tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.comments2024-03-11T15:06:27.240+00:00Jonathan WalkerJonathan Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-84868671982346703902024-03-11T15:06:27.240+00:002024-03-11T15:06:27.240+00:00The Americans has to be one of the most intriguing...The Americans has to be one of the most intriguing, thrilling and above all else realistic Cold War spy thrillers ever made. Created by Joe Weisberg, the entire series runs for 75 episodes that seem to be more relentlessly breathtaking the longer they continue. <br /> <br />The Americans is so plausible you could be forgiven for thinking it was non-fiction. Once the Russian spies Elizabeth and Philip Jennings decide your number’s up there is a macabre inevitability about what happens next.<br /> <br />The only problem is that there are 75 mostly brilliant and memorable episodes. If you want to take a busman’s break while watching them, read Bill Fairclough’s stand-alone fact based spy thriller Beyond Enkription from The Burlington Files series and spot the similarities. They may both be about families but Beyond Enkription is broadly speaking autobiographical which makes you wonder where Joe Weisberg got his plots. <br /> <br />Rest assured if you read Beyond Enkription you may be one or more steps ahead of the Jennings family and survive all 75 episodes! After all, in real life Bill Fairclough, MI6 codename JJ aka Edward Burlington, actually survived almost that number of near death experiences. For more read the brief News Articles in 2022/23 in TheBurlingtonFiles website.<br />SpiesAreUshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06036157406867254894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-61864214688350105892022-01-17T22:04:35.050+00:002022-01-17T22:04:35.050+00:00Someone who knows Steve Bedford said he read the e...Someone who knows Steve Bedford said he read the essay too! And is apparently in one of the photos.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-1546054296385392162022-01-17T14:05:04.204+00:002022-01-17T14:05:04.204+00:00Hi Jonathan
I just read your piece entitled "...Hi Jonathan<br /><br />I just read your piece entitled "I was a Teenage Christian" - and it brought back so many (happy) memories!<br /><br />Like you, I attended a Brethren Church (Newsham Park Chapel in L6, there from birth to when I finished at Sheffield Uni) and went to MCYC for 6 years, attending 7 camps between 1983 and 1988, a mix of Senior, Campex and Bible Study. Therefore, we would possibly have been at the same camp at least once, I think.<br /><br />I used to love the concert at the end of the week; as Newsham was a very small church for teenagers in general, I'd often join with the likes of West Derby or Southport and perform skits, often inspired by events of the week, dressing up as leaders and campers and making up songs. My most memorable song was one we sung to the tune of <br /><br />"Where do you go to, my lovely?"<br /><br />and commented on the strict Camp Commander, Steve Bedford. If I recall, the lyrics were something like:<br /><br />"Where do you go to, Steve Bedford<br />When you're alone in your tent?<br />Do you go looking for campers<br />Who dare to sneak off the site<br />- For a drink<br />- An' a smoke'<br />- An' a laugh<br />Ha ha ha ha!"<br /><br />We also did a skit spoofing differing study Bibles around at the time (which was led by a South African bloke, whose accent we mocked), the culmination of which was a camper sitting on a toilet with a crate of Coke next to him [the speaker said it was good to find a "quiet place, with hydration"] ruminating on which Study Bible to use.<br /><br />"I've got my Strong's 'cos I'm strong;<br />me Young's 'cos I'm young ...<br />but I can't find my Cruden's anywhere!"<br /><br />Well, I guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious at the time.<br /><br />And the outings to places, the silly sports competitions and the "vegetable prep", which always meant peeling potatoes. I live in America now, so there is nobody to reminisce with directly. <br /><br />Thanks for the trip down memory lane - and I'll check out your L19 book!<br /><br />Andy Price<br />Newsham Park Chapel (1966 - 1988, MCYC 1983-88)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14834936958831222446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-32950228608055550392021-08-16T22:42:10.300+00:002021-08-16T22:42:10.300+00:00Hi Jon,
Looking forward to reading the finished ...Hi Jon, <br /><br />Looking forward to reading the finished edition of L19. <br />I add this song to your list, you may know of them from your time in Melbourne.<br /><br />Best,<br />Dan. <br /><br /><br />"Amyl and The Sniffers - Guided By Angels" <br />https://youtu.be/8nRDCOmP4UI<br />Dan Halletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14122871074636271366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-10567832094997757232017-06-21T13:44:36.003+00:002017-06-21T13:44:36.003+00:00So sorry this comment inadvertently entered modera...So sorry this comment inadvertently entered moderation hell! It's probably not much consolation, nearly two years later, but Charles Williams (and particularly Descent into Hell and All Hallows Eve) is the major inspiration for my new novel, Brethren.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-14710925841398334582016-06-02T01:44:15.387+00:002016-06-02T01:44:15.387+00:00I too was moved by this film. I flew a plane on my...I too was moved by this film. I flew a plane on my 8th birthday and knew I would be a pilot. I saw this movie a year later and like Waldo was captivated by Ernst Kessler's triplane in the scene when he walks around the hanger. I decided then I would own a yellow and black Fokker Triplane. I completed it two years ago and now fly it. <br /><br />John CrispAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13535723687237938228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-1774801446672844962015-12-06T22:25:31.239+00:002015-12-06T22:25:31.239+00:00I found this review valuable in its appreciation o...I found this review valuable in its appreciation of what Sayers accomplished. However, I regret that there is not one reference in this review to Charles Williams, and his <b>The Figure of Beatrice,</b> which work inspired Sayers to study Italian in order to translate Danteś work.herepog2https://www.blogger.com/profile/15817136343901963195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-2484646335281591352013-09-09T16:07:42.196+00:002013-09-09T16:07:42.196+00:00The animated interludes in Charge of the Light Bri...The animated interludes in Charge of the Light Brigade are utterly brilliant - funny, serious, whimsical, historically accurate. They are some of my favorite bits of animation art ever.<br />Anne Bobroff-HajalUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16338591855150435852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-37611603574571099672012-09-14T19:25:21.356+00:002012-09-14T19:25:21.356+00:00I think that your interpretation is correct, altho...I think that your interpretation is correct, although I suspect it was a post facto one applied retrospectively by Scott when revising the film. It's valid though, because if one asks, 'How does this proposition affect our understanding of what has gone before?', its consequences are interesting, or at least they do not undermine the film's integrity, as the original ending does.<br /><br />Hence I think the revised version of the film is superior, but I am nonetheless interested in the whole history of the 'tacked-on happy ending', which is stereotypically imposed against the director's wishes by a studio executive, who thus neatly occupies a deus ex machina role within the economy of the film's production (she comes in right at the end and imposes her will).<br /><br />Since I am fond of counter-intuitive thinking, I wanted to start with the question, 'What positive meaning might such a tacked-on ending express?', or 'How might it possess its own integrity?', or even 'How might it express a higher truth about the way in which we experience our life as / through stories?'<br /><br />Bresson is a particularly interesting case study, first because the aesthetic of his films is so resolutely anti-Hollywood, and secondly because his endings are never really happy in any conventional sense, but they nonetheless violate the internal logic of the stories they conclude. It's like they combine the worst of both approaches: the misery of death and imprisonment joined with the violent wrench of discontinuity.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-84121641580184603272011-06-15T06:30:35.621+00:002011-06-15T06:30:35.621+00:00There is actually a fifth possible conception of c...There is actually a fifth possible conception of colour: that of traditional colour symbolism, and perhaps more specifically, the colour symbolism used in alchemy.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-14862842008312103822011-06-12T02:11:22.607+00:002011-06-12T02:11:22.607+00:00Thanks for stopping by, Greg. I will look out for ...Thanks for stopping by, Greg. I will look out for your film.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-20047121359470548102011-06-12T01:55:01.191+00:002011-06-12T01:55:01.191+00:00One never knows upon what one will stumble. I read...One never knows upon what one will stumble. I read with interest this treatise of yours on Waldo Pepper, a most enjoyable piece concerning one of my favorite films. As in your case, Ezra's untidy death stayed with me though the years. Having to summarily dispatch one's best friend is something I hope never to have to contemplate.<br /><br />By the way, if this genre interests you, I'm working on a film about Battle of Britain fighter ace Robert Stanford-Tuck, based on his biography Fly For Your Life. <br /><br />Again, sir, great article. <br /><br />Greg.Greg St. Pierrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01666675999918428181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-1929860075055607402010-12-16T00:49:51.864+00:002010-12-16T00:49:51.864+00:00(Belated) thanks for stopping by!(Belated) thanks for stopping by!Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-66596342619371362592010-09-19T08:53:04.920+00:002010-09-19T08:53:04.920+00:00Thought you meant 'Strange Fruit' for a mo...Thought you meant 'Strange Fruit' for a moment! Hand't heard this one before, so thanks.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-87316978955063487112010-09-17T09:07:40.833+00:002010-09-17T09:07:40.833+00:00And then there's Nina Simone's 'Forbid...And then there's Nina Simone's 'Forbidden Fruit' - now, that's theology, dammit!<br /> <br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq1P58v3qqobaker's daughterhttp://bakersdaughterwrites.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-66032725489612584092010-08-20T13:28:19.681+00:002010-08-20T13:28:19.681+00:00Leonie, I worked with the Alien Onions (from whose...Leonie, I worked with the Alien Onions (from whose blog I found your Black Dog post). The Black Dog from my book is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanwalkervenice/4610656430/in/set-72157622352216481/. He would surely agree with your polemic on his behalf.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-27850354424851010152010-08-20T12:47:43.934+00:002010-08-20T12:47:43.934+00:00My god, these black dogs are ubiquitous - ubiquito...My god, these black dogs are ubiquitous - ubiquitous, I tell you! I suspect a conspiracy is a afoot (or a-paw.) <br /><br />And the plot thickens: to whit, I work for Allen & Unwin in Australia - who you seem to be connected to. Dark forces are at work, I tell you. <br /><br />I enjoyed your post - especially the demonic dog pics - and will have to ponder it more deeply when I haven't just drunk half a bottle of wine.Leoniehttp://bakersdaughterwrites.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-21588569261351102642010-08-12T08:16:28.471+00:002010-08-12T08:16:28.471+00:00Very interesting post. As someone who never saw th...Very interesting post. As someone who never saw the first released version of Blade Runner, but only the director's cut, I thought I'd offer my viewing experience. I didn't find the film confusing, and didn't doubt that Ford's character was the protagonist (although I'd agree that his character was morally ambiguous, which I liked). But I have just watched the first commercial release version you posted and was struck by a significant difference: in the case of the director's cut, I interpreted the ending as meaning Ford's character was actually an android as well, a sense that seems to be absent in the commercial ending. His dreams about the horse, and his contemplation of the origami horse, seemed to point to this in the DC. Perhaps this was a very personal response, but on my first viewing it seemed justified (it's a few years ago now, so I can't remember the other aspects I saw as 'clues' all that clearly.) Thus, I found the DC ending to be a revelation.plumeofwordshttp://plumeofwords.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-14266930344398161702010-07-25T06:57:47.162+00:002010-07-25T06:57:47.162+00:00Thanks for your great contributions!Thanks for your great contributions!LiteraryMindedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017526368314189191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-24748519365240037602010-05-29T03:05:37.829+00:002010-05-29T03:05:37.829+00:00I mean that I agree: retrospective accounts always...I mean that I agree: retrospective accounts always involve reinterpretation, if only because the context in which the new interpetations exists is now altered.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-89161140606478810812010-05-12T00:38:56.831+00:002010-05-12T00:38:56.831+00:00The kind of 'misinterpretation' you're...The kind of 'misinterpretation' you're talking about is a good thing Dan. It's how the collaboration works.<br /><br />And things always sound more coherent afterwards, in retrospect.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-36518413241721164092010-05-09T18:48:20.583+00:002010-05-09T18:48:20.583+00:00I worked on the illustrations unaware of the major...I worked on the illustrations unaware of the majority of the citations and references included in the text. Therefore the visual images also run the risk of misinterpretation. When writing the discussions on my blog about creating the illustrations, I had to retrace the working method and look again through the roughs and reference material used. In the process I found myself reinterpreting work that I myself had created. In the discussions I mention these as afterthoughts and coincidences; such as the appearance of 'Papa Legba', mentioned in my comment on the 'Black Dog' article. In a way, the illustrations became more coherent upon closer inspection. Whilst creating the illustrations however, I did lend my own, possibly mistaken, interpretation to various sources of my own, from which I borrowed elements and motifs to include in the 'Five Wounds' illustrations. If we were to consider the concept of the role of subconscious in the imagination and creative works, certainty becomes even more elusiveDan halletthttp://www.danhallett.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-24913719827098879482010-03-17T15:48:26.842+00:002010-03-17T15:48:26.842+00:00The shallow depth-of-field accentuates the effect....The shallow depth-of-field accentuates the effect. If you see a print, it's apparent that everything on the back wall is out-of-focus.Jonathan Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129441891226278101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-10587981589714259322010-03-16T19:26:48.596+00:002010-03-16T19:26:48.596+00:00A great photograph. Yes, I think she's been c...A great photograph. Yes, I think she's been caught off-guard as well, though she might also be a little on the pissed side into the bargain? This image does reveal that lovely alcoholic melancholia...Nigelhttp://nigelfeatherstone.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053727800465411201.post-80767553917379941272009-06-01T16:52:33.941+00:002009-06-01T16:52:33.941+00:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com