King Richard III - "Ghostly Grace"

 I'm not sure if anyone read any of the replies to the comments in my last post but Richard and I DID go and see the film, "The Lost King"!

You know of course that we enjoyed it! Nothing flashy about this film, it is an extraordinary story told in a typical British fashion, understated but with respect. No car chases here!

You will never guess...we were the only ones in the entire theater for this showing! Yes, just the two of us! It was nice really, since it is mainly dialogue and you know how it is...there is someone always talking, coughing or trying to pretend they are not on their cell phones! Also, it amused me that along with Richard III, there were TWO other characters in the film named "Richard". Why did this tickle me? I was sitting beside another Englishman named "Richard"!  

If you haven't looked up the story behind Richard III being found in a carpark, then please do so now! Also, I did so want to link you to a well written article about Leicester Cathedral where Richard III was interred in 2015.  I found it!  You may find it just here.  It is a post written by Mike Biles from "A Bit About Britain".  He has a great blog and he has published books also, so check him out! 

One of the books that I have ordered is "The Last Days of Richard III" and it is written by John Ashdown-Hill, a brilliant author and historian who sadly passed away in 2018.  (He was most kind and helpful to Philippa Langley and this is portrayed in the film.) I had a link to the blog post that I wrote in 2013 where I mentioned how they tracked down the descendants with DNA.  That's what this book is about!

Michael Ibsen is a cabinet maker based in London. (Born in Canada, he now lives in England.) He is the man who was discovered to have the same DNA as Richard III and he is his nephew, 16 times removed.  The reburial of Richard III was at Leicester Cathedral.  I found it moving to learn that he was buried in a coffin make from English oak made by...Michael Ibsen! (Remember I just told you he was a cabinet maker?) 

The film showed the service from Leicester Cathedral of the burial of King Richard III (not the entire service, of course) and it is cleverly cut with scenes of the actors. One of those in attendance was a woman with long, blonde hair and we wondered why the camera lingered on her for a moment.  We later learned that was Philippa Langley herself!   (Note to self: spelling of her name is with one L and two P's. I just cannot remember how to spell her name!)

The actress who portrayed Ms. Langley is Sally Hawkins and she is brilliant as she always is in any film! I noticed that she wore small white earrings and then, I realized that they were white roses!

 War of the Roses, look it up! 

There was a song sung by the choir at Leicester Cathedral...I did a little research and I think it is "Ghostly Grace" by Judith Bingham.  I can't seem to find a video of it but I found a video of the procession to the cathedral, and I found it moving, so here it is....

I don't have a photo of Leicester Cathedral but I do have a picture of St. Bartholomew the Great in London. It is a very old church, the columns are the oldest, they are Norman. If you zoom in, you will see a ghostly figure...that would be me!!

P.S.  Please look at comment from Debra at She Who Seeks... she has links to not one but TWO posts that she did about Richard III's reburial in 2015.  (And I did know about Benedict Cumberbatch being a descendant and that he read at the service but I forgot to mention it in my post, Debra! Thanks very much for the links to your blog, my friend. Those funny signs!!)

The Lost King

 

"The Lost King" is the title of a new film that I want to see! 

 The film is about the discovery made by Philippa Langley who had some great interest and curiosity about the possible burial site of King Richard III and against all odds was actually able to "unearth" him in a parking lot in Leicester, England!  (I mean, not her personally digging up bones there but you get the idea, right?) It is based on her book "The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III".

‘I had goosebumps!’ – the finder of Richard III’s remains in a car park is celebrated in a Steve Coogan film | Movies | The Guardian

There, I have a link above to a review in The Guardian.  Hope you can read it! Tsk, tsk...the writer refers to Phillipia Langley as a "super-fan".   There are just some words I dislike intensely, "super-fan" being one of them.  It somehow seems a bit of a put-down to me. I wonder why that is.  Perhaps it is because if you are passionate about something our world just finds it hard to describe that great enthusiasm that some of us have even if we aren't "experts".

I also have the trailer below if you want to watch it.  It is three minutes long and I must admit, I don't always want to watch the trailers.  It can sometime spoil it for you! (It does for me anyway.)

I am sure that I wrote about this on my blog before and wished that someone would make a film about it.  Once again, the universe has listened to me. (Okay, now I want to win the lottery!! Are you listening to me, universe? LOL.)  HEY! I just found my post, it was from February of 2013!  Want to read it?  You can at link below!

Georgia Girl With An English Heart: Richard III

 Philippa Langley is of the firm belief that Richard III was NOT the villain that Shakespeare made him out to be. That his play about the king was influenced by Queen Elizabeth who was a Tudor and since he knew on which side his bread was buttered, he presented Richard III as a very bad guy.  I am wondering...and please don't anyone get their knickers in a twist about this but...what if Shakespeare DID get it right? What if Richard III did have those young princes murdered in the tower?  I don't suppose we will ever know for certain.  How can we know?  

Still, the story behind Phillippa Langley finding the bones in the parking lot is a pretty fascinating one to me.  If you read anything else about her, a large part of her instinct about where to find him had to do with a very strong "feeling". Since I also sometimes have strong feelings about certain things, this speaks to me in a very personal way.  (Haven't dug up any bones YET but hey, you never know what I might do!)

  I do hope that they have done a good job with the film.  It stars Sally Hawkins as Philippa Langley and I really like that actress!

The photo that I have here for you is on top of The Old Bailey in London.  It is called the Statue of Justice.  She is holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other and in this version from 1907, she is not blindfolded.  "Justice for King Richard III" might be the next film adaptation!  What do you think, was he a hero or a villain?

Hung Up On A Dream- The Zombies

 

The Zombies! Wouldn't it be great if someone did a documentary about this great English group from the 1960's? They have! It is called "Hung Up On A Dream", which is one of their songs, of course! 

"Underrated" and "A Genius Band" are just some of the comments that I have read about them .  I hope you will agree with me!

The following two videos are from 2019 and 2021.  I think the first one was at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The second one was at the Abbey Road Studio.

 "From teenage friends to legends in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame".

I honestly don't spend ALL my time listening to videos on YouTube!

Sometimes, I get out and walk and enjoy nature.  Our redbud trees have been beautiful. They are native trees, and you can not only see them in front gardens and formal settings but also growing wild in the woods. They are such a beautiful shade of lavender/purple. Please don't ask me why they are called "redbud".  I asked my Dad that once and he said, "Well, I can't help it, that's what they are!"

Oh, how he made me laugh! (And he would always laugh with me.)

Take care everyone, let me know if you can listen to the videos that I have given you here. 

Rock & Roll/ Del Shannon & Easter Island Figures

 Could the famous Easter Island figures (Moai) have been "walked" to the spots where you see them upright on the island, or were they rolled along on palm tree logs? So, rock or roll? What do you think? I have a link just here.  (If you don't have time to read it, I can tell you that it amuses me that it says that this figure demonstrated in the video is as if it is on a smooth airport runway!)  My husband reminds me that it is thought that the large stones at Stonehenge and Avebury in England are also to have transported by large logs and rolled to their final destinations, albeit with a very great deal of effort. So, my guess is that the "rolling" might be correct but perhaps, it could have been a bit of both? Just a thought! Rock AND Roll!

Recently, I saw a video of Kevin Bacon playing his guitar and singing to "Runaway". (Yes, Kevin Bacon is an actor but he has other interests as well. He and his brother are in a band, The Bacon Brothers!) I knew that "Runaway" was a big hit for Del Shannon in 1961 but did he write it? Yes, he did!  AND he wrote "I Go To Pieces" which was a big hit for Peter and Gordon.  Remember my recent post where I spoke about "Baby, It's You" by Smith?  Del Shannon is the one behind the arrangement of that song! He was also very influential in the success of a fellow musician from Michigan, Bob Seger!  Reading about Del Shannon, I am sorry to say that he committed suicide in 1990. It seems that it was possible that he could have joined The Traveling Wilburys after the death of Roy Orbison...but sad to say, that did not happen.  The Traveling Wilburys released a recording of "Runaway" after the death of Del Shannon, in his honor. After listening to some videos of Del Shannon (he was born Charles Westover in 1934) I am amazed at his very strong voice! I read somewhere of his "keen falsetto" and that is very true.  I have a video of him singing live on a TV show in the 1980's ...I hope you like it. In 1999, Del Shannon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well deserved, I believe! I wish someone would make a film about him...just think how GREAT the soundtrack would be!

I could share so many music videos with you, much more than the ones I have here!

You know I sing along as I listen to these videos but then, I have to stop myself so I can admire this strong voice! (Kevin Bacon apologizes as he sings but he is in tune and besides, I was singing along with him the whole dang time! LOL!)

Please, listen to the last one that I have here...it is Del Shannon singing at a concert in Australia in 1989, not long before he died. 

Watch This: "The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari"

 If you have not seen this excellent documentary about the deadly 2019 volcanic eruption in New Zealand, please do so! I have seen it described as "gripping" and that was certainly true for me.  Don't know if you know this but I am all about books and films about true stories from real life, and especially those that show the bravery and resilience of people during (and after) a traumatic experience. I say "during" and "after" because after such a life altering experience as being on an island during a volcano eruption, for those who survive, the effects are lingering, not just physical but psychological.  

The documentary is by Rory Kennedy. Perhaps you might remember her name, she is the youngest child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy.  After seeing the documentary, I read a magazine article where she was interviewed. One of the things that she said was that she chose to tell the story only through the views of those who were there.  I can't tell you how many times I have watched documentaries where some "expert" comes on and tells us every single detail of the science behind the event.  I just want to say, "Never mind that, just let us hear from the actual PEOPLE who lived through it!" This film does just that and what is more, if you watch this and are not absolutely overwhelmed by the courage of those who survived and the rescuers...well, you just will, I know you will. I pray for those who lost loved ones and for continued strength for those who survived and for those who were involved in the rescue.

If you are not able to view this in your part of the world just now, please make a note of it for the future.  I want to say more about it, but of course, I don't want to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it.

Perhaps you know of couples who have met on dating apps and wonder if any of them are successful? The couple that survived the volcano in this film met in such a way. They were on their honeymoon cruise when they did this shore excursion to the island of Whakaari in New Zealand. Such an amazing couple! I am sure you will think so too, their love shines through for all to see.

The song that I have to go with this post is one that I also hope you will listen to carefully.  You might be tempted to sing along but please, make sure you listen to the harmonies! They are amazing. By the way, you all know that I am big fan of Glen Campbell, Sadly, he died a few years back.  This video is a medley of him singing with David Gates. (Remember the group "Bread"?) It is from a show on the BBC in 1975. Note the expression of great respect on the face of Glen Campbell when they begin singing. Now, after listening to the song, I am glad to say that David Gates is still married to his high school sweetheart, married since 1959! Of course, they didn't meet on a dating app but that doesn't mean that you can't find true love online! 

Peace and harmony, my friends. Love always!

Baby It's You

 

All of you must know of the recent passing of a great songwriter, Burt Bacharach. I thought that I knew of all his songs but one that really surprised me was "Baby, It's You".   The Shirelles and The Beatles both did this song but it was the single by the group called Smith that I remember.  I had no idea that it was a Burt Bacharach song! 

The lovely singer was Gayle McCormick. Sadly, she passed away in 2016.  What a great song! Does anyone else remember it?

The song was a hit for Smith in 1967, if anyone can remember those long-ago days!

Hope you are all keeping well, my friends!  It is a cold, grey day here in Georgia! We are promised 40MPH wind gusts with a cold rain.  I would type more but my fingers are too cold! LOL!  BRRR....take care!

Because All Men Are Brothers

 My goodness, you all know after my last post I had to look up the person who wrote the lyrics to "On Top of Old Spaghetti"! The words are by Tom Glazer (1914-2003) and although that particular song was very popular (it was in the charts for 9 weeks in 1963), he also came to feel a bit chagrinned at its success, much as Mr. Burgess did with his "Purple Cow" poem.  (You have to read my last post!)  You may read more about Tom Glazer just here.)  I do hope you will read about him! 

The wonderful thing about good lyricists to me...they might not write music, but they know a good melody when they hear one and have no qualms about writing words to a song even if it is a well-known one.  Listen to the following song, Tom Glazer wrote the lyrics in 1948 and it is set to Bach's "Passion Chorale", which Bach adapted from a melody by Hans Leo Hussler (1564-1612.) -

 "Because All Men Are Brothers". 

Isn't it something that the man who wrote "On Top of Spaghetti" also wrote "Because All Men Are Brothers"?  I hope you were able to listen to the song and to hear the words.  (I gave you two videos!)

The amaryllis is a nice flower at this time of year!