"Everybody must get stoned!..."

 "The Circle" Jafar Panahi

Swietowanie swietowaniem ale przychodzi moment, w ktorym trzeba ruszyc do pracy. I to sie wlasnie zaczelo. Wyklady, praca I inne zajecia no I zostaje odrobinka czasu na wypoczynek i sen. Ale ostatni tydzien byl naprawde fajny:

-         fajerwerki w drugi dzien Nowego Roku byly oszalamajace: nad woda, w srodku miasta, duzo halasu odbijajacego sie od drapaczy chmur I okrzyki tlumow ludzi. Ahhh…. A potem wieczor spedzony w restauracji japonskiej. Jedzenie az palce lizac.

-         Trzeciego dnia wedrowka po Hong Kongu. Odwiedziny jednej z glownych swiatyn (ludzie palili niesamowicie duzo kadzidel, az w oczy szczypalo I skladali owoce I warzywa na oltarzach). Potem Ogrody Zoologiczno-Botaniczne (fantastyczny zapach kwiatow ktore wlasnie zaczynaja zakwitac), potem glowny park miasta z ogrodem Tai Chi I kolacja zakonczona slynnymi lodami z zielonej herbaty w czerwonej fasolce.

-         W sobote impreza na 45 pietrze trapacza chmur (u Manuela z okazji jego wprowadzki), o moj Boze widok niesamowity – parapety przy oknach byly szerokie I niskie I sluzyly za sofy. Ah…. Do tego jeszcze niesamowite towarzystwo I rozmowy do pozna w nocy.

-         Potem wesele u Evy I Eagle w hotelu Ritz ze srebrna zastawa, luksusowym winem, muzyka jazzowa, swieczkami i romantyczna atmosfera. Do tego malinowy tort weselny, jedzenie az palce lizac a desery byly takie ze przez moment mialam wrazenie ze wyladowalam w niebie.

-         W poniedzialek pierwsza lekcja lucznictwa. Nauczylam sie w ktora strone trzymac luk, trafilam nawet kilka razy do tarczy. A instruktor fajny, taki samuraj.

Muzyka nowa I stara, ktora ostatnio mnie zafascynowala:

Trembling Blue Stars  - niesamowicie relaksuje

Bob Dylan: “Like a Rolling Stone”, “Rainy Day Women #12&35”, “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “I want you”. “Just like a woman”

Natalie Cole: “Mona Lisa”, “Nature Boy”, “Unforgettable”

Francis Poulenc – klasyczna

 Obejrzane ostatnio filmy:

“Scena nad morzem” Takeshi Kitano

Dziewczyna I chlopak, gluchoniemi. On zajmuje sie wywozem smieci; pewnego dnia zaczyna serfowac, rozwija sie jego fascynacja. Ona przychodzi nad brzeg morza aby go obserwowac, pamaga mu nosic deske.

Zupelnie inny film od tych Kitano, ktore do tej pory widzialam. Ma troche poezji z “Lalek” – tutaj Takeshi znowu pokazuje jak duzo mozna zdzialac samym obrazem bez uzywania slow. W calym filmie wlasciwie nie ma slow.

Podobal mi sie, robi wrazenie bo jest taki prosty – nic sie tam nie dzieje chlopak tylko trenuje serfowanie (przez caly film), ale film potrafi dotknac jakas glebie.

Mimo, ze go lubie mam wrazenie, ze czegos tam brakowalo. Moze tego co Pasolini uzyl w “Teoremie” – jakiegos szoku czy kontrowersji. Zreszta z tym to nie byl by ten sam film.

 “Krag” Jafar Panahi

Tutaj nastepny poetycki film. Piec kobiet w Iranie, kazda przed czyms ucieka I jest winna, bo jest kobieta.

Jedna, rodzi corke. Badania ultrasonograficzne wykazaly, ze ma byc chlopiec. Rodzina meza jest oburzona, prawdopodobnie zarzada rozwodu. Nastepna wlasnie wyszla z wiezienia; czlowiek ktorego kochala dostal kare smierci. Przed wyrokiem dano im jedna noc, ona w ciazy, sama na ulicy, bez szans na aborcje – to wbrew prawa aby kobieta miala dziecko nie bedac mezatka.

Wszystkie laduje w wiezieniu. Po wyjsciu z wiezienia nie ma dla nich miejca w spoleczenstwie I laduja tam znowu po wyjsciu. I tak w kolko.

Ciekawy film I miejscami przypomina document bo niektore ujecia sa czasem naprawde bardzo dlugie. A poetyka jest w samych ujeciach – kiedy zakrywaja sie czadorami, kiedy chowaja sie za samochodami albo uciekaja. Jest tam jeszcze jeden ciekawy symbol – palenie papierosow, symbol ich wolnosci.

 "A Scene at the Sea" Kitano

Celebrating is celebrating but there comes the moment when everything ends and hard work begins. And now this moment came: lectures, job, extracurricular activities and there is some time left for leisure and sleeping. The last week was very nice:

-         fireworks during the second day of Chinese New Year were stunning: above water, in the center of the city, lots of noise and scream of thousands of people. Ah… And the evening in Japanese restaurant. Food… too little words to describe

-         during the third day a trip to few place in Hong Kong – to one of the major temples of the city (people were burning lots of incenses and there was so much smoke inside that eyes of everyone were crying. Locals put vegetable and fruit on altars). After that, Botanical and Zoological Gardens (fantastic smell of flowers blossoming right now); later the main park of the city with Tai Chi garden and the day ended with a dinner with a dessert of famous green tea ice creams with red beans.

-         On Saturday a party on the 45th floor of a skyscraper (at Manuel’s place because of his moving in). Oh Gush! The view was incredible – window sills were so wide and low that could be used as sofas. Ah… And on top of everything wonderful company and talks till late at night.

-         Later Eva and Eagle's wedding dinner in Ritz hotel: silver tableware, luxurious wine, jazz music, candles and romantic atmosphere. In addition to everything raspberry wedding cake, delicious food and desserts were so amazing that I felt like if I have landed in heaven.  

-         On Monday the first lesson of archery. I learnt how to hold a bow and even hit the target few times. The instructor behaves like a samurai! Ha-ha… He is really great!

Some new and old music that fascinated me lately:

Trembling Blue Stars  - it really relaxes

Bob Dylan: “Like a Rolling Stone”, “Rainy Day Women #12&35”, “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “I want you”, “Just like a woman”

 Natalie Cole: “Mona Lisa”, “Nature Boy”, “Unforgettable”

Francis Poulenc – classical

Films watched:

“A Scene at the Sea” Takeshi Kitano

A girl and a boy. Both are deaf-mute. His work is to collect trash. One day he starts surfing and becomes fascinated by this sport. She comes to the seaside and watches him training, sometimes helps him to carry the board.

In many ways this film doesn’t have much in common with Kitano’s previous works. It has some poetry from “Dolls” – in “The Scene…” Takeshi shows again how much can be said with scenes and without words. There are almost no words in the whole film.

I liked it because it’s so simple – nothing really happens and the boy is only surfing, but scenes can touch deep inside. Even though I like it, I feel that something was missing. Maybe some kind of a shock or controversy that Pasolini used in “Theorema”. Anyway, with shock it wouldn’t be the same film.

“The Circle” Jafar Panahi

Another poetical film. Five women in Iran, each escapes from something and seems to be guilty because she is a woman.

One of them bears a daughter. Before, examinations showed that the baby was to be a boy. Father and his family are furious, will probably demand a divorce and she may land in the street. Another woman has just left a prison; the man whom she loved had been executed – before it happened they were given the last night together. He is dead, she is pregnant, in the street, alone, without chances for abortion.

All of them end up in prison; after being released there is no place for them in the society and they end up in prison again. And so on, like in a circle.

Interesting film and sometimes looks like a documentary because some shots are really long. The poetry is in shots – when the women cover themselves with chadors, hide behind cars or escape. And there is one interesting symbol – smoking  – the symbol of their freedom.