Category: Film, TV & Radio

Nie Yinniang

Hou Hsiao-Hsien is a Taiwanese film director. He is a perfectionist and has spent almost eight years making his latest film, Nie Yinniang. Here it is called The Assassin, although “yinniang” actually means “hiding woman”, and it could be called The Woman in Black.

Figaro, Where?

The Metropolitan Opera in New York has been broadcasting Saturday matinees live to cinemas in Europe for ten years. It’s a super way to see tip-top productions with the bonus of watching what’s going on back-stage and hearing the singers being interviewed.  Only been around for ten years but already I have my favourite moment.… Continue reading Figaro, Where?

Rebellion

Have you been watching War and Peace on the BBC? I haven’t either but what I’d like to see is Rebellion on RTE (the Republic of Ireland broadcaster). Just to bring you up to speed, 100 years ago, in 1916, when the rest of the world was concentrating on the First World War, Ireland had… Continue reading Rebellion

Man in Taxi

Man in taxi* was the sobriquet bestowed on an old friend by Wikipedia. He was mentioned  because of a curious incident that took  place on the evening of 24th March 1974.

SS-GB

I meant to tell you about Masters of the Everyday: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer, the current exhibition at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. It is a remarkably good show. I’m not writing about it because afterwards on my way to lunch. I took this picture on The Mall.

Rapunzel – The Blonde Years

There is one room at Barmeath that I’m pretty sure I have never been into. It is on the upper floor of a turret and was approached by an external, rather rickety, wooden staircase.

How To Be One-Up

If you are unaware that Shakespeare died on 23rd April 1616, that state of innocence will not last long. The Bard will be impossible to escape this year, like a virulent influenza. I propose to inoculate you with a small dose that may protect you against getting the willies.

Let Us Pray

Increasingly, the BBC World Service provides less provincial and more interesting news than the BBC UK newsroom and their analysis is more intelligent. One such item caught my ear this morning.