Shielding Elizabeth from Storm

This is my review of The Queen’s Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I by John Cooper.

This begins like a novel with Walsingham, the English ambassador in Paris, risking his life by harbouring a Huguenot in a vain attempt to save him from the St Barthelomew's Day Massacre in 1572. This appalling event was critical in convincing Walsingham of the absolute necessity of preventing a Catholic invasion of England.

Although destined to play second fiddle to Lord Cecil, Walsingham filled a major role as Principal Secretary to Elizabeth, heavily involved in foreign policy, negotiating the thorny paths of her phony marriage plans, promoting early abortive attempts to extend English influence by founding colonies in North America, but most of all organising a network of secret agents to glean evidence of plots amongst Catholics at home and abroad.

Cooper provides a somewhat repetitive but fascinating analysis of how English Catholics who mostly just wanted to be free to worship "in the old way" were hardened into plotting against Elizabeth by the influence of priests who set up seminaries abroad and ventured into England, at great risk and personal cost, to spread the word. It was a vicious circle in which repressive laws, an inevitable result of foiled rebellions and plots, only made the English Catholics feel more persecuted and rebellious. Cooper debates whether Walsingham was guilty of "entrapment" by infiltrating Catholic families with agents who encouraged them to intrigue against the Queen.

Some events, such as the Throckmorton plot, are not easy to follow since they are presented in a rather fragmented way, and the whole structure of the book is a little disjointed, so that the abrupt switch from Walsingham's reliance on ciphers and code breakers to troubles in Ireland and attempts to found a colony at Roanoke feels like reading two fresh books in which he scarcely figures.

Yet, a sense of Walsingham the man comes through clearly: puritanical but not fanatical, loyal and industrious, stymied by the queen's periods of indecision. While giving her lavish presents, he was reduced to debt partly through being obliged to pay for some of his security work himself, not to mention the indignity of having an ungrateful queen throw a slipper in his face. His occasional bursts of written frustration to others seem almost modern in tone, and very human.

A few clear maps would have been useful, say of the ill-fated colony on Roanoke Island, the ports ravaged by Drake in the Spanish Empire, or even the route taken by the Armada. A timeline and list of main characters for easy reference would also assist the general reader. The illustrations are interesting, but need a full page each to do them justice.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

The Queen’s Agent: Francis Walsingham at the Court of Elizabeth I

Seeing more with another dimension

This is my review of Life of Pi [DVD].

Not having read the bestselling book on which this film is based, I came to the cinema with no great expectations, apart from thinking, as proved the case, that judging by the trailer this would be an excellent theme for 3D film and the use of CGI.

From the outside we are transported to the magical beauty of the Botanical Gardens of Pondicherry, where the oddly named hero Pi's father runs a zoo. Political pressures cause him to take a Japanese ship for French-speaking Canada, with his animals caged in the hold, but disaster strikes when the vessel sinks in a storm and Pi finds himself in a waking nightmare, confined to a lifeboat with a ferocious Bengal tiger inappropriately named "Richard Parker".

We know that Pi will survive the ensuing Odyssey, since he is narrating the tale years later to a young writer, but that does not detract from the tension of his struggle to exist, leavened by moments of humour and the astonishing beauty of vast starlit skies, oceans suffused with phosphorescence and a passing school of leaping dolphins. The striking scenes give you a real sense of Pi's loneliness, leading to a subtle identification with the tiger, and of his increasing sense of closeness to the natural world. This in turn helps you to appreciate how such experiences may give people a "sense of god", and Pi is, as we know, very susceptible to spiritual experiences anyway.

At some points the story turns to magical realism, which the computer graphics makes wonderfully vivid and somehow more plausible than might be the case in a novel. The mind plays tricks on people under stress, so we are left uncertain as to whether Pi may have imagined or even invented the story to replace a more mundane and sordid truth.

I recommend this film which can be enjoyed both as simple entertainment, or taken on a deeper level. But to do it justice, you must see it in 3D.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars

Life of Pi [DVD]

More Endeavours of the Latin Morse

This is my review of Inspector Montalbano: Collection Three (2 Disc) [DVD].

In our insatiable thirst for detective thrillers, foreign language productions have the benefit of introducing us to a different way of life in a setting which might well suggest the location of our next holiday.

In this case, the drama is set in the fictional Vigata, a quaint old stone-built town spreading over a hilly Sicilian coastline bathed in perpetual sunshine. Detective Montalbano occupies an elegant flat overlooking the Mediterranean where he can relax swimming at the end of each stressful episode.

We are introduced to a slow-paced (apart from the crimes, that is) way of life revolving round food – a man will put the enjoyment of a good meal before rushing to greet his lover – and the extended family, where relatives and workers gather on a sunny terrace to consume plentiful meals together.

Smartly turned out and astute, Montalbano somehow commands the respect of his staff despite the kind of volcanic outbursts which would have him sent on an anger management course in Britain. Like most detectives, he is on shaky terms with more senior officials, perhaps in part owing to his tendency to break the rules, but survives in his post, probably because he always seems to solve the crime in hand, usually through his ability to make deductions from very slim evidence.

The denouement is often unpredictable, partly because the very complicated plot tends to have a few twists which are hard to follow – and to be honest at times implausible. It's quite fast-moving, so with the sub-titles as an added constraint you have to concentrate.

Overall, it's worth watching as the characters are well-developed, the dialogue is amusing, the cases have intriguing aspects, and all does not end happily in every respect – there is a gritty undercurrent, say in the suffering of Tunisian immigrants in "The Snack Thief" or the continual hints at bribery and corruption amongst higher ranking officials, making the "honest" Montalbano a rarity.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

Inspector Montalbano: Collection Three (2 Disc) [DVD]

Je tire ou je pointe?

This is my review of Le Tour de Gaule d’Astérix by René Goscinny,Albert Uderzo.

As a mature student of French, I read this in an attempt to understand the addiction to "les bandes dessinées" which seems to persist into adulthood even for French literature lovers. I hesitate to repeat what must be widely known – since I had grasped it without reading a single Asterix in the past – that the revered Goscinny has created a "village gaulois" populated by "irréductibles gaulois" who manage to make mincemeat of the entrenched Roman garrisons surrounding them, and fools of the occasional representative of Caesar who comes along with the intention of bringing the villagers to heel. The secret of the locals' success lies in the magic potion prepared by the venerable druid Panoramix, and the exceptional strength of the menhir delivery man, Obelisk, who never needs to take the potion since he tumbled into the brew at berth.

The ensuing tale of the wager for Asterix and Obelisk to tour France without being captured, collecting local specialities on the way as evidence, is pretty silly although amusing, partly in showing one again the French preoccupation with food – all the items collected are edible and listed with gusto at the end: "saucisse de tolosa", "huîtres et vin de burdigala" and so on.

In trying to find an equivalent story embedded in English culture I came up first with Winnie the Pooh, then thought perhaps Dad's Army would be nearer the mark. You may need to be able to associate Asterix with the nostalgia of childhood, and also be a native of France to understand the puns fully. I have at least learned the French for "port" and "starboard" and that, "Je tire ou je pointe?" refers to the game of pétanque.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

Le Tour de Gaule d’Astérix

Knowing a true classic when you read it

This is my review of The Comedians by Graham Greene.

This harsh revelation of the "violence, injustice and torture" imposed on Haiti by the thuggish "Tontons Macoute" supporters of the sinister "Papa Doc" during the 1960s forms the background to a novel that is a mixture of tense thriller, sad love affair, and reflection on the meaning of life provided through the portrayal of a variety of characters. Sadly, this impoverished island escaped from Papa Doc's control only to suffer the ravages of AIDS in the 1970s.

Returning to the rundown hotel in Haiti which he cannot sell, Brown has to deal with the body of a dead government minister in his swimming pool. This must be concealed from his only two guests, an idealistic but naive American couple, the Smiths, who are resolved to transform Haiti with an ill-timed project to promote vegetarianism. Can Brown maintain his clandestine "semi-detached" affair with Martha, whom he resents having to share with her spoilt and all-too observant young son, while Brown is unsettled by the suspicion that Martha's ambassador husband knows about the relationship but appears to accept it. What has brought Captain Jones to Haiti – a congenital liar beneath his blustering charm?

Although Greene himself did not regard "The Comedians" as one of his best works, and he admitted his experience of Haiti was superficial, this book hooked me from the first few pages with his gift for storytelling, constructing a plot in which every incident and character counts, creating a strong sense of place and devising scenes which are by turns poignant, philosophical, menacing, exciting or hilarious – hence the idea that we are all to some extent playing the part of comedians.

The narrator Brown may be cold, cynical and self-centred, but his role as an outsider gives him the detachment to observe and analyse the people and situations he encounters. He may be forgiven a little bitterness since he has never known his father's identity, and his flamboyant mother abandoned him as a small boy in a Catholic boarding school where the monks could be relied upon not to throw him out when she failed to pay the fees.

For the first time, I have understood some of the Catholic angst which pervades so many of Greene's novels. Near the end, Brown refers to "the never quiet conscience injected into me without my knowledge, when I was too young to know, by the fathers of the Visitation." Brown seems to be the vehicle for Greene's introspection. "The rootless…. we are the faithless. We admire the dedicated….the Mr. Smiths for their courage and integrity……we find ourselves the only ones truly committed to the whole world of evil and good, to the wise and the foolish, to the indifferent and the mistaken. We have chosen nothing except to go on living."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars

The Comedians

Quirky and Whimsical

This is my review of L’Homme Aux Cercles Bleus by Fred Vargas.

Blue chalk circles begin to appear in the Paris suburbs, each ringing some everyday object. But Commissaire Adamsberg knows it is only a matter of time before a circle contains a murder victim. Unlike his sidekick Danglard, the pragmatic, cynical, stereotypical heavy-drinking inspector deserted by his wife, Adamsberg is not your usual senior police detective. Burdened by his acute intuition, "if only I could be wrong about someone once in a while" , he wanders round with his shirt half hanging out, idles around in coffee shops too depressed to go into work, and is only tolerated by colleagues at his new post in Paris because of his astonishing success record in solving cases.

Some of the characters are entertaining, such as the beautiful Mathilde, a famous marine biologist, only really happy deep-sea diving, who spends her time when on dry ground following and observing strangers. I liked her glass table with a built-in aquarium. However, the main characters are all highly eccentric and somewhat unrealistic. I enjoyed some of the quirky dialogue and was prepared to go with the flow of the off-the-wall plot until it reverted abruptly to the kind of trite, contrived thriller overfull of coincidences with a hero who keeps presenting his bemused colleagues with the next piece in the jigsaw, obtained through his latest light-bulb moment.

I recommend this in French for the practice, and the English version to help with some more obscure language points. Some of the English translation is a little oddly worded partly because the distinctive whimsical quality is hard to capture in English.

Not sure I'll read any more in the series……..

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars

L’Homme Aux Cercles Bleus

Better in French

This is my review of The Chalk Circle Man (Commissaire Adamsberg) by Fred Vargas.

Blue chalk circles begin to appear in the Paris suburbs, each ringing some everyday object. But Commissaire Adamsberg knows it is only a matter of time before a circle contains a murder victim. Unlike his sidekick Danglard, the pragmatic, cynical, stereotypical heavy-drinking inspector deserted by his wife, Adamsberg is not your usual senior police detective. Burdened by his acute intuition, "if only I could be wrong about someone once in a while", he wanders round with his shirt half hanging out, idles around in coffee shops too depressed to go into work, and is only tolerated by colleagues at his new post in Paris because of his astonishing success record in solving cases.

Some of the characters are entertaining, such as the beautiful Mathilde, a famous marine biologist, only really happy deep-sea diving, who spends her time when on dry ground following and observing strangers. I liked her glass table with a built-in aquarium. However, the main characters are all highly eccentric and somewhat unrealistic. I enjoyed some of the quirky dialogue and was prepared to go with the flow of the off-the-wall plot until it reverted abruptly to the kind of trite, contrived thriller overfull of coincidences with a hero who keeps presenting his bemused colleagues with the next piece in the jigsaw, obtained through his latest light-bulb moment.

Some of the English translation is a little oddly worded perhaps partly because the distinctive whimsical quality is hard to capture in English.

Not sure I'll read any more in the series……..

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars

The Chalk Circle Man (Commissaire Adamsberg)

Complex, entertaining, fast-moving thriller

This is my review of The Killing: All Debts Must be Settled, Complete Season Three [DVD] [2012].

I agree that unless you are a Danish speaker you need to concentrate hard to read the subtitles, observe people's body language and notice what is happening in the often short scenes which switch rapidly between the various plot threads, frequently leaving gaps for you to fill in. I wish I had thought of making a note of the various characters starting with Episode 1, which you may need to watch twice to grasp the political background of this thriller.

Although you do not need to have seen the previous two series, it is an obvious advantage to have done so. Series 3 may be the best in terms of coherent plot and character development. There are some similarities with Series 1 e.g. the sensitive in-depth coverage of a couple's desperation when their child is kidnapped; a cunning criminal who has a specific and unusual motive rather than being a simple "serial killer"; complex political shenanigans with a charismatic but flawed leader trying to win an election but dependent on trade-offs with small parties ("The Killing" does little to further the case for coalitions) and requiring the support of a major industry, in this case "Zeeland" – realistic when you consider the size of Denmark.

Still driven and preoccupied with the latest case to the point of obsession, Sarah Lund retains the tendency to walk round in the dark with a torch, usually without backup, which has become an almost comical trademark of the series. She is as unconcerned about her personal appearance as ever, although wears a wider range of jumpers – I particularly liked the white one with a striking chevron pattern. She admits to having been a "bad mother", but her attempts to be reconciled with her son are invariably interrupted by a phone call on the latest crisis at work.

Since this is described as the last Series, I anticipated a dark ending, thinking that it would be too tame for Sarah to take a cushy desk job, as planned, and to settle down with a former lover in her "shed". The ending is unpredictable, leaves a good deal for you to mull over and draw your own conclusions, according to your preference. I think it is wise to call this the last in the series while many people may still want more, but perhaps the producers will change their minds.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

The Killing: All Debts Must be Settled, Complete Season Three [DVD] [2012]

Authors collect materials in the living of their lives

This is my review of Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead by Paula Byrne.

This very readable biography of Evelyn Waugh focuses on his fascination with the aristocratic Lygon family and the ambiance of their ancestral home Madresfield, which inspired his famous novel "Brideshead Revisited". Paula Bryne recaptures the poignancy of the drama to rival a Shakespearean tragedy in which the cultivated and socially conscious Earl Beauchamp, one of the last Liberal grandees, was driven into exile because of his blatant homosexuality,a victim to the hypocrisy of the day and the jealousy of his brother-in-law, the Duke of Westminster. On the other hand, Beauchamp seems to have used his powerful position to prey upon attractive young servants, rather in the style of a modern celebrity disc jockey.

Paula Byrne paints a sympathetic portrait of Waugh, highlighting his wit, companionship and loyalty to those he liked or admired, his special gift for platonic friendships with women, his courage and cheerful resourcefulness under pressure, "for he liked things to go wrong". Admitting that he was snobbish and often sharp-tongued, she makes allowances for him continually: his outrageous comments were often "meant to be jokes", when in later life he played the part of the crusty lord of the manor "in love with the past" he became a parody of himself, but the knowledge that hosts he thought he was entertaining found him a bore "broke his spirit".

It is interesting how biographies differ. Perhaps wisely for the sake of the length and coherence of the book, the author glosses over his friendships with other writers like Grahame Greene, his unconventional conversion to Catholicism, his possibly neglectful or exploitative relationships with his second wife and children, and the details of the alcoholism and drug-taking which aged him prematurely, drove him into periods of temporary insanity and eventually killed him "before his time". She makes light of the selfishness as when, it must have been through lack of thought, he accidentally started a fire in his father's precious bookroom.

Whom is one to believe? Hugh Carpenter's biography claims that Waugh was not given men to command in World War 2 because he found it hard to relate to working class soldiers. Paula Byrne makes light of Waugh's insistence when in the Royal Marines on "etiquette and proper procedures" and his attempt "to convince the young men how much better the world was before the invention of electricity".

One of the most interesting aspects of the biography is speculation on the extent to which Waugh's writing drew on his own experiences, places he had visited but most particularly the people he knew, often amalgamated to create a character.

With only minor reservations over some repetition which suggests a lack of editing, this book sets Waugh in context and is an inspiration to read more of his work for the humour and quality of the writing, even if much of the social comment now seems very dated.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead

The Hunt – Guilt of Innocence

This is my review of The Hunt (Jagten) [DVD].

In yet another subtle and well-acted Danish film, we see how Lucas, the only male assistant to provide a bit of rough and tumble in a nursery school, finds himself sacked, charged by the police and a pariah in his tight-knit community when a normally truthful child appears to confide to the head teacher that Lucas has sexually abused her. From the outset we are given clues as to other events in the child’s life which might be affecting her actions, but which cannot be known to those investigating the issue. Through a series of all too believably blundering attempts to “do the right thing”, Lucas is condemned from the outset, wild rumours multiply as people are carried away by “groupthink” to turn against him.

The film skilfully points the finger at others who might be letting Lucas carry the blame for their own misdeeds, and even arouses our own occasional doubts as to his innocence. However, for the most past we feel outrage on his behalf, and a helpless sense of his compounded fate. All the main characters display some depth and changes in their emotions – in the case of Lucas, his natural gentleness and passivity giving way to bursts of retaliation.

The drama is set against a background of the deer hunts which bind the men together in a macho culture which may of course brutally cast out someone who seems to have broken a taboo, and the availability of guns adds a continual underlying threat of violence or tragedy. The film has the entertaining knack of following what seems like a happy event with a sudden twist back into suffering for the unfortunate Lucas.

Although the prejudice and hysteria in the community may seem a little exaggerated, the ending does not baldly “spell everything out” but leaves areas of ambiguity to provide food for thought. What should you do in a delicate situation which you cannot ignore but in which no action can be taken without damaging either the potential victim or the possible perpetrator, perhaps irrevocably? How can adults communicate effectively with confused children who may wish both to please them and conceal things from them, and also lack the language to express their feelings? How often do we make judgements without knowing the full facts, or even realising that this is the case?

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Stars


The Hunt (Jagten) [DVD]