The Writer's Life 7/11 - Hot Blooded

RIP Omar Sharif, 83. Born in Egypt, of Lebanese and Syrian extraction, he has 117 credits listed at IMDb. Blessed with a natural screen presence, he was a star in Egyptian films, then broke internationally with his performance in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). His best role was the lead in Dr. Zhivago (1965). He spoke five languages, was a master bridge player, wrote a syndicated column about it, and also created a game for the computer, Omar Sharif Bridge. Another of his passions was gambling. He accepted dubious parts in an effort to pay his debts, but still ran into trouble with the law. He had a run-in with an American parking attendant who wouldn’t accept foreign currency, and he head-butted a French policeman during a dispute in a casino. His celebrity is probably what kept him out of jail. His autobiography is titled The Eternal Male. Here is a quote attributed to him: “I’ve lived very humbly, in fear. I accepted roles they wanted me to do and even films I didn’t want to do and don’t like because I was afraid of saying no.”

I have little interest in Native American issues, so I was baffled when Winter in the Blood (2013) arrived from Netflix and I read the summary on the disc's sleeve. Why had I rented it? I must have read somewhere that it transcends the usual issues. It does for the most part, although the displacement suffered by indians remains a main theme. It is the story of a young man dealing with the death of his father, who froze to death, drunk in a field, and brother, struck by an automobile. The man, drinking and living aimlessly, is played effectively by Chaske Spenser, one of the stars of the Twilight series. TV and screen vets David Morse and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson lend support. The rest of the significant roles seem to be filled by actors with at least partial native ancestry. The action is set in a remote corner of Montana, near the Canadian border. Based on the novel of the same name by James Welch, a Blackfeet Indian, it is not easy viewing. It is geared toward those who prefer serious subject matter and are not turned off by the downbeat. It was co-directed and co-written by Alex and Andrew J. Smith, their second stint at the helm of a full length work. It constantly travels between the present and past, which is confusing at first. It runs an hour-and-forty-five minutes. 116 users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 6.2 of ten, maybe a tad low. It’s a daring film, one to respect rather than like.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought and donated books today on Bay Parkway, especially lovely young Meka, who gave me five bucks for a copy in only fair condition of Sandra Brown's Envy. I was so touched by her generosity I asked if she would like a copy of one of my books, and she happily accepted A Hitch in Twilight.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/