Category Archives: Music

Never underestimate the power of music

Posted by Wendy on March 10, 2011 No comments

The last couple of years have not really produced much for discerning adults in the area of good films to go and see at the cinema, however this year has given us a gem in ‘The King’s Speech’ which, for me personally, was a sheer joy. I am, in fact, going to see it for a second time very soon and I only do that if a film is particularly special.

There are many great moments in this film but one of the highlights is, of course, the musical score. I always notice the soundtrack when watching a film because the music can, for me, make or break the experience. Who could fail to be moved during the scene where the King delivers his speech to the nation on the outbreak of war? a defining moment in the reign of King George VI was the address he made to the British nation when war was declared against Germany and how inspired was the choice to choose the music of Beethoven to accompany this particular scene. The second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 – in the wonderful key of A minor (I am a violist, I love the minors…) – with it’s atmosphere of both intense foreboding (the struggle ahead) and the absolute determination to overcome all obstacles (victory at all costs). Just an incredible combination of sight and sound. And after the film ended, while the credits rolled hardly anyone moved from their seats while the closing music played – I have only ever seen that happen once and that was during the closing credits of ‘Amadeus’ when people sat transfixed by the beautiful piano concerto no.20 in D minor.

I hope as many people as possible turn out and see this film; in many ways the British people need to be reminded of what great leadership this country had at such a time and how important, especially at this time in history, it is to remember what can be achieved by the people in this nation when they believe in themselves and each other. Looking out the window at the rest of the world right now, I believe the time is coming once more for such a thing.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.

Give the Aussies back their Masterchef and give the UK back it’s own!

Posted by Wendy on February 27, 2011 No comments

It is not often that I criticise anything Australian but I feel I have to on this occasion. I was one of the masses who enjoyed the original UK-version of Masterchef on TV – that is until the BBC decided to faff around with the format and in doing so ruined it. I never liked the Australian format of the show; it is more soap opera stuff than kitchen stuff.  It is too focused on the contestants who, in turn, become headlines each day in the newspapers – faux celebrities – when the show should be about the food rather than so much the people cooking it. To host George Calombaris - tone it down mate, tone it down.

Aussie Masterchef

And then we have Matt Preston – who the heck was Matt Preston before he strode onto this show like Ole King Cole…? this guy gets a bloody fanfare for an introduction – who IS he? too pompous, too serious – lighten up, it’s only food guys! the British format was relaxed, laid back and enjoyable in comparison. If you could tolerate unusually creepy Greg Wallace and John Torode shoving forkfuls of food into their mouths in glorious close-up each  time that is. I have seen enough of their molars for a lifetime. The format now is changed for the worst; and why does any TV contest involving more than one judge these days have to feature the X-Factor-style  ‘judges sitting in a row at a table in front of contestant waiting 30 seconds for dramatic effect before announcing decision’…? these people are cooking not juggling squirrels or singing a song. Drop the pomposity that features in the Australian version – we want to see food being cooked and people learning to cook it better, not hear boring sob stories from desperate relatives hoping for a dash of the spotlight when they can get it.

My opinion of Australian Masterchef has been zero since I watched Julie Goodwin in 2009 being awarded the winners trophy after she failed successive trials and on two occasion in the finals did not even manage to compete her courses. What a joke. How does a person be called a Masterchef when they burn, drop and fail to even cook something in the allotted time…? but it made good headlines for the show. Note to the BBC: we want our old Masterchef back, change is not always for the better.

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.

The King’s Speech: special insight into a King we barely knew

Posted by Wendy on January 24, 2011 No comments

The adorable little boy pictured at left would one day grow up to be a King of the British Empire, the father of our present Queen Elizabeth II. As Prince Albert of Wales he looks like most little boys of the era which was the early 20th century, dressed in a sailor suit for the photographer as was the trend at the time. We all think he led a charmed life – as would assume all Royals do – but sadly his childhood was not the happy childhood it could have been. He was habitually abused as a toddler by a spiteful nanny and terrorised throughout his teens by an authoritative, demanding father and teased by his brothers – no wonder he was plagued by nervous problems and a crippling stammer into adulthood. I saw The King’s Speech at the weekend which details the years in which this little boy went from being the newly married Prince Albert, Duke of York, to King George VI and how he found a man who was able to help him ultimately control the stammer that made public speaking for him such a nightmare. Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist, became a significant part of ‘Bertie’s’ life giving him the skills and confidence he needed to deliver the many speeches that rallied a nation during wartime and marked his reign as so successful. Through the film you discover the traumas that caused the young prince to start stammering as five year old child and you really deeply for the young man who was living a relatively uncomplicated life as a Naval Officer when the biggest role of all was conferred upon him.

What comes across very strongly is the sense of vulnerability in a man who had not enjoyed a happy childhood or doting parents, but rather isolation and dominance. His love of his quiet family life with his wife and two daughters was interrupted by the Abdication but the rest, as we know, is history and if you ever wondered where the Queen gets her strength and resilience from then look no further – go see this brilliant film about a man who overcame so many personal problems and issues that we experience in our own lives today and see why he certainly was born to be King.

If Colin Firth (The King) and Geoffrey Rush (Lionel Logue) don’t both win Oscars for their roles in this film then I will eat my keyboard!

Copyright © 2007-2012 Cultured Views. All rights reserved.