ARTISTIC LICENCE

I expect you know who won the oscar recently for best picture. Yes, it was Ben Affleck - who also starred in and directed the film Argo.

He is a hugely talented individual and I wish his film well. It tells the story of how the Canadian government and the CIA managed to rescue six American diplomats from the clutches of the Iranian students who occupied the U.S. embassy during the 1979 Islamic revolution.

I expect to go and see it and perhaps you will too.

One word of warning though. It is not a documentary. What it is is a good yarn and like all good yarns it distorts the truth. What you will see is not what happened. 

In the film six U.S. embassy staff were refused refuge by British diplomats - just the opposite of what happened. In reality we did give the U.S. staff sanctuary.

Ben Affleck has stated that the film casts us in a bad light. ‘But I was setting up a situation where you needed to get a sense that these six people had nowhere else to go. It does not mean to diminish anyone,’ he said.

So when you sit down to watch the film - especially if you're American, don't forget to remember that what you are about to see should begin with 'Once upon a time, in the land of make-believe...'



 

Image courtesy of [idea go] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

LOVE STORY

I hope that like me, there have been times in your life when you have been 'moved' by a good piece of writing.

My latest experience of this was watching a film called 'Lovely, Still' which stars Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn. I have noticed that many critics panned the film as being 'cheesy', schmaltzy' and the like. They clearly have no soul.

I'm about to give a resume of the cleverly worked story which is therefore a 'spoiler', because I think it's worth retelling.

We are introduced to an old guy who lives alone and who works in the local supermarket. One morning he sets off to work as usual but forgets to close the front door behind him because he is distracted by noticing a removals van arriving at a house opposite.

When he returns home, he is worried to find his front door open and entering cautiously he is alarmed to discover an elderly lady within. He confronts her and she explains that she was concerned to see his door open and came in to check he was OK. She also reveals that she is part of the family who have moved in opposite.

Being of similar age, they quickly become close friends and as the attraction grows they fall in love and have the fun of a senior citizen first date.

Their love affair continues to blossom and the old guy starts to plan to propose to his new love. However, we are soon informed that the couple are in fact already married. He has dementia and not recognising his wife, has fallen in love with her all over again, much to her delight.

Though I have revealed the main twist of the plot there are many other surprises which will delight you should you decide to watch the film.

What a wonderful story - and one which has a place in my literary heart forever.