In this short review, I won’t summarize the content of the movie. If you’re unfamiliar with the content, please watch the trailer, linked at the end of the review. It’s perhaps easier to say what the movie is not, then what it is. The movie is not trying to convince you that a left-leaning, off the grid, back-to-nature lifestyle is necessarily ideal or even desirable as a child rearing strategy. Some points are made in favour of such a lifestyle, and some against, but I don’t believe that this movie has an agenda. So don’t worry that Ben drives a gas guzzler, or that he takes his kids on a shop-lifting excursion. The movie is a study of a family that is trying to…

Categories: Life

Tagged: Movies

Tears of Sorrow … and Joy

artsfols

Posted on September 6, 2015

Last night Nancy and I watched an epic length Bollywood movie ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ in which all the actors cried for the last 60 to 90 minutes. Some were happy tears, but most were tears due to separation within the family, tears of separation and longing. While the cause of the problem, the banishment of a son for marrying outside his class, is uniquely Indian, most people could well relate to the depiction of the pain of separation and of longing for loved ones. Western reviews of this movie characterize it as ‘over the top melodramatic’. This is perhaps accurate in the context of the kinds of movies we tend to watch, but also misleading. We all endure separation and longing, sometimes for very…

Categories: Life

Tagged: Movies

Elfstedentocht

artsfols

Posted on April 13, 2014

This week I was asked about the Elfstedentocht, so I thought at once this question was worthy of a blog entry, our standards being what they are. The Elfstedentocht is one of those events of mythical proportions known only within its country of origin, but far eclipsing other non-international events like the Kite Festival of Bali, the Slovenian National Handball Championship, the Stanley Cup held in the USA but watched only in Canada, and the “World” Series of Baseball so-called because the American championship and the World championship are apparently the same thing, to Americans.
The Elfstedentocht is a one day foot race for skaters, almost 5 times the length of a marathon, held on the canals of Friesland, in northern Holland when ice conditions permit. In fact, ice conditions do not often permit the event. The race was only held 15 times in the last century, and not yet in this one. The competition is only announced a day or two before it is held. At the moment that the ice is thick enough to support thousands of skaters, the Dutch get right on it; overnight 15,000 skaters are ready to go, and the country shuts down to watch. This is what happened in 1985, when the race had not been held since 1963, and it was widely thought, at least by my Dad, who was my main point source on all things Dutch, that the event would never be held again. Elfstedentocht news, videos and souvenir books became a central point of interest in our Dutch Canadian parents’ home that year.
I’ve selected a few minutes of video from the numerous available on youtube. The first is newsreel footage of the 1963 Elfstedentocht. Note the cheerful and upbeat tone of the announcer, the footage and the music. Before viewing this footage, keep the actual race conditions in mind, from wikipedia. “Only 69 of the 10,000 contestants were able to finish the race, due to the extremely low temperatures, -18°C, and a harsh eastern wind. Conditions were so horrendous that the 1963 winner, Reinier Paping, became a national hero, and the tour itself legendary.” Signalling the importance of the event, future Queen, then Princess, Beatrix arrives by helicopter at around 3:30, and a finer princess bestowed with grace and loveliness you’ll never see. The Queen, Juliana, is there too, I suppose that should be mentioned. You’re going to see Dutch towns, farms, bridges and canals, a passing shot of an elegant wooden barge and windmills. Well worth 5 minutes.

I also found the documentary on the 1985 race which is about half an hour in length and in two parts. If you’re not up for the full version, may I suggest the first two minutes of the second half, and then also watch from 5:30 where you’ll see the race from the average competitor’s perspective. Footage of the winners, which seems all important at the time, becomes repetitive and less interesting as time goes on. And Beatrix, Queen by 1985, appears again at 3:30. Her hairdo, on this day as so many others, is truly impressive.

Part 1 of the 1985 Elfstedentocht documentary. As suggested above skip to part 2 when you get bored, unless you are Dutch, then watch the whole thing for the twentieth time.

Part 2 of the 1985 Elfstedentocht documentary

So, what do Frisians do in the summer you might ask? Why, fierljeppen, of course, which is best explained by the event itself. Or maybe not. Don’t miss the fail at 1:45.

Categories: Factual

Tagged: Holland, Information, Sports

	‘Boy feat. Kai… on The Maes top our ‘2021 B…
	artsfols on Christmas Songs – 2…
	Sam Clarke on Christmas Songs – 2…
	artsfols on Unboxing the ‘White Albu…
	Ted Parkinson on Unboxing the ‘White Albu…

Gesprek.net by Artsfols

Only the exhaustive is truly interesting … Thomas Mann

Posts from the “Factual” Category

An introduction to the movie, “Captain Fantastic”

artsfols

Posted on September 13, 2016

Tears of Sorrow … and Joy

artsfols

Posted on September 6, 2015

Elfstedentocht

artsfols

Posted on April 13, 2014