Lord Jim: Conrad's Book and Brooks' film

Jim (Peter O'Toole): I've been a so-called coward and a so-called hero and there's not the thickness of a sheet of paper between them. Maybe cowards and heroes are just ordinary men who, for a split second, do something out of the ordinary. That's all.

Though truly divergent works of art, with more than a few threads of a central theme, Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim (1899-1900) and Richard Brooks' 1965 film of the same name are both adventures worth taking. Each work stands on it own merits.

I read the book first and highly recommend starting with it. Then the film may serve as, not an equal, but a fine supplementary work of art. Supplementary in the most important sense in that it is an action adventure film with its serious themes stripped down, but still looming. While Conrad's novel is a meticulous examination an array of the elements of the human character and and "simple twists of fate." While the novel brings the characters into sharp focus, the film's cast truly bring the characters to life.

So take a South Seas adventure from the 19th century and learn a little about what heroes and courage are really all about.

Billie Holiday - "Strange Fruit"

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I doubt you will ever hear a song as powerful as this one. When Ms. Holiday would perform it in clubs (ignore the TV studio audience here), no one would clap -- the audience would sit there in awe. Moved. Thunderstruck.

See what you think.

"Sandy, The Aurora is Rising Behind Us"

Recently I've been listening to a great old Bruce Springsteen album, one that's a very good cheer-me-up record, The Wild, the Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1973) -- Bruce's last album before Born to Run hit and super-stardom soon followed.

It's like seven little operas, each containing their own story, their own sound and spirit, all crowned by the band's signature song in it's early days, Rosalita.

And as a happy 4th of July wish, here's a little treat from the record. Enjoy some independence wherever you find it.

Special Comment

In this writer's opinion, recent comparisons of the career of the late Michael Jackson to the Beatles and Elvis Presley simply wrong. Check back with me in 40 years. As artists, Elvis and the Beatles have stood the test of time. As for Mr. Jackson, we shall see.

A Face That Could Break a Thousand Hearts

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Faces such as this don't come wrapped in this much talent very often. To read more about Greta Garbo, see the Wikipedia entry here. In the mean time, enjoy these stills of one of the greatest film talents ever.

"Goin' to Acapulco, Goin' On The Run."

I've raved about Todd Haynes' I'm Not There (film) as an instant classic. (If you click on the album cover above, you'll see the soundtrack CD is even broader than the music that makes it into the film.) Here's an example of the power of the film for me: a Dylan song I've never heard of, covered by a band I barely know, lands among my top five music segments from the film.

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid are loosely woven through this new hide-out myth of Dylan's late sixties brief escape from the rock n' roll world. The surreal town of "Riddle" becomes the target of development (in this quasi-old-west tale (the railroad's coming right through the secluded valley) and the morality tale driving Dylan's outlaw-in-hiding persona a little farther down the road. Other interpretations welcome.

In the clip below -- (16 May 2010 update: My apologies, Web Sheriff has yanked the clip below because of a copyright claim; you will just have to trust me and rent the DVD) -- Jim James with Calexico give a spine-tingling, poignant performance. It's representative of such dramatic moments in the film, a film always reaching to grasp the multidimensional Dylan.

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"Jimmy Eat World": In the Middle, in Pain

I recently received these two Youtube links (one with embedding disabled) from my mentor over at Carnal Reason. "pwyll" wrote, "I'm listening to a bit of Jimmy Eat World as I type ... Rock and roll still has legs." And indeed it does.

I am officially, now, a Jimmy Eat World fan. And being stuck in The Middle in Pain is an issue in a lot of our lives. The rollicking guitars made it hard to understand every word, but I got the idea, these guys are serious and can keep time. Gotta love 'em.

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Jimmy Eat World -- In The Middle
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Jimmy Eat World -- Pain (radio version, link)
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