Monday, August 29, 2011

Country Priest

I've been reading The Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos.  One in particular quote stood out to me the other day:
A terrible day for me.  And the worst of it is I don't feel capable of any reasonable, measured appreciation of events whose deepest significance no doubt still eludes me.
I feel that this statement sums up much of the struggle that the novel deals with.  The kind of fear that can be greater than a fear of death, the idea that one is missing the significance of their days.  But of course everyone must feel this way, at least some of the time, if they feel the events in their days are significant.

It seems to me that there is a distinction in this quote between a general appreciation of events for their significance and a real understanding of their 'deepest significance.'  This distinction is a good example of how this novel is both hopeless and encouraging all at the same time.

I'll write more about it sometime soon.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Badlands

I've been watching the West Wing this year.  For me Martin Sheen holds the show together and every so often he makes a movement that reminds me of his character in Terrence Malick's Badlands.  I won't take the comparison any further (i.e. the president has a little bit of a serial killer in him) but it reminded me how great Badlands is.

regarde...




The Jed Bartlett jacket flip

Friday, August 5, 2011

Winnipeg





After a long absence
we find ourselves basement-ing in Winnipeg
It is a different world here
Like a proud grey beauty.