Poem for Grandad

A Grandad is,

Knowledgeable, loving, understanding, caring and a generous man too.

These are a few of the attributes that are attached to you.

Although you are all these things, there’s much more that makes you,

Well, you.

 

You are grander than a Dad,

Sometimes you seem a little mad,

But what’s not to love when you tell jokes that are bad.

You rejoice in the stories of your youth,

And make me laugh, that’s the truth.

 

You are a picture of health,

But your farting is something else.

With knobbly knees, your legs are the skinniest I have seen,

Although I don’t intend to be mean,

As you gave me great genes.

 

Fond memories I won’t forget,

You chasing after the football in a hot sweat,

Or singing with Grandma, thinking you were the best duet.

When I used to change gear in your car,

Sing and dance for you and Grandma,

I thought I was the biggest star.

 

Your cooking is sublime,

Your almond chicken I describe, simply divine.

But your greatest creation I must define,

The Estrella family I am proud to call mine.

 

You’re more than just a Grandad to me,

You’re an inspiration of the type of person I want to be.

You make the world a better place,

And I look forward to seeing your happy face.

The golden age of cinema, my unfashionable guilty pleasure.

Old Hollywood movies, to some a past time, to me an inspiration.  Watching movies that were made over 70 years ago might be unfashionable and appear strange of a nineteen year-old in the twenty-first century but the love stories constructed on screen will endure the test of time and are my guilty pleasure.

From my mothers love of ‘Wuthering Heights’ (1939, William Wyler) and having watched it multiple times throughout my childhood I could never understand why she cried every viewing, even though she knew what to expect.  While watching it together on a wintery night in our cosy, fire lit lounge I became mesmerised and consumed within the heart wrenching, tragic love story and found myself in floods of tears, incapable to stop the powerful emotions I was feeling.  From then on a box of tissues became an accompanying item and my passion for old Hollywood love stories began.

The golden age of cinema had a romantic essence that surrounded the most tragic love stories.  From ‘Gone With The Wind’ (1939, Victor Fleming) to ‘Casablanca’ (1942, Michael Curtiz) the extravagant costumes that speak volumes, the thought evoking soundtrack that enhance the moving image, the quotable dialogue that are even more famous than the movie title and the acting so believable you recall the actors name as they appear in the movie.  These elements you just don’t seem to find in the movies of today, it seems technology has become more important in the storytelling process than the simple but yet powerful component of words.

Not only do the stories captivate the audience, but the on-screen leading couples have to ignite an inner flame to be a memorable pairing.  The coupling of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the iconic ‘Casablanca’ only had to gaze into each others eyes to bring the characters’ passions to life.  While the fiery dialogue that illuminates ‘Gone With The Wind’ delivered perfectly by the definitive one-time pairing of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in the epic tale of home, love and war, was the perfect match in the ultimate battle of masculine versus feminine that became the characters that defined them.

These classics are my escape and allow me to become someone else for the duration of the movie.  There narratives are simple but yet ever so powerful in translating different dimensions of life changing love into a breathtaking, entertaining filmic experience.

Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!

Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 Pulitzer Prize winning, bestselling novel, which was translated into eighteen different languages and sold over ten million copies became an even bigger phenomenon when it was delivered on to the big screen in 1939.  Through the acting talents of an iconic Clark Gable as the dashing blockader, Rhett Butler and a then unknown Vivien Leigh portraying the charming yet ever so frustrating Scarlett O’Hara; Gone with the Wind was reborn into a whole new stratosphere against the backdrop of the American Civil war during 1861 – 1865.  Under the production of David O’Selznick and the direction of Victor Fleming, Gone with the Wind went ahead to accomplish movie-making history having being nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, and winning eight of them for Best Actress (Leigh), Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Director (Fleming), Best Film Editing, Best Picture (O’Selznick), Best Screenplay (Sidney Howard).

“Fiddle-Dee-Dee. War, war, war; this war talk’s spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream. Besides… there isn’t going to be any war.”  The first words uttered by the naïve, fun loving, belle of the ball character of Scarlett who is yet to believe the inevitable, a war is to begin across America between the Yankee’s and the Confederates.  It is apparent from the outset that Scarlett’s only intention is to win the heart of her neighbour Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) who she is to pine over throughout the film even though he is to be married to his cousin Melanie Wilkes (Olivia De Havilland).  In a fit of anger Scarlett takes revenge by becoming the wife of Melanie’s brother, Charles Hamilton (Rand Brooks), and the repercussions set in for the remainder of two hundred and twenty four minutes; passion, hate, and jealously saturates this epic classic from beginning to end.

Real on screen chemistry isn’t seen often, but from Gable and Leigh’s undeniable intensity throughout the entirety of the film, no scene is bland.  From the first shared on-screen words, the heat between them is not ignorable.  Scarlett’s first jealous rage over Ashley is witnessed by Rhett and rather than be gentlemanly to ignore it, rather he ravishes within it, antagonising her until she can barely breathe under his smug and conceited laughter when he states joyfully “You miss are no lady.”  It becomes somewhat obvious that they are a match made in heaven and most definitely two of a kind; and we all wonder whether Scarlett will finally see the light.

The elaborate, elegant, exquisite costumes worn really represent the overall excellence to detail that transcends the characters deeper emotions.  The rich red and green shades of velvet used to clothe the wealthier characters couldn’t have been any more ideal and yet neither could the dark, dim, depressing morning gowns.  The art direction team were worthy Oscar winners as the breath taking scenery created would live up to today’s blockbusters, especially in the Atlanta burns scene which was incredibly shot and the lighting was stupendous.

From incredible acting to sheer magnitude of imagery and not to mention the heartbreaking script, Gone with the Wind really doesn’t disappoint and isn’t to be missed at any opportunity.  You really won’t see a greater American Civil War film than this colossal classic.  As spoken several times by Scarlett, “Tomorrow is another day,” we wonder what tomorrow will have in store for Scarlett at Tara in the Old South.

Where am I going?

Where am I going?

I begin with these words or as I should say lyrics…

Looking inside me, what do I see?
Happiness, hope and doubt,
what am I all about?
And where am I going?

Although I believe you a beautiful chorus you are like tinnitus, an agonising, infuriating, repetitive ringing of doubt, which never leaves my mind.  Where exactly am I going?  You are the question that I wish I so desperately had the answer to.  No matter which way you think of it, over the next one year, twelve months, fifty two weeks, three-hundred and sixty-five days, it will be time which will go by at the blink of an eye, and you know it!  And I am labelling this precious time a road of self discovery to answer that all important question, to no one else but, myself.

Where I begin on this open road, I can barely generate a thought.  As I slouch, staring out of my window while the rain continues to pour, listening to yet another ballad belt out through my earphones, I begin pondering my thoughts, a dangerous task indeed.  Whether I should ignite this journey with my ever growing passion or my momentary dream, I cannot decide.

Your treasured possessions, your dreamland and most importantly, your escape; yes, you guessed it, your ever growing passion for the world of film, television shows and music.  You watch your idols in amazement and admiration for the talent they display.  But I beg you to not compare yourself to those you think of so highly.  You might not be able to hit a note like Barbra Streisand but you can continue to listen, or transform into a character as Meryl Streep does but you can continue to watch and you might not be able to write a novel as imaginative as Margaret Mitchell but you can continue to read.  Although you cannot compete with these talented individuals, this cannot prevent you from enjoying their work, and don’t you let it.  What is your special talent, or are you still auditioning?

The indecisive individual I am, I try to choose my words wisely.  My ‘momentary’ dream of working at a magazine company, which position and which publication I still haven’t set my mind upon, maybe you know?  I must admit I have some specific preferences, that there must be a mixture of fashion, interviews, beauty and inspirational columns, but most definitely no trashy celebrities included.  I wonder whether you still feel the same.  But let’s not run away with ourselves now, over the next twelve months where would I like to be?  I think you hold the answer but hopefully it will match my estimations of completing everything that is thrown at me to the best of my ability, and produce work that is at my highest level, can you tell me that it is?

Most importantly I hope you have enjoyed the past year, and took part in everything that you wanted to. Remember don’t let good times pass you by, embrace and treasure them!