High Fidelity

Adapted from Nick Hornby’s best selling novel, High Fidelity is shifted from London to the Chicago music scene of the late 1990’s. The principle character and storyteller, played by John Cusack, owns a music store and despite the struggling state of his business he remains a fervent music lover. After being dumped by his girlfriend he takes the viewers through his most painful top 5 breakups, all the while obsessing about his most recent ex and trying to win her back. The adapted screenplay is really sharp and funny, and offers an interesting take on the nature of relationships, mainly from a male point of view, and the influence of music. There are lots of pop culture and music references that guys and gals of my generation can relate to, so if you are music fan of a certain niche then there is a good chance that this is the film for you. John Cusack brings his trademark quirkiness and charm to his role and although his character can be often selfish and neurotic you can’t help liking and rooting for him. There is a strong supporting cast, with Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins and Jack Black, with Black’s zany and energetic performance surely a precursor to his role in School Of Rock. The film flows along at a nice pace, aided by a great soundtrack. High Fidelity is both a sophisticated romantic comedy and a homage to music that keeps the viewer constantly engaged and entertained. 8/10

Laura Marling - an oasis in the desert

The desert is several months of post-viral fatigue. The oasis is of course the delightful Laura Marling. This young English singer/songwriter is a rising star of the indie folk scene and she already has three full length albums of a maturity beyond her tender years to her name. The O2 Academy was the venue for her Glasgow gig, a former cinema and bingo hall that is pleasing to the eye but unfortunately not to the ear. My sister’s boyfriend previously worked there and had been critical of the sound system, and with good reason. The sound is uneven and lacking clarity. In short Laura’s vocals had much more power and beauty when unaccompanied by her band. The band were obviously a talented bunch of musicians and I particularly liked the use of the cello but the short comings of the sound as a whole was not their fault. To add insult to injury I had to pay £4.10 for a pint of Gaymers cider but it was not all doom and gloom. Far from it. The concert was a sell out and the crowd of mostly young people added a buzz of energy and appreciation to the occasion. Even the support acts, who are usually tolerated rather than gratefully received, got a decent applause and a few whistles. However the energy of the crowd was cranked up a fair few notches when Laura and her band eventually arrived onstage, her lithe figure cutting through the orange smoky rays of the stage lights. She looked great in her non-tarty peroxide blonde hair and cut a calm, enigmatic and graceful presence which she maintained all evening. As expected the bulk of her playlist was from her new album but she threw in a few favourites like ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Rambling Man’. The highlight of the concert was her solo stint halfway during her set. Even the dodgy sound system could not subdue her graceful vocals and tasteful guitar playing. On the whole it was a very enjoyable concert and I was really glad to see such a talent play live, she did not disappoint. I just hope that the next time she plays Glasgow Laura is more discerning in her choice of venue.

4"33" by John Cage

YouTube has opened up many great musical and audio-visual experiences that have previously been denied to my generation, for instance watching Sugar Ray Robinson box or listening to Charlie Chaplin talk in The Great Dictator. Very often something will be mentioned in conversation with friends and I will take a mental note to check it out on YouTube later on. John Cage’s 4”33” has been a running joke with my friend Alan, thus I found myself watching an orchestra play this controversial composition late at night after a few ciders. The premise is that the orchestra, or musician, sits still for 4 minutes and 33 seconds without playing a single note on any instrument and the music is the noise created in the vacant environment of the silent performing venue. On one hand there is something ridiculous and almost comical about the whole thing, on the other it is a strangely profound experience of minimalism and conceptual art. The audience are focused intensely on the orchestra and the orchestra focus intensely on the blank sheets of a paper in front of them. There is an intensity, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife. There is no music being played but something is actually happening. The ironic thing is that anybody can play this. Just sit at a piano or hold a guitar and then time yourself for 4 minutes 33 seconds. But to see an entire orchestra sitting still and serious for that length of time is an extraordinary sight. The million dollar question is: should this be taken seriously? Or did John Cage take conceptualism just a bit too far. There is the same tension in the visual art between conceptual art and traditional painting and sculpture. Artists who have spent years honing their painting or sculpting skills are entitled to get cheesed off when somebody wins a prize for a bulb flashing on and off in an empty room. But ideas are important. Marry them with skill and you have great art. There is no skill in 4”33” except the ability to count time, but idea is so bold and unique and there is something of value in the experience of silence and random noises. Silence is a valuable commodity and something that is greatly undervalued in this world polluted with brash and superfluous noise. There is certainly something to admire in Cage’s vision to contemplate the relationship between silence and noise and the human person. The drawback with 4”33” is that it is the end of the line, you can’t take it any further, not unless you compose a piece called 8”47” and simply extend the time of silence. If that is the case then Buddhist monks must be creating silent masterpieces on a daily basis.

The Artist

The success of The Artist at the Academy Awards this year ensured that the film was given a longer run at cinemas in Glasgow. The cinema was pretty full for a 4PM showing, so I was not the only one who benefitted from the pulling power of the Oscars. The novel premise of the film being silent is enough to attract the curious filmgoer and add to that Oscar success and rave reviews then you have a box office hit. The Artist in question is George Valentin, a silent film star at the peak of his popularity. He has a romantic encounter with rising star Peppy Miller on the set of one his films and the film then charts the trajectory of their respective careers; Valentin’s fall and Miller’s rise. The twist in the story is similar to Singin’ In The Rain, as the advent of the ‘talkies’, or talking films, impact the careers of silent film stars. The film company that employs Valentin see talkies as the future of cinema but Valentin refuses to be part of this brave new world and promptly sets about to create a successful silent film in which he is the star. Despite his charisma and good looks he is not a great actor, but he has the soul of an artist and he tries to retain his artistic voice through the dying medium of silent films. Jean Dujardin plays the part of Valentin with great charm and feeling, from the high days to his very low. Berenice Bejo is equally attractive as Peppy Miller, and both manage to give great performances which fully merit their Oscar nominations. The strange irony is that as the film progressed I really wanted to hear their voices. James Cromwell and John Goodman give great supporting roles but maybe Valentin’s faithful dog steals their limelight. The camera work is superb, and at times reminiscent of Citizen Kane and The Third Man, especially in the use of light and dark. The film score is excellent and keeps the visual narrative moving along with imagination and the right depth and sense of feeling. There are some charming touches of visual humour throughout the film and the story, like the cinematography, plays with the effects of light and dark. The Artist is the best film I have seen this year and it is going to very hard to beat. 9/10 P.S. Watch out for the lovely, unexpected twist at the very end.