The Neverending Story: Part II
When Bastian hides in an attic to read a mysterious book, he discovers that this is no ordinary story……..the Neverending Story is a living book. It tells of Fantasia, a land of magical creatures threatened by the Nothing. The Childlike Empress needs a new name and only a human child can grant it. Hardly believing what is […]
The Neverending Story: Part I ….
When Bastian Balthazar Bux, a shy, fat and lonely school boy, steals a mysterious book from a mysterious book shop one rainy morning, and hides in an attic to read it – little does he know of the adventurous journey on which it would take him. Lost in the world of Fantasia, Bastian reads of […]
Beauty and the Beast
In 2017, a live action remake of Disney’s 1991 animation, Beauty and the Beast was released staring Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast and Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor, Luke Evans, Ian McKellen, Kevin Kline [and more] in supporting roles. Since its release [March ’17] the film has grossed over one billion dollars, […]
Pinocchio
Pinocchio is a classic children’s tale, first written by by Italian writer Carlo Collodi in 1883. It is a story of puppet’s journey to become a “real boy” and is commonly counted among the most popular children’s tales of all time. Indeed, the Disney adaptation in 1940 cemented its place in the hearts and minds of children across the […]
Stranger Things (spoilers within)
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. ~ Hamlet Act I, Scene V In July 2016, Netflix debuted a new series, Stranger Things, a show which has quickly gained widespread popularity for its pace and character driven plot. Labelled supernatural, horror, science-fiction, the series is less […]
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough [1890-1915] is an anthology of comparative mythology and religion, written by the Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer. The book is in fact 12 volumes which analyse the narratives and rituals of the ancient world. Its central thesis is that originally, religions were fertility cults concerned with cyclical seasons. These cults revolved around […]
Poetics
Around 335 BC Aristotle wrote, Poetics (Περὶ ποιητικῆς) the earliest known work of the theory of drama. So comprehensive is it, that it is still used by literary theorists, writers, educators and directors of theatre of film. Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters [2002, Michael Tierno] is a modern application and case in point. Interestingly, the whole work was lost to […]
St. Nicholas the Defender
Tradition tells us that Santa Claus is named after St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, now modern Turkey. He lived 270-343 AD. Son of wealthy parents, Nicholas had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. This practice is still celebrated […]
The Ring of Gyges
Herodotus tells the story of Gyges, King of Lydia in the 8th century BC. He was the founder of the third Mermnad dynasty of kings of Lydia descendents of the gods, Zeus and Hercules [Herakles] and forefather of Croeseus. Croeseus was a king of unsurpassed wealth and power, but the last of his line and […]
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde’s 1890 philosophical novel, tells of a young man, Dorian, whose stunning beauty captures the attention of artist Basil Hallward. Dorian sits for a portrait with the artist and there he encounters Lord Henry Wotton. Wotton introduces Dorian to his hedonistic philosophy in which beauty is the only aspect of life worth pursuing. Dorian […]