Abraham & Alfred

I’m not sure that movies watched on an airplane should actually ever count as movies watched but having had the opportunity to watch both “Lincoln” and “Hitchcock” on a recent flight, I did want to take the opportunity to express opinions about both of them.

I actually don’t have that much to say about “Lincoln” that hasn’t already been said.  The movie deals only with the period of time where Lincoln is trying to pass the Thirteenth Amendment and the resulting political shenanigans.  (It actually gives me some comfort to watch those shenanigans as it makes our own dysfunctional political gridlock look tranquil in comparison.)  The acting is first-rate, both by Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln and by all the supporting actors.  (Although I wonder at the casting of Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln—isn’t she much older than Daniel Day-Lewis?  It’s an interesting casting decision, to say the least.)  Tommy Lee Jones and David Strathairn are both excellent in their roles as Thaddeus Stevens and William Steward, respectively.  Our fourteen year old thought the movie was too “educational,” but I thought it was well-done, with a tone of respect but not worship.

The other interesting note about “Lincoln” is that it is very dialogue-intensive.  There aren’t many action scenes, and yet the movie rarely drags and is compelling in virtually every scene.

“Hitchcock” is a movie about Alfred Hitchcock (obviously), but it really is more about the making of the movie “Psycho” and the instrumental role Hitchcock’s wife, Alma Reville, plays in both the making of the movie and in his life.  Anthony Hopkins plays Alfred Hitchcock and does a lovely job making you believe he’s Hitchcock without ever descending into self-parody.  (Given Hitchcock’s well-known mannerisms, this is no mean acting feat.)  Helen Mirren is equally excellent as Alma, a woman who gave up her career for her husband but manages to tolerate Hitchcock’s high-maintenance personality while keeping him grounded.  The movie depicts a marriage of equals between two strong and idiosyncratic personalities, who have learned to live and thrive with the constant balancing act their marriage requires.  The movie also reveals that “Psycho” would not be the movie that it is without Alma’s assistance and input.  The scenes revolving around Hitchcock and Alma’s marriage were the scenes that resonated most with me, but the obstacles they surmounted in getting “Psycho” made also makes for compelling drama.  It’s an excellent movie, and I highly recommend it.

It would very much help to have seen “Psycho” before seeing this movie, or many of the references in the movie won’t make much sense.  Everyone should see “Psycho” anyway, even if you don’t like horror movies.  It is a classic that rises above the genre.  Just make sure you’ve showered beforehand.  🙂

Istanbul Spring 2013

We spent spring break in Istanbul. The city was not at all what we had expected. Sitting at the juncture of Europe and Asia, we expected a city that was a mix of the two, but it was much more a city of Europe. You also hear the call to prayer blasted through the loudspeakers perched on every minaret, which lends a fascinating note of the exotic to the city. We loved Istanbul and had a fabulous time there. The city was full of historical sites, and the people were warm and friendly.
We stayed at the Four Seasons at Bosphorus, which has two major advantages over many of the other hotels. First, it’s located right at the edge of the Bosphorus, leading to stunning views of the Bosphorus, the old city, and the bridge leading to the Asia half of Istanbul.

view of the Bosphorus

view of the Bosphorus

view of the bridge to Asia

view of the bridge to Asia

The other major advantage is that you can partake of hammam, the Turkish bath, at the hotel. Let’s just say that if you dream of being a sybarite in another life, you will definitely enjoy the hammam. All four of us tried it, and it was one of our favorite parts of the trip. In fact, the kids want to return to Istanbul if for no other reason than to get another hammam.

(Note: the Shangri-la is scheduled to open in Istanbul in the next month or two. While we had an amazing stay at the Four Seasons, we highly recommend the Shangri-la hotel chain as generally having even better service than the Four Seasons. The new hotel will also be located on the Bosphorus and, while we can’t know this for certain yet, I am fairly sure that it, too, will offer hammam.)

We visited all of the normal historical tourist sites, including the Blue Mosque,

Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque

dome of the Blue Mosque

dome of the Blue Mosque

Topkapi Palace,

Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace

room in Topkapi Palace

room in Topkapi Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace, Hagia Sophia,

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

the Cistern,

the Cistern

the Cistern

the Summer Palace, the old Muslim Quarter,

old Muslim quarter

old Muslim quarter

the Chora Museum,

DSC_2144

DSC_2149

the old city wall,

old city wall (time of Theodosius II)

old city wall (time of Theodosius II)

and the Archeological Museum.

We also visited the Spice Market (way too much fun sampling and buying olives, chilis, coffee, tea, and other spices) and the Grand Bazaar (a haggling shopper’s paradise for anything your heart desires). We certainly did our part to support the Turkish economy. We also did our part to supporting Turkish culture by consuming large amounts of baklava. Turkish baklava is not a sweet as Greek baklava, but it is sinfully delicious.

We definitely are planning on a return trip to visit Ephesus and Cappadocia. First, however, we have to get a handle on the language. Let’s just say that Turkish bears no resemblance to any European or Asian language that I’ve seen. And there is no relation to the sound a letter makes in English and the sound the same letter makes in Turkish. In addition, the letters “s” and “c” with cedillas make entirely different sounds than those letters without cedillas as do the letters “o” and “u” if there are umlauts on them. It’s enough to make you tear your hair out.  But well worth a return trip.