Monday, January 31, 2011

Peter o'Toole is so cool. Omar Sharif is the chief.

I'm not a clean freak. No, I guess I thrive in an environment thats not exactly in order, may seem chaotic for most people but it works for me. Coming into terms with the less attractive aspects of myself isn't my cup of tea, but as the days turned months just slowly moved past me - a growing lump on my throat from all the challenges/projects I took on last year that now demand completion, I am really and certainly not in order.


We watched Lawrence of Arabia, part 1 for a night and finished with the 2nd part last night. Peter o'Toole as Lawrence, by the way, is so cool. Something about the wildness in his eyes when being asked by prince Faisal for a "miracle" to be done for Arabia reminded me of myself when asked to do something beyond my means - an impossibility, sweet rush of blood to my head, the temptation. Only crazy people or gamblers do this sort of thing, a very little fraction of which are considered heroes. I think I'm just arrogant and I like to meddle with the fates and in a deep voice-over voice: to rewrite what has been "written", if even just in my own life. Then comes the part where arrogance meets ignorance and Lawrence finds himself terribly humbled. Lives lost, bloodbaths, and in an arrogant attempt to pass off as an Arab with his blue eyes, the Turks give him a good whipping. While I may have engaged in some micro gargantuan tasks, I have no wish to suffer the same terrible end. No, I don't need to cross the feared Nebu desert or do it as Moses did in Sinai, I don't even have to bring a pistol. Nevertheless my ears are ringing and my skin is hovering over its flesh and maybe I was wrong, maybe I should just leave the desert to its dream dust and go back home to Oxfordshire with its courtyards and tea.

Good enough that the film ends without the kind of fake satisfaction modern movies give. It doesn't present a resolution, it kinda leaves you hanging and wondering - then what? And if in the end of things there's no real answer, I guess anything can be made and done somewhere in between?

I look forward to Doctor Zhivago, Omar Sharif. Last time I saw it I was too young to remember what it was all about but I do remember it was long and it made me cry.

5 comments:

בְּשֵם יְהוָֹה וְיֵשׁוּעַ וְרוחַ מִרְיָם said...

Random thoughts:

What is Italy's stance on Turkey's admission into the E.U.? I fully support Turkey's inclusion into the Northern continent's transformational facelift and have written a few creative ditties expressing my accelerated hope.

I recommend another Omar Sharif film, namely: Funny Girl. The casting of the Egyptian leading man was genius.

Unknown said...

I actually don't know. You should ask my partner that, hes more into the mess of politics than me.
atoposancona.blogspot.com

I think Funny Girl is also with Barbara Streisand right? I'm pretty sure I've seen it, again too long ago to remember what its about so - yay! on to my movie list

Francesco Conte said...

Turkey has been strongly supported by Italy, for several reasons. However, having a country of the Eu bordering with Iraq seems to pose more problems than expected, these days.
It's very unfair what happened with Turkey, especially because they have been long eligible to become members of the Eu, while new countries like Romania and Bulgaria have entered the Eu in much faster time.
Basically, Europe does not want any muslim country in the Union. Also, since Turkey has a very big population, it would end up having a lot of votes, which is not what major countries of the Eu want.
In the meantime, turkish people got disaffectionate with the eu and much more radical (muslim wise) than before, so its likely they don't even want to become part of the eu anymore. At least that's what the polls say.
Turkey is a complicated country, and the Eu is a complicated union, especially when economy falls apart like now.

בְּשֵם יְהוָֹה וְיֵשׁוּעַ וְרוחַ מִרְיָם said...

@Eunoia you will love revisiting Funny Girl and so will your parter, @ATOPOS if you appreciate vintage sappiness like i do. the dormant egyptian background is off the radar for most Funny Girl fans.

@ATOPOS it just occurred to me while perusing your response, that the Vatican may benefit from closer ties to the Orthodox stream in Constantinople, formerly known as. Romania's economy is struggling a bit, too. When a nation has to rely on Tourism and taxing witches, then there's a much more insular problem at hand.
i find the turkish region really interesting, what, with greece, cyprus, and russia nearby jostling for a stake in the eu.
is a multiple popeular revolt possible? like, each pope has the power to declare official crusades (regardless of the differences in observance and to what degree), correct? is the vatican considered right-wing? i also find the jihad phenomenon fascinating, besides what is occurring in the Basque region and the growing European-Anarchist insurgency.
just some thoughts, anyway. btw, i'm of italian-filipino extraction. fabro is my mom's last name, prior to marrying my dad. eclectic blogger profile you've got there. highly recommend Salvaged Poems by Emmanuel Lacaba, aka The Brown Rimbaud.

Francesco Conte said...

I will look Emmanuel Lacaba up. As for Fabro, where does your mother's family come from?
Curious about the fil-ita descent, as we're having a baby too :)
as for the revolts, the guy at the newspaper stand here in our town was quite determined saying: Revolutions only take place in poor places, where people don't have anything to lose.
So no, no multiple popular uprising here. The Vatican is usually considered centre wing, or rather centre breast, with the two wings (left and right) on the side. We're like a big chicken that's eaten to much to try to fly.
Well then, maybe we do need a Turkey in the barn..

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