The second half of this is keyframed. I might have it inbetweened by the end of tomorrow. (I hope…) There is then a short section with an umbrella and after that a new scene…
Category: Uncategorized
Hanem and Bey
Winnie the Pooh
I was brought up on the book of Winnie the Pooh and slightly resent the red-jacketed Disney version. I remember, in particular, being confused by the identity of the Gopher who appeared at the start of “the Blustery day” but, of course, I was utterly charmed by the way the text blew across the page, or the way in which Pooh climbed the honey tree. There is also alot of charm in the detail of the animation- Pooh actually moves like a stuffed animal. It is joyous in a purely technical way!! Somehow, I associate the “Honey tree” film with “Mary Poppins” though it may have been screened with something like “That Darn Cat” and perhaps one of these early 60s films was screened together* (I’ve just been told it was “the Ugly Dachund” though I do not remember that film at all!). However, there are many incarnations of Pooh. There is EH Shepard’s original. Like Tenniel nearly a century before, Shepard had been plucked from the pages of Punch to do children’s illustrations and he was excellent at it. Indeed, his illustrations to both “Pooh” and “Wind in the Willows” are almost inseparable from the original text. In the early 70s, Shepard oversaw a colourized version of both books.
Shepard had come out of the First world war and pretty well straight into illustrating Pooh. During the war, when he was decorated with a Military Cross for valour at Passchendaele, ( “he continued to observe and send back valuable information, in spite of heavy shell and machine gun fire. His courage and coolness were conspicuous”), he was sending back cartoons to the British press. He continued as head cartoonist at Punch until Malcolm Muggeridge pushed him out in 1953. The pooh Shepard illustrated was based on his own son’s bear “Growler” and not on the bear owned by AA Milne’s son Christopher Robin. In time, he grew to resent Pooh, though that might have been because of associations with his son who died in the 2nd World war.
There is a very respected Russian version of the “Pooh” stories, “Vinni Pukh” a link here:
So well-known are these films that many Russian children see this as the authentic “Winnie the Pooh”. It has charm certainly.
As curiosities go, here is a link to a version done by the puppeteers who provided “The Lonely Goatherd” in “The sound of music”. Just look at the length of the stings on the Pooh puppet when Christopher Robin is on set. This is a technical marvel! I also think it has just the right mix of reality and toy. Disney should have done a live action/cartoon mix for their “Pooh” films of course…. Maybe one day. “Alice” calls out for the same sort of treatment.
And lastly, here is a link to the Disney TV version- I am sending you to a Greek dub which might be amusing. It is certainly more fun than listening to the appalling dialogue in English!
Here is the singalong version (!) of the opening song:
Here, as an antidote to all the above is a truly splendid pencil test of Owl. I am not sure who did it but it is stunning work!
Some Notelets for Istanbul
The text and the selection of images is certainly not confirmed yet. These are for a museum that hosts a panorama painting of the battle for Istanbul. It is quite a spectacular experience and well-worth a visit.
Some Russian Pictures
Edward Lear, Sunset on the Nile, above Aswan (1871)
One of the many pictures Lear did on his later trip down the Nile in Egypt. (1871)
Edward Lear, Sunset on the Nile, above Aswan.
Signed with monogram (lower left); bears exhibition label and inscribed, signed and dated ‘On the Nile/Edward Lear/1871’ (verso). Oil on canvas. 24 x 47cm (9 7/16 x 18 1/2in).
Purchased directly from the artist in 1871 by Ernest Noel (1831-1931), M.P. for Dumfries Burghs 1874 to 1886.
Audrey Baillie Theron (neé Noel).
Jacqueline Marie Malcolm (neé Theron).
Thence by direct descent to the current owner.
Ernest Noel befriended Edward Lear when they were both passengers on a journey down the Nile in Egypt. It is thought Noel commissioned the current lot on the basis of sketches he had watched Lear execute during the voyage.
Lear made his first trip to Egypt in 1849. He expressed his excitement about the upcoming trip in a letter to another close friend, Lord Fortescue:
“the contemplation of Egypt must fill the mind, the artistic mind I mean, with…
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Lèse-majesté
The crime of injuring the monarch, whether physically (which would be treason), or verbally, is a serious one. I wonder whether caricatures fall into this sphere and indeed this very question was debated a deal in the 18th Century when George III and his son were routinely held up by the early political cartoonists as figures of fun.
Defacing banknotes even today I think is a crime based on the principle of Lèse-majesté.
Does this crime ever result in actions- well, yes, there was a Polish case where a man was fined about £6000 for insulting John Paul II during one of his last visits to Poland. The specific words used in the offensive article are these- that John Paul II was “an impotent old man offering a spectacle of horror to the public,” though the article itself was entitled “The Walking Sado-Masochist”. In the article similarities were drawn between the Pope and the dying Leonid Brezhnev. This, in turn, was heavily criticised by the international press and especially “Reporters sans frontières” which argued that freedom of expression was effectively denied to Jerzy Urban and that Poland had agreed to freedom of expression when it joined the EU in 2004. More recently, there was a case where a man farted to express concerns about the Prime Minister lech Kaczyński, one of the twins and the man who was killed on the way to commemorate the Katyn massacre in the plane crash in 2010.
Now, it is one thing to gag the press or to try to cork the wilder expressions of political discontent, but it is quite another when a senior politician is heard mouthing off about his monarch. School-boy gossip, gloating is not really something we should tolerate from a statesman. So in the UK, there is a clear example of Lèse-majesté in the garrulous stupidity of our own Prime minister. I cannot see that an apology can really explain the smug contempt of the word “purred”. Alex Salmond spoke quite clearly about his shock at the way Cameron openly discussed what he had said to the Queen. Salmond is right and Cameron wrong. But it goes further. If Cameron cannot be trusted to respect the Queen, how can he be trusted to respect the Country?
Here is an earlier Cameron cartoon. I think this one is better actually:
Personally, I must confess that this leaves me in a bit of a dilemma: I had intended to stand for some form of Political office with a Conservative ticket in May and had gone through the struggle of selection. I am really not sure this would be right now. I have never liked Cameron – I remember being encouraged by one of his Eton contemporaries in Oxford to cross the street so that we might avoid meeting him – but now I am afraid I think he is a twit and a liability. If Boris were leading, it would be a different matter, but with Cameron there… well, I have to think very seriously! This is not just a gaff; it exposes the way the man thinks and it is not a pretty image I am afraid. Mrs Thatcher (she of the deepest curtsey ever) would be shocked, shocked, shocked.
Two updates- on Vodafone and Golden Dawn
Golden Yawn
Just two rapid paragraphs- the first about the odious deputy leader of the far Right Golden Dawn party. I discussed this in a post a few weeks’ ago about a Greek island policeman caught in a photo doing a nazi salute. Now, Kathimerini reports that the deputy leader has been coaching his children into giving the fascist salute, not only that- getting them to say “Heil Hitler!” at the same time. It makes it impossible for these people to turn round now and say that they were giving a “Roman salute” rather than a Nazi salute however absurd that distinction may have been in any case. There is a fuller review of this in Damian Mac Con Uladh’s excellent blog here: http://damomac.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/video-shows-golden-dawns-no-2-teaching-children-to-chant-sieg-heil/
The video link is here:
Στις τάξεις των ΝΑΖΙ
there is another here:
and here is damage recorded to foreign cars in Pireus: Golden Dawn was implicated in the attacks.
Here is a photo of the Golden dawn leader, Nikolaos Michaloliakos being arrested after the stabbing of rapper Pavlos Fyssas in Sept 2013:
To his credit, Archbishop Ieronymos is also on record shunning Golden Dawn, so it is naivity rather than Political dodgyness of which he is guilty. This at least marks him out from his ghastly predecessor, Christodoulos
Vodafone
Today there is news of a rescue of Phones 4U workers. EE have offered some of them jobs and vodafone have also offered jobs taking over 140 of the retail outlets rebranding them as Vodafone stores. Indeed, in the press today, vodafone which originally put these jobs at jeopardy comes out smelling of Roses. Does it not make you sick!
The former owner of Phones 4U, John Cauldwell, who sold the company in 2006 for £1.5bn apparently told the BBC that the company had been a victim of “unprecedented assassination”. Vodafone has rejected suggestions that it acted inappropriately during contract negotiations.
Incidentally, at some point I must write about the Greek “watergate” scandal which involved vodafone tapping 106 phones including a number of government phones in advance of the Olympic Games. Kostas Tsalikidis, (Κώστας Τσαλικίδης) was the network planning manager who killed himself or was murdered- no one really knows- following the discovery of the fraud on 9th March 2005. He was found hanging in his apartment. There was no suicide note, no autopsy was conducted nor fingerprints taken at the scene. Vodafone kept his personal computer and personal effects. Regarding the wire-tapping, Vodafone spokesperson Ben Padovan says “We have never discovered anything like this before or since.” The key word in this statement is “discovered”.
2014
Vodafone was fined 76 million euros.
Gay Mosque
Not at all clear in Islam or in Christianity
A few weeks ago, I posted a lengthy piece about the Biblical texts that appear to condemn homosexuality in the bible, about the way they are sometimes interpreted and about a general progress that has seen a more charitable and positive attitude emerging both in Judaism and Christianity in practice. My article focused on the work of Photios of Constantinople and the distinction that he observed in Paul’s analysis of the Jewish law. On the basis of this, it is possible to see Paul’s statements that appear to be so negative in a much more positive light. Of course, this cannot be the last word and will almost certainly not “do” for the strict evangelical fundamentalists who bombard the internet with such hate and bigotry. Equally, people like the politician, Andrea Leadsom, will undoubtedly continue to pontificate about these 6 scriptural texts as if they really knew what they were talking about. There will always be a sentence here and there that can be plucked from a religious text to defend bigotry and prejudice.
A while back, I was intrigued to find a story about “the Unity” mosque, a relatively secret gay mosque in Paris located in a Buddhist Temple headed by Ludovic Mohammed Zahed. There is a lengthy talk here, though in French. While many imams condemns homosexuality as a perverse “choice”, Zahed said, “Homosexuality is not a choice, and it would be crazy to choose to be gay in the socio-cultural environment I grew up in.”
“Current Islamic ethics condemns this sexual orientation, but in fact nothing in Islam or the Quran forbids homosexuality,” Zahed argues. “Indeed, for centuries, Muslims did not consider homosexuality to be the supreme abomination that they do today.” In his book “The Koran and the Flesh”, he says, “There is nothing about homosexuality that ‘goes against nature’ according to one interpretation of Islam. Quite the opposite…I am sure that if the Prophet Mohamad was still alive, he would marry gay couples.”
Zahed is openly gay and married his partner, Jantjies-Zahed in a version of Nikah (the muslim marriage contract, without which any form of sexual contact is regarded as “haram”). “Common prayer practiced in an egalitarian setting and without any form of gender-based discrimination, is one of the pillars supporting the proposed reforms of our progressive representation of Islam,” he says.
Today, there are reports of a Gay Mosque in Cape Town, so the idea is clearly spreading.
Theory
Now to the theory: There are 5 major verses in the Qu’ran that are generally assumed to condemn gay behaviour unequivocally, but like the 6 texts in the Bible, they are not at all as clear as they first appear. The two main verses are:
1) Surah 7:80-81 refers to Lut, لوط, the Muslim equivalent to the Bible’s Lot. “We also sent Lut : He said to his people : “Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people.”
2) Surah 26:165: “Do you approach males among the worlds. And leave what your Lord has created for you as mates? But you are a people transgressing..”
(there are often further verses cited about the condemnation of the people of Lut: 11:77–83, 21:74, 22:43, 26:165–175, 27:56–59, and 29:27–33)
3) Surah 27: 55: Do you indeed approach men with desire instead of women? Rather, you are a people behaving ignorantly.” It seems to me that a statement of stupidity, however firmly made, is not quite the same as condemnation.
4) Surah 4: 15: And the two who commit it among you, dishonor them both. But if they repent and correct themselves, leave them alone. Indeed, Allah is ever Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (this is actually about adultery in general)
5) Surah 4:16: The heavens, the Earth and the mountains tremble from the impact of this sin. The angels shudder as they anticipate the punishment of Allah to descend upon the people who commit this indescribable sin.
The last two verses are a bit vague about the reasons for God’s condemnation but the first of these two verses emphasises God’s forgiveness and the context is adultery. This is part of the problem in Islam, that there is a tendency to avoid the use of terms like “liwat” and opt instead for “Al-Fahshah” (Shameful activity) that may or may not denote homosexual sex.
Hadiths
There are also some hadiths: “When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes.”
“Whomever you find doing the actions of the people of Lut then kill the one doing it, and the one it is done to” (Al-Hudud) The book on Legal Punishments كتاب الحدود عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
باب مَا جَاءَ فِي حَدِّ اللُّوطِيِّ
مَنْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ فَاقْتُلُوا الْفَاعِلَ وَالْمَفْعُولَ بِهِ
But despite this, there remains devision among the three major legal schools of thought. The Hanafite (in South and East Asia) generally believes no punishment is necessary, the Hanabalites (the Arab world) believe in severe punishment following the example of Abu Bakr who had a gay man burnt at the stake and the Sha’fis (also mostly in the Arab world) require extra witnesses to the homosexual act before punishment is carried out. About 4,000 gay people have been executed in Iran since the revolution in 1979.
Variety of interpretations
Because Islam is a Religion of the Book, it would seem reasonable to suppose that everything should be clear, but in this case, everything is not clear and there is a range of response to homosexuality that extends from execution to toleration and now a range of acceptance.
Some scholars today claim that there are no explicit condemnations of homosexual activity in the Qu’ran and some people stress that what the people of Lut do wrong is to reject his prophethood. They are condemned for their lack of faith, not their sexual behaviour. (Scott Kugle Homosexuality in Islam. Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications. pp. 42–49). The Hadiths, in contrast, can be very severe. that severity alone means that they can only be relevant in the most extreme societies. In other words, the extremity alone means they are already questioned.
The modern position seems to be that Islam condemns adultery and thus homosexual sex outside a committed relationship. Therefore, within the context of commitment, it cannot be considered wrong.
I will try to deal with some of this again at a later date. Let’s go back to the news report today. Dr Taj Hargey is an Oxford professor at the Muslim Educational centre and seems to be behind the “Open Mosque” in South Africa. There is some precedent here because of the activity of Imam Muhsin Hendricks- a few years ago he said of a Gay Mosque,
Debate
“In the last five years, there have been more discussions and debates than ever before. Just the mere fact that there has been no strong opposition is an indication for me of some sort of acceptance. It just can’t happen publicly now. People understand that if they oppose homosexuality publicly, they could get into trouble. I guess we are kind of blessed in South Africa … I don’t think it would be possible in Iran, Saudi Arabia or Pakistan.” There was also the Indian Parvez Sharma, and the idea of gay Islam was explored in a Channel 4 film, “A Jihad For Love”.
The debate is certainly developing and in some predominately Islamic countries (like Albania. Lebanon and Turkey) there has even been discussion about legalising same-sex marriage. Homosexuality was decriminalised in Turkey in 1858, long before the Oscar Wilde trial in the UK! Lesbianism is legal in Kuwait. That said, one must be careful because countries which profess tolerance are also inclined to impose strict penalties when they are forced into making legal or police statements or challenges. I recall a particular incident in Egypt, a country which has no laws against homosexuality, but where such activity would be seriously ill-considered, about which we will undoubtedly hear more. What is done in private, one might suppose, should remain private. And a last word to the current developments:
Dr Hargey also encourages women to lead prayers. Of course one of Mohammed’s wives, Khadijah, famously led prayers though arguably under special circumstances.
Here is a link to the Christian views analysed
Richard Williams
Richard Williams rightly deserves all the adulation he gets from animators. Sadly, the general public is less aware of his significance, though most have seen and admired his work in “Roger Rabbit” and all of us have seen the effect he had on the industry. Anyway, I am always amazed by Williams’ generosity. It was clear when he was presenting his cut of “the Thief” a few months’ back.
When I was a schoolboy, and later when I was at university, he gave up his time, had me visit the studio and talked for hours to me about the process of animation. On that second visit, he took me to a restaurant where I remember eating a plate of smoked salmon and otherwise hanging on his every word, none of which I have forgotten. “I think in colour” was the most amazing statement. I envy that. I think in lines, not colour at all, and I think I struggle with colour. I wrote an article based on what he said which was printed in an oxford magazine.
Afterwards, I had time to kill before getting a bus back to Oxford and I went to see a show called “Another Country”. Within a year, I was doing front covers for Amber Lane Press which printed the text of the play. (Here are some of them together with the programmes for Another Country)
I vividly remember Rupert Everett and Kenneth Branagh, and later went back to see their understudies, Daniel Day Lewis and Colin Firth. Day Lewis was the godson of a lady who lived in my house and sat in my room with the poodle chatting about the past. I lived in a converted conservatory: there was a swimming pool at the bottom of the garden.
It had only been a year or so since Mrs Thatcher had announced the identity of Anthony Blunt in the Commons as one of the Cambridge Spy ring. What had not been emphasised I suppose was the fact that most of the spys were gay and had been to the better Public schools. “Another Country” picked up these themes, of treason, homosexuality and espionage in the mid 1930s. The play began in Greenwich and transferred after stunning reviews there to a 19-month run at the Queens in the West End, almost unheard of for a straight play both then and now. Years later, I directed my own production of “Another Country”!
All the screams on the page above are copies of Richard Williams’ sensational “Christmas Carol” which I was watching while I was without a computer for the last few days: I have to draw a screaming face. As ever, Williams has already done it, and done it better than I could ever imagine doing. I have been sent lots of Roger Bacon paintings as reference.
Ah, here is a link to a youtube upload of Errol le Cain’s film “the sailor and the devil” Simply tremendous to see it after all these years. I was amazed to find Errol le Cain was working for Williams: two of my heroes in the same place. More on Errol le Cain later I think….
