Friday December 29, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 52 |
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Friday, Jan 09, 2009
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Bits & Bytes |
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| Painted Veil raises many questions about love, St. James offers Mozart for New Year's Eve, Chamber Music Society plans Winter Festival | |
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by Milton W. Hamlin -
SGN A&E Writer As 2006 comes to a close, entertainment shifts into a darker, more reflective mood. The new films-The Good Shepherd, The Good German Blood Diamond, this week's The Painted Veil, next week's Lesbian-themed Notes On A Scandal-focus on serious matters and complex relationships. Theaters shift from holiday fare to disturbing, probing works-Issaquah's Village Theatre goes from Bye, Bye Birdie to the darker Shadowlands, the Seattle Rep tackles Edward Albee's rarely revived, challenging and enigmatic The Lady From Dubuque. It's an intriguing time for serious entertainment fans-and that includes Bits&Bytes. Read on: MAUGHAM'S PAINTED VEIL EXPLORES FACETS OF LOVE Among the year-end releases arriving in Seattle for the New Year, The Painted Veil is one of the most intriguing. Based on a nearly forgotten novel by openly Gay (but socially closeted) W. Somerset Maugham, the film is obviously a work of respect and affection. Naomi Watts and Edward Norton headline the most recent adaptation (one of the earlier versions featured Greta Garbo) with solid support from a hunky Liev Schreiber, a pious Diana Rigg and a spirited Toby Jones (the impish Truman Capote of the recent Infamous). Norton stars as the uptight, unforgiving specialist in infectious diseases (modeled, literary history tells us, on Maugham's uptight brother who never forgave the author for being Gay). Norton reportedly spent the past 10 years trying to bring Veil to the screen. Naomi Watts, generously, gets top billing and she deserves it. As she was in the ill-advised remake of King Kong, Watts is radiant in every scene. As the spoiled, upper-class British socialite who marries before "time runs out," Watts is constantly interesting-you simply cannot take your eyes off of her. Norton, the stiffest of the new clan of young actors, is solid as the stuffed shirt. (Ignore his scenes in the film's preview trailers-those clips show him at his worst.) After acknowledging their loveless marriage, both characters-and the audience-begin to draw toward one another. The Painted Veil, a far from perfect film, is a luxuriously beautiful one-the scenes of 1920's Shanghai and inland China are simply stunning. Often mist-shrouded, many of the scenes are obviously inspired by Chinese scroll or screen paintings of the era. The film is a visual delight from start to finish. Stuart Dryburgh's cinematography could well be noted in the upcoming Oscar nominations. Director John Curran draws solid-sometimes inspired-- performances from the supporting cast. A nearly unrecognizable Diana Rigg as the Mother Superior unites two words Bits&Bytes thought he'd never use: pious and DianaRigg. Thankfully, The Painted Veil is being treated as an art house film by its distributors. It opens today in an exclusive engagement at the Seven Gables Theatre in the Roosevelt/University district. An art house film in one of Seattle's premiere art house theaters--adjacent to Cinema Books and Mamma's Melina's, the popular Italian restaurant (that has just recently reopened for lunch every day). What more could an art house film fan want in life? Expect huge crowds for the bargain matinee screenings and key weekend showings. Recorded screening information is offered at 781-5755. ST. JAMES CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY WITH MOZART FOR NEW YEAR'S St. James Cathedral, known for its fine classical music programming, celebrates a double anniversary with a special all-Mozart concert on New Year's Eve at 11 p.m. Dec. 31. The double anniversary concert honors the end of the 250th "Year of Mozart" celebration and the beginning of the 100th anniversary of the opening of St. James. James Savage will conduct the Cathedral Cantorei, the professional vocal ensemble featuring 20 of the region's finest vocal artists, the Cathedral Chamber Orchestra and two of St. James' organists in a special New Year's Eve program. "And, as always," the Cathedral notes, "a midnight surprise!" More information and reserved seating are available at 382-4874. A $25 donation is suggested for this truly "once in a lifetime" concert. CHAMBER MUSIC PLANS JANUARY WINTER FESTIVAL The Seattle Chamber Music Society offers an exciting program for its ninth winter season, Winter Festival at Benaroya Hall. "Musical Intimacy In The Heart Of Downtown," headlines the flyer for the Jan. 22-28 event. All musical programs are scheduled for the intimate Nordstrom Recital Hall. The three major concerts feature music by Mussorgsky, Brahms and Schubert for the first concert, Thursday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, features music from Faure, Schumann, Brahms and Shostakovich for the evening recital and concert. Sunday afternoon's 2 p.m. program offers Shostakovich, Chopin, Schubert and Rachmaninoff. A special recital Saturday evening, Jan. 27, offers Beethoven's complete sonatas for cello and piano. The Winter Festival begins with a preview lecture from Steven Lowe, "The Romantic Sonata: The Heart of 19th Century Chamber Music," on Monday, Jan. 22. A cocktail supper at The Triple Door-just across the street-is planned for Friday before the opening evening concert. A special Family Concert on Saturday, Jan. 27, completes the "something for everyone" programming. The Family Concert, with tickets at just $8, is aimed at children ages six through 12. Complete schedule details, program information and ticket information is available at 283-8808. Tickets are on sale now. FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW SETS WINTER GARDEN DATES Yards are a soggy mess, and it often seems the rains will never stop. But-spring is on the horizon. And, as usual, the first ray of spring for many Seattle-area dwellers is the annual Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Mark your calendars now-the 2007 show runs Feb. 14-18 at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle. The five day garden festival features 25 designer gardens-ranging from out-and-out fantasies to realistic "I Could Do That" stagings. A quick call to (800) 569-2832 will get you started on program details, ticket information, group tours, special hotel packages, etc. And, go ahead; tell 'em SGN and Bits&Bytes told you to call. |
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