E M Forster

Morgan: A Biography of E.M. Forster is a fascinating book in which Nicola Beauman assesses in great details how life and fiction were interwoven, or how the former informs the great novels. I am not sure I am entirely convinced by the argument, but a good read it certainly is.

As a result, I decided to revisit his novels (though the only novel I remember reading was Where Angels Fear to Tread, which I found 'difficult' in my university days, and thus probably put me off from his other works - even if they were available back in the mid-1980s in a university library that was strong on 'classics' but weak on anything contemporary). While this needs some organising and input, I have taken the easier option of revisiting the film adaptations to start with.

Thanks to August, an anglophile, I have watched all of the film adaptations, mostly when they were broadcast on a Hong Kong English channel, back in the 1990s. Some of them, A Room with A View and Maurice to be exact, proved to be so popular, that they were shown a number of times on this channel. It came as a real disappointment therefore that both of them are under 'restricted viewing' list in the national library. Having been disappointed many times by the censors here, it is no surprise that Maurice is under this category, but A Room with A View?! There seems to be no logic in it at all.

And so I watched Howards End again last night, which, apart from the two lead actress in it, I could barely remember much from my previous viewing in China. I remain immensely grateful therefore to the biography.

Judex

I cannot believe what I have just done: to watch yet another multi-episodes film from Louis Feuillade.

Made in 1917, Judex still has all the rough edges and chaotic excitements of his last two, but lessons have been learnt, especially in tightening the narrative. The result? A much more satisfactory experience in that the structure and devices resemble those of the contemporary ones and the plots are certainly more logical and tight.

The Louis Feuillade seemed a true pioneer: if Fantomas is a thriller which refuses to settle on who is the monster Fantomas; Les Vampires launching a new genre that continue to inspire many; then Judex is one that pioneers the Superhero genre. And of course like all his works, it also gives us fascinating insight into the taste and fashion of its day.

It lasts for 5.5 hours, but there is not a bored moment.

Sidney Poitier and For love of Ivy

I had picked this one from the shelf because of Sidney Poitier. Probably one of the most elegant man in the world, his performance in In the Heat of the Night, just a year before this one he co-wrote, was immaculate. Together with his two other films, also made in 1967, Sidney established himself as one of the best of actors. I had high hope for both the film and his performance in For Love of Ivy.

I don't think he had let me down in terms of performance as an actor, but the script could certainly be much improved if he or those around him were not so anxious to project a role model for the black community. The protagonist was not exactly those impecable ones as in the three films made in the height of his career, 1967, (including: To Sir, with Love; Guess Who is Coming for Dinner), but still the script-writers appeared too timid and rather reluctant to go beyond the 'an admirable hero with flaws' definition and I also found his co-star, the stylish Abbey Lincoln too well-groomed for a maid whose only ambition was to become a secretary (because she knew not what else she wanted). The normal/tight control of the Hollywood machine was at work, though it was not of Sidney's doing, it did make this particular film rather flat, contrived and lacking in edges. The follow up was an anti-climax.