The Formidable French | # 1

The start of second year has come, and I'm overly excited to be taking a module in French cinema. I've always loved film (can you tell?) and wanted to take a deeper look into it, so this module seems perfect to me. We're only a few weeks into the course, but so far I've learnt that French stars from the 20th Century were beyond beautiful, so I'm going to do a mini-series to introduce to you the best of the bunch. 
Chronological order probably suits best; in order of beauty would be too tough a decision. So first to the mark is Jean Gabin, the original rough-around-the-edges hunk.
Born in 1904, he rose to fame in French cinemas as the gentleman to end them all, starring in classics like Pépé le Moko, La grande illusion, Le Quai des brumes, La bête humaine, and Le jour se lève. Looking at his portrait, it's no surprise that he and Marlene Dietrich shared a torrid romance for a few years, before it came to an end following the failure of a film they were starring in together. He's come to be considered a father-figure of French acting, and was even made a member of the Légion d'honneur.
As Gabin aged, he let go of the classic genre and turned his hand to policiers (what you and I know as cop films), playing on his new, fatherly reputation amongst French cinema-goers. Definitely prefer the young, dapper version of him.
No one's really sure what it is about Gabin that makes him so heralded, but whatever it is, it definitely worked in his favour.

La Ville Lumière | Summer Part 2

So what was the rest of my summer, if work was Part one? Well, the biggest impact on my summer was my birthday present, the fulfillment of a dream (of mine, and of many); Paris! City of love, fashion capital of the world, home of artists and poets and writers and everything else it's famous for, Paris was a dream. My sister and I made an ad-hoc decision to jump on the Eurostar, skip under the Channel and spend a weekend there. We went full tourist, and managed most of the major sights in two short days. Vertigo held me back from climbing La Tour Eiffel, but all in good time. 

Naturally, I fell deeply, desperately, and quite disgustingly in love. A true cliché, Montmarte is the most beautiful quartier of any city I have (and probably will) visit. That said, I'd like to point out that the Eiffel Tower is a glorified piece of metal. It's a wonderful landmark, but it is what it is; a tall, rusty iron triangle. Iconic, yes. Incredible, undoubtedly. Beautiful? Hmm. 
A holiday it might have been, but it wasn't without its benefits. I now have a solid (some might say stubborn) desire to spend the six francophone months of my year abroad at the Sorbonne. It seems that every member of staff at the University of Manchester is determined to put me off, but it's not going to happen. Whats more, Paris gave me back my painter's hand. How could it not? As soon as I got back I cracked out the watercolours.

As is everyone who sets foot in the city of dreamers, I was captivated by the architecture. I set to work on a Parisian window I'd snapped over there. You can see the result on my instagram. I fell back into painting mode and reached to my travels in Berlin for inspirtation.

JUST A WEEKJust a week after returning from Paris, I was off again. Where? Back to the good old rainy city; Manchester. It was that time again: University called, and after a long summer of failures, successes, and repetition, I answered willingly. I moved into my new house [unfortunately not without problems] and threw myself into life as a second year. I've spent the last 12 weeks diving into French Cinema, translating what seems like every literary text in the French speaking world, and haphazardly trying to set my year abroad in stone. It's been a mad one, but God it's been good.

        

  Fallowfield is beautiful as ever [read: Fallowfield doesn't look like a sh*thole when you look at it in the right light], Uni is hectic, Paris is wonderful, and I'm back.

Mr Bluesky | Summer Part 1

 It's been a while. Since the end of happydays, things have been pretty darn hectic, and so regular blog posts became an impossibility. What happened? A bloody whirlwind, that's what. You heard in the last blog post about my summer internship at Dickies, so I didn't get to see much of Mr Bluesky, but I have to say it was one of the friendliest places I've ever worked. The work wasn't particularly challenging as they only had a few weeks to train me, but my language genuinely improved and I met some really wonderful people. I even got gifts when I left - what cuties!

Having a 9 to 5 wasn't something I had done before, and having benefited from the relaxed timetable University offers, I wasn't used to working a full day. I hadn't been since Year 11. I finally got familiar with the phrase "TGI Friday!". But honestly, I couldn't have been luckier, nor could I have asked for a more welcoming team. I managed to put my German language into practice and gain a bucket load of customer relation skills. So that was part one of the summer!

There's no place like home | Days 79-90

Last time we spoke, I was in Germany and under the impression that the dreadful illness had passed. How wrong I was. It continued. I worked for a week, but my time away had gotten off to the worst possible start and my mind set was terrible. So I brushed off the dust, shrugged off potential judgments from everyone else, and made a decision that would benefit my health. I came home. I knew when I made the decision that I'd regret it on and off when I got back, but in the end I knew it was what I ultimately wanted. I've gone through my entire life making decisions according to what people would think of me and how they would react; it was finally time to make a decision for myself. So that's what I did. 
Since I've come home, I've felt infinitely better. I've seen a few friends, burned a lot of incense, had some wonderful bubble baths and generally cleansed myself of a lot of ill will. In response to CVs I sent out before I left for Germany, I've even had a job offer for "Bilingual Customer Service Assistant" at the international desk at a local company. I start on July 1st. So it's home sweet home and quids-in. There have been moments where I've kicked myself for catching that plane back, but I know it was the right decision for my mental well-being, so I don't regret it. The happy days have continued, and here's what's happened since I last saw you guys.

As before, that's all of my instagram snaps since my last post. They were all happy snaps, so why spare you the joy, hey? It's worth noting that they go backwards in chronological order, so from the bottom up you can follow me home from Lübeln to Salzwedel, to Berlin, to the sky over England, and back to sunny Somerset. It's actually hotter here than in Germany, so that's a one up!    Until next time,

Bugs Ahoy | Days 76-78

Well darlings, I've had a terrible weekend! After arriving in Lübeln on Friday evening and preparing myself for a good five weeks of hard work and sunshine, I woke up at 3am with a stomach bug. This monstrous bug didn't release me until late yesterday; hit me so hard I couldn't even watch Criminal Minds; and left me with the mother of all stomach aches. Luckily, I'm feeling a little better today, so I've been at work in the kitchen and garden. 

So I've gotten rid of my bug, and hopped into the garden with the real bugs. Perfect. I'm sure things will pick up soon, but right now I'm definitely feeling a little homesick!
Until next time,

Ort Hopping: Three Cities and a Village Later | Days 47-74

I'm back! Apologies where they're due, I know it's been almost a month since anything even touched this blog; exams loomed and everything got a bit stressful. But that's over. And I'm in Germany! I finished exams, and with them my first year of University, and now I'm at a job in Lübeln. Rather than post 30 full size instagram photos to catch you up, I'm going to put some mini pictures of everything I've put on instagram since the last post. Easier and fast for us both. Here it is!

So from the top down, you see me burdened with exams and longing for a night out; my beautiful big sister's 22nd birthday; booking flights to Germany; the Flat K finale (end of exams celebration); house-sitting for my sister (cat and wifi included!); leaving halls; and the last 9 are dedicated entirely to Germany. 
I stayed for a night in Berlin - as you can see! - before every train in Germany, a bus and a taxi to reach Lübeln. More on Lübeln later. I'm back in business!

Ghibli's Goosebump Effect | The Wind Rises Review

Studio Ghibli is one of the world's most renowned animation studios; it's founder - Hayao Miyazaki - one of the most hailed creators in film history. From Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, to Howl's Moving Castle, to My Neighbour Totoro and onwards, this studio lodged itself in the film industry without chance, or volition, for removal. But in September last year, Miyazaki confirmed his retirement [third time lucky?], with his new film to be his last. So where does The Wind Rises sit on the Great Ghibli Scale? 

The Wind Rises follows the life and dream of Jirō Horikoshi - inspired by the Japanese Chief Engineer of the same name - as he builds his career, his ambition, and his romantic life. The film spans a pretty wide era; starting with the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 and concluding shortly after World War II. A sort of filmic Bildungs-Roman. We see Jirō transition from boy to man; we see his aviation dreams become reality; we see his love, we see his loss.

These last points are definitely what separates The Wind Rises from the studio's previous films. Take three of their highest grossing films - My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle. They're famous for being loved despite age or generation, but they're decidedly child-friendly. The Wind Rises is a different story. It's rated PG in the UK, with a warning of a brief bloody scene and images of smoking. It's definitely suitable for kids, but the themes and questions thrown into the air by the film - the morality of designing "killing machines", war, disease, natural disaster and death - are undoubtedly adult. This film flies high above the others in terms of severity. The movie's fantastic, parts are purely fantastical, but it's certainly not a fantasy.

A due point of applause is the film's imagery. Miyazaki's films are always aesthetically pleasing, but The Wind Rises is a veritable sight for sore eyes. The colours are vibrant, the framing genial, and the scenery magnificent. Everything is detailed. So detailed that the team spent an entire year crafting one crowd scene. But perhaps most important is how Miyazaki has managed to draw the wind so accurately. The representations of wind and motion are so stunning that I was actually left with goosebumps for a long portion of the film.
Studio Ghibli animator Kitaro Kosaka, when asked about drawing something intangible like wind, pointed out to Total Film that Miyazaki has been drawing wind his entire life. It's in all of his work. And what better way to showcase his life's work than in a film dedicated entirely to the air?

This is an utterly beautiful film, and a gorgeously graceful way for Miyazaki to bow out.