Film: Der Müde Tod (Destiny)

For today, I was thinking of a film again. I hadn't booked anything, then got an email from Kensington Classical Music on Saturday, who were headed to a concert this evening. Well, I considered it, but as well as the fact that I could get cheaper tickets from the venue (and would then have the fun of avoiding them), I figured I'd rather go the film I had in mind. Der Müde Tod (Destiny) is a German silent film from the 20s, about a girl who does a deal with Death, so she can be reunited with her dead lover. Right up my street. (Wonder Woman is higher rated.. but no thanks.) Closest venue is the BFI, and when I checked, it was nearly sold out! So I booked, finally.

Set out at the end of another sweltering day - the heat was just beginning to die down, but you could still feel it radiating from the streets and buildings. Passing a temperature gauge, it was still 30 degrees. I was glad I was walking. Sedately. Crossing the bridge, I noted the new, rather ugly, concrete barriers along the pavement edges - legacy of the recent attacks, sadly, where vehicles were driven into crowds of pedestrians on a couple of different bridges. Hey, on the plus side, maybe they'll deter jaywalkers! Arrived at the BFI in good time, and yes, there was the promised bag check at the entrance - I can't say it held me up that long. I was parched, but it was close enough to time that I just went straight into the screen with my printed-out ticket. And aww, they've redone the seating! Not as comfy now, boo - not in the Studio, anyway.

I had an aisle seat, and wouldn't you know it, the largest, fuzziest head in the whole place was sat right in my line of sight. Bah humbug! I spent half the film twisting and turning to read the subtitles - the odd sigh coming from the person behind me: well sorry, but I couldn't see either! I swear I considered asking the guy in front to shave his head.

Which is a pity, because this is a very decent film. I don't know that it's going down in my list of all-time greats, but it does have a great pedigree - written and directed by Fritz Lang, it was released close enough to the end of the First World War that German audiences just couldn't take all this mention of death, and it initially bombed. Very gothic, very moody - apparently, Death himself was based on a vision that Lang experienced when seriously ill as a child - he thought he saw Death at the end of the bed, and if you want to know what it was he saw, look no further than this film. Fabulously creepy, he's tall, intense, dressed in a long black cape and wide-brimmed black hat.

The poor lass at the start of the film has her fiancé disappear with Death, who does a deal with her - he recasts her in three different love stories, and tasks her with saving her lover, who's in imminent danger, in each one. If she can manage even one, she wins. This is where the film takes a flight of fancy (literally, with the flying carpet in the last one!) - the sets are gorgeous, and they must have had great fun. Indeed, despite the sombre subject, there's plenty of humour here. The first story has us in some Arab nation, with the caliph's sister in love with an infidel. For the second, we're in Renaissance Venice, with a tragic heiress being courted by a man she does not love, but who has power of life and death over the one she does. And the last is a delightful flight of fancy in Middle Kingdom China, where the foster children of a famous magician, who have fallen in love, see their happy existence threatened when the magician is called to perform for the emperor, and the emperor takes a shine to the young woman..

The ending is very sombre indeed. Not a happy-clappy film, but quite moving. Passed the fuzzy-haired guy on the way out. Bah humbug again. And it had cooled down a bit, walking back.

Tomorrow, I have one of those £3.60 tickets, to a play called The English Heart, at the Etcetera Theatre. The closest interesting thing to me that they had on their list, basically.

On Wednesday, I've (ahem) provisionally booked for free comedy in Greenwich, with Random London, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon & Greenwich, and London Live Comedy. I'll probably end up going to a film instead.

On Thursday, I'd originally booked for free comedy in Hammersmith, with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, and Random London. Also advertised with Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, and Discover LDN.UK (twice). Instead, I'm back with Funzing - London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night have a talk on Urban Legends of the Tube. Of course, I can cancel up to 48 hours beforehand without penalty, and indeed, I got this one for free anyway, for filling a loyalty card for LDN Talks @ Night, having been to three talks (more, but anyway). But I'm unlikely to do so - sounds interesting, there's a lack of decent alternatives, and anyway I'm not sure I could get my free ticket transferred to another talk.

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend, and on Saturday my mother and I are off to the Limerick Sings International Choral Festival - always worth a look, and the gala concert takes place in the University Concert Hall that night.

Next Monday, I'm headed to some comedy for £3.60 - this one's at The Tabernacle. Gosh, that's quite close to the site of the dreadful fire last week - I might take a wander up that direction.

On the 27th, I'm back with the London European Club (LEC) at last - an evening of Welsh stories and writing at the London Welsh Centre. Be lovely to see some familiar faces!

On the 28th, I had booked with Random London, Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich and London Live Comedy (again) for free comedy in Greenwich (again). And then I switched to West London Improvised Comedy Nights, who have a show at The Lillie Langtry, which is closer - indeed, very close to where I've lived longest in London. However, some more folks I haven't seen in a while - a couple of members of the Man with the Hat's old groups - are headed to a concert at the Royal Academy of Music, with London Social Detours. The concerts are free, but the group is charging a Meetup fee, so I'd normally just go on my own - but I want to meet these folks, so I'll stump up.

On the 29th, yes, once again I'd booked for free comedy in Hammersmith - with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, and Random London. Also advertised by London Live Comedy, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, and Discover LDN.UK (again, twice). But then I'd booked to go with the LEC to a talk on the relationship between Britain and France, at the LSE. Would've been interesting, but sod it, I then realised I have a late meeting that day, and with the talk starting quite early, it's a non-starter. Didn't want to rebook the comedy, having cancelled it. So I had a look at what else was on Meetup - and discovered something interesting. I hadn't been getting a wide variety of things on the main Meetup site - but they've mercifully improved the app. Which is what I happened to consult when I realised I'd have to cancel the talk, since I didn't have a laptop to hand. And lo, the app had LOADS more events. Seriously, there's a real disconnect between the app and the main website. Tons of interesting stuff. And on the app - well, a group called Ealing Ladies Social Group was headed to Terror, at the Lyric Hammersmith. Which sounded the most interesting of all. Not the group, mind, which has far too many rules and regulations for my liking - and they're closed to new members anyway. Nothing to stop me going myself, though..

Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again! Not usual for me to go two weeks in a row.. more details below. On 3rd, London Dramatic Arts is off to see The Mentor, at the Vaudeville Theatre. Expensively, as usual. I'm going as well - cheaply, courtesy of Amazon Tickets. Sat in the Grand Circle, I should be able to avoid them.

On the 4th, I cancelled more free comedy in Hammersmith (Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, London Live Comedy, and Discover LDN.UK) for another Funzing talk - The Psychology of Dreams. As advertised by London Speaks Sessions and LDN Talks @ Night. Cancellable, but I'm so far unlikely to do so.

On the 5th, back with the LEC, for a concert of Greek music at Sands Films. Looking forward to that - I love the venue, but haven't fancied the last couple of concerts they've had there.

On the 6th, I was booked for free comedy in Hammersmith (!) with Free Comedy Nights in Hammersmith, Wimbledon and Greenwich, Random London, London Live Comedy, Hammersmith & Fulham Friends, and Discover LDN.UK. Did you think I'd actually go? ;-) Well, I'm not - but the reason is an unusual one. My new company is very nice indeed - and they have an annual volunteering day: gardening. I hate gardening. On the 6th. For the whole day, they're at it. And today, the office manager kindly informed us that it was compulsory unless we were on holiday. Huh! Well now, I hate being told what to do. So I've suddenly decided to be on holiday that day - and as it's a Thursday, the next too.

Then comes a weekend I've been looking forward to for a while. Long-anticipated, the European leg of U2's 30th anniversary tour of The Joshua Tree kicks off in Twickenham on the 8th & 9th. 'Mare of a place to see them - after I saw them there in 2005, I swore - never again. Happily, I now know someone living down that direction! :-) Helen is also coming with me to the first concert, and I'm staying with her for the weekend (now starting on Thursday, as she kindly offered). Which sorts transport for the first night - she'll drive. The second night, I'll head back by bus - the train is an absolute nightmare. Anyway, this would have been a weekend in Ireland - hence the trips back two weekends in a row, preceding it.