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Brief awakenings: White Rose The Musical @MaryleboneTHLDN

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A fascinating and daring act of defiance in Nazi Germany by a group of university students in Munich is given a slightly perplexing rock musical treatment in White Rose, the musical. Something seems amiss in this earnest and occasionally tuneful show. It lags more than it inspires, which is surprising given the tragic and compelling history of the real-life characters the show depicts. Given that young people are increasingly likely to vote for far-right parties across Europe, it’s an opportunity to look at a time when they had a different perspective on the future. Perhaps something has been lost in the translation or the larger space of the Marylebone Theatre where it plays.  The White Rose were a group of university students in Munich who sought to undermine the Third Reich through publication of a series of pamphlets urging passive resistance to the Nazi regime. Over a brief period between June 1942 and February 1943, they distributed their pamphlets across campus using ...

Film: Physique er Casino Royale


Casino Royale, originally uploaded by peter-noster.

Tuesday night I managed to catch Casino Royale at the Odeon at Leicester Square. It is a big cinema with a big screen and every inch of screen counts with this Bond outing. There are explosions, there are chases, there is a fantastic free-running stunt and there are those swimming trunks. You need a big screen to take all of that in...

I have to say I was very impressed with this Bond flick. Sure the script had some pretty bad dialogue at times and the direction wasn't always slick, but as a package it all hung together very well. It helps with Daniel Craig in the lead as someone who can act and fight too. This film has set him up very nicely to set Bond in a new direction (if that's what the punters end up wanting).

I have never read any of the Ian Flemming novels and I understand that the film version is fairly faithful to the book as it explains how Bond gets his double-o status. It is what is referred to as a "reboot" of a franchise. Well after all the special effects overkill of Die Another Day it was good to get back to some great stunts and great set pieces.

Ultimately Casino Royale surely has to be remembered primarily as a series of fighting and action scenes held together by lingering shots of Daniel Craig's muscular physique. This physique was on show naked, partially naked, or wearing those swimming trunks throughout the film. Actually even when he was clothed you could still tell which side he dressed, but I lost count the number of times his shirt was ripped off to reveal his ripped torso... Then there was the testicle torture scene (don't ask) which showed off his very well-developed hamstrings and glutes (among other body parts)... And then there were the beach scenes which showed off his lats, his pectorals and well you get the picture... The Bond girls couldn't compete with this physical perfection. They were flat-chested without tone and had to wear bizarre gowns that looked inspired by some sixties futurist/modernist movement.

And as for those James Bond swimming trunks, apparently only Selfridges in London sell the £55 Grigio Perla trunks Craig wears (twice) in the film and reportedly are close to selling out of them as WAGS snap them up. Pity that it is too cold to be wearing them here... Perhaps next summer every beach will have a few James Bond wannabes on them... Here's hoping by then they will have the body to match. It is definitely a Bond for our times... The time when the metrosexual gym bunny reigns supreme... I can't wait to see what they do next time... But lets hope it isn't "Pumping Iron 3: the Bond Flick"...

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