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Our like may never, ever be seen again
Next in my ongoing series of attempts to convince myself that not everything that passes through my mind at stray moments is terminally uninteresting to others . . .
For the Fourth of July, I recently re-watched 1776 (1972) with a bunch of friends. Observing the conversational fallout over the next few days—an elevated incidence of aphorisms, tones of amazed frustration, and spontaneous sing-outs of, "Sit down, [X]!"—it struck me, not for the first time, that I imagine most viewers either sympathize with or see themselves as John Adams. He is a wonderfully appealing figure, especially as played by William Daniels; there is a reason a gold dollar coin of him sits on my shelf of accidental talismans between the salt-green fishing float and the four pearls I have found in mussels. By a similar token, I would be surprised if there were no fandom for Franklin, and with any luck even one for Stephen Hopkins. But does anyone watch 1776 and identify with John Dickinson? I confess that while I longed for years to sic the dybbuk of John Adams on the Bush administration just for the fireworks, I'd be kind of curious to see what the ghost of Dickinson—the historical semi-Quaker or the fictionalized antagonist—would have to say about the current trends of political conservatism.
In other news, I am very taken with this statement:
To illustrate: a portrait can be painted without a nose, but the nose will be present, so to speak, through its obvious absence; whereas no one would ever remark that a given still life was missing, say, its banana, or a given landscape its lake.
—Jonathan Kalb, Beckett in Performance (1991)
It makes me want to write "Still Life Without Banana." Bonus points to anyone who can paint one.
For the Fourth of July, I recently re-watched 1776 (1972) with a bunch of friends. Observing the conversational fallout over the next few days—an elevated incidence of aphorisms, tones of amazed frustration, and spontaneous sing-outs of, "Sit down, [X]!"—it struck me, not for the first time, that I imagine most viewers either sympathize with or see themselves as John Adams. He is a wonderfully appealing figure, especially as played by William Daniels; there is a reason a gold dollar coin of him sits on my shelf of accidental talismans between the salt-green fishing float and the four pearls I have found in mussels. By a similar token, I would be surprised if there were no fandom for Franklin, and with any luck even one for Stephen Hopkins. But does anyone watch 1776 and identify with John Dickinson? I confess that while I longed for years to sic the dybbuk of John Adams on the Bush administration just for the fireworks, I'd be kind of curious to see what the ghost of Dickinson—the historical semi-Quaker or the fictionalized antagonist—would have to say about the current trends of political conservatism.
In other news, I am very taken with this statement:
To illustrate: a portrait can be painted without a nose, but the nose will be present, so to speak, through its obvious absence; whereas no one would ever remark that a given still life was missing, say, its banana, or a given landscape its lake.
—Jonathan Kalb, Beckett in Performance (1991)
It makes me want to write "Still Life Without Banana." Bonus points to anyone who can paint one.
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*snerk*
"Ní bheidh ár leithéid arís ann."
Interesting thoughts about 1776. I should probably watch that one again, sometime--saw it at school, once, and that was it, I think.
I'd definitely read "Still Life Without Banana." I've shot a few pictures which might be called that, but I amn't sure they're quite what you'd be looking for.
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I have not, I'm afraid; my subject line is quoting "Cool, Cool Considerate Men," sung by Dickinson and the conservatives in 1776. Tell me about the islandman.
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Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose that shows how long it's been since I saw 1776.
An t-Oileánach* (1929) is the autobiography of a Blasket Islander, a man name of Tomás Ó Criomhthain--the Blaskets are off the Dingle Peninsula. They're rough little islands that nobody lives on since 1953, and produced some great writers and story tellers.
"Ní bheidh ár leithéid arís ann." is the most famous quote from it. I'd render it as "There won't be the likes of us again," or "There won't be our kind again," something like that, but I could imagine a translator coming out with something closer to your subject line, or at least your making that of it so as to fit your mood more accurately.
*Some say Myles na gCopaleen's An Béal Bocht (1941) is a parody of the same.
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Yes. My college friend
I might identify with Dickinson, but 1776 isn't strongly archetypical for me. And Adams is just so much fun to watch. I strongly suspect that if I had lived during the American Revolution, I would have been a Tory, which is a weird thought.
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Okay. That's neat.
but 1776 isn't strongly archetypical for me. And Adams is just so much fun to watch.
I was shown the movie for Social Studies in eighth grade, the same semester we field-tripped to Washington, D.C.; I imprinted.
I strongly suspect that if I had lived during the American Revolution, I would have been a Tory, which is a weird thought.
Why so?
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And now I don't remember if I've seen 1776 or not, which probably means I haven't.
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Glad to have helped!
And now I don't remember if I've seen 1776 or not, which probably means I haven't.
Political history with songs and lots of argument. It's awesome. You should.
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I think for the purposes of argument the statement assumes that a landscape has been constructed in which a lake is not necessary, therefore no one would miss it; but I was still seized with an instant desire to disprove it. I just don't have the technical know-how to do anything with a lake rather than a banana.