Woman in the Dunes (Suna no Onna)
Directed by: Hiroshi Teshihagara
Starring: Eiji Okada and Kyoko Kishida
Year: 1964
Call No.: Other 791.4372 SUN
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

Looking for solitude from the hectic city life, an amateur entomologist, Niki Junpei, travels to the barren outlands. He hopes to find a new species of insect that will see his name recorded for posterity. Engrossed, Junpei misses the last bus home. The local villagers suggest he stay the night and the tired man gladly takes up the offer. He is led to a decrepit hut located deep within a sand pit. Climbing down via a makeshift rope ladder, he passes the night there with the “landlady”. Morning comes; the ladder is gone; he is trapped. With no way out, Junpei finds that his nightmare is just beginning.

Kobo Abe adapts his own novel for the big screen, which is brought to vivid life by director Hiroshi Teshigahara. Shot stunningly by Hiroshi Segawa, Woman in the Dunes is a film filled with fascinating images designed to provoke, placate and perturb the viewer.

Witness, for example, how Teshigahara employs the extreme close-up: a nape here; the back of a thigh there; fingers moving sensually to their own silent rhythm. All disembodied, all glistening with sweat, all covered in the ever-present dirt, grime and sand. Ignited by a magnetic, sensuous charge, proximity seduces us to these images, like Junpei to the woman in the hut. But as with living in a shack surrounded by loose sand, the sense of danger is always around, always palpable.

So do we embrace our desires? Or do we heed the danger and do what we can to preserve ourselves? Junpei yearns for a quieter life and official name recognition. He gets both, but not in the way he imagined. On the other hand, the woman is ever aware of the threat from the sand. So she works tirelessly each night to clear its danger. This prompts Junpei to ask her: “Are you living to shovel, or shovelling to live?”

Therein the question lies the crux of the film. The hut in the pit is a microcosm of life, envisioned as a Sisyphean song looping and re-looping on the tracks of sleep, food, water and sex. Is there all there is? Or does the pursuit of more necessarily lead to the sacrifice of our very existence? The film provides no clear answers.

With this effort, Teshigahara has crafted a bizarre, but unforgettable masterpiece. So sink back, sit deep, and let yourself fall, like sand through an hourglass, into the spellbinding grasp of the Woman in the Dunes.

This review first appeared in High Browse, Auteurs and Authors edition.

Babette’s Feast (Babettes Gaestebud)
Directed by: Gabriel Axel
Starring: Stephane Audran, Birgitte Federspiel, Bodil Kjer, Bibi Anderson, Jarl Kulle, Jean-Philippe Lafont, Ebbe Rode
Year: 1987
Call No.: Other 791.4372 BAB
Location: Film Village, library@esplanade

As is often remarked, the true test of a chef’s skills comes when he is asked to prepare the simplest dishes. If writer-director Gabriel Axel were a chef, he would pass with flying distinctions. For in Babette’s Feast, he has served up a homely broth of a film, one humble in presentation yet filled with the most glorious mix of heady and delectable flavours.

Adapted from a short story by Karen Blixen (writing under the pseudonym, Isak Dinesen), Babette’s Feast is a story about austere devotion and the redeeming powers of art, love and sacrifice. Off the windswept coast of Denmark is a tiny village whose inhabitants follow closely the teachings of a devout clergyman. In this isolated world, the only way to redemption, it seems, is through refrain. Accordingly, the clergyman’s beautiful daughters, Martina and Philippa, turn down youthful love and opportunities in order to adhere to their father’s words.

Years after the clergyman passes on, his daughters continue his teachings among the villagers, but the long period of denial appears to have emptied everyone’s heart and soul. Relationships fray and tensions heighten among the once closely-knit community. Enter Babette, a mysterious French woman who seeks refuge from the civil war in the sisters’ home. Her entrance changes the lives of all, but it is her farewell dinner to them that promises to fill up the voids in their beings.

As a show of gratitude and love for the sisters, Babette gives up all her earthly possessions to prepare this meal. And oh, what a meal it is! Seasoned with sacrifice and love, food is no longer a matter of basic sustenance, a blasé fixture of life. In Babette’s artisan hands, food becomes the means through which she reaches into the villagers, transforming their hollow beliefs into a full-bodied essence that nourishes and satisfies the depths of their very souls.

Babette’s Feast is a smorgasbord of delights, dished up with wit as dry as the Veuve Clicquot served in the film. It is a spiritually fulfilling sojourn into the heart of art and life. Just be warned, however: Do not watch this film on an empty stomach.

This review first appeared in High Browse, Auteurs and Authors edition.

Picture sourced from www.amazon.com.

NEW PROMOTIONS and lists of recent arrivals, that’s what!

From the lame title I’ve coined for this post, I’m sure you’ll have figured out that library@esplanade is holding a loan promotion for M. Night Shyamalan’s latest offering, The Happening!

As per usual, borrow 8 items and stand a chance to win premiums and movie passes to The Happening! Heck, with the Force still strong on D.E.A.R., you might as well get 16 items and stand 2(!) chances to win some goodies from the show. But don’t forget to split the receipts, dears! The Happening promotion runs from 13-22 June 2008, so don’t dilly-dally and come down to the library today!

All premiums and movie passes kindly sponsored by 20th Century Fox.

But wait, wait, wait, WAIT!

That’s not the end of it because all public libraries are also holding a promotion to celebrate the Ian Fleming Centenary and the release of the new James Bond novel, Devil May Care. Written by Sebastian Faulks-writing-as-Ian Fleming (howzat for twists!), be prepared for a ride full of thrills and spills that only this master-within-a-master can conjure!

To win a copy of this book, all you have to do is approach the Customer Service Counter and show your loan receipt of at least 4 borrowed items (combined receipts accepted) to receive a Devil May Care promotion quiz form. Answer the simple quiz, fill up your details and drop it into the contest box provided. Receipts need not be attached to the form.
white noise

This is where you wanna listen well and listen good!

If you wanna stand the chance to win a bundle of stuff from the library@esplanade, here are the steps a certain “guru” (Ed: *ahem*) suggests you take:

1. Grab 16 worthwhile items you wanna borrow from library@esplanade.
   WIN!
2. Separate them into 2 batches of 8 and borrow them all.
   WIN!
3. Grab both receipts and head to our Customer Service Counter to exchange for 4(!!) James Bond promo quiz forms.
   WIN!
4. Fill up the quizzes and drop them into the James Bond promo contest box. DO NOT attach your receipts to the quiz forms!
   WIN!
5. Shuffle over to The Happening promo on your right, fill up your details (name, IC number, telephone and email address) on both receipts and drop them into the promo box provided.

That’s it! You’ve given yourself 6(!!!) chances to win some awesome gifts and premiums! Now how’s that for happening stuff at the library, eh?

Last but not least, here are the lists of recent arrivals at the library. As usual, they’re done up by eLiz, so go ahead and download away! You’ll need a PDF viewer to read the files, yah?

* This listing is non-exhaustive. Please check the catalogue for the availability of the items.

To download the list, “Right Click” and “Save As” on the following links:

• New Arrivals - Week 13.05.2008
• New Arrivals - Week 23.05.2008
• New Arrivals - Week 02.06.2008

To all this great stuff happening at the library@esplanade, as the great John McClane (no, I don’t mean him) once said, “Yippee Ki Yay, Mo—.”

Phew, got so excited I almost got carried away ;)

赤いか、緑か。

So. Are you red, or green?

*****

If you had an answer to that question, then whichever colour you picked, I’m sure you’ll be interested to know that Murakami Haruki recently gave an exclusive interview to Mainichi Daily News.

Among other things, Murakami talks about the work of translating, the impact American contemporary classics have had on him and what writing is to him. He also lets on a bit about the novel he’s been working on since Kafka on the Shore (2002), an epic which promises to be greater than The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

All right boys and girls, calm yourselves down, take a deep breathe and start clicking the links below:

1. Haruki Murakami opens up about translating America’s literary giants
   white
2. Murakami says American contemporary classics ‘really significant’ for his writing
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3. Murakami’s next epic poised to become his biggest ever
   white
4. ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ helped inspire Murakami to write for his daily bread
   white
5. Murakami aims to find harmonious balance between globalism and regionalism

For an archive of old interviews with the elusive author, you can check this place out. The New York Times Featured Author section also has some terrific articles on Murakami Haruki.

Closer to NLB, you’ll find QQ*librarian’s thoughts on reading Kafka on the Shore (post 1 and post 2), Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.

A wager between QQ and Ivan saw the Rambler reading Norwegian Wood. Though I think he read only the second part, from what he wrote. (Ed: Incidentally, Ed has read both books in the wager. Ed loves them both. Ed is on QQ’s side when it comes to reading tastes, though.)

On another note, you might think this post is better suited for High Browse Online. Perhaps it is. But then again, what is a Murakami Haruki novel, if not music?
(Ed: PK didn’t say it, Jay Rubin, M.H.’s long-time translator, did. See: Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin, call no. 895.635 RUB. Check catalogue for location and availability.)

Oh, let’s not forget another thing:

I’m just a freaking fanboy.

*****

えっ、僕？

もちろん緑だ。

だって、緑はめちゃ格好いいじゃないですか。

It’s been a while since I had a TV in my room, but now that the tube’s back making it’s presence felt again in the land of daydreams and nightmares, I’ve had the chance to tune in regularly to Arts Central, which, by my reckoning, is hands-down the best free-to-air channel in Singapore.

So last week I was watching Before Sunrise on FilmArt Central (one heckuva romantic movie, if you asked me) when out of the blue, my brother suddenly asked, “Why is this Film Art?”

I was a bit stumped there and then, cos he rarely asks me this kind of a question.

“Har?” I replied, buying myself some time by pretending not to have heard his question while my brain whirred into overdrive in search of an answer.

“Why is this Film Art?” he asked again.

Well now, I could hazard a close guess why that question might’ve popped into his mind:

1. He’d probably recall seeing Ethan Hawke in stuff like Training Day and Assault on Precinct 13.
2. Before Sunrise is a film in colour.
3. Before Sunrise is a film in English.

Therefore, the equation: 1+2+3 = Why is this Film Art?

Armed with this unscientific equation, I came up with this answer. “Oh, this movie is about two people talking. For 1 1/2 hours.”

“That’s it?” he said, somewhat unconvinced.

“Yah, that’s it.”

*****

Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise is very much a “talkie”, in the sense that the main characters talk a lot and nothing much else happens. Very French-like, so perhaps it’s fitting that Julie Delpy plays the lead, Celine, opposite Hawke’s Jesse.

Talk a lot they do, but the seamless exchange of words are so natural, flow with so little effort, that they are spoken music of an enchanting tune that is at times tentative, at times contemplative, but always rich with the sweetness of falling in love. Amidst the streets of Vienna, words as music swirls the would-be lovers into a private world, a musical box where he, a boy, and she, a girl, dance the romantic steps of courtship through the tenderness of night.

For Celine and Jesse, before sunrise, everything is magic; everything is real. But daybreak brings the harshness of light that overshadows the rapturous glow of burgeoning love. With dawn comes the first vestige of uncertainties. At the film’s close, Celine and Jess walk their separate ways, after a promise in haste to meet again. A question hangs unasked on all our lips — ours, Celine’s, Jesse’s: Will they?

We dare not ask because asking is doubt, and doubt is the breaker of spells, and of magic. And over 1 1/2 hours of talking, we have grown to care too much for Celine and Jesse. We do not want their spell of love to break. But like a sudden daybreak, the light comes on in the cinema and just like that, a spell is broken. Reality takes over; all that remains is uncertainty.

Before Sunrise is a moment of magic. Perhaps that is why it’s on FilmArt.

Sweet-cakes & Milkshakes

There is a scene in the film when Celine and Jesse meet a street poet along the river. The poet makes them an offer: they give him a word, he makes a poem out of it, they pay him if they like the poem. Celine throws out the highly original “milkshake”. This is what the poet came up with:

Daydream, delusion, limousine, eyelash
Oh baby with your pretty face
Drop a tear in my wineglass
Look at those big eyes
See what you mean to me
Sweet-cakes and milkshakes

I’m a delusion angel
I’m a fantasy parade
I want you to know what I think
Don’t want you to guess anymore
You have no idea where I came from
We have no idea where we’re going
Lodged in life
Like branches in a river
Flowing downstream
Caught in the current
I’ll carry you
You’ll carry me
That’s how it could be
Don’t you know me?
Don’t you know me by now?

Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Before_Sunrise, last accessed 25 May 2008.

Celine likes it, but Jesse thinks the poet probably wrote it beforehand and just plugged their word somewhere. I happen to think it reflects an option the two, in the back of their minds, might have taken. Even more so, if you’ve seen Before Sunset.

What do you think? Feel free to comment away!

Asides:

1. Before Sunset airs tonight, Sunday, 25 May 2008, at 10.00pm on FilmArt Central. The story takes place 9 (real-life) years later. Many things have changed, some things haven’t. Will the two finally get together?
   space for reading
2. In the 9 years in-between the films, Celine and Jesse made a small animated cameo in Linklater’s Waking Life.

*****

About an hour into the film, my brother remarked, “Is it still the same night (in the film)?”

“Yah.”

” . . . “

I think he found his own answer to his question then.

Now, where to begin? Hmm…

***

Let’s leave the beleaguered Prince for later, shall we?

NLB’s Spanking New Tri-Web

Well then, if you’ve been surfing to the old National Library Board’s website over the past month, you’ll realise things are looking pretty different. Fret not, this is just part of the Library’s attempt to update ourselves and make our services more relevant and user-friendly to YOU, our customers :)

Ivan, the Ramblin’ Librarian, has a post on this, so head over here to read more about the differences among the 3 new sites. For what’s worth, here’s my skinny on things:

1. If you want the regular stuff you’re used to getting from the old site, just go to Public Library, Singapore (www.pl.sg).
   Looks better with a space, don’t you think?
2. For in-depth content specific to Singapore and legal deposit matters, visit National Library, Singapore (www.nl.sg).
   Looks better with a space, don’t you think?
3. With the above two, I don’t think you need the third.
   Looks better with a space, don’t you think?
4. By the by, the Open Navigation at the top right corner of this blog is a quick way for you to snoop around NLB’s blogosphere, so click on it and er… snoop away!

SMS and E-mail Reminder Service

You’ll prolly agree when I say a fine mailer’s not a pretty present, so to help you avoid finding this unpleasant surprise in your letterbox, do sign up for our new SMS and E-mail Reminder Service! I use it myself (yah, I get overdue fines too, you know :) and personally find it extremely useful in keeping track of the due dates of the stuff I’m holding on to. Without it, a chunk of my salary would probably have gone towards paying fines, haha.

“Oh sure,” you’re gonna say, “He’s just saying it cos he works for the L-I-B-R-A-R-Y.”

Well, to that, I say, “Duh.”

So I’ll leave it to Hui Yie, one of them teen bloggers over at Y.O!, to convince you that this is a really, really good thing to sign up for. She’s helped to write a nifty intro to the service, so go on and read all about it!

D.E.A.R. Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is roaring into local theatres from 29 May 2008, and library@esplanade is holding a loan promotion in anticipation of its grand opening! Simply borrow 8 items from the library, drop your receipts into the contest box and stand a chance to win exclusive Narnia* goodies! Contest ends on 30 May 2008, so hurry!

Besides, with the Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) campaign back in tandem with the June holidays, there’s no easier way to get 8 items! In fact, why not get 16**? Double your loan quota, double your chances of winning something! As I said before, good things come in pairs and more!

For starters, consider refreshing yourself on the series by borrowing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Call No.: 791.4372 LIO) from the Film Village, library@esplanade!

* Prince Caspian goodies kindly sponsored by Buena Vista International. 

** During D.E.A.R. campaign, Basic members get to borrow up to 8 items, Premium members up to 16. Find out more about Premium Membership, here.

Chocolate

Just wanted to highlight this Asian feature amidst the Hollywood blockbuster season.

If you wanna get a taste of some white-knuckle tension, you might wish to check out Chocolate. No, not the Juliette Binoche-Johnny Depp vehicle, Chocolat (791.4372 CHO, Film Village, library@esplanade), but the latest Thai stunt-fest from Prachya Pinkaew.

Filled with moments of humour, melodrama and elaborate stunt setpieces galore, the show is over-the-top fun and goodness. The stunts clearly look choreographed at times, but there’s real tension watching the stuntmen and women take those crazy bumps in the name of making a movie.

Don’t be surprised to catch yourself saying “Owwuch!” several times, especially during that battle royale of a finale fought out on tiny ledges three or four-storeys high, with people dropping like flies all the way down with nothing but concrete to break their bones falls! Owwuch!

If you’re tired of all the CGI and empty loud bangs from the summer Hollywood blockbusters, catch Chocolate and re-discover the cinematic magic of stuntwork in its purest glory.

Asides:

• Well, not much of a review as I said, but if you want something meatier, head on to Stefan S’s review of the movie. Stefan’s A Nutshell Review blog is an amazing piece of work and in my opinion, fully deserves its sub-title: “Probably Singapore’s #1 Movie Review Blog”.

• I caught the movie under the Singapore Film Society’s (SFS) Core Screening for Members. Kudos for all the fine work the SFS has done over the years, and long may it continue. And if you haven’t realised, their revamped blog has been up and running for a while now, so do visit to find out what the good folks are lining up to promote the love and appreciation of film in Singapore.

***

And here is where we come to the end. For Aslan!

READ! Singapore 2008 is just around the corner (starting 21 May 2008, to be exact) and if you haven’t heard the news, head on right over here to update yourself on the event!

Keeping in the mix, library@esplanade is helping to kick things off with our selections on films that share the official theme of this year’s campaign, “Home and Away”. The first pick is Bahram Beizai’s Bashu, the Little Stranger, and the nice folks over at High Browse Online have already put it up, so head on over to read the review.

On the topic of reviews, PY has done a neat one on one of the items available at the library@esplanade. It’s a score titled New Method for the Double Bass by F. Simandl, and a good read for those interested to learn more about pedagogical tools for the double bass.

And if the double bass is your instrument of choice, you might also wanna check out PY’s links to Jason Heath’s article comparing Francois Rabbath and Simandl’s teaching aids for the instrument. It’s an extensive look at the two books and Heath details their pros and cons, as well as evaluate their suitability as teaching aids for the double bass. A great resource for anyone having a hard time deciding which of the books to use.

Last but not least, if you recall, the Fritz Quartet was at the library@esplanade to perform their Tango Repertoire in February. Head on over to their blog to read about their thoughts and feelings after the show, and also to catch up on the latest happenings with the Quartet.

And that’s that for now, folks!

* This promotion is over. Thank you for participating.

Bedroom antics, anyone?

library@esplanade gets frisky with the Sex is Zero 2 promotion! Stand a chance to win movie passes to this top-grossing raunchy romp of a sequel to the 2002 hit original! For a very limited time only, so hurry down to library@esplanade today!

This Promotion is Only Open to Patrons Age 21 and Above.

Read on for the details…

Read the rest of this entry »

Spring is here again and to kick the season off, library@esplanade brings you not one, but two great promotions!

First up is Street Kings, starring “The One” and only Keanu Reeves as an LA cop who loses direction in life after his wife’s untimely death. When he finds himself implicated in the murder of a fellow officer, he has to stand up against his former partners in order to clear his name.

Penned by writing powerhouses James Ellroy and John Ridley, Street Kings promises to be a gritty affair that sees Reeves back in all-out action-hero mode dashed with a huge dose of anguish. So don’t miss the chance to win movie passes and premiums to the show!

Check out the Street Kings promo, here!

Next up is Michael Haneke’s remake of his own Funny Games. Word has it that this is almost a shot-for-shot retelling of his disturbing original, but with an all-star cast featuring established thespians Naomi Watts and Tim Roth, plus the up-and-coming Michael Pitt in key roles, this is a remake you don’t dare to miss!

So give yourself a head start by checking out library@esplanade’s promotion for the movie here!

Now that you’ve heard from us, be sure to take action! If you miss out on the goodies otherwise… Well, then…

You Must Admit, You Brought This On Yourself.

Let the Games Begin.

And Pray You Win.

We Will Rock You — The Musical  is opening tonight at The Esplanade and those who’ve been waiting to catch the show must be twitching with excitement at the promise of a rollicking good time!

And after watching an interview with the cast this morning, I have no doubts they will deliver the goods to all who’ll be there!

So will YOU  be there? Well, if you haven’t heard, we’re planning to do some delivering ourselves here at the library@esplanade!

The We Will Rock You promotion at the library is counting down its end and those who have submitted entries will soon know whether you have won yourselves posters and tickets to the show. If you’re one of the lucky winners, expect to hear from us soon!

For those who have yet to seize this chance to win your seats to We Will Rock You — The Musical, you still have 3 days left! So hurry down now to library@esplanade to take part in the draw.

Details of the promotion can be found here, so don’t pass up on this awesome opportunity!

And while you’re here, prep yourself up for the show by checking out our collection of Queen CDs!

Please note that all items listed below can be found at our Music Village and are for reference only.

Title: A Night at the Opera
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

Buddy you’re a boy make a big noise
Playing in the street gonna be a big man some day

Title: Platinum Collection: Greatest hits I, II, III
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

You got mud on your face
You big disgrace

Title: News of the World
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

Kickin’ your can all over the place
Singin’

Title: Classic Queen
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

We will we will rock you
We will we will rock you

Title: A Day at the Races
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

Buddy you’re a young man hard man
Shouting in the street gonna take on the world some day

Title: Live Magic
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

You got blood on your face
A big disgrace

Title: Greatest Hits
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

Wavin’ your Banner all over the place
We will we will rock you

Title: Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl
By: Queen
Call No.: RAV 782.42166 QUE

We will we will rock you