Marie has been very kind to me. When she first encountered the floating book shop, she may have assumed I was in dire straits financially and donated about 75 Cds she’d acquired from a friend whose bar went out of business. After months of regular visits, she finally took a chance on one of my books, A Hitch in Twilight, which she continues to rave about. She even bought a copy for a friend’s birthday. We’re both film buffs. Yesterday she loaned me a DVR of a strange flick, The Saddest Music in the World (2003). It was directed by a Canadian, Guy Maddin, who has been at the helm of 42 films, mostly shorts. I’d seen a couple of his other full length features and only remember not liking them. This one wasn’t bad. Shot in the style of a silent film, although it has sound and dialogue, it is the story of a double amputee bar owner, played by Isabella Rossellini, who sponsors a contest to find the saddest song in the world. It is set during the great depression, and the contest draws people from around the globe. Shot primarily in black and white, there are scenes in color here and there. It is over the top, bizarre, and charmingly funky. The original screenplay was written by Kasuo Ishiguro, who wrote the novel The Remains of the Day and the screenplay for it (1995). That film was nominated for eight Oscars but won none in the year of Schindler‘s List. Maddin and George Toles share writing credit on Saddest Music. I sense they changed the original version to accommodate their unconventional film-making style. It is rated 7.0 at IMDb. On a scale of five, I rate it three. I wonder if it influenced the makers of last year's critical darling and Academy Award winner, The Artist. Thanks again, Marie.
With rain in the air, I did the sensible thing, setting up the floating book shop right beside the car in case the skies opened up and I had to scramble to put everything away. And my good run continued. A middle age woman purchased Danielle Steel's Going Home. When a young man showed, my spirits immediately lifted. A few weeks ago he purchased a number of books. As he was browsing, I asked if he were Latino and suggested Tales of the South Bronx by Abraham Rodriguez. He put it aside, squatted and looked carefully through a number of non-fiction titles, demonstrating unusual patience and discernment for one so young. I'd guess he was 20. He selected four on subjects as varied as slavery, finance, and the oil industry. He is impressive. It looked like that would be it for the session when a tall, jovial Russian gentleman appeared, two paperback thrillers in tow. He donated those and overpaid for three others. Not bad for a day that had the potential to be a wash-out. Thanks, folks.
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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