This struggle to retain the orchestra program in my Amazing Children's school has got me thinking about the music that I love. Although I have a special fondness for the violin because Amazing Boy Child is a violinist, I must confess that there is something about the deep bass of a cello that makes my heart strings quiver. Especially if it's played by the very scrumptious Alan Rickman.
As we near Valentine's Day, I wanted to share one of my favorite movie scenes. Truly Madly Deeply is one of those films that are guaranteed to make me weep. Juliet Stevenson is Nina, a woman whose boyfriend Jamie (the aforementioned exceedingly edible Alan Rickman) has died, only to return as a ghost. They engage in some very fun wordplay here and sing a breathtakingly beautiful song. Who amongst us hasn't, at some point in our lives, played the same game with a lover? The singing part is a little trickier. Maybe some of you have musical talent and can engage in that delicious sort of foreplay. In my heart, I'm a totally awesome singer. I just can't make it come out of my mouth properly. But I'm learning to play piano. Who knows what treat awaits Professor X in a year or two, once I've figured out how to play more than "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?" Maybe a moment like this:
Please hang on a second. I want to play the clip again. I REALLY like listening to Alan Rickman talk. And his singing is
Okay, I'm back.
I checked out Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge on earth, to give you some tasty tidbits about the film. I found this fascinating: The working title for the film was "Cello", a reference not only to the cello within the film, but also to the Italian word for heaven.
Take that, school board! You can't deny our students their musical heaven.
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12 comments:
The only person who has a better voice than Alan Rickman is Matthew MacFayden from Pride and Prejudice. I've watched some bad movies with him in them just to hear his voice. Yummy!
Have we discussed this before? My mind gets all cloudy about Alan Rickman and Truly Madly Deeply...Finefinefine.
I am also an awesome singer in my heart. And in my car.
Thank you for this. (And thanks again for coming to movie night :D)
Cello! I never knew that was the Italian word for heaven - that is lovely! I really need to start learning Italian - it was my new years resolution.
All you Rickman chicks will like 'Snow Cake'...which I watched last night (strange coincidence?).
His popularity really does highlight how men and women feel differently about looks (well, heterosexuals anyway). Rickman is not conventionally good looking but women love him. Can you think of an unconventionally attractive actress who gets the same kind of reaction from male viewers?
Rachel - Yes, MacFayden is tasty too. He has a bit part in Frost/Nixon as a blonde. That threw me for a minute.
Bad mom - I knew we were soulmates. I'm still pondering Revolutionary Road. That got under my skin. Thanks for setting up movie night!
Emm - Have you seen Under the Tuscan Sun or Stealing Beauty? It makes me want to learn Italian too.
Rachel Fox - Yeah, Rickman is not your typical pretty boy, but he has that certain something that shines and makes my temperature rise. I googled the term "unconventionally pretty actress" because I couldn't think of one other than Meryl Streep and I wasn't sure if she is considered sexy. But I agree with the Google result: Ellen Barkin. She was awesome in The Big Easy.
I remember feeling rather attracted to AR when I'd just seen him in Die Hard and as other villains and thought there was something wrong with me to think such a bad person was attractive. I was VERY glad to see Truly Madly Deeply and find out that I wasn't either wrong or sick after all!
I've not seen Under Tuscan Sky but I've seen Stealing Beauty. My fascinatin with Italy began when I saw the film Enchanted April.
But Streep and Barkin are still beautiful, I think (especially Streep). Rickman, on the other hand, is quite ordinary, plain, even unattractive to look at (by conventional standards) and yet many women go wild for him. Instead of just looking women so often listen and...feel for what is attractive...it makes a big difference! (And I think men do this too in real life...but not when it comes to film stars and so on...interesting...).
Kathy A - oh, yes, he is fine even when he is bad. As a fellow Die Hard fan, I guarantee you will get a laugh out of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lez0lg5ykpI
Emm- I must check out Enchanted April. Have you been to Italy? I searched your blog, but couldn't find a reference to travels there. We loved it, especially the beautiful beaches at Sperlonga.
Rachel Fox - I agree with you about how awful and shallow men are. We women look for the deeper beauty. But you are clearly off your meds when you call AR "plain, ordinary..." He may not be "conventionally attractive" but he makes my heart go pitty pat.
Not yet, no. I hpe to go on a road trip of Italy one day. We plan on doing a figure-eight around the country.
Meds? Meds? I knew I'd forgotten something...
x
Thanks for your comment on the edible Alan Rickman on my blog - you'll love him all the more in Close My Eyes! BTW have you seen Matthew Macfadyen in the New Zealand film, In My Father's Den?
Apologies for my deleting your recent comment on The Singing Detective. I was re-posting my reply but deleted yours by mistake. Please comment again, if you wish, and I promise to be more careful!
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