People Before Profit blog

So many good reasons to see “Wild”

Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:07:00 +0000

Together with a woman, we take a deep look at her.

"Wild" recounts an 1,100 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed around 1995. Seamlessly interwoven into the adventure are flashbacks about her previous frustrations and failures. Hikers will like it. Feminists will like it. Those who appreciate films as high art will love it. Nominations and awards are being discussed, with good reason.

According to the movie and the memoir on which it is based, Strayed is no ordinary woman. Before taking on the long walk from Mexico to Canada, she had already stretched the elastic boundaries of life far beyond what most of us would have ever done. Flashbacks show her flinging herself into marriage, betrayal, profligacy, drug abuse and despondency. The long arc of the story is that she is "dealing" with her shortcomings and miseries through the purging effect of a long and difficult challenge.

One thinks of a "spirit walk" through the Australian outback, or any rite-of-passage experience that adolescents are put through in primitive societies, as actress Reese Witherspoon stumbles through snow, desert, mountain terrain, and all the pains of the past.

In another almost complete story, the great Laura Dern shines brilliantly as Strayed's mother. Her performance alone is a good enough reason to see "Wild," but there are so many more!

Movie information:
"Wild"
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern
2014, 115 min., rated R

Photo: Reese Witherspoon in "Wild." Fox Searchlight Studios via Wikipedia

Sony emails show Hollywood still has a long way to go on racial equality

Tue, 23 Dec 2014 11:38:00 +0000

Sony Pictures made the decision not to release the film "The Interview," starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. The film's plot centered around the acting duo's characters being recruited by the United States government to assassinate North Korea's ruler, Kim Jong-un, under the guise of a television interview. The problems took off in real life, however, when hackers threatened retaliation if the film was released. (The United States says the North Korean government was behind the hack, however the North Koreans deny involvement.)

What followed was a series of events that could be used as a plot for a movie on its own merits. Sony suffered a massive cyber attack in which a number of unreleased films were leaked, employees' Social Security numbers exposed, and a slew of emails revealed, many of which shed light on Hollywood's dirty laundry that Sony Pictures, and probably a lot of Hollywood execs, wouldn't want to be made public.

A lot of the focus with this ongoing story has been centered on North Korea, and the fate of "The Interview," yet the emails between those in power at the company have, once again, shone light on an ongoing problem with Hollywood: racism and lack of diversity.

Two email leaks in particular highlight this. The first involves jokes made between Sony execs Amy Pascal and Scott Rudin about the kind of movies President Obama would like. The two executives went back and forth naming movies with predominanty African American casts. The exchange between the executives obviously displays an idea that African Americans are a monolithic group and all watch the same kinds of films, with only African Americans in them. Amy Pascal issued an apology after the email was leaked, but the damage was already done.

In another email, an anonymous producer in Hollywood advised Sony to pull back on using black actors as leads for their films, if they wanted to perform well in the international market. The producer used the excuse (I say excuse because this notion is completely unfounded) of international markets' anti-black mentality.

Like much of the rest of the system we live under, wealth and power seem to be in the hands of a few in Hollywood, with most large film and television companies in the same few hands. Those in power seem to still have very backwards views on race and diversity, in an ever-changing society which grows more racially diverse every year.

Although skeptics might argue that Hollywood is simply a money machine looking at the bottom line, and that their business practices are just exploiting the already racist sentiments to be found in society, various studies have actually shown that lack of diversity is NOT actually better for Hollywood business.

In a recent study titled "2014 Hollywood Diversity Report: Making Sense of the Disconnect" from the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, it is suggested that movies and television shows with more diverse casts actually earn more at the box office, and score higher ratings, than productions with homogenous, predominantly white, casts. The study goes on to show that African Americans, Latinos, and Asians are greatly underrepresented in movies and television. Yet, when diversity of films and television shows moved towards up to 25 percent representation for those groups, profits were very high for those films globally, along with very high ratings for those television programs.

So what does that mean for Hollywood big bosses who like to claim that diversity doesn't sell?

In an interview with NPR News, the study's lead author, Daniel Hunt, said, "It seems that people who have been in the industry for a long time, in high-risk situations, tend to surround themselves with people who make them feel comfortable, who are a lot like them." Hunt went on to say, "It's a vicious cycle. The industry likes to present itself as this bastion of liberal thought. But when it comes to diversity, it's one of the worst industries in the country. The idea that the underrepresentation of minorities and women is all about economics has been taken off the table."

If nothing else, the Sony cyberattack has highlighted a continuing issue with Hollywood: the dirty, and not so secret, secret that Hollywood still has a long ways to go to being as progressive as it likes to claim to be. That seems more important than the release of a most likely unfunny new "bro" comedy. And yet, this movie, which no doubt has plenty of offensive jokes riddled throughout it towards women and people of color (like a good amount of Rogen's films tend to have), is being turned into some sort of symbol for the fight for democracy and free speech, with people calling for it to be released.

Consider: this film, with its hiring of Asian actors, is probably one of the few made this year that had a so-called more diverse cast. And yet, the Asian actors had to no doubt play exaggerated stereotypes for comedy. These types of jobs are the few available to actors of Asian descent. Racism, and lack of diversity, in Hollywood will continue to be a problem long after people have moved on from the hoopla of "The Interview." I find that kind of story way more interesting than the so-called struggle Sony is going through right now.

Photo: In one email to Sony CEO Michael Lynton, a producer questioned the casting of Denzel Washington as the star of "The Equalizer," claiming "pictures with an African-American lead don't play well overseas." (Matt DeTurck/CC/Flickr)

Top 10 books of 2014: a holiday reading list

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 15:58:00 +0000

The holidays are upon us in earnest. Presumably, now that the shopping rush is puttering out and the more pro-worker (re: union) jobs are letting employees go home for Christmas, one might want to spend time with family, relax, and enjoy the great indoors with chestnuts, eggnog, and other yuletide traditions. It's an ideal time to put down the smartphone or iPad and curl up with a good book.

To that end, here is a list of what I thought were the top 10 books of 2014. Whether you're the paperback type or more likely to view an ebook, I suggest you check these out!

10. "Furtl"

Strobe Witherspoon, Science Fiction/Satire

While I'm not a huge fan of "dystopian fiction," I found Furtl to be a cut above its contemporaries. It depicts such a world, in which a tech entrepreneur fights to save his search engine, Furtl, from its competition. Furtl's algorithms, social networks, and payment systems have come to control modern life to the point of dumbing down society. The government agrees to offer its support if the head of Furtl hands them all of its user information. This one turned out to be as page-turning as it was satirical and allegorical. It simultaneously pokes fun at Google and offers commentary on privacy (i.e. the NSA scandal) and the negative effects of social networks. Buy it in paperback form, or enjoy the irony of downloading the ebook version.

9. "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History"

Elizabeth Kolbert, Nonfiction/Science

Despite my strong interest in and advocacy of environmentalism, I don't always read books on the subject (unless they focus on nature or wildlife), because in my experience, they have a habit of consolidating or regurgitating stilted facts that I could research and draw conclusions from on my own. However, The Sixth Extinction distinguishes itself with its simple, relatable prose, clearly designed for the casual reader - environmental activist or otherwise. Because of that, it plays a much larger role in informing the reader about climate change and the need for wildlife conservation than any other environmental book I've read recently. It also drives home the point that our rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef could be among the first casualties in this extinction event. A poignant read that ought to wake people up to the climate disasters they have long remained ignorant of.

8. "Prince Lestat"

Anne Rice, Horror/Gothic

The latest entry in The Vampire Chronicles, Prince Lestat is far from the best book in the series, which, in my opinion, peaked with The Queen of the Damned in 1988 and jumped the shark with Blood and Gold in 2001. However, in the age of glittering teen vamps and fanged soap operas, Anne Rice seems to be the sole writer currently preserving the vampire legend in its traditional form. I can see how anyone who has read the first ten books in The Vampire Chronicles would enjoy this latest entry. And it certainly helps that Prince Lestat is among the winners of the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards, taking the top spot for best horror novel of the year.

7. "Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary"

Christopher Tolkien (editor), J.R.R. Tolkien (translator), Poetry/Fantasy

It's always rather irked me that so many people familiar with the Iliad and the Odyssey have not read Beowulf. This latest edition ought to serve as a great opportunity to do so. Tolkien, who needs no introduction, actually completed this translation of the Scandinavian epic poem in 1926; it was only just published this year, with editing by his son. I highly recommend choosing this translation, which will be of particular interest to major Tolkienites, for Tolkien's commentary includes written portions of some of his old, and previously unpublished, Oxford speeches during the 1930's. In the tale itself, one can also spot the inklings of what would contribute to the framework of The Lord of the Rings, which was absolutely inspired by elements of Beowulf, in addition to the Nordic epics Völsunga saga and the Nibelungenlied. Perhaps not suggested for the very casual bookworm, Tolkien's translation of Beowulf will be of large pleasure to the fan of fantasy, folklore, and the Scandinavian mythos.

6. "Orfeo"

Richard Powers, Science Fiction

This was a strange and interesting novel. It features a retired composer named Peter Els, who becomes an avant garde artist - one who pushes the boundaries in terms of what can be considered art, dabbling in dangerous do-it-yourself genetic engineering. What seems to be a study on the nature of art abruptly turns into an action narrative when government agents descend upon Els, forcing him to flee. A cross-country chase ensues, and throughout, we learn through flashbacks more about Els, including his early life, motivations, and personal drama. In some ways it seems to be, in part, a modern re-interpretation of the Greek tale Metamorphoses (the story of Pygmalion and the ivory statue), though there are also messages about terrorism and civil liberties. It's a deep thinker's book, for sure, but readers looking for something fun should enjoy it, as well.

5. "Arcanum"

Simon Morden, Epic Fantasy

These days, fantasy literature is marked by so many tropes, and now anti-tropes, which have become equally formulaic, that many fantasy readers have been left jaded. But Arcanum brings something new to the table. Set in a fictional German-speaking country a thousand years after the fall of Rome, its narrative is based on an interesting question: what if a society that had always relied upon magic was suddenly deprived of it? Whether intentional or not, Arcanum actually becomes a powerful allegory for dwindling real-world resources, adding an environmental undertone to the whole affair.

4. "The Bone Clocks"

David Mitchell, Drama/Fantasy

The Bone Clocks is written by David Mitchell, whose name might be familiar to a reader who has checked out his other work, Cloud Atlas, or at least seen its film adaptation. Beginning in 1984, it follows the trajectory of protagonist Holly Sykes' life, all the way into 2044, when the world's climate has collapsed and her area of Ireland has become comparable, economically and environmentally, to the Middle East. What seems to be a meditative drama on her ability to adapt to the changing world takes a sharp left turn when she seems to be at the center of some sinister plans by a cult of psychic soul-stealers. An interesting story that disposes of clichés.

3. "The Passenger Pigeon"

Erroll Fuller, Nonfiction/Science

Unbeknownst to many, 2014 marks the anniversary of the death of the last passenger pigeon, Martha, in the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914. The Passenger Pigeon takes a look at the history of the bird that was among the most abundant species on the planet for a time. The illustrated book laments the loss of the bird and looks at contributing factors, including deforestation, that led to its demise. The book is all the more touching because of the allusions it draws to modern endangered species, as well as our ever-warming climate and the implications of that.

2. "Annihilation"

Jeff VanderMeer, Science Fiction/Adventure

After an expedition by a secret government agency into uncharted coastal land goes south, a group of female scientists end up fighting for their lives as they uncover the mysteries of the strange place. Stranded, they discover an underground tunnel, walls strewn with dark Biblical passages, and a strange virus that seems to grant psychic ability. Annihilation mixes old-school, pre-space sci-fi with modern-minded adventure. A fun escapist novel.

1. "Words of Radiance: The Stormlight Archive, Book 2"

Brandon Sanderson, Epic Fantasy

Easily the most unique novel of the year, Words of Radiance is part two of the ongoing Stormlight Archive series. It offers a drastically different take on the epic fantasy framework, in which Sanderson creates a colorful and unique world where plant and rock life is sentient and has evolved to adapt to an unstable climate often battered by terrible "highstorms." At the center of the series are a group of warriors called Shardbearers, who wear adaptive, self-healing, self-replicating armor and struggle to unite warring kingdoms against a darker and much more profound threat. While Sanderson's prose can become utilitarian at times, everything else about the novel is fantastic. It builds effortlessly upon the plot established by its predecessor, The Way of Kings. At 1,088 pages, the book doubles as a doorstopper. Fans waiting for the upcoming new Game of Thrones novel should take a close look at this series in the meantime.

Photo: "Words of Radiance" by Brandon Sanderson. Tor Fantasy (Publisher's official site)/Michael Whelan

Nasser '56: A movie you might have missed

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 12:38:00 +0000

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was one of the towering figures of the mid-20^th century. The 1996 film Nasser '56, directed by Mohamed Fadel, captures the moment in history with which he is most associated, the nationalization of the International Maritime Company, which gave Egypt control over the Suez Canal.

Nasser was barely 36 years old in 1952 when he burst upon the world stage, having overthrown the corrupt Egyptian monarchy declaring, "The spirit behind the Egyptian revolution is represented by the ideal of creating a new national consciousness in Egypt, based on the staunch belief in democratic socialism and the fullest realization of social justice." Nasser was a complex, contradictory figure, whose reign later came to include harsh repression of communists and other progressives, helping lay the seeds of many of the problems wracking the region today.

Portrayed in this film by Ahmed Zaki, Nasser was charismatic and bold. At the time he embodied the ambitions of the Arab world in general and the Egyptian people in particular. Fortunately this film is not one of nationalistic bombast, but instead offers real insight, some occasionally comical, regarding the buildup to the so-called "Suez Crisis." In preparation for the daring step of nationalization, one thing Nasser's government had to do was examine if they even had the personnel capable of operating they canal once they got it, and this is well illustrated in the film.

In general, the film is paced well to build the tension and examine the dynamics of the various intrigues - and there were plenty - associated with the event. A notable aspect of this narrative is the portrayal of each moment when Nasser brings another confidant into the conspiracy. They react with a combination of pride and fear, uncertain of the outcome but resigned to taking the gamble. They are tapping into a deep reserve of resentment at the historical injustice and atrocious exploitation by the Western powers that make up the history of the construction and operation of the canal.

It is interesting to note that what precipitated the crisis, beyond the normal instinct of the Egyptians to control their own resources, was interference from the Western powers over the possible involvement of Soviet funding for the High Aswan Dam project. Once the dam was in fact completed with Soviet assistance in 1958, LIFE magazine called it, "one of the noblest possible justifications of co-existence." Prior to those lauds, however, came the crisis of '56, in which the Egyptian people and their president were viewed in quite a different light by the bourgeois press and the capitalist powers.

Nasser '56 also does a good job of capturing the unique aspects of its title character. Despite the fact that Nasser could inspire and motivate millions, he was known for his personal modesty and attachment to simple tastes. In the film, when one of his children mentions that a playmate of his lives in a house that has two bathrooms, Nasser, who can scarcely conceive of why anyone would desire such a luxury, incredulously replies, "They must have a very large family."

No less a figure than Jawaharlal Nehru said, "President Nasser is one of those men who gave a new turn to history." That sentiment is well captured here.

"Nasser 56"

For sale: DVD in Arabic, VHS tape with English subtitles

Actors: Ahmed Zaki, Fardous Abdel Hamid, Hassan Hosny, Ahmed Maher, Hani Ramzi
Director: Mohamed Fadel
Writer: Mahfouz Abdel Rahman

This film is available with a Digital Site License (DSL), which allows colleges, universities, or libraries to encode, locally host, and stream the film to their community on a closed, password-protected system.

A lament for Eric Garner

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 12:04:00 +0000

Eric Garner is the unarmed 43 year-old Black man who was killed by the NYPD in Staten Island in July. The whole incident was recorded. He was placed in a choke hold and can be heard saying 11 times: "I can't breathe," before he died. The coroner had ruled it a homicide, but the officer who killed him was not indicted. Clergy and other people of faith have been active in the widespread protests against police killings. The following poetic response, one among many from around the country, is based on Biblical passages and other religious and philosophical texts.

Then the Lord God fashioned the human,

dust from the earth,

and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,

and the human became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7)

I can't breathe.

God blew into his nostrils the breath of life,

into that dust,

like a female impregnated by a male,

for they join and this dust is filled with all.

With whom? Spirits and souls. (Zohar 1:49)

I can't breathe.

Dust from the earth,

this dust is the holy land

and it is the place of the Holy Temple.

God blew into his nostrils the breath of life,

this breath of life is the holy soul that is drawn from that supernal life. (Zohar 3:46)

I can't breathe.

Dust from the earth,

from the lower realms,

God blew into his nostrils the breath of life,

from the upper realms. (Breishit Rabba 12:8)

I can't breathe.

Thus the dictum of Scripture, By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, is analogous to its dictum, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth, in the same verse. For the terms His word and His saying are used figuratively in the same way as the terms His mouth and the breath of His mouth, the intention being to signify that the heavens have come to exist through His purpose and will. (Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed 1:65)

I can't breathe.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment I know

this is the only moment. (Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace)

I can't breathe.

At the core is the breath, instinctive, not given

not taken, it is not a privilege or a right, it is

even independent of oneself, even on those

dark nights when in the loneliness of an empty bed

you try harder than you ever have not to breathe

you do, and the breath breathes you, and you are

again.

I can't breathe.

I hate, I despise your feast days,

And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.

Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,

I will not accept them,

Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.

Take away from Me the noise of your songs,

For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

But let justice run down like water,

And righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5)

I can't breathe.

Learn to do good.

Devote yourselves to justice;

Aid the wronged.

Uphold the rights of the orphan;

Defend the cause of the widow.

Alas, she has become a harlot,

The faithful city

That was filled with justice,

Where righteousness dwelt-

But now murderers. (Isaiah 1)

I can't breathe.

The violence then of the decreation

of the moment when the breath no longer

comes. What did that feel like? What

unearthly panic? What desperate rage

and struggle brings to the surface

the cry for the basic elements of life.

I can't breathe.

Aryeh Cohen, author of the book Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism , is a professor, social justice activist, rabbi and lecturer. He teaches Rabbinic Literature and social justice at the Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies of the American Jewish University. Prof. Cohen is a board member of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice CLUE-LA. He was recently arrested in a sit-down in the streets demonstration for Walmart workers.

Reprinted by permission of the author from http://www.justice-in-the-city.com/

Photo: New York City takes to the streets to protest the announcement by the grand jury that police officer Daniel Pantaleo would not be indicted for the homicide of Eric Garner. (Dave Bledsoe/CC)

"I Was Nineteen": Movies you might have missed

Wed, 10 Dec 2014 14:21:00 +0000

The 1968 film I Was Nineteen was written and directed by Konrad Wolf, who used the film to relate his experiences in the closing weeks of World War II.

When he was eight years old, Wolf's family fled Hitler's Germany. He was raised and educated in Moscow, but the Soviet drive on Berlin would bring him back to his native soil, this time uniformed as a Red Army lieutenant, working as a translator and broadcaster, encouraging the final Nazi resisters to lay down their arms.

The film presents a number of fascinating conflicts. The Soviets come face to face with the Germans, prior to this known to them only as an invading force of fascist murderers. But now the Germans are helpless civilians pleading for mercy, whom they must assist in the building of a new nation.

In an interesting scene, the Soviet officers relax in the elaborately appointed library of a cultured upper-class German intellectual, who holds court providing an analysis of the madness of the Third Reich. He delves into the German mindset and concludes that that war itself is "an anthropological problem" and that the Hitler years spurred a "frenzy of obedience and sadism." The irony of course is that while all this pontificating takes place, the speaker hastily trying to absolve himself, standing in the same room is a son of the working class whose family opposed Hitler from the very start. Fed up with all the navel gazing, the German-born lieutenant barks at one of his Russian comrades who has been engaging in the dialogue, "You're looking for a Germany you can only find in books." From the Russian he gets the reply, "I'm looking for a Germany you can live in!" Later the same officer will be told by a released political prisoner that the story of the Nazi rise to power is not so mysterious as to require such philosophical soul searching. It can be summed up by the fact that the industrialists and militarists gave Hitler as much power as he wanted and he took it.

The film provides some playful insights into the German character. In one scene the Soviets burst in on a room full of German officers from a supply unit who, despite the closing days of the war, still arrive on time to inventory the boot polish. When the Soviets arrive and sit down at their desks, the Germans have to phone their superior for permission to surrender.

The joyful Russian soul is also well portrayed in a scene in which the officers prepare a celebratory May Day meal of pelmeni, filled dumplings. The moment becomes poignant when their general arrives and asks them to give up their seats at the banquet table to recently released prisoners from a concentration camp. In addition, the diversity of the Soviet forces comes through as we are introduced to Ukrainians, natives of Kyrgyzstan, as well as Russians.

The film leads the viewer to the conclusion that war, even when necessary, is a brutal, heartbreaking business, but the working class, united, can always lead humanity to a new day, even amidst the rubble where the memory of the crimes committed by the capitalists is still fresh.

The life of jazz great Will Connell to be celebrated in New York City

Tue, 09 Dec 2014 15:47:00 +0000

A favorite elder statesman and unsung hero of Free Jazz, who served as a powerful conduit between the Black Arts Movement and the Downtown avant garde, passed away suddenly on November 19, just days shy of his 76^th birthday. Will Connell had been planning a week-long residency over the Christmas season at the Stone in New York City, intended as a retrospective into his 50-plus years in the music as well as a showcase for his current projects.

Highly beloved by all who knew him, Connell's residency on December 23, 26, 27 and 28 will proceed with him in spirit. The musicians slated to be involved in this very important series of concerts have vowed to keep his vision alive. John Zorn, owner of the Stone, is in full agreement. The four-day program is now called the "Will Connell Memorial Week: Celebrating the Life and Music of the Heart and Soul of Downtown." Proceeds will serve as a fundraiser for Will's family.

Will's life and music were threaded through the quest for social change. More about Connell can be found here in John Pietaro's obituary, recently published in All About Jazz.

Saxophonist/bass clarinetist/composer Will Connell, Jr., came of age in the 1960s as an invaluable part of Horace Tapscott's organization and the Los Angeles Black Arts Movement, and stood as an underground giant of New York's Free Jazz and New Music circle since 1975.

The son of a violin prodigy deprived of the profession by racist politics, Will Connell, Jr., became aware of both music and the struggle for justice as a child of the 1940s. Jazz served as a source of art and great pride for the African American community, and its impact on Connell was nothing short of visceral: "I heard Billie Holiday at 17. Tears ran down my face like Niagara Falls," he recalled. That same year, 1956, Connell joined the U.S. Air Force, serving nine years. In between tours he purchased an alto saxophone but didn't dedicate himself to music until surviving a chemical blast that blinded him for several days. Lying in an Air Force hospital in darkness, Connell vowed that if he regained his eyesight, he'd formally study this art that had driven him so deeply. This and the gnawing outrage about the military's treatment of Black servicemen led to his decision rejoin civilian life.

The variety of sounds to be performed during the tribute week embodies Connell's stage and studio life. His résumé sported gigs with Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, David Murray, William Parker, Charles Gayle, Chico Hamilton, and Anthony Braxton. A core downtown figure, Connell also engaged James Chance, Minor Threat, Black Flag and Ryan Adams in creative endeavors - a performance pedigree ranging from Hip Jazz to New Thing to No Wave, from basement clubs to the Newport and Moers festivals to nationwide TV broadcasts. Connell also worked as a music copyist, laying down the score for Ornette Coleman's "Skies of America," the World Saxophone Quartet, and many of Motown LA's best.

The December 23 programs, at 8 and 10 pm, will open with words by Will's daughter, poet and actor Safiya Martinez, and then move into two powerful sets by Will's 13-piece band, the Dark Tree Ensemble. This collection of works, "World Peace, With or Without People: Music from the Legacy of Horace Tapscott," is split between L.A. compositions and those from Will's nearly 40 years in New York. This world premiere promises to be a historic statement for these years of ongoing global conflict.

The residency continues after Christmas from the 26^th through the 28^th. The focus will be on Connell's collaborations with other artists over the years, in large assemblages and intimate combos. The sounds range from free to world music, new composition to latter-day Beat poetry to exploratory visions.

On Friday, Dec. 26, the 8 pm concert features I.C.E. - Improvisational Composers Ensemble. At 10 pm, the Sadhana ensemble.
On Saturday, Dec. 27, the 8 pm program features the Jazz & Poetry Choir Collective. At 10 pm, the group TranceFormation.
On Sunday, Dec. 28, at 8 and 10 pm, Jorge Sylvester's ACE (Afro-Caribbean Experimental) Collective.

The Stone is located at the corner of Avenue C and 2^nd Street, New York 10009. For further information, contact (212) 473-0043; www.thestonenyc.com.

Admission for all concerts is $15.

Photo: Point of Departure

A life forsaken (with apologies to Robert Frost fans)

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 15:05:00 +0000

Two men converged on Canfield Drive,

One man just walking down the middle,

My squad car passed him and I stopped,

Would I make this something big or little?

My insults didn't move him off the street,

He talked back, gave not an inch,

Twelve shots at him I fired,

And I saw him jerk and flinch.

Once I started, I dared not stop.

Was he coming at me? I had to kill.

My fears made him look like a monster.

Big men assured me I'd done their will.

I shall be telling this, somewhere,

Ages and ages hence, without a sob,

Two men converged on Canfield Drive,

And I know I did my job.

Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP

F.I.S.T.: A movie you might have missed

Thu, 04 Dec 2014 13:12:00 +0000

In 1978, Sylvester Stallone was cast to portray a labor leader with a story remarkably similar to that of the late James R. Hoffa. The film was F.I.S.T., a clever acronym representing the fictional Federation of Interstate Truckers union.

F.I.S.T. was filmed in Dubuque, Iowa, providing the dated industrial backdrop the film makers were striving for. Some folks in Dubuque still have the movie prop union membership pins from the film, which sport the creative logo of a hand clutching a contract, and the distinctive F.I.S.T. lettering.

As the film opens we find Stallone, working on a loading dock where backbreaking labor earns low pay, and even less respect, as a tyrannical foreman hounds his every step. It is in this environment that the Stallone character will hone his skills at organizing, and take his place in the labor movement.

The willingness of companies to use violence against striking workers and union organizers is graphically portrayed, and it is in this life and death struggle that the Stallone character reaches out to engage a local criminal syndicate as allies in his ongoing war against the ruthless company operators.

Unfortunately, while the Stallone character is tenacious, one might even say unstoppable, in his pursuit of an advantageous contract for his members, he has no ideological underpinnings to guide him, nor a strategic political plan to advance the overall cause of the working class.

F.I.S.T. has some memorable cinematic moments. One of the best is when Stallone leads strikebreaking goons into a trap. As the company muscle approaches the pickets with the intention of busting heads, they are surprised to hear the rhythmic sounds of axe handles and split mauls being pounded against the pavement. The startled toughs turn around to realize they are now surrounded.

Another powerful scene has Stallone at a podium, exhorting the crowd to demonstrate the might of their numbers and their unity by acting as "one fist!" prompting the membership to fill the hall with the deafening roar of the repeated cry, "One fist! One fist! One fist!"

The film provides several other outstanding actors with a platform that makes for memorable characters.

Peter Boyle is good as a brash and unimaginative union president who intones members to get their dues in on time and to be wary of communist agitators, an admonition that produces puzzled looks and a collective groan from those assembled.

Rod Steiger makes your skin crawl as a stuffed shirt U.S. senator who poses as a reformer but gets called out by Stallone as a weasel who knows nothing about the working man when they spar at a contentious Senate hearing.

F.I.S.T. is by no means a perfect representation of the working class or the struggle of organized labor. It lacks depth, but it is credible in several respects, and certainly provides solid entertainment. Its biggest downfall is a poorly edited and ill-conceived conclusion.

In the end the film becomes a fairly typical rise and fall drama devoid of any real message, but the first hour in particular, which includes a nice, if all too brief example of black-white worker unity on the job, is something the working-class activist can very much relate to, and can be appreciated as we all find ourselves in similar struggles once again.

Photo: Wikipedia (CC)

Revolutionary Soviet ballet premieres in the U.S.

Wed, 03 Dec 2014 13:50:00 +0000

COSTA MESA, Calif. - It took a full 82 years, but a revolutionary Soviet-era ballet that was purported to be Joseph Stalin's favorite has finally come to American shores. The Flames of Paris (in Russian, Plamya Parizha), a classical ballet based on the French Revolution, premiered on November 7, 1932, at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad, was restaged in July 1933 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and arrived on tour to New York City in early November (playing at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, yes, that David Koch!), and to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California, for three performances in late November.

Some history is in order. Musicologist and composer Boris Asafyev (1884-1949) based his score on songs of the French Revolution, "La Marseillaise" the most famous, and also "Ça ira" and "La Carmagnole." Typical for large-scale spectacles, his music is bombastic boilerplate suited for ballet. He also adds other traditional or folk-like dances for the crowd scenes. A markedly conservative score, barely a note sounds as though it could have been written after the year 1900. It's as though Stravinsky, not to mention Asafyev's younger contemporary Dmitri Shostakovich, had never existed. Some tunes are lifted from the royal French court music of composers such as Jean-Baptiste Lully and André Grétry.

Original stage and costume design was by Vladimir Dmitriev, who also co-authored the libretto with Nicolai Volkov, based on the novel Les rouges du Midi by Félix Gras.

In 1932 The Flames of Paris celebrated 15 years of the October Revolution in Russia. During that period there was a determined effort to find subjects in world history which reflected the more immediate situation in Russia. The arts, including the beloved Russian ballet tradition, were used to show that the Revolution now in progress (and on the whole doing a far cry better than the Depression was doing for working people in the capitalist West) formed a segment of the long arc of historical movements leading toward socialism.

The recent three-act production in the U.S. came courtesy of the Mikhailovsky Ballet and Orchestra, a company dating back to 1833 - 112 dancers on stage, and a full orchestra in the pit, conducted by Pavel Bubelnikov. The 1932 choreography was by Vasily Vainonen, newly updated and revised - from memory, photographs and film - by the lifelong ballet dancer and teacher Mikhail Messerer, several of whose family members danced in earlier stagings.

Accented but remarkably fluent in English, Messerer spoke before the performance, introduced by the producer Sergei Danilian . He recounted stories of his famous dancing relatives, his mother Sulamith Messerer and uncle Asaf Messerer, and including the world-renowned prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya.

At the conclusion of Messerer's remarks, Danilian called for questions from the audience. I happened to be seated directly in front of Messerer. I raised my hand and Messerer passed the microphone to me. "In 1932," I began, "the Soviets commissioned this ballet with a very specific ideological agenda. But we're no longer in Soviet times...."

To which Danilian interpolated, "Are you sure?" The audience chuckled in a kind of conspiratorial delight.

"Well," I continued, "I appreciate your joke, but still, I wonder, if the ballet had a particular meaning then, what social meaning does it have now?"

Given Sergei Danilian's spontaneous jest, perhaps a response might have come to the effect that again Russia has fallen into the grip of an all-powerful clique of plutocrats, like the monarchs of France or the Czars of Russia, against whom a new revolution is needed. But of course, major cultural figures in the new Russia, who are well compensated and inextricably linked to the new régime, could not and would not have said anything like that, even if they thought so. Messerer, in fact, had left the USSR as a dissident in 1980, at the age of 32, making a distinguished career for himself in the great performing venues of Europe, returning to Russia in 2009 as the ballet master in chief at the Mikhailovsky Theatre.

"You will see some great choreography tonight," Messerer answered. "It's a great work of art, and people love it. It's just a piece of art."

Still mulling over the possible portent of Danilian's joke, my class analysis gene acted up, and I wondered if there is truly anything that is "just a piece of art" with no social content. In an interview with Messerer in the generous program, he reclaims this ballet as a highpoint of Russian culture that should be remembered, at the same time admitting that the story is "a one-sided perspective on events...only told from the point of view of the revolutionaries, with their inarguable right to act as they do."

But let us not be such ideologues, and take Messerer at his word. In that case, the ballet must be evaluated on its merits, as we see them.

The Flames of Paris shows the privileged aristocracy taking advantage of the peasants, the stately court dances, the treachery of the monarchs prepared to invite the Prussian army in to save their asses, the storming of the Tuileries by the Marseillais (the people of Marseille), and their victorious march on Paris, with celebratory dances devoted to Liberté, Egalité, and Fraternité.

The French Revolution is a thrilling history, of course. Lenin's favorite treatment of it was the account by the "anarchist prince" Peter Kropotkin, to whom Lenin personally acknowledged his debt, promising wide distribution for a cheaply printed edition. But does the ballet, decked out with elegant bright costumes and huge waving tricolor French flags, transcend its entirely good vs. bad storyline that permits of no nuance, no shading, no ambiguity, no inner conflict? I think not. I'm not surprised that Stalin loved the work so much. It fit the esthetic mold of Soviet art for the masses that would take a generation to overcome. (During Stalin's time, I hasten to add, some great world-class artists did emerge by the sheer force of their talent and a certain professional leeway granted to them, but the dominant values of socialist realism still generally prevailed.)

Well, classical ballet is not known in any case for the strength of its storylines, nor indeed, for the most part, for its music, which has to serve an almost entirely functional role. If Messerer's, and the Mikhailovsky's aim was principally to offer the public a restored version of a work to show off some great dancing, in that they have succeeded.

The choreography has it all: stupendous solos, especially by the male lead Ivan Vasiliev as the Marseillais Philippe, and gorgeous pas de deux with his partner Oksana Bondareva playing the part of the peasant girl Jeanne. These spotlighted moments are, again, entirely in classical mode, exquisite even though no new ground is broken. There are colorful Basque folk dances and country dances; and the nobles' lovely, but tame and bloodless minuets, chaconnes, and sarabandes at the court of Versailles. The ensemble work is impressive, and even includes some choral singing of the revolutionary anthems, perhaps the only new formal element this work introduced. Modern audiences respond, as did viewers in 1932 no doubt, more enthusiastically to the vigorous dance of the peuple and their natural leaders.

I come away still scratching my head. What does all this mean in 2014? One of the most outstanding principles in the Marxist tradition that has stayed with me for all these years is the saying, "National in form, socialist in content." These six words explain a lot. In the old USSR, for example, all the constituent republics and autonomous regions were encouraged to develop their own national cultures, languages, traditions, etc., as long as they conformed to overall socialist development and the current party line. (I am well aware, of course, of many abuses of this principle in practice.) Thinking outside the USSR, I have been personally guided by this saying. In my work in the Jewish and interfaith community, I seek to lift up the positive and progressive, in many cases within very ancient traditions.

Flames of Paris was entirely socialist in its inspiration, although limited in my view by its backward-looking esthetic. It still can stir powerful emotions, but if divorced from a movement for revolutionary change, it becomes, perhaps like Jesus' radical politics often transformed by capitalism into a right-wing manifesto for social Darwinism, absorbed by the larger ideology around it, and irrelevant. Except as "a piece of art."

I can't deny that I feel enormous gratitude to the generous underwriters of the Mikhailovsky Ballet on the Russian side, and the equally openhanded funders on the American side who brought this radical piece of art, however conventionally conceived, to our public. Never did I imagine being able to see this historic work, nor be part of an audience of almost 2000 balletomanes in a classy Orange County performing arts venue giving a cheering, standing ovation to the Revolution!

Photo: Stas Levshin

the bus to blunderville

Wed, 03 Dec 2014 10:53:00 +0000

bought the ticket
in my hometown
all aboard
for the shootin' place
won't see his hands
up high
death in his eyes
tears runnin' down
his mama's face
better take the bus
to blunderville
help settle up
the earthly bill
the people's will
uphill all over
torn asunder still
as 'mancipation's proclamation
counterfeit by militarization's
misery guvnor n his guards
save law n order's
skin so white
confederate kin
resuscitate the knights
for what it's worth
less a freedman's birth
of a nation's dirth
of fortitude's foundation
don't wait
for the TV station break
get-up n go take
go take the bus
to blunderville
help settle up
the earthly bill
the people's will
uphill all over
torn asunder still
but listen listen good
a steadfast dirge
to heal the blight
n wave dirty laundry
'twas kept outta sight
voices hounded grounded
'carcerated from flight
suffocated smoke signals
confiscated human rights
but don't be hamstrung
don't let liberty's bell
get un-rung
when one gets stung
it means all of us
gotta take the bus
to blunderville
help settle up
the earthly bill
the people's will
uphill all over
torn asunder still
[2014]

Photo: Jim Pickerell U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Public Domain/WikiMedia

"Train to Zakopané" is a hard hitting play about bigotry

Tue, 02 Dec 2014 17:57:00 +0000

SANTA MONICA, Ca. - Before the world premiere of Train to Zakopané, playwright Henry Jaglom briefly introduced the drama. The noted indie filmmaker stated that the play was based on a true story his father had told him. South African surfer-turned-thespian Mike Falkow portrays the protagonist based on Jaglom's dad, here named Semyon Sapir, in this tale set in 1928 Poland.

Act I is set on the titular train, as Semyon beats the crowd and joins a sleeper inhabited by three other passengers. Among them are the priest Father Alexandrov (Stephen Howard, who acted in Jaglom's upcoming film Ovation and in his previous play The M Word) and the young blonde virginal Polish beauty Katia Wampusyk, a nurse by profession (Tanna Frederick, a regular in Jaglom indies, such as 2006's Hollywood Dreams). She is a delightful traveling companion - except for one, shall we say, personality quirk and flaw: Wampusyk is a vicious anti-Semite.

Like most Jew haters, her bigotry is based on a sheer ignorance that she believes is the gospel truth, which Father Alexandrov basically reinforces. Among other things, the nurse proclaims she can spot a Jew from a mile away. Semyon debates the point, without success. So, to teach her a lesson, Semyon - who is reluctantly smitten by his fellow commuter - hides the fact that he is himself Jewish and romantically pursues Wampusyk.

In Act II the two youthful lovebirds disembark at the eponymous Zakopané, a resort town in southern Poland where - and this is a critical plot point in this train tale with many twists and turns - nurse Wampusyk had previously worked at an important clinic for typhoid victims. Romance ensues at an upscale hotel, as Semyon continues to hide his Jewish background from his lovely, if prejudiced, lover.

In the course of events at the posh holiday center Semyon stumbles upon Wampusyk's life-changing role in his family's fate.

Train to Zakopané makes the powerful point that prior to the Nazis' coming to power in Germany, the Poles were Europe's, perhaps the world's - worst anti-Semites. Is this true? I don't know, but it's food for thought.

In any case, Train to Zakopané is among the hardest hitting plays about bigotry to appear onstage in ages. Among other things, the drama ponders the notion of hiding one's identity as a survival mechanism. In addition to Semyon's deception, fellow passenger Nadia Selmeczy (Cathy Arden), an actress, and her brother, Nahum Gruenbaum (Jeff Elam), a doctor, are self-denying Jews who conceal their heritage. As the old saying goes, "To get along you have to go along."

Train is a bit talky like, well, a Jaglom film, but it's well-directed by Gary Imhoff, who has previously directed other Jaglom works for the theater. The drama is also well acted; Falkow has that pre-war matinee idol appeal, with the looks and mannerisms of the suave, continental Paul Henreid and Franchot Tone, which is ideal for this period piece. Frederick manages to conjure up a character who is at the same time paradoxically hateful and yet so loving. Set designer Chris Stone effectively and literally sets the scene with his train and then resort hotel scenery.

This tale of strangers on a train is a thought-provoking, poignant plea for tolerance. The plight of Jews in 1928 Poland, with the rise of the Nazis lurking and looming in the background, is strong stuff. (Once Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, it was out of the frying pan and literally into the fire for Poland and Europe's Jews.) Jaglom's play also made this Jewish reviewer reflect that that old bromide "Misery ennobles those who suffer" is a lie. If anything, misery loves company. Instead of evolving out from our tragic past, full of man's inhumanity to man, just consider the ongoing pain that militaristic extremists of Israel continue to inflict upon today's wretched of the Earth, the Palestinians.

Will we ever learn?

Train to Zakopané is being presented on Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 5:00 pm through March 29 (with a Dec. 21-Jan. 8 hiatus) at Edgemar Center for the Arts, 2437 Main St., Santa Monica, CA, 90405. Reservations: (310) 392-7327; www.edgemarcenter.org.