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Barcelona. See it.

If you haven’t heard of director Whit Stillman yet, then you should remedy that.  Whit Stillman has 4 movies out: Damsels in Distress, The Last Days of Disco, Metropolitan, and Barcelona.  I recommend them all, but if you had to see any one of them and not the others, then I would encourage you to see Barcelona (the other two are fantastic, and if you see one, then you’ll be craving more).

Barcelona (1994) is a comedy about two young idealistic male Americans in Spain (not like Anthony Garret in Spain) at the end of the Cold War.  As is the case in all of his movies, one of the things that Whit Stillman does so well is dialogue.  Stillman has a keen sense of the amalgamation of high and low (something Sercer enjoys).  He deals with deep themes, incorporates works from the Canon, portrays the frustration, naivety, Romance, willfulness, and ecstasy of youth without being cliche.  He captures some aspect of the philosophic query into the nature of love, and he does this while making you laugh.  He invites you to yourself fall in love with the characters and all of the richness of Spain.  I really want to go to Spain after seeing this movie!

So, if you’re looking for a great movie that won’t leave you feeling entirely depressed about life then go and see Barcelona by Whit Stillman.

Warmly,

Lord Bloch

An Arthurian Ballad

After we read Pyle’s first collection of Arthurian tales, I had the students write a ballad on any of the stories from that book.  With a little guidance on form and an example poem to imitate, one boy was able to come up with this in study hall.

Sir Pellias and the Red Knight
By Cameron (a student in my 8th grade class)

Pellias rode to lands afar
Upon a noble quest,
To prove to everyone, by far,
Queen Guinevere was best.

But while upon his journey there
He heard the woeful cry
Of a damsel in great despair
As she was passing by.

She told of a knight clad in red
And of the castle great,
Her husband smote upon the head,
And brought within its gate.

Now Pellias doth take offense
To any knight so cruel,
So with the maid he traveled thence
To challenge that knights rule.

When he arrived he found that all
Was just as had been said;
The castle lord came riding tall,
His armor deep in red.

Quoth the knight, “I know not who thou art
Or what thy business be,
But if thou wilt not soon depart,
Then I shall strike at thee.”

Said Pellias, “ Wouldst thou attack
A man who has no shield?”
The knight: “If though will not turn back
We shall battle on this field.”

Pellias was shocked to hear
A knight would do such thing,
But then the knight came riding near
Intent with pain to bring.

A weapon suited to a fight,
For Pellias did search,
He hurled a stone with all his might,
The knight knocked from his perch.

The Gentle Knight ran to his foe,
And kneeled on bended knee
The Red Knight said: “I’m beaten, I know,
And yield myself to thee.”
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You didn’t forget about Belloc did you?

Here’s a quick quip from Belloc that I recently enjoyed.

Explicit Materialism, compared with the other philosophies meeting in man’s Palace of Debate, is like a jolly little self-satisfied dwarf who should be perpetually trying to push his way into the stately ceremonies of a Senate, and as perpetually getting turned out by the officials at the door: but who, on occasions, when the officials slept or were drunk, managed to push his way in and get at least to the top of the stairs for a few minutes.

Hilaire Belloc, Survivals and New Arrivals (Rockford, IL, TAN, 1992).

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