Cultured Views

Heath Ledger to complete his final film…with some computer help of course

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

When actor Heath Ledger died last week he was still completing work on The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a $30 million fantasy movie directed by Terry Gilliam.  The actor was the star of the film and the project is just about completed so ways are being sought to film around Heath in order to release the work.  So what will they do? How do you complete a film when the star actor has died before it is finished?

There are many ways now in fact and of course computer wizardry can create an alternative Heath and slot him into the action; a little bit ‘hmmmm’ if you ask me even though it would be done very well, but then they could rework the script so that his part is written out at some stage or the director could do what was always done in the past - employ a body double for Heath.

Actors dying during the making of a film is nothing new at all and many Hollywood films have been released with a ‘double’ playing the part of the deceased star, usually being filmed from the back. I will be interested to see what they do here in Heath Ledger’s case; in my opinion the film will be a hit and if they create a computer generated Heath Ledger for his final scenes I cannot help but wonder if this will give the movie a morbid kind of curiousity value. People undoubtedly will go and see the film to play ’spot the real Heath’ in the scenes. And that would be kind of…well, not nice, especially for his family. I would suggest the script be rewritten to accommodate his absence. There was only one Heath Ledger and it should be left at that.

Popularity: 6% [?]

British composer conducts premiere of his ballet in Russia…and he’s just 15!

Whilst most 15 year old boys are hanging out with their mates, playing X-Box or Nintendo Wii; or terrorising their neighbourhood and making life hell for local residents in the UK another British teenager is set to make history. In Russia of all places.

Child prodigy Alexander Prior will conduct the official world premiere of his ballet, Mowgli, at the Kremlin this weekend. Alex, 15, formerly of St John’s Wood, North-West London, has been training in Russia since his family were unable to find a British school to channel his precocious talent.

His ballet composition - based on Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book - was first performed last year to a private audience of invited guests in Moscow.

This is just fantastic; to see a young person realising their potential and working hard to make it happen. I have always been an advocate of music lessons for young children, for adults as well actually, but having music lessons taps into a childs innate creativity - all kids have the ability to learn an instrument and all kids have the potential to do well with the right support and encouragement from parents and teachers. Believe me there is an instrument to suit anyone of any age, you just have to make the step.

When you see so many young people, aimless and with no vision for their own future I just wonder how different things would be if someone had placed a flute, a clarinet, or a violin or trumpet in their hands when they were 5 or 6, or ten or 12.

It is good for their minds, and great for developing confidence. To be composing and conducting at the age of 15…well done lad. Maybe we have a new Bernstein on the rise?

Popularity: 12% [?]

Who matter’s more…the dog or your child?

Well, if you are a certain drop-kick of a person in the form of Allison Cottier of NSW Australia it seems she cannot really decide!

See those awful injuries on her two year old son’s face? that bull mastiff in the background did it to him. And Mum thinks so much of this animal that not only is she not going to get rid of the thing she is even going so far as to blame her child for what happened to him. A two year old for gods sake! So what if the little guy pulled the dogs ear, has she never heard the advice never leave small children unattended with a dog?  and a large strong animal such as a bull mastiff is at that. The child should never have been able to tease the dog if she had any bloody sense about her.

She has refused to get rid of the animal as it is very much a part of the family…well so is your child lady!! The kid nearly lost an eye as you can see for yourself; the dog has ‘turned’ once now and that can be a dangerous sign. What happens when Ben brushes past the dog tomorrow and the dog s in a cranky mood?…I hate to think. Personally if an animal, family pet or not,  did that to my child it would be out the door and gone so fast it there would be nothing but skid marks.

Two infants died in Australia over a two week period last December after being savaged by large aggressive breed dogs that were family pets. The infants were left unsupervised. Several similar cases have ocurred in the UK in recent months where children have been mauled to death by family pets. Whilst I am a dog lover I also love kids, especially mine, and no way would I trust that dog again near that child.

She will though. Good luck Ben.

Photo courtesy of Daily Telegraph, Australia.

Popularity: 10% [?]