Touching From a Distance | The Spectator

Ken Russell – patron saint of European composers

Jessica Duchen — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:02:11 +0000

I may be sticking my neck out if I say that the films of the late, great Ken Russell did more to broaden the audience for classical music than Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein rolled into one. Still, I’ll risk it.

The stories simply itching to be retrieved from the history of music are packed with more juicy fruit than even the best Viennese berry strudel, and Russell brought them to life with]]>

A beautiful day in the neighbourhood

Claudia Massie — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:32:51 +0000

Public art – art that aims to engage with the public, as opposed to being merely available to the public – is an increasingly important element of urban regeneration.

In Britain, it often takes the form of sculptures, such as The Angel of the North: big, booming, look-at-me artworks that aim to become talking points. Some of these are successful, many fail, and reactions to them tend to veer between one cliché (‘iconic’) and another]]>

The daughter of the great man

Jerry Hayes — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:28:21 +0000

A Daughter’s Tale is the memoir of Mary Soames, Winston Churchill’s youngest daughter. It is remarkable, uplifting, moving and utterly fascinating.

Remarkable, because from 18 to 22 she was at her father and mother’s side at the Admiralty, Number 10 and Chequers, observing and sharing the horrors of war and the possibility of defeat. Uplifting, because she gave great comfort and support to her parents who were under more pressure than any of us could comprehend.

Moving, because of the deep love and affection she clearly shared with her ‘dearest]]>

Further thoughts about film's Age of Availability

Peter Hoskin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:13:24 +0000

Forget my agent, my family, my hairstylist and my co-stars — I'd just like to thank The Artist. I have, after all, written a couple of articles about silent film on the back of Michel Hazanavicius's film; and opportunities like that don't arise too often for political hacks. The first (£) was for the opinion pages of the Times, a couple of weeks ago. And the second is for the latest issue of The Spectator. You]]>

Why I love… Friday Night Lights

Alex Massie — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:10:02 +0000

If you were trying to find a television show that would struggle to find a British audience, a show about a high school American football team in West Texas might come pretty near the top of your list.

Banish your preconceptions. Friday Night Lights is a show that deserves and will reward your support. It might just be the best drama produced by NBC since the West Wing. Hell, it’s a good deal closer to]]>

Frankenstein’s family

Kate Maltby — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:32:10 +0000

Danny Boyle’s staged version of Frankenstein packed in the crowds to the National Theatre last year with its Olympian scale and throbbing orange sunsets. But if you were hoping for a more intimate invitation to the world of Mary Shelley’s monster, you might be better off popping down to the small but central Jermyn Street Theatre, for fringe company Primavera’s new production of Bloody Poetry.

Howard Brenton’s 1984 play is unflinching in its depiction of the feckless ménage of poets that produced not only Frankenstein, but also Byron’s ‘Don Juan’ and Percy]]>

A ripping yarn

Jerry Hayes — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:25:23 +0000

Clifford Beal’s spellbinding book of piracy, greed and betrayal in colonial New England is not only a fascinating insight into how the colony was governed but also an exciting, action-packed page-turner. Quelch’s Gold reads like a racy historical novel, but is in fact a well-researched account of a true event.

Beal’s brings history to life in glorious Technicolor, and the real life characters would make a casting director’s mouth water. In 1703, John Quelch,]]>

Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight

Shawn Slovo — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:35:13 +0000

It was recently revealed that HBO is developing a film called Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, which looks at Ali’s battles with the US government over his refusal to fight in Vietnam. Shawn Slovo is the writer of that film — and we’re delighted to welcome her here, to The Spectator Arts blog, to take us through that period in Ali’s life, illustrated with some quotes from the great man. Over to Shawn:

February 25,]]>

The Journey to 'Senna'

Manish Pandey — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:48:59 +0000

Last night, the blistering British film Senna won BAFTAs for Best Documentary and Best Editing. To celebrate, we are re-posting this piece by its writer and producer, Manish Pandey.

Locanda Locatelli, June 2005. James Gay-Rees – an urbane, hip and impossibly lanky independent film producer; Celso Lemos, Commercial Director for the Instituto Ayrton Senna – a charitable foundation set up to educate underprivileged Brazilian children – and I are at a corner table]]>