Met by Moonlight (1957), although it would probably be more of a tribute if I just waited for the final volume of his travel memoirs.

2. At this point I've been meaning to write about Tunes of Glory (1960) for almost two years; I footnoted it once as "a study of two clashing models of masculinity that implode with distressingly similar ease and . . . one of the movies that got me to notice John Mills" and then never got around to the actual post. I am not sure why sleep deprivation should be a motivating factor, except that I watched the film again the other night and was still tremendously impressed with it. Alec Guinness, John Mills, Ronald Neame. If Guinness really thought it was his best work on film, he had reason; ditto Neame, who said as much in interviews and his autobiography. It probably isn't the role I like Mills best in, but he's brilliant. Just don't expect to go away cheerful.

( A lemonade for Colonel Barrow. )

3. Do not forsake me, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling. You need to make more music videos like that one.

Also, sleep would be nice.