MY MORNING WITH "A SINGLE MAN"

Warning: Spoiler commentary follows.

Yesterday morning, I watched "A Single Man", a fine movie, in shades of dark comedy. The film is set in the early 1960s in southern California. Colin Firth plays a gay British professor of English literature, George Falconer, who grieves for his partner, Jim, played by the hunky Matthew Goode, who was killed in a car accident. Jim appears only in flashbacks in the film.

Back in the day, before it was safe to be fully out as gay or lesbian in almost any occupation, conversations about a person's sexual orientation were, for the most part, necessarily tentative and suggestive, rather than straightforward, and included meaningful glances and eye contact to convey messages that must not be spoken. The movie captures well the stifling atmosphere of the times of covering up and hiding, which - alas - has not entirely dissipated today.

George, a precise, fastidious type decides he will kill himself. Before going to see his best friend, Charlotte, wonderfully played by Julienne Moore, who can't quite accept that she and George can't be more than friends, he practices his suicide scene. With the unloaded gun in his mouth, he tries out the bed, propped against pillows that won't stay in place, a sleeping bag in the bed, and the shower, none of which turn out to be satisfactory settings for blowing his brains out.

To me, the funniest line in the movie comes in the scene when George accidentally bumps into a gay hustler, Kenny, outside a liquor store. The two begin a conversation, and George tells Kenny the story of his lover's death; the young man says, "My mother always said, 'Lovers are like buses. If you wait long enough, another one will come along.'" (From memory - perhaps not a direct quote.) Not true, of course, but in the context of the scene, Kenny's mama's words made me laugh out loud.

As I finished watching the movie, on a morning with driving rain and heavy wind outside, I thought my 100 minutes were well-spent.

The film is based on a novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood.

ZACH WAHLS SPEAKS ABOUT FAMILY

Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa.

From On Top:

The Iowa House on Tuesday approved a bill that seeks to repeal gay marriage in the state, the AP reported.

How sad. Zach Wahls' words will live on toward a better day.

PLEASE PRAY FOR IT AND HER FAMILY

From Ann at Friends of Jake:

IT's father passed away last night.

Notes from her:

I am currently stuck in Washington DC by the storm, and just found out that my dad died last night, unexpectedly. I will not be doing any blogging for a while. My wife is trying to get me a flight home and thence to the Bay Area to be with Mom. Expect me to be out of touch for a while.
....

BP managed to re-route me ... and I should get home late tonight, leaving first thing tomorrow for the bay area.

Surround those we love with prayers and support at this time. May IT feel our love as she walks this path.

Best to leave comments at Friends of Jake. Thanks.

AT THE MOVIES

The weather here is terrible, with hard rain falling and a heavy wind blowing. I'm spending the greater part of the day watching rental movies, because the films are due back today, and I hate paying fines. It's a thing with me.

I'm weary of thinking and writing about the Anglican Communion, the Anglican Covenant, and Anglican primates. I'll take a break, maybe short, maybe long, and the Anglican world will continue to turn whether or not I take note and be little or not at all affected by my refusal to take note.

I'll report back on the movies, but I will probably not do my usual full-fledged, professional review of either film. One good movie down and one to go, and then a quick trip to Blockbuster for the returns.

JESUS AND MO - AWAY

author says:

It's another X-factor strip....

From Jesus and Mo.

ALLEN TOUSSAINT AND ELVIS COSTELLO

"Who's Gonna Help the Brother Get Further" from the album The River in Reverse

LIFE ON THE RANGE

Sven and Ole were talking one afternoon when Sven tells Ole, "Ya know, I reckon I'm 'bout ready for a vacation. Only dis year I'm a gonna do it a little different."

"Da last few years, I took your advice about where to go."

"T'ree years ago you said to go to Hawaii. I went to Hawaii, and Lena got pregnant."

"Den two years ago, you told me to go to the Bahamas, and Lena got pregnant again."

"Last year you suggested Tahiti, and darned if Lena didn't get pregnant again."

Ole asked Sven, "So, what ya gonna do dis year dat's so different?"

And Sven says, "Dis year I'm taking Lena with me!"

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

ARE YOU WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY?

The Downton Abbey estate stands a splendid example of confidence and mettle, its family enduring for generations and its staff a well-oiled machine of propriety. But change is afoot at Downton — change far surpassing the new electric lights and telephone. A crisis of inheritance threatens to displace the resident Crawley family, in spite of the best efforts of the noble and compassionate Earl, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville, Miss Austen Regrets); his American heiress wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); his comically implacable, opinionated mother, Violet (Maggie Smith, David Copperfield); and his beautiful, eldest daughter, Mary, intent on charting her own course. Reluctantly, the family is forced to welcome its heir apparent, the self-made and proudly modern Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), himself none too happy about the new arrangements. As Matthew's bristly relationship with Mary begins to crackle with electricity, hope for the future of Downton's dynasty takes shape. But when petty jealousies and ambitions grow among the family and the staff, scheming and secrets — both delicious and dangerous — threaten to derail the scramble to preserve Downton Abbey. Created and written by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), Downton Abbey offers a spot-on portrait of a vanishing way of life.

I'm watching and enjoying the series here in the US on PBS Masterpiece Theatre. If for nothing else, the series is worth watching for the presence of the always delightful Maggie Smith in the role of the Dowager Countess of Grantham, who steals every scene in which she appears. I was fortunate to see Dame Maggie on the stage in London some years ago in the wonderful play "Lettice and Lovage" from a second row seat, and I will never forget the experience.

But the series, a sort of Upstairs Downstairs redux, is not for nothing else, for all the actors do fine jobs. It's high-class soap opera with superior writing (Julian Fellowes, of "Gosford Park"), characters and acting. All is done properly, including the lavish sets, the lighting, which is sometimes quite dark. The series was filmed at Highclere Castle. What more could you want?

My favorite characters after Maggie Smith are Mr Carson, the butler, who is terrific in his part, and John Bates, Lord Grantham's valet. But all the characters are well-written and well-acted. None really disappoint.

You Brits have probably already watched the series if you cared to. For those of you who want more, ITV1 has scheduled a second series of the show for sometime this year.

STORY OF THE DAY - POTATO ARCHANGEL

This is how the Archangel Michael
shows up to potato people & you'll
notice he's the same in every way,
except he's a little rounder & he carries
a flaming potato peeler

From StoryPeople.

MPs PUSH CHURCH OF ENGLAND FORWARD

From the Telegraph:

A group of influential MPs will tomorrow call for Parliament to intervene over the historic reform as fears grow that the Church will reject plans allowing female bishops.

The cross-party group, including former ministers Frank Field and Stephen Timms, and Simon Hughes, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, is concerned that the General Synod, the Church's parliament, may not pass legislation designed to end the glass ceiling for women clergy.

Traditionalists believe that a rise in the number of opponents of female priests to the Synod has improved their chances of blocking the law, which can only pass if it receives a two-thirds majority in the houses of laity, clergy and bishops.

Many of them feel that the current legislation does not provide sufficient concessions to those who cannot accept women as bishops.

However, Mr Field has tabled an early day motion, which could abolish the Church's current exemption from equality laws relating to gender discrimination and ultimately force it to consecrate women.

Go for it, MPs! Nudge the church over line into something closer to equality for women.

Unlike the US:

In the United Kingdom and the rest of the English-speaking world, a motion to place upon the table (or motion to place on the table) is a proposal to begin consideration of a proposal.