Though initially something of a mystery, the title of the Sherman Brothers’ 1976 musical adaptation of "Cinderella" is the primary clue to its value. "The Slipper and the Rose" proposes a symmetry, a duality of attention, in how it treats the main leads and their situations. And it is in these complementary and crossing paths …
Continue reading “The Slipper and The Rose”—Symmetry in Storytelling
After the Thin Man, 1936 Set immediately after the Christmastime events of “The Thin Man,” “After the Thin Man” finds Nick (William Powell) and Nora (Myrna Loy) speeding to San Francisco to spend the New Year’s holiday with her family. Between Aunt Katherine’s teetotaling reprimands to Nick, and Cousin Selma’s missing husband, “After the Thin …
Gigi, Vincente Minellie's 1958 frolic, uses the color of 1890's Paris and the music of Lerner and Loewe to build to a profound illustration of the equality of love in marriage. High society of that time, and the concept of mistresses for the elite, or courtesans, is treated with veiled humor, particularly in the character …
There are books where the gradual sequence of seasons is almost a character in itself, a cog of the story turning it forward to new plots and eventual resolutions. The following recommendations all share this facet, but each from a different area and era, making them as unique as they are beautiful. Whether it’s Alaska …
With the new year upon us and at least some of us having resolved to read a bit more or perhaps even take part in the 2023 GoodReads challenge, I thought it might be nice to offer a few suggestions for your to-read shelf, taken straight from my recently-read shelf. As is usually the case …
The Intentional Ordinary 