1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Locate the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences on your blog and in so doing…
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.
Simple enough. I reached down to the nearest pile and on top was Charles Schmann’s American Bar: The Artistry of Mixing Drinks. An enjoyable guide, but unfortunately not suitable for this task. Page 123 features the mixtures for two drinks I have never tried, the Jogging Flip and the Journalist. That one is a vermouth-based drink and sounds interesting, but since I don’t have any lemon juice, triple sec or bitters around I won’t be trying it right now.
Below that volume was Tullio Kezich’s biography Federico Fellini: His Life and Work. Here’s what is asked for, coming from a chapter on his first film, LO SCEICCO BIANCO (THE WHITE SHEIK) and beginning near the end of a paragraph:
“Trieste’s brilliant debut is clouded only by the fact that Fellini decides to have Carlo Romano dub his voice.
Faithful to the example set by Rossellini, Fellini casts his film as if he were recruiting for the Foreign Legion. He doesn’t care about what the actors have done before and he’s unmoved by the idea of their market value.”
Trieste is of course Leopoldo Trieste, familiar from his appearance in TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE, but maybe more recognizable to some people for his roles as Signor Roberto in THE GODFATHER PART II and the priest in CINEMA PARADISO. The photo seen here is of Fellini with Trieste and Fellini associate Moraldo Rossi. The legendary director’s attitude towards hiring actors who may or may not be known was probably looked at the same way then as it is now by most producers and makes me think of how Alexander Payne casts his own films. I have little else to add other than that because, embarrassingly, I’ve never actually seen THE WHITE SHIEK. I’ll have to do something about that soon.
As for tagging five others, instead I will choose to tag everyone! Eveyone on the planet! Or no one. Most people I read seem to have been tagged already. Although I would love to know what sort of reading material M.A. Peel has close by. That is all.
Just an FYI., Monsieur Peel. I'm back in (limited) action due to popular demand.
ReplyDeleteFantastic news, I'm thrilled to hear it. Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteAt arm's length, from today's trip to the library:
ReplyDeleteThe windows were all shut, and when Digby lifted the drab curtain he could see the bed had not been properly made--or else Poole had flung himself down for a rest and hadn't bothered to tidy it afterwards. The tap dripped into a fixed basin and a sponge-bag dangled from a bedpost. A used tin which once held lobster paste now held old razor-blades.
Graham Greene The Ministry of Fear
On the coffee table:
“Looming over the town, La Rocca appears a suitable home for the giants that are said to have been the first inhabitants of Sicily. It was here that the Arabs built their citadel until the Norman conquest in 1063 brought the people down from the mountain to the port below. This dramatic backdrop combined with the narrow Moorish streets has made Cefalu a popular film set, most notably for Cinema Paradiso.”
From Lonely Planet: Sicily
Mrs. Peel, you are amazing. My readings about traveling in Italy haven't expanded to Sicily yet but I'm going to have to do something about that. Thanks for the look at your coffee table.
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