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On the run with Jason

The Bourne Ultimatum (USA, 2007)
dir. Paul Greenglass
rating: ✶✶✶

The third thriller about Jason Bourne, trained by the CIA as an “asset” (i.e. spy, covert agent, and assassin, who then cut himself loose from the company) is replete with action that kept stuntmen busier, no doubt, than star Matt Damon. He is good to excellent in the part of uncanny survivor on a dangerous quest. Chases and fights are high-powered, frequent, and incredible. Rogue CIA men are the bad guys rather than foreigners this time. But basic premisses of the plot are less intricate than in the antecedent films, so for me less interesting.

Not a lot happens on Canada Day, in contrast to the grandiose events in Paris on 14 July, and patriotic ceremonial in many other countries on their national day. In Ottawa and provincial capitals the military fire a 21 gun salute. The Mounties get to show off their horses on Parliament Hill and there is an air force fly-past. Governor General and Prime Minister plus some premiers publish inspirational, quite predictable messages. There is a banal fête populaire at an improvised stage on the Hill, broadcast nationally. Across the country for a few moments the night sky is lit with fireworks. The national press is loaded with reflective articles on who we are, mostly not worth quoting. Outside the country there is scarcely a mention. This year marks 140 years since Confederation.We get a long weekend.

Quadriga (2007) by Max Streicher

This afternoon I discovered four luminous gigantic horses floating in the Great Hall of Union Station, Toronto, another component of Luminato festival of the arts. This was an astonishing kinetic inflatable sculpture by Canadian Max Streicher who has been constructing pieces at venues around the world. I have so far not been able to find anything about him, except year of birth, 1958, and the fact that he is based in Toronto. The subject for me is highly mythic and powerful.

A quadriga is actually the four-horse chariot used for races in the Olympic games and sacred rites in ancient Greece, the vehicle used by gods and heroes in classical art. The four horses here, though not attached, nevertheless are in mystical union.

La Sylphide: National Ballet School, Toronto

For the first time Spring Showcase consisted of a single classical work, La Sylphide in the 1836 version choreographed by August Bournonville — a challenge that senior students of the National Ballet School met with skill and enthusiasm. It was staged by Sorella Englund, formerly of the Royal Danish Ballet, who also took the cameo role of fortune teller sorceress, Madge. It was carried off at near professional level by the young cast with minimal accoutrements.

Englund's Madge, of course, seething with scheming resentment, was nonpareil and true in the role, as authentic as one could want. But the principal parts taken by students were equally accomplished and stylish. The corps de ballet in this classic white ballet, the essence of romanticism at mid-19th century, was expressively disciplined and beautiful with never a ragged or awkward line.

With five performances, the school had a new cast of student principals for each — I saw one. As the eponymus Sylph that night, faerie of air, Heather MacIsaac sweetly generated the mystery and mischief that moved the plot. But the evening’s star was Alexander Bozinoff as betrothed and enchanted farmer’s boy, James. His beautiful leaps and pirouettes in kilt, all lightness and elevation were pure examples of Bournonville style at its finest.

Opera Atelier, Orpheus and Eurydice

The current production by Opera Atelier of C.W. Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, the 1774 Paris version in French of the opera, was first performed in Vienna in 1762 in Italian. The poetic retelling of a myth from Greek mythology, the genre is azione teatrale, but here straightforward and much simplified as the composer attempted to lighten the traditional, highly involved opera seria of the time. Opera Atelier, skilled in reconstruction of baroque performance, have produced a consistently clear and entertaining work, true to the original, but somewhat free in interpretation. It made for a splendid evening.

As Orpheus tenor Colin Ainsworth looked and sounded the part of heartbroken, audacious swain and prodigy dangerously venturing into the underworld to rescue his spouse. She, Eurydice, was sung by soprano Peggy Kriha Dye with suitable pathos, though her full white gown seemed somewhat anomalous in the situation. With surtitles I was able to follow the text in French, overwrought rhetoric rather tedious in the 21th century. It was rescued by the splendid interventions of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. Gluck’s score was throughout played with distinction by Tafelmusik, conducted by Andrew Parrott.

The production was generous with dance beautifully and inventively choreographed by Jeannette Zingg, who moved in style from late baroque to early romantic, quite in the transitional spirit of Gluck’s piece itself. The artists of Atelier Ballet themselves moved stylishly and cleverly through dance sequences that advanced the story. The Dance of the Blessed Spirits with three variations was a particular delight.

Elgin Theatre, Toronto, 28 - 5 May 2007

Arma virumque: Commonwealth of Virginia

In Virginia anyone older than 12 may own a rifle or shotgun. From age 18 onward it is legal to own a handgun. No permit is required, but without one the individual may purchase only one weapon a month. To carry a concealed gun a permit is required, but there is no requirement of training. Before the weapon is sold the name of the purchaser is checked against state and federal databases — convicted felons are ineligible as are mentally disturbed persons who have been treated in hospitals. There is no waiting period.

At a gun show even that check is waived. To buy a semi-automatic pistol or even a military-style assault weapon no name is required, hence no background check, and no record of sale.

Virginia's laws may seem lax, but the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence considers 32 other states even less rigorous. In 2001 about a third of U.S. households reported the possession of arms.

The student assailant at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University used two legally acquired weapons to kill 32 students and faculty on 16 April 2007: a Glock 9 mm pistol (above), and a Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol. He had been referred to an out-patient clinic to treat mental instability, so not reported to the database.

[sympatico / msn news, 18 April 2007, "Virginia massacre raises gun control questions"]

An executive order by the Governor of Virginia now makes mandatory reporting of mentally troubled patients treated in out-patient clinics, thus making them ineligible to purchase arms at stores. That is mere tinkering — 28 states do not even participate in the voluntary federal database. The New York Times refers to the "silent retreat" of legislators: "One hearing after Virginia Tech carefully focused on the need for mental health counselors on campus — certainly not saner gun controls."
[NYT, 2 May 2007]



I received the following comment from a friend who is a psychiatrist and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Canada):
The term "mentally unstable" is a vague, catch-all phrase. I often wonder what it really means and I imagine you do too. Does it fluctuate with time? Is anyone who sees a psychiatrist considered mentally unstable? Is someone with substance abuse considered mentally unstable? Does someone who has undergone a relationship breakup and harbours angry feelings qualify as unstable?
Another interesting point needs to be made. Psychiatrists feel from a careful review of evidence that they do know what risk factors exist for suicide and have some expertise (not complete) in predicting suicide risk. [On the other hand, by contrast] the American Psychiatric Association says time and time again that we do not have sufficient expertise to identify risk factors or ability to predict aggression, violence and homicide (even though this may sound counter-intuitive).

Ireland's Struggles

The Wind that Shakes the Barley
(Ireland, 2006)
dir. Ken Loach
rating: *****
Festival de Cannes: Palme d’or, 2006

The film is a powerful, emotionally wrenching presentation of circumstances in rural Cork during the Irish struggle for independence (1919 – 1921) and subsequent civil war (1922 – 1923). It focuses on the lives of two brothers caught up in the struggle, superbly played by Cillian Murphy and Pádraic Delaney. The fight was fraught with personal tragedy — the one brother wrote towards the end: “I tried not to get into this war, and did, now I try to get out, and can’t.”

The film remarkably gives one the sense of being present in the unravelling of violent events. The British occupation of Ireland was brutal, and the resistance had its own cruelties. Director Ken Loach is not one to romanticize, nor indulge in ambiguities.

Vimy 1917 — 90 years after

On the morning of 9 April 1917 the four divisions of the Canadian Corps moved to take the ridge at Vimy, after days of preliminary bombardment. The task was daunting, even impossible, yet it succeeded thanks to careful preparation and the use of innovative tactics. The cost in lives was horrendous, as casualties along the static front mounted.

In 1922 France ceded 1 sq. km of Vimy Ridge and environs in Pas-de-Calais to Canada where, in 1936, the soaring national monument to the 66,000 Canadian dead in World War I was inaugurated by King Edward VIII.

On Easter Monday, 9 April 2007, the monument will be re-dedicated on the 90th anniversary of the landmark battle, by H.M. the Queen and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin will also be at the high-profile event. Thousands of Canadians, including many young, will attend. Her Excellency Governor General Michaëlle Jean will mark the day at the National War Memorial, Ottawa.

Villepin ended his elegant address with "Vive la république, vive la France!" Why did he omit "Vive le Canada!"?

Not a celebration of victory, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial solemnly commemorates the sacrifice of lives in the struggle of nations, and the grief of a young nation just coming into its own.

Rob Stewart's Sharkwater

Sharkwater (Canada, 2006)
dir. Rob Stewart

Close to 100 million sharks a year are slaughtered in the seas each year, many of them for the consumption of their tasteless fins in soup. The myth is perpetuated worldwide of sharks as ruthless predators and killers, whereas in truth they are part of an essential balance of marine life.

Marine photographer Rob Stewart, still only 27, struggled five years through endless personal, financial, and artistic difficulties to create a remarkable documentary released last week in Canada, and September in the United States. Along the way he and his team experienced shark poachers, criminal intrigues, official corruption, and death threats, among other dangers, much of it in the waters of Cocos Island (Costa Rica) and the Galapagos (Ecuador).

From all reports the imagery of the film is extraordinary along with the message, and I want to see it soon.

Tangueros de Buenos Aires

The origin of tango along the docks of Buenos Aires in full expansion in the 19th century is somewhat mythical, and I have not immersed myself in any of the many histories of the art. Certainly it was danced by men among themselves, cuchilleros and compadritos, in cafés and gatherings in San Telmo before the scandalous dance was discovered and adopted by high society in Argentina and Europe after World War I.

Tango is still much danced in its city of origin, and taught in many schools, though now more of a cult activity for aficionados and dance tourists.

I did get to see a show in the Centro Cultural Borges that I very much enjoyed, with six young dancers accompanied by the Carla Algeri Trio, all winners in national competition. Small of stature, Algeri is an intense, wonderful bandoneonista. At Zival’s record shop on Avenida Corrientes I purchased records in traditional style by orchestras I learned about for the first time: Carlos DiSarli, Juan D’Arienzo, and Osvaldo Pugliese, all pre-dating the changes that occurred with Astor Piazzolla and other modernists who introduced jazz and other elements that quite transformed the genre.

In contrast to other milonga dance, tango has a sad, sometimes sinister quality, charged with intense sexuality. Most of that is lost when it is put on the stage to entertain.

A new opera ballet house for Toronto

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

Inside, acoustics of the theatre are excellent, as are sight lines for the most part. Ballet looked wonderful on stage in the fall season. That is not to say it is a truly successful building. Scant attention has been paid to the movement of crowds in the corridors and lobbies — exits are slow and congested. The lunchtime open space with a tiny, precarious stairway is more suited to children than brown-bagging adults, though no doubt free entertainment is always welcome.

Christopher Hume summarized the building better than anyone, calling it an architectural dud — architects were Diamond & Schmitt. "Clad in blue-black masonry, and blank on two of its four façades, it feels more industrial than cultural, more inwardly focused than outward looking."
[Toronto Star, 30 December 2006]

Ironically, it stands across from splendid Osgoode Hall, yet hardly distinguishable from nearby hotels and banal commercial structures on the street.