The Homesman

I turn on the soundtrack by Marco Beltrami, open my computer and start writing about The Homesman. I delete the sentence I've just written to make place for the one you are reading now.

Let's talk about... The Homesman! An American western/ drama directed by one of the greatest: Tommy Lee Jones! 

I think it must be two weeks now, that I've seen the movie in theater. I was sitting in the screening room on one of those red colored seats, somewhere in the middle of room, in my hand a candy bag, in the other a small bottle of water, emotionally instable and on the verge of crying when the first name pops on the screen: Tommy Lee Jones, one of my favourite actors of all time. Then came a scream: Hilary Swank's name appears. Then another: Grace Gummer shows. There was no third scream, when I saw Meryl Streep in big letters on the screen I stopped breathing and had a contemporary nervous breakdown. I am not even telling you what I did when she appeared in the movie. People must have thought I was mad, although I was the only one in the room, besides five or six other people, most above the age of fifty. The Homesman had been playing for several weeks already but since I had eight exams, there was absolutely no chance my mother would let me go to the cinema. 

I went to a movie theater in Tournai, and unfortunately had to go see the French dubbed version. When I saw there was no original version I could have killed myself, but at the end the dubbed version wasn't that bad. Let's say that after all those years the French people have become skilled at dubbing, thank God. 

The story is very simple: a spinster, Mary Bee Cuddy (Hillary Swank), has the task of escorting three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa, with the help of George Brigss (Tommy Lee Jones). But the unexpected and shocking events that take place on the road, the stories told behind these women and the tragic ending make this a hard and emotional movie to watch. Each and every actor was amazing and gave outstanding performances. I thought Hilary Swank had a very difficult role, but she showed how a great actress she is once again by giving the touching portrayal of Mary Bee Cuddy on screen. After a career of more than three decades, Tommy Lee Jones is allowed to call himself the master and once again had given such a breathtaking performance and made this movie a treasure. I was positvely surprised by Grace Gummer because I had never seen her acting, the small part she once had in American Horror Story excluded. All I can say from seeing this now is that she has a talent, and not a bit. She was able to make me shiver as one of the mad women and I absolutely enjoyed every second I saw her playing. She's got the gift and I hope this is just a foretaste of the emotions she will give us during her career. I definitely want to see more of Gummer! 

Why do you have to see this movie? I think I've used the words performance, touching, shocking and emotional once too many times, but that's the movie, and that's the reason you've got to see it. Meryl Streep is for once not a reason. She had a very small part and even if she wasn't in the movie, that wouldn't have changed the greatness of it. It transported me to the Wild West for a hundred twenty-two minutes of suspense and tragedy. Recommended and worth those two hours of your life. 

Little favour for the Streepers out here (I couldn't help it) here's Meryl's lovely face:

La Tarte Tatin!

Okay so the pie is a huge failure. A dishonor to the art of cooking. A shame and an embarrassment. Guess what? It didn't turn out like I had hoped! But to be honest, I don't really care. At least I tried! *goofy smile*
At the moment I'm listening to the Winner Takes it All, which perfectly describes my feelings with the pie.


Ingredients:
* 8-10 Golden Delicious apples (I just took... you know apples...)
*200 g butter
*300 g sugar
*puffy pastry, selfmade or just like I did: bought in the grocery store. (I'm so sorry, I know it's a shame.)



So the first defeat: I didn't use Julia Child's recipe... Great beginning! I didn't understand a thing of it, so I used the Larousse Gastronomique, which isn't that bad since Julia Child had it too! I mean, it could have been worse, no? Anyway, I opened the Larousse and after reading it seven times in a row I actually understood it.





Peel eight to ten apples and cut into eight parts. Cut the tips of the apple parts. Yes, uptill now everything is alright, I'm following, everything is going great.

Cover the sides and bottom of a copper pan with a mixture of 300 g butter 200 g sugar. I checked at least thirty thousand eight hundred and fifty two times if it wasn't 200 g butter and 300 g sugar.
I don't know if that went well: I put the butter in the microwave to melt, I'm not sure if I was supposed to do that.

Put a first layer of apples in the pan with the ends against the border. Then a second and a third layer.
Note: don't forget to put the ends against the border, I forgot it and believe me it doesn't look like a Tarte Tatin when you don't do it, so I suggest you read your recipe better than I did.

Set the pan over moderately high heat and wait until the butter-sugar mixture comes up foaming and with a light color. That may take about twenty to thirty minutes.

Let the content rest for eight hours. So, I suggest that when the Larousse says you have to let it rest for eight hours, you f*cking listen to what the Larousse says. I'm speaking from experience.

The next day you put a puff pastry above the pan.
a) I know, I'm ashamed, I actually bought the pastry and didn't make it myself.
b) Now that you're here, and I'm giving you suggestions of what you better not do: I also suggest you put the pastry IN the pan, and not just above it. As you see I didn't put it IN the pan okay, don't do it like I did!

Put the pan in the oven for about twenty minutes at 180 °C.

Let the pie cool. Also: when there is written to let the pie cool, let the damn pie cool because: "these damn things are as hot as a stiff cock", quoting Julia Child, you know.

Last but not least: the flipping of the pie.
I have absolutely no tips to flip the pie, not that I have actually given you any advice, I just told you what to not do. Just take the pan and flip it on a plate.
TADA.

So, yesterday I tasted it, and let's say it wasn't that good. This morning I tasted it again and it was much better. So let the pie rest for eight hours, I'm sure you won't regret.

Adaptation: Just a passion...

Just a passion is what Susan Orlean wanted. Just a passion. She went so far that the desperate search after a passion became a passion itself. She wanted to care so much about something like Laroche cared about orchids. She wanted to feel it, to be in tune with it, to obsess with it, just simply something to care about passionately.

"I suppose I do have one unembarrassed passion. 

I want to know what it feels like to care about something passionately."

Adaptation is one of the most insane movies I've ever seen. The most insane, but the most powerful and entertaining as well. I think I can list this one as one of my favourite movies of all time. Incredible performances by Nicolas Cage, Chris Cooper and Meryl Streep in this tragic comedy/thriller. I think I can add thriller because of its ending... If you know what I am referring to. Little hint: crocodile. 

Adaptation's beginning is remarkable, the thread of the whole movie. It's dark, we hear nothing but Nicolas Cage's voice telling you how pathetic he is. And he will repeat himself throughout the whole movie, so don't forget it : Charlie Kaufman is pathetic. Bald, fat, old, his toenails have turned strange and absolutely very pathetic. Kaufman is a screenwriter and agreed on doing the job of adapting Susan Orlean's novel, 'the Orchid Thief'. But how to write a movie about... flowers? How to write a movie about a woman in desperate search of a passion, talking about orchids? Changing the story by bringing in some action and new events that weren't described in the book? No way, Charlie wanted to write something beautiful about orchids and he was determined. During his way to writing the perfect script, events take a shocking and unexpected turn: Susan Orlean isn't who we ever thought she was and Charlie's twin brother discovered that. 

Susan Orlean is such a fun character in the movie. During the film, she changes from a woman living a normal life with a husband, job as a writer and friends into a drug addict when she meets John Laroche. He takes her into his special world, shows her his fascination for orchids and that led to Susan's fascination for his fascination. How could he love something so incredibly much? She wanted so desperately to feel the same and lost it the search for a passion became a drug addict.  Drugs transported her to another world, which orchids did to John as well, so maybe it was a passion?

Reality or fiction?

One of the tricky things about this movie is that reality and fiction are difficult to distinguish. Susan Orlean and Charlie Kaufman are reality. While writing the script, Kaufman involved himself and Susan Orlean, but the events in the movie never took place (thank goodness), so that is pure fiction. The movie is so well constructed that at the end you've got the feeling that it was real, as if it was a journey into Kaufman's imagination. He writes a script, you see the story behind the writing of the script, and then the movie becomes his script. A movie to pay attention to while watching, but also very fun and tensive! 

I don't own the pictures.

Found them on Tumblr. 

The Devil Wears Prada !

Remember when Meryl Streep portrayed Clint Eastwood in The Devil Wears Prada? 

No, Streep had once said having inspired herself on her director from The Bridges of Madison County for this role, which was actually based on Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue.  Apparently Eastwood never raises his voice, which makes everything much more frightening and intimidating. Frightening? Intimidating? Sounds much like our beloved Miranda, no?

This glamorous movie takes everyone into the fashion world. A look behind the scenes of fashion magazines, models, jets, Paris, fashion weeks, photo shoots, catwalks and the biggest designers and stylists. Believe me when I say that not only mothers and daughters will love this but men just as well. Why? The fabulous Miranda Priestly of course. For once, the roles are exchanged and the one with the successful career in the relationship is the woman, and not the husband. Which makes a difference between all these other movies; a change for once!

The movie is about choices. The choice between success and family. Choosing your priorities, what is more important? Andrea Sachs never dreamed of a life in the fashion industry, all she wanted was to be a writer. But the opportunity presents itself, and she takes the job as assistant of Miranda Priestly. The poor girl just hasn't realized yet that she signed in for an arrangement with the Devil. The boss from hell. The Dragon Lady: no compassion, the only way is success and if there are corpses on the road, you'd have to step over them! Miranda Priestly isn't heartless though, she might be misunderstood. She loves her job, but she adores her kids. The scene in which Andrea comes into her house and sees Miranda in a very emotional state, also shows her sensitive side. You begin to think that she can actually be empathic towards others until she disappoints her right hand and longtime friend Nigel. The moment 

where our hatred for  the Devil returns.

Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) has a beautiful relationship with her boyfriend, someone she loves and who supports her in any way. Until the girl who used to never be interested in fashion, hated her boss and job, changes into a fashionista supremo and devotes everything to Miranda Priestly. Andy understands her, but had been a little naive, because people don't change, Priestly doesn't change. But deny it or not, both Miranda and Andrea never regretted it.

Anna Wintour in the story:

The book by Laura Weisberger didn't really please her, although Wintour has said she found the movie very entertaining and appreciated Streep's portrayal very much.

Meryl never wanted it in any way to look like Anna Wintour, that's why she decided to wear a gray wig and not look nor act like Wintour. She didn't want people to associate Miranda Priestly with her, she was the editor of Runway Magazine, which I think Wintour appreciated a lot. Streep has said Wintour was probably more upset with the book than with the movie.

The costuming....!

That, of course, can never be forgotten when talked about The Devil Wears Prada, THE fashion movie! The film is the most expensively costumed movie in history, with clothes worth at least a million dollars! Lots of big designers such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbanna, Prada (of course), Calvin Klein and much more gave a contribution to the movie with a costume budget of $ 100.000.  The priciest item was a Fred Leighton necklace Streep wore, valuing another $ 100.000! (imagine wearing a small fortune on your neck, the prize of a small apartment!).

Meryl Streep donated her whole wardrobe (aside the sunglasses of course, which she kept ) to Dress for Success.

What? The article is finished, what are you looking at? That's all. 

I don't own the gifs.

Found them on Tumblr. 

Julia and... Me!

Let's talk about... Julia Child, for once! The most beloved woman of the United States of America! America's sweetheart, Mrs. Child! The goddess of recipes for the serventless American cooks! Television sensation, the American cook, feeling more Fench than American. I present you: Julia Child!
What I love about this woman is her joy, her happiness, her optimism and postive look at life. Always a sunshine, making absolutely everyone fall in love with her. Her beautiful marriage with Paul Child, her love for French people and... French food.
As Meryl once said: "I really love what I do. I love acting. And I love to work, and I love food, and I love sex (laughter). And so did Julia Child. So it wasn’t that much of a stretch, it was a stretch this way (pointing up)."


Meryl Streep as Julia

Our beloved Julia had been played by our beloved Meryl - isn't that just perfect? - in the movie Julie & Julia, written and directed by my favourite writer: Nora Ephron. Not only the movie makes the butter in your heart melt because of its beautiful love romances, it makes you absolutely ... HUNGRY! Instantly you feel this urge to cook, and then of course to eat it all (by yourself!). Julie & Julia makes you hungry for more!

The height, the voice, the moves:
A deserved Oscar nomination for Streep, and I am being objective. The voice is spot on, she walked on platform shoes during the whole movie, to be taller than her co-star Stanley Tucci (Paul Child) who is actually taller than her. She also gained 15 pounds during filming but I honestly think she didn't plan to. What  did you expect, seeing  those delicious dishes in front of you, making you want to lick your screen.     A little note about the voice: for once, I know Streep's secret. I myself can do the famous Julia Child voice, the 'Bon appétit!' (to all Americans: bon appétit is written like this, not bon appetite, I'd appreciate if you'd never make this mistake again) was already inside of her. Meryl has always spoken like that, only not striking. To be Julia she just had to exagerate it. But anyway, nobody would be able to do Julia Child like she did, and that's what makes the name Meryl Streep legendary.
Something I had remarked during the film: Paul Child is ten years older than Julia, but in the movie Stanley is eleven years younger than Meryl, which makes a difference of 21 years!

Julia Child and me

I decided to bring my inner  Child out and make Julia's tarte tatin! No, excuse me, I'm not making her famous boeuf bourguignon, but if the pie turns out as I hope, I might give it a try! So during this week, I will post my way through the making of La Tarte Tatin, with pictures and explanation. I hope you give it a shot and try to make it as well! I will try not to cheat and use Julia's recipe, but I don't guarantee. ;) Since I am not a skilled cook, there's a chance that the pie turns out to be disgusting and absolutely a dishonor to Julia, I don't guarantee success either.

Anyway, never excuse yourself! Bon appétit!
(Don't have too high expectations, my pie won't turn out like this one.)

I have such... DOUBTS

"Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty."

Sister Aloyius is a mysterious character, don't you think? A monster, at first sight,  but then as you get an access to her inner, she seems to be less certain and strong as everyone thinks. Loneliness and emptiness rest in the heart of this woman. As may appear in the movie, the nun Aloyius Beauvier isn't heartless nor mean, she has compassion. That becomes clear when she helps the older nun, or how she desperately wants to help the boy, Donald Miller, not for her own benefit because when you think of it, she has always done everything for someone else. Even when it doesn't seem likely, in the deepest of her heart she meant to do good for others. But she still remains, after Miranda Priestly of course, the
Dragon Lady.

Doubt isn't in my favourite movies of all time list, although I found it a very good constructed  thriller. The reason I am posting this is because it is something very interesting to talk about. You know what I mean, the groundbreaking: "Did he do it?!"-question. 

Before attacking this question, I want to speak a little more about the Dragon Lady, sister Aloyius. She has such a mysterious past. She had a husband, a life, maybe children. What happened, what events took place that made her make the drastic decision to become a nun? Nobody knows and she seems to have locked her past and secrets somewhere very deep inside of her and decides that absolutely nobody may have the key to her soul. She lets no one in. Until the end, where she breaks, fearing that her certainty wasn't as certain as she always told people. Fearing doubt. Has it something to do with her life? Or hasn't it? Nobody knows, it's your decision to make up who or what you believe. 

After all, maybe they are both right and wrong. Maybe some things happened to be concerned about, but maybe father Flinn is just a good person with a generous heart and has become a priest for a reason. There is nothing specific to confirm the accusations made by the nun, but along the movie you still think she might be right. It's like being in a washmachine: you're being turned upside down. Yes he did, no he didn't, yes he did, no he didn't, and at the end, you're so confused. You don't want to believe sister Aloyius in a way, but in another, you still do. Or maybe you don't. ... You have doubts. 

The strenght of this movie? Its ability to make you doubt as much as sister Aloyius did. 

La Divina

"Masterclass", an HBO film that will be directed by Mike Nichols tells the story of opera singer Maria Callas. The story of her life, her love affaire with Arisotle, her career and the voice master class she holds.
In honor of Callas, here this post, entirely dedicated to the wonderful soprano.


I, being a huge fan and admirer of La Divina, jumped off my seat, did a little dance of joy, there must have escaped a little scream from my lips, was in a state of shock when I heard that my all time favourite actress Meryl Streep would be playing the divine opera singer Callas. The woman who could make you shiver with one tone, one sound of her voice. A song sung by Maria makes you drop everything in order to listen carefully to her, it's like an attraction, addiction, you're hypnotised. If God had a voice, then it would be Callas'.

Callas performing "Casta Diva"

When I first "discovered" Callas, I was obsessed with her. Surprised much? No. So I, of course, googled her - thank God for Google - and read her whole Wikipedia page, which took me eternity. Callas' Wikipedia page isn't in any way comparable to Meryl's, which is four times smaller. Unfortunately, I have the memory of my great grandmother (I think that even she has a better memory than I do) and the only thing I remember from the whole article is that she had a love romance with Aristotle, who then left her for Jackie Kennedy after JFK's death, blablabla. Her lovelife has no importance when talked about her career and voice.

Callas performing "Carmen Habanera"

Maria Anna Sofia Cecilia Kalogeropoulos (Callas), born in 1923, was and is one of the world's most famous opera singers. Her voice was different, she wasn't the strongest technical singer, she did have something dramatic and emotional in her voice, which made her become La Divina - divine. Meryl hasn't hidden her admiration for the opera singer at all and during the interview on the French journal this year, has said how much she loved that woman. It was, by the way, a horrible interview; the questions were bad and sometimes made it very uncomfortable for Meryl to answer. Anyway, when the reporter played "Casta Diva", sung by the amazing Maria Callas, Streep immediately started singing along, knowing the lyrics. Emotional and on the verge of crying, she gasped and said: "she's the greatest artist of the twentieth century... to me.", when asked what she felt hearing Callas' voice. "She's in tune with something divine. But because.. because it's also: music. Because music brings something...." "Takes you away", the interviewer finished. "Exactly!" And yet again, Streep is right on it. 

Meryl Streep, a feminist!

It has been generally known that Meryl Streep comes up for women's rights. The way women are portrayed in media and film, or the fact that women above a certain age aren’t offered roles anymore (men are...) or just simply the question why a woman can't be strong-minded. Why can't she? Why is the woman in the movie without brains, saved from the evil by a man? Or why is it that girls in movies should be pretty to look at and nothing more? Why aren't there more Miranda Priestly's with a real opinion, why aren't there more movies about women in leadership, like Margaret Thatcher - pro or contra Thatcher -, why aren't the real stories of unknown women told?

And for that reason, Meryl has given away her whole salary from The Iron Lady to Women's History Museum. We need someone like Streep who is able to speak for those who can't, who can contribute because of her fame, who can - let's face it - give away actual huge amounts of money because she has the ability to.

This is the beautiful speech from Women In The World Summit - I suggest that everyone follows them on any social media -  she gave to introduce secretary of state Hillary Clinton. So take your precious time to watch this  speech, it's not a waste of time at all. 

I hope everyone has seen the Barnard Commencement Speech? I will write an entire post talking about everything she said, but for now I will keep it to the essence for this post.

"Men are adapting... About time."

Is it normal that a woman can pretend to be a man? To be Peter Pan? To be Jack Sparrow, to be a president, a father, a brother or a son? Absolutely! But ask a straight man to play Wendy, to play the mother, to play the First Lady, the actress, the nurse or the Jasmine from Aladdin, and there is where the real deal starts, because honestly? We haven't really seen that yet. But as time passes, men are indeed adapting! If I were standing in front of you I'd make a little laugh, because adapting is maybe a misplaced word. But it's come to that. 

There were times where a woman wasn't able to be anything else than a housewife, a nurse or a teacher. Maybe a hooker? Oh, and an actress of course... Times women weren't accepted into political discusses, or debates, weren't even allowed to vote! Watch this thirty minute long speech, laugh, cry, realize and learn from the intelligent and ever gracious Meryl Streep!

I would like to now talk about the woman Streep will be portaying: Emmeline Pankhurst. One of the greatest, the woman who has fought and devoted her whole life for suffrage! Women fighting for voting rights called themselves the Suffragettes! The movie will be starring Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Carey Mulligan and Ben Whishaw. 

Emmeline Pankhurst                                                                       Meryl Streep 

My favourite movie: 4- The Bridges of Madison County

Three weeks. It took me three weeks to get over that movie - emotionally.

Francesca Johnson - oh, how I love pronouncing that name with an Italian accent - is a complex woman. She loves her husband, her kids, the people in Iowa, her house, her life, she's happy. Until her husband and kids leave to a competition for a prize steer and our Franny is left alone in the house, thinking this would be just her four days, alone, nothing special, the occasion to do everything on her own tempo without the bustle from her kids. But then our beloved Robert Kincaid shows up and breathes new life into her old dreams that seemed to have faded.

But their love affair is doomed to end after these four, beautiful days. She's left the choice between her life as a mother, a wife, her responsibilities towards her kids and husband or the man making her dreams come true, someone who knows her and can transport her in thoughts to her beloved Bari, Italy. He made her rediscover herself.

Francesca's choice:

I don't want to spoil, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, STOP READING! Stop reading this immediately because I don't want to ruin this perfect movie to you.


When Francesca stared outside the window of her car, watching Robert, the love of her life and decides to let him go although all she really wants is staying with him forever, I was devastated. Yet, she couldn't have made a better choice. That scene, when her hand is clamed around the doorknob, makes the movie The Bridges of Madison County. Imagine if Francesca would have opened the door and ran into the arms of the only man she will ever love, would the film still be so close to your heart? No. Although I will scream, I will cry, I will sob every time I rediscover that she doesn't follow her heart, I don't want it to have ended any other way.


She had once made a choice, the choice to spend the rest of her days with Richard, to have kids and to build a life. She became the choices she had made and there was nothing, not even her own happiness, her own love and desire, that would change it.

"This kind of certainty comes just once a lifetime", Robert would have said. It was true, but she'd cherish their love forever.

I don't own any of the gifs.

Took them from Tumblr.

My favourite movie: 3- The Hours

Three different women, connected to each other by one book: Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf.
Three different women, trying to hide their pain with lies.
Three different stories, ending in one.

The first story is Virginia Woolf''s. We follow her while she's writing Mrs. Dalloway until her unexpected suicide in 1941. She seemed so happy...

Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf

The second woman is the housewife Laura Brown, living in California, in the fifties. She's got the perfect life: a loving husband, beautiful child and pregnant with a second. But she's stuck in a stifling marriage. She led the life of a stranger and the only moment she could truly be herself was while reading Mrs. Dalloway. And what if she'd make an end to all of it, just like Virginia did? The only thing she had to do was take a few
pills...

Julianne Moore as Laura Brown

The third woman is Clarissa Vaughan, she lives in contemporary New York with her girlfriend Sally, but somehow she seems a re-incarnation of Mrs. Dalloway. She is confident, strong, has lots of friends, gives parties. But what nobody knows, except her old lover Richard, is that the parties she gives are meant to cover the silence...

Meryl Streep as Clarissa Vaughan

Besides the incredible story, the best thing in this movie are the performances of the actors. Evey single actor has created such strong emotions making you stop breathing for a while. You forget absolutely everything. There is no Julianne Moore, no Nicole Kidman, no Ed Harris, no Meryl Streep. There you have, the characters, the people, you have Virginia, Laura, Richard and Clarissa, there's the story. And after the movie, the thinking starts. You start thinking about how they feel, about how you feel, about the extreme emotions laid bare on the water surface. Emotions most movies don't show. The truth without lies. 

As you'd expect: I read the book by Michael Cunningham. It didn't disappoint me a bit! This man has such a gift! Every page makes you shiver. Every letter, every word transports you to this imaginary world of his characters, but it seems so real. As if you had seen Clarissa in the street, this morning. You'd said hello, she smiled while carrying the roses. She did, you remeber it very well! Or maybe she didn't... 

What makes it so special is the feelings the women are dealing with: the emptiness. They  feel like they aren't being themselves. There's something wrong, they feel like living a lie. But nobody wonders if they are okay, people assume they are because they are strong women. 

The soundtrack by Philip Glass is a masterpiece, as you all know soundtracks are one of my obsessions. 

                         "Always the years... 

Always the love...

                         ... Always THE HOURS."

"Mrs. Dalloway, always giving parties....

             .... to cover the silence....."

                "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself."

                "Sally, I think I'm going to buy the flowers myself!"

(thanks to the person who made this beautiful gif.

Found it on Tumblr.) 

My favourite movie: 2 - Out of Africa

The soundtrack starts - John Barry - and then the voice over: 'I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills...' and then come the endless sobs of my crying over the perfection of that movie - mostly starting when Meryl Steep's name appears on the screen.
The story of baroness Karen von Blixen - well actually it starts with Karen Dinesen - an unmarried (weatlhy) woman who offers her friend Baron Bror von Blixen to marry her, mostly because it was convinient for both of them. They move to Kenia (guess where) and at the foot of the Ngong Hills they run a coffee plantation. No, Karen runs a coffee plantation because Bror is never around and of course she never expected her to actually fall in love with him. But then, when Bror von Blixen leaves yet another time and she stays alone, she falls in love with Denys Finch Hatton. And THERE is where the real interesting story begins: a beautiful love affaire with a tragic ending.

Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton 

                                                                 

Can I say that I am in love with John Barry's soundtrack? And with the clarinet concerto from Mozart used in the movie? You know, the grammophone... ? I listen to it when I write. It's one of the most beautiful soundtracks I've ever heard, since I am addicted to movie soundtracks.


As you probably already remarked, every time I begin to love something or someone, doesn't matter whether it's a person, a film, a book or music, I feel this urge to obsess about it, which - believe me, I didn't do it on purpose - I did with Karen von Blixen as well. That explains the fact that my twitter name is @Mrs_Blixen... So, I went to the library, hopelessly searching after Karen Blixen somewhere, or Isak Dinesen (her pseudonym) and I didn't find her. But I asked if there was any Blixen in the storage, and guess what, Out of Africa was there, waiting for me to read it. I took it home, immediately started and the first thing I read was; 'I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills...' and I basically started crying. I never finished the book, and I want to kill me for it. It's very long, just as the movie. I had to pull me through the pages (don't get me wrong, it was beautifully written, every sentence was a small piece of art) and I waited and waited and waited and waited until she would name Denys. She never did. Appearantly, the lovestory comes from her Memoires 'Letters from Africa'. And guess what, again? I am going to the library, spend my whole afternoon there to find it, no matter what. And I promise, Karen, that I will read your beautiful novel 'Out of Africa' one day.

While I was in my obsession with Karen Blixen, I googled her and wanted to find more information about her than I did on Wikipedia. I found a very, very interesting site (karenblixen.com) and these are the most remarkable things I read:
-Bror von Blixen was her second cousin. Basically, they had an incest relationship...
-She was actaully madly in love with Bror's twin brother, Hans.
-Appearantly, some sources say that Denys was gay. Yes. Gay.
-When Karen returned to Denmark, later on, she fell in love with a much younger Danish writer. They never had a relationship.



The ever beautiful, talented Karen Blixen, an inspiration to me, died from malnutrition, probably a result of syphilis, at the age of 77 in 1962.

"Perhaps he knew, as I did not, that the earth was made round,

so that we would not see too far down road."