I promise to keep this short.
(86) is Friday, 2 April 2010.
I went to the Rodin museum today with my friend Victoria (also on VWPP). This museum is by and large about sculpture (and those are by and large the work of-- who'd have thought?-- one Auguste Rodin), although there are a few neat little painting gems, including this neat Van Gogh. The museum is this great old building (although it could use a new paint job in certain parts of the ceiling) and the art is really beautiful, but the true highlight of this place (at metro Varennes on line 13) is the sculpture garden. It's full of (are you ready for this?) Rodin sculptures, elegant plantings, well-trimed shrubs, and even a pond.
Even better is that many of these statues are doing Michael Jackson moves.
ThrillAH! Thrill-ah night!
A piece from Rodin's Moonwalk period
This one's titled "The Jackson 3, or, The Mighty Ducks"
So, after about two hours of browsing, Victoria and I decided to get lunch on this open Friday afternoon. So, we headed back to her place and made spaghetti and chicken, and we watched 300, which I had actually never seen.*
After the movie, I headed over to visit Aaron, Kirill, Dan, Liz, her father Andrew, and his copine (French for "girlfriend") Marci. We had sort of a potluck dinner of chili and other such things (I brought wine) before going to the theater. We bought tickets to Le Roi Lion. Any guesses on what that one is? Anybody?
The Lion King. The broadway musical. The one with the costumes. In French.
Pretty entertaining show, and a steal at 25 euro a ticket. Costumes and set were my favorite part. I had never seen the Broadway version, so it was a constant game of "Okay, how are they going to put this film-only scene on stage? ...Oh! Oh, that's pretty creative!" I don't want to spoil it for those of you who may yet make it to Broadway for this one (which I might recommend, provided you don't have any other shows you'd rather see), but some of the ways they turn people into animals and landscapes are really original. Musicals adapted from Hollywood movies are a collective pet peeve of mine, but I must admit that, artistically speaking, this one brings something new to the table. Rock on.
(87) is Saturday, 3 April 2010.
My host family was out of town for Easter weekend, so I chilled out at the house and did some writing (the creative kind) for a change. I also realized that this would be my last full weekend in Paris during my actual abroad program.
(88) is boring because it was almost exactly the same as (87).
(89), too. But did you know that Easter Monday is a national holiday in France?
(90) is Tuesday, 6 April 2010.
I got to Reid Hall early today, which is freaking bizarre, but I got to hang out with some people I don't see as much, including Myles, Tyler, Max, and Carryn.
Most of you readers probably don't know who I'm talking about. Hmm. Oh, well. On with the entry. We then had Reid Hall film class, where we talked about a bunch of different film versions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Not a bad lecture, and it was graced with a uniquely gratifying moment near the end. One of the movies the professor** discussed-- with the same seriousness as the others-- was the 1963 film The Nutty Professor, written by, directed by, and starring Jerry Lewis.***
So the professor analyzes it. Picks it apart. Stops as often as he did for The Searchers. But the best part-- the BEST PART-- was when he stopped the movie just before Jerry Lewis transforms. There's a gag where Jerry is sneaking into the lab at night and his shoes squeak. He takes them off, keeps sneaking, and the noise continues anyway (probably the funniest part of the movie, and it was actually not a terrible gag). The professor stops the film and explains that, if I can translate, "the sound of the shoes has taken on a life of its own, just like Mr. Hyde will, once the transformation happens."
Best moment of the semester. I really do respect this man, but now I know he's making this shit up.
So, after class, I had host family dinner and then went out again. This is unusual for me on-- what, Tuesdays?-- but I had an invite from Lucien to join a bunch of people at Notre Dame. Max and Nathaniel Draper brought guitars, and we all sang. We moved down to the quai (sidewalk along the Seine) and just sang our favorites. It was a magical evening. And I even caught the last metro.
(93) is Friday, 9 April 2010. It concludes a few days I spent watching a lot of Hitchcock movies and working on my paper.
Next time, from Belgium.
-Andy
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I'm talking to the man in the footnotes... I'm asking him to change his ways...
* Surprisingly good, probably because of my expectations. Definitely epic, Xerxes is a great villain, and that's probably the best role Gerard Butler will ever play. Although I was rather perplexed that such an epic movie took place on a platform of maybe 30 meters square. And lots of blood... so much lots of blood...
** I don't know if I've mentioned this, but my Reid Hall film professor is actually a big deal in the world of critical film theory. 'Cause that's a big deal. But seriously-- he's written a lot of books (including one I had to read last spring for my French New Wave class), and he was president of University of Paris VIII for a few years. That's the one with the REALLY good film program. If you're curious, google Jean-Louis Leutrat.
*** I'd like to take a minute to address this topic, one my father has been asking me about on and off since January. Many French people think Jerry Lewis is funny. I do not know why, and I feel almost embarrassed to ask. I think it's because he does slapstick like Jim Carrey (who is also very popular in France) and because there may actually be mise-en-scene things in his movies for big-deal French critical theorists to read into. What I don't get, especially after watching The Nutty Professor for this class, is how someone with Jerry Lewis's singing voice goes from Rat Pack ties to being so ridiculous and laughably unfunny. ...Wait... Yes, that's the wording I want. But does that even make sense? I supose not, but then, neither does Jerry Lewis, come to think of it.
Tuesday, April 6: Chilling at Reid Hall, Pense, dinner, singing on the Seine
Wednesday, April 7: Hitchcock, Torn Curtain, choir
Thursday, April 8: Stupid Day
Friday, April 9: watching movies
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