"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

Saturday afternoon and evening - B and I went to the cinema then dinner - we haven't done this for a while.

The film was Quentin Tarrantino's latest epic, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", and what a good choice. The film is very long at 165 minutes but worth it. It was well written, fantastic acting, a good pace which all combined to make the film very engaging and engrossing.

Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCapprio and Al Pacino

There were a number of famous actors doing little cameos, like Al Pacino, Timothy Olyphant and Kurt Russell. Our favourite was Damien Lewis playing "Steve McQueen" which led into an unusual three minute slot of "The Great Escape".

So, lots of swearing, some violence, all very plausible, a great film.

The Design Museum "Stanley Kubrick" Exhibition

B and I spent the weekend in Windsor, at B's family home. In addition to visiting the family, we wanted to visit the Exhibition of Stanley Kubrick's film work.

Stanley Kubrick was an American and started his film career in Hollywood. His films included "Paths of Glory", a World War One film with Kirk Douglas as a French Army colonel of infantry, given an impossible mission to capture a German position. He then worked with Douglas again to make "Spartacus". Shortly after, during 1962 he took up residence in Hertfordshire, just north of London.  Here he could exercise much greater control of his films and went to make several films including "Barry Lyndon", "Dr Srangelove", "A Clockwork Orange" and "2001 A Space Odyssey".

Stanley Kubrick, Kirk Douglas and Suzanne Christiane (later Christiane Kubrick)

Oscar for "2001" Film Special Effects

A small part of his library on Napoleon, Kubrick spent 2 years on research for a planned film

Costume designs for Napoleon

Story boards for "Spartacus"

Costumes from "Barry Lyndon"

An actor training for the first part of "2001"

This car was designed and built for "A Clockwork Orange"

B and I agreed, this is one of the best exhibitions that we have visited. Truly befitting one of the greatest film makers.

"The Captain"

I am writing this blog to recommend the film "The Captain". I had not heard or seen anything about this film until I saw it listed in Sky Films, checked on some reviews anddecided to watch it yesterday. It is a German film, with English subtitles, based on actual events. The central character is a young conscript in the Wehrmacht during the last two weeks of WW2. He has deserted and, following a chase sequence, he finds a Luftwaffe car with a very smart Luftwaffe officer's uniform in a suitcase. He borrows the car and the uniform, adopts the persona of the officer and gathers around him a motley crew of other deserters. I am reminded of Acton's saying - "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely".

Holiday in Northumberland : Visit to Wallington Hall

We like a good stately home but it has to have a good tearoom as well. Just by chance, we drove passed these dragon heads, we thought they looked interesting, worthy of further investigation.

It is a National trust property, Wallington Hall. So we thought we would stop for a look and some tea and cake.

Leaving the car park and heading towards the stable block

Through the arch into the courtyard

where there is a shop, a garden centre and a tearoom

It's a nice house, mid 18th century, in a nice location, with a nice interior

No explanation for the bust of Napoleon

Then I found this cabinet, full of demiflats/demirondes, approx 25mm

There are about 3000 figures, mainly British and French with a few Germans and Russians

A mix of Napoleonic and late 19th century figures

At first, I thought they are CBG Mignot but the card says they were made in Germany

I'm not so sure but the charging figures are not in the Mignot book.

These Highlanders have extremely short kilts, more like miniskirts.

Still, lovely to see.

Holiday in Northumberland : Visit to Lindisfarne Castle

One of the most iconic panoramas in North East England

A model of the original castle

This is a beautiful place in a beautiful setting. Lindisfarne Castle is on Holy Island, which is not a true island, it is connected to the mainland by a causeway that is flooded for part of the day by the tide.

The white hut is a refuge if you are caught by the incoming tide

Lindisfarne Castle is misnamed. It was built in 1570 - 1572, during the reign of Elizabeth 1st as an artillery battery as part of the coastal defences. During the English Civil War it was held by Parliamentary forces. In 1715, during one of the Jacobite Rebellions, it had a garrison of two and was captured by two Jacobites who held it for a short time, waiting for reinforcements that never arrived. In 1882 it had three 64pounder cannons, manned by the Volunteer Coastal Artillery. It was abandoned in 1893.

An industrialist/entrepreneur named Edward Hudson acquired the fort in 1901 and asked his friend, the architect Edwin Lutyens, to remodel it as a country retreat. This was the last major work done on the fort. It is now a National Trust property, open to the public.

Lower Battery position, probably Napoleonic era

Lutyens designed, main entrance and kitchen block

Kitchen

Upper Battery

Bedroom wing

Long Gallery external

Upper Battery, looking back towards the stairs

Long Gallery internal