Orson Welles: A creative mind in cinema

Most recently I stumbled upon a memoir about Orson Welles this was written by his eldest daughter a Chris Welles Feder and before that I didn't know much about him. Expect that he was married once to the very beautiful and glamorous Rita Hayworth and he had been in a the very well known movie called Citizen Kane. This memoir portrays the journey of a little girl seeing her father as not only the famous star he was but as a creative genius and most importantly a human being!!

The book is written with such compassion and humility and it almost feels as though you are reading a film in itself not a real life story. Chris(Christopher) Orson Welles' daughter from his first marriage describes what it was like sharing her dad with not only other people but in fact the world itself. A wonderful example of this is of an event she describes when she is a young child of about  9 and is out to lunch with her father. During the lunch the precious time she has to spend with her father is invaded by some fellow restaurateurs who want his autograph. To which his daughter says "Autographs are stupid"

Through Chris's memoir it is interesting to observe that although she doesn't live with her father after his marriage to Rita Hayworth she fondly remembers the encounters she has with him and sometimes through the journey of the book this is sometimes years instead of months. The memoir itself journey's from her early childhood to after Orson Welles death. Much of the book is about Chris growing up and her journey but she always remembers her dad when she does visit him. The trip she describes in London where she meets Laurence Oliver and Vivien Leigh was bizarre to read as these people were considered the best of the best for their time.

There is a brilliant quote that I feel really captures Orson Welles's open mindedness. Although Welles himself didn't go to college he was a very knowledgeable and intelligent man who was happy to learn from others. 

"If you're curious by nature and willing to admit how little you know about anything,you'll spend your entire life educating yourself and do a far better job of it than any university"

One very interesting issue that stems though Chris's journey is that like her father she wanted to be an actor but her father wanted her to go to college. What's evident to me whilst reading the book at the beginning is that like many actors he choose acting but he never choose fame and this is something that is still occurring theme in Hollywood to this day.

What is really intriguing for me is for a man who was so famous and in fact well known in his industry he battled the fact that he didn't feel as appreciated for his own creative flair when he was alive. Citizen Kane is considered even today by many critics as one of the greatest movies ever made. Orson's first wife at the beginning of the book complained about where the money for his great work was actually going. Due to his creative flair he was always investing in projects he had passion for but not necessarily getting the effort he put into the projects back in a financial way. This shows he didn't really care if it was going to make him more money he just did it because he loved acting and directing. It seems like this passion has somewhat faded in this age but at least he did what he wanted to. 

Orson Welles died in1985 which was 26 years ago and a brilliant quote to sum up his legacy is something that said to his daughter shortly before he died  "Darling girl. they're gonna love me when I'm dead". Weirdly enough the film industry still talks about him to this day and among his films Citizen Kane, Third Man etc people do commend him for his unique talents. Most recently the film Me and Orson Welles although based on a book  is ultimately Welles inspired!! Through reading the memoir I see Welles's as a magician, actor, director, artist, father and human being but what comes across the most is he wasn't afraid of being creative.When I say human being I mean his daughter discovers along the way that her father did make mistakes along his life but the bond she shared with him was the most important thing at the end of it. This is something we can all learn from and maybe a favourable way of remembering him is "Orson Welles was one of the greatest creative forces of the twentieth century". Well if people are still talking about today and he is influencing directors even now he must of done something right :)!!

Amy Winehouse Tribute!!

It was really shocking to hear the news of such a talented musician and unique talent so I thought would give her tribute blog. For someone as young as her to have achieved what she did was truly amazing and so deserved. Among the awards she won including an Ivor Novello, Grammys and Brits she was recognised internationally and its such a shame we will not be able to see what else this notable talent had to offer. 

It was only last week I was listening to Back to Black one of my favourite Amy Winehouse songs. What strikes me even now about Amy is how she could of chosen to live anywhere in the world but she stuck to good old Camden in London. This shows how down to earth she was. My heart goes out to her family for whatever reason she has passed on I hope she has obtained peace now. The stories of her drug use and alcohol abuse isn't new but I do think the press gave her really hard time in the past few years.

R.I.P Amy your voice and talent will always remain with us as well as your songs. Please see video below doing what she did best!! 

Gaga or Not !!

I am not a lady gaga fan but I was watching MTV the other day randomly and happened to see the bad romance video. I admit I do like the song probably the only song of hers I like. Also cos the glee cast did a good version lol maybe cos I understood the lyrics finally cos when she sings it I can only half understand what she says!! Anyways whilst watching this video it got me thinking how can this woman be the topic of so many headlines and be such a cultural phenomenon. Is she pretending to be like that or is she really as gaga as she seems. Personally I don't get!! I mean maybe I am being a bit of a prude for a lady in a her late 20s but no way would I have been allowed to watch this video when I was about young teenager also I am not sure it would of been made. Its kinda scary with the monster like costumes and burning a bloke at the end. Don't get wrong I get what she's trying  to say but as a teenager I think it would confuse me more about the opposite sex maybe that's just me. Also many of her videos promote this message to hate men!! As they sometimes seem to be the enemy.

I do think she loves the controversy though she is definitely a attention seeker why else would you put a cola can in your hair right?? A lot of people have compared her to Madonna but to be honest she is no Madonna I actually think Madonna had raw talent but maybe that's just me. I am not saying Lady Gaga is talentless but it almost seems like she lives off the attention she gets from the media and deliberately does things that are off the wall to get people talking. Alot of people would say she is clever because she has got people talking right hey all publicity in America is good publicity and its seems to have worked for her. What gets to me about her is what is her influence doing the young people who are fans!!! I mean it almost seems like Lady Gaga is a bit of mirage. She seems unreal but she genuinely advocates herself as being like she is I really doubt that OK I am cynic but I am thinking about what her true appeal is??? The costumes in her videos are noteworthy and innovative and her music is different to current artists but what makes her so appealing to others. I mean telephone the song that song was number 1 for ages and I just don't understand why!!

It probably sounds like I am bad mouthing poor gaga a bit but I guess I am intrigued at how someone to me who is moderately talented is getting so much attention. Why are so many people simply Gaga over Lady Gaga personally I am getting feeling the appeal. Answers on a postcard please. 

Oh and maybe if Gaga was portrayed as a goody two shoes like she is below she wouldn't be as famous as she is!! Well its def got me thinking she def has talent here check it out the unseen lady gaga yes that really is her!!

Nobody's Perfect

An Apt title for Jessie J's Song see the lyrics here.

I think we all make mistakes but we don't necessarily admit to them right. When I first listened to this song a few months ago it got me thinking about a disagreement I had with a now ex friend. It made me realise I was at fault but also I felt like if I didn't express my true feelings I also wasn't being true to myself. Nobody's perfect is really a true adage. I know I am not perfect I have a have a temper from time to time but I also believe a have strong set of principles. We can only do what we think is right I guess right? I really think intuition is a very good road to follow when you don't know which way to go. 

We all have good and bad points I guess that's what makes us human right? Sometimes we fall out with friends/family for silly reasons but if people are true and genuine they should forgive you I guess its one of those lessons in life we have to learn. Even when we think we have learned from it we still sometimes get it wrong. Well I still am lol !! Also if people can't forgive you or forgot you imperfections maybe they just weren't worth it. I am not saying you should ignore your own faults but sometimes you can't change who you are. If you can like who are you warts and all shouldn't that be enough.

Also I think its important that we don't regret things if you make a mistake with someone you should be brave enough to face up to it. Sometimes that's easier said then done. We all regret things we have done in the past but I think its what we learn about ourselves from such incidents that really matter. Life is about making mistakes we should learn to forgive be understanding and help others when we see fit. Don't get me wrong we all have our off days and I am no saint. These are my own beliefs I am spouting here but we should realise that the world is already quite a tough place anyway and without consideration and compassion for others what do we have. I am not saying we should forgive criminals or murderers but I am sure people who have done truly horrible things and harmed others deeply will live with the consequences.So we should try and get along as best we can and not be cruel for the sake of it. Unless you are just a cruel person and if that be the case then that's fine but that is a bit pitiful really because there is always a  reason behind why a person is the way they are and behave.

Expression of Voice

Just a little poem I wrote about expressing yourself most of the time its a good thing but sometimes it can be bad too lol!!

Expression of Voice 

An Expression of Voice can sometimes be a weapon of choice. 

We choose to say some things but not others. 

Sometimes an opinion can do more harm then good. 


We should know what the right thing to say is and when its right to say but sometimes its not so simple is it!! 


Sometimes that expression of voice maybe better restrained and that's why it can be a weapon of choice.
 

Are we obbessed with social network sites!!

O.k who doesn't belong to a social network site umm not many people right!! I saw Social Network last night the movie based around the guy who invented Facebook. It was a very good movie with great acting a fab screenplay and really talented actors. The themes and story in the film got me thinking about how obsessed we are with face-book. I can't remember a time when if I wasn't able to text someone or didn't have their number as an alternative  I would say I will sent you a mess on fbk or add you!! It's become a cultural phenomenon,

The guy who invented facebook was not portrayed not  in a very favorable light but it just showed if you are ambitious, arrogant and cunning enough to achieve something big it will happen.He actually stepped  on and used a lot of people to get to where he wanted to be!! He says towards the end of the film he isn't a bad guy and I believe whilst watching it he wasn't but sometimes circumstances turn you into someone who seems like a bad person because he lied and deceived a lot of people to get to where he was. This guy was so obbessed with becoming popular and being someone he lost sight of what really mattered. He betrayed his one and only true friend who was willing to vouch for him up till the end untill he sued him lol. We are all addicted to face book in one way or another whether it be the app we use on our phone to change our status or put a new profile pic up everyday yes people do this(not judging anyone here). However I don't think I will see facebook in quite the same light anymore. 

Its interesting how talented this guy was yeah the idea may not of fully been his but he was a good student. Greed, power and his need of wanting to prove he was someone instead of him just trying to be himself. He didn't have many friends because he wasn't particular nice and even at the begining came across someone who was very arrogant. The problem with arrogance is you sometimes need to let go of it cos if you don't it will ultimately destroy you. Well I think so anyways!! 

I do check facebook everyday  but like many others its a tool for me to stay in touch with some family that live abroad and say hi to people I don't get to see that much. However I don't really see the need for apps like farmville etc because I really don't have time for anything like that. Facebook does have its pros and cons and whatever way you look it I can't imagine not having it either!!

Taking things for Granted!!

O.k Come this is something we are all guilty of doing at some point or another. I know I take things for granted everyday whether it be a certain train I need to take to get me to work or that I will always have my my house keys on me lol. Cos sometimes we can't control delays in our journeys or forgetting to pack certain things in our bag. 

Also we sometimes take people for granted whether this be family,friends or colleagues. We just sometimes expect certain people to be there or give us what we want without thinking about it. The reason why I wanted to talk about taking things for granted is that sometimes we are so busy moaning about what is wrong with our lives we actually forgot what is good.

I went to see the King's Speech last weekend and it got me thinking so many people suffer and have so many difficutlies in life his difficulty was the inability to speak for a long time due to his stammer. So many people stammer or can't walk or can't do so many things. It made me think wow I have never really actually tried to put myself in their shoes cause we always think 'oh we are alright'. Or 'It's never going to happen to us is it'. Thing is though we don't know what is around the corner so we should maybe try to think about the good things and appreciate what we do have. Nothing is certain in life and sometimes we also want to obtain more then we actually have whether this be money a promotion a new car etc. Thing is though these are all material things and such things can't make one happy because you can only be happy once you realize your self worth and what you actually want in life. I am hoping that I don't take things for granted so much because ultimately I believe I have a lot to be thankful for and so do many others!!

2011 Let the blogging commence.

Hey Everyone oh o.k it has been almost a month since 2011 happened lol but Jan has been a bit of a busy month so far. I have been thinking of starting up a blog for a while now but was never getting anytime but this year am gonna make sure I do!! I think its important to have a form of self expression and for someone like me who likes to write I really do I have lost count of the notebooks I have. O.k that probably is sounding majorly nerdy now but it just means I like taking notes it helps me remember and think about things, 

I wanted to set this up because I spend the xmas period learning about loads things which I would to share with other people. Hey we can only learn from others right. I will be blogging about various things films, books, quotes and anything that I think may be interesting or funny. Oh and if you don't think its interesting that's cool we all have opinions so feel free to make comments and if you  want to debate about anything that's cool too lol am always up for challenge he he. 

I have spending alot of time reading many different books this as got me thinking about many different things. In general I tended to read mainly fiction but more recently I am reading more biographies and books based on true life experiences. This has helped me to think about my life. Without becoming too deep I want this year to be about change and moving forward. I had many doubts last year some of these doubts kept me standing still. I want to put into action all the things that I want to achieve I think the key thing for me is to gain more self -confidence. I can only do this of I have belief in myself and not give up or let anyone get to me. I think I let many situations get to me far too much and it shouldn't of really mattered. If people want to dismiss me that's fine have decided many those people aren't worth it.

I watched a really interesting movie yesterday called 'Thumbsucker' O.k it wasn't a typical commercial movie a very small indie movie but it had some big names in it including Tilda Swinton and Keanu Reeves. The basic plot was about a 17 year boy who doesn't quite fit in anywhere and sucks his thumb on a regular basis. O.k it stands strange and not much incentive watch it right. However the story deals with some interesting themes how we try to change ourselves so that we can fit in. The journey he encounters is bitter-sweet because the most important thing I think he learns is accepting who is and that there isn't  actual anything wrong with him. The film to be me was about how we deal about accepting who we are. This is something I had alot of trouble dealing with last year. However I think this is something we all deal with. We worry a lot of the time perceiving how others see us but it should also be important how we see ourselves.If we want to change something about ourselves what can we do to get there. O.k this is easier said then done but I am hoping this year I look at myself and see what I do to help me grow as a person . Not change who I am because I know I am a good person and my friends love me for who I am. Something really stayed in my head last year someone said to me 'You should always be true to yourself no matter what cause otherwise you are not expressing who you really are.' This has really stayed with in a positive way and I think my intuition should be like my Sat Nav and I should be honest because otherwise I am not being true to me am I!!