OntheWilderSide

“There is no simple formula for the relationship of art to justice. But I do know that art—in my own case the art of poetry—means nothing if it simply decorates the dinner table of power which holds it hostage” – Adrienne Rich writing to NEA chair Jane Alexander t to decline President Clinton’s proffer of the National Medal for the Arts.

For New Years Eve, Ki and I watched the movie Impromptu that we had taken out of our local library.  Have to give a shout-out to public libraries,  we have seen many great movies from their collection.  Often these movies are discovered happenstance as this one was.

We, of course, interrupted the movie before midnight to toast with Martinelli’s Organic Sparkling Cider and a Moo Cluck Vegan Cupcake. We noted that the organic Martinelli’s  does not have the harsh edge that the non-organic does.  Moo Cluck is always wonderful. After a couple of curiosity-inspired IMDB and Wikipedia searches, we were back into the movie until about 2am.

We found the movie engaging in many ways.  The plot moved quickly while explaining the characters.  It was refreshing to not have to suffer through the non-linearity which seems to have become a movie making crutch. Most importantly, the characters hewed to historically accuracy.  I admit to being a difficult film-watcher.  I like to be both entertained and informed.  I ended the film feeling I was better acquainted with the personalities and art of George Sand, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, and Eugène Delacroix.

Read more »

Filed under: Art, film, music, News, social & economic justice, video | Tagged: Adrienne Rich, Emma Thompson, Eugène Delacroix, Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, George Sand, Hugh Grant, Jane Alexander | Leave a Comment »