Either in 1953 or 1954, depending upon which source one utilizes, John Huston directed and, along with Truman Capote, did the screenwriting for a motion picture entitled, "Beat the Devil." Gina Lollobrigida portrayed Maria Dannreuther, Humphrey Bogart was Billy Dannreuther and Jennifer Jones played Mrs. Gwendolen Chelm as the lead roles. I watched the film a few nights ago for the first time, and fell in love with the story -- a comedy and a parody -- and the characters. I wish I could meet such people in real life -- and, in the meanwhile, find a few more films as special as this one to escape the bonds of reality for a few days.
Julius O'Hara (Peter Lorre) in the film, "Beat the Devil:"
"Time. Time. What is time? Swiss manufacture it. French hoard it. Italians squander it. Americans say it is money. Hindus say it does not exist. Do you know what I say? I say time is a crook."
A tale with two purposes
I am not here writing this. What I mean is, White Bear is typing this as he takes dictation from me via cell phone. Obviously, I have no idea if he will publish what I say or, sneaky fellow that he is, he might publish whatever happens to be on his mind at the moment.
I wrote the following to a friend a few days ago: "I stumbled into a film, 'Beat the Devil,' a comedy. I usually do not go for comedies, but I love this one. (It was) Made in 1954 with Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lollobrigida, Jennifer Jones, Peter Lorre, Robert Morley and others."
Capote was relatively young and relatively unknown when he was asked to drop everything and fly in to the Italian countryside to work on the script on a day-to-shoot basis. One story has it that he would speak to his pet Raven every day on the telephone. One time, the Raven refused to reply to Capote's voice on the telephone, so Capote hopped onto an aircraft and flew to Rome where the Raven was boarded in a hotel so he could visit the bird. Yeh, my kind of people.
Apparently, the film has become a cult classic. I can understand why. It is absolutely marvelous. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered a copy, which is rare for me. I really recommend it to anyone who needs a bit of real, old-fashioned, genuine comedy in his/her life.
But, the primary purpose of this brief post is to say that I have been on the road a few days and, before the journey even had ended, I encountered a personal situation which has demanded my time and my attention. More importantly, it was a mood changer, a destroyer of my patience and a forecaster of the end of the particular trail I happen to be on at the moment. My emotions right now are ranging from anger to depression to frustration to a bit of confusion. I need a few days to read novels, to watch films, to escape long enough for my mind to push aside the fog.
So, please pardon me if I ignore you for a couple of days and fail to comment at any of your blogs until I slip the knots which bind me.
Petersen (Robert Morley) in the film, "Beat the Devil:"
"You mean Mrs. Chelm is an unqualified liar?"
Billy Dannreuther (Humphrey Bogart):
"Well, let's say she uses her imagination rather than her memory."
"Well, let's say she uses her imagination rather than her memory."
(For the record, I fell instantly in love with Mrs. Chelm and her imagination. What man would not?)
23 comments:
Oh, I am eager now to see the movie, I hope I can order it here, in Poland.
What bothers you, Frammy?
I hope nothing too bad.
Take care and do not forget you have a friend in Warsaw who will always listen to you carefully.
Take care!
Send a big hug to Mr Bossy One from me and from The Mouse.
M.
Magdalena Dominique, there are times you warm my heart, and this note is one of them.
To sound like my usual invincible and arrogant self, nothing can harm me, but, unfortunately, the same is not true among all those who are important in my life. That is all I wish to say. So, thank you, for caring.
Yes, I will give his highness a hug from you and Lady Mouse. He has a new buddy, White Puppy, to keep him occupied these days. I will run their photograph when things settle down for me.
....As I told you before about the reality that surrounds us...
Always troubles, problems...
I hope everything will be fine with you, with your neverending life and with all those are important to you.
Take care...
Fram, we are always go through ups and downs in our lives. And nothing we can do about it.
We have to accept this and move on. And when we move on and stop waiting for things happen they will come to us again at their own time.
I really want you to be happy. And you will be happy again, no doubt about it whatsoever....
Greetings.
And may frustration, anger and depression will go away and may sun will shine in your life and these who are important in your life will be near you, love you and understand you.
Fram, you have friends, virtual friends, who care for you and who always a comment away from you.
Yes, Daliana, problems are never ending and I am never ending, but, like happiness, problems are only temporary while I am a bit more than temporary. Maybe, a lot more than temporary -- perhaps, even never ending.
Problems generally do little more than slow me down. They create periods of waiting and times of delay which cause frustration, but, possibly, that will be beneficial in the sense that an enforced slow down will provide me with the opportunity to look around and to re-evaluate my progress along my current pathway. For me, then, these problems might result in a necessary course correction. We shall see.
You take care, too.
As someone recently pointed out to me, Kaya, I have been moody the past few weeks and my moods have been changing rapidly. As I mentioned in my reply to Daliana, perhaps the problems which surround me at the moment will slow me down so that I clear my thoughts and settle down.
Right now, I am living in a place where I really do not know my way around and have no actual friends, so I suppose it is natural for me to complain to virtual friends. And, in this case, it is natural to thank you and others for sending me good wishes and a few smiles.
So, thank you, very much.
Fram.Dear.What in earth is bothering you?!
I dont like you to be in a bad mood..nor do i like that someone near to you cause you pain.I hope it soon will be good whatever it is.
About me.I had to delete the blog.Got a message from blogger it was hacked and sending out spam..soo..
Iam not sad..but a good FREE feeling it is :)It is like Frøya..(remeber her?)Leaving her house of the death and incarnate into a wordthly human.Just to see how things are running .
Well .I will come along to see how you are doing..i will miss the long virutual talks..like the ones last winther..remeber?You are a real philosopher. And you have many good friends who cares for you.
Also me.
Lots of LOVE from rainy Norway and Anita
Ps..Love the movie too!))
I am in transition, Anita. Nothing more, nothing less. It merely is happening before I thought it would or planned for it. I am on my way from one life to another. It is a metamorphosis, not the one Franz Kafka imagines, but not entirely different, either. You should read him sometime.
No one near me causes me intentional discomfort or problems. Things sometimes simply happen because it is time for them to happen. As Daliana said, reality includes trouble and problems.
You should begin another blog when you are ready for it.
Yes, I remember Freyja very well. Do you remember? I have said more than once that she long ago promised to find me and to collect me when the time is right.
As for virtual friends, you might be the one who has visited me the longest. Some come and others go, but you have been here a long while and continue to be here. And, now that I do think about it, sometimes you go, too, but you always return.
So, thank you, for being a doll (to steal a word from our old buddy Humphrey) and a good friend.
Frøya.Of course i remeber..How could i forget?.
i will not bother you soo much..(i read you need time and reflections)
so only a few words.
It is possible i will do a blog later. Right now i am in no hurry and dont need that attention.
There was so much i wanted to say..but heii now i have forgotten all about it..
Could you possible tell more about that transition of yours?And do you have any plans for the future?how about your in love?are you still in love??Beautiful that video
The first one..i think you pounder much about love ?!..well..i have to go as you see by the clock i am at work..
Your friend Anita
Greetings, girl of the Far North -- otherwise known as Anita ....
No, I cannot tell you more about my transition because, as some would say, it is a work in progress. Time reveals all things, so be patient. And, my plans are uncertain, which is not at all unusual for me. I must take care of today before I begin tomorrow.
As for love, yes, I am always in love, but I never have been in love, but I do not know what love is, but I will always be searching for love. How is that for an answer?
Yes, the music is nice, especially the first piece. The singer/song writer, Gerry Rafferty, died a few months ago. I think this song forms just about the most perfect words a man could say to a woman.
Fram, thanks a lot for your comment on my blog.
YOU ARE A FRIEND. TRUE FRIEND.
Hello, Fram!
How are you doing?
As for Anita, I am very sorry for her blog!
'Profile Not Available'!
Mamma mia!
I don't like this kind of changes..
Good to know that you are ok, Anita!
ok.
I came back to listen to your music, Fram.
Yes, the first one: 'the most perfect words a man could say to a woman' , yes.
The second, Alan Parson is very good.
Hope that everything is ok with you!
My best regards from Romania!
And, thank you, Kaya.
As I sometimes say, I am a reflection in a mirror, in a lake, in a window. You receive from me what you give to me.
Yes, Wind, I am fine. I am the same person I was a week ago or even a year ago, just with a bit more weight to shoulder for a short time. And, as we all know, we adjust to new burdens after a few days and do what is necessary.
I am glad that you listened to the songs. I have listened to the first one many times during the past few days. Right now, I am sort of "hooked" on it.
Have you rested now little wolf Fram?!
How are you?
I dont understand your quote about love.But maybe.Maybe i am stupid or soo.
....
....
You say..what you give me is what you recive from me....but sometimes..that sentence is very wrong..i think!))
....
....
Wind.
Thanx for missing my blog.It feels great to be missed!!Honest!!))
You know..it is like this..a branch on a tree is broken...almost dead..but
..The rest of the tree ..and the new growing branches..
Will always struggle for the light !
Iam a terrible poet..ah!. :))
Fram.
Listen to this music of mozart and if you can..look at this movie..It is beautiful..And very sad..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBalQOW-Hqg
Wish you a happy weekend!
Love from raining stormy weather Norway.
Anita.
No, Anita, neither the little wolf nor the big, bad wolf is rested yet.
I am not sure what you mean by "my quote about love." Do you mean when I said that I fell instantly in love with Mrs. Chelm? If so, this was simply my way of saying that I liked her style.
Well, it might be true that I am not a perfect mirror, but who can foresee the future in every way? And, in a general sense, I really believe that I do respond to a smile with a smile, to a slap with a slap, to kindness with kindness, and so on.
As for your film, I did watch it a few years ago. To understand the beauty of the primitive life is to understand the essence of life, most certainly, but those who have not actually experienced it have no real understanding about the cruelty of Nature or the hardships of living within it. This film is no less a fantasy than is "Peter Pan." This is not a negative comment, merely a accurate statement. This movie is excellent in many regards.
Should you wish to see the goodness of primeval life, but with a more accurate portrait of the reality of those times, find the film, "Black Robe," and watch it. The story centers around a young Jesuit among the Algonquins in the Seventeenth Century. Add to that, the scenery in this film is utterly fantastic. It would be interesting to learn your opinion, Anita, of the viewpoints presented in these two contrasting movies.
Yes, and I do like Mozart, but only after Bach and a couple of others.
So, I think you need a happy weekend more than I do, since every day for me is a holiday and a feast. They really are. Take care and be good ....
Holy shit..i cant reply on blogger any more...
lets se if this one pass ..
thanx for the movie..wow..it is realy great!!))
you must not think i am not happy..because i am beside working very much..
Ok.
iam glad you r happy..then i dont have to worry about it..you see i enjoy beeing your virtual friend!!
Ok..Last nihgt i was stung by a bee in my neck..uff really painful and swollen..i killed the beast at once!hell of coming to my body and sting me!!hah
well see you later then and you dont have to reply to this..
Bye bye and take care you too!!))
Hello Fram.
I have a few questions to ask you. You wrote that you like the reflection on the lake and a mirror.
What you get from someone you give back. I need an explanation of it and not reference to what you said to others in your comment. An explanation to me personally. Ok, Fram?
I think I knew another Fram, I think it was Fram the First who gave to people even not asking in return. Am I right? I remember that this Fram would never ever write the words like this. Please, don't make me miss this Fram.
And I don't understand how can pictures be super if the autumn leaf looks like a dinosaur's skin and you are sorry for the tree? That is mystery for me.
Anyway, I missed this morning so many things because I overslept. And no regrets whatsoever.
How you are doing Fram Actual? Are things getting better for you? Even a little bit better?
Greetings to Fram The First.
Yes, Anita, the film is most excellent, but it is very tragic and very sad, I think. But, that is the way of life at times.
Too bad about the bee sting. See? Life can be tragic and very sad at times.
Take care.
So, Kaya woke up late and curious today. That is a good way to be, I think.
It was, in a sense, two separate elements of life that I was writing about. On the one hand, all of the Fram boys like to think we give people the benefit of a doubt and trust them to a certain degree, but we never put complete faith in anyone we do not know well.
Speaking just for myself, I give gifts to others and would never attach any strings; I help people and expect nothing in return; I try to be pleasant and considerate, well-mannered and polite. I try to avoid profanity.
But, I am not the type of person who turns the other cheek. That is the mirror element. Treat me with respect, and I will return it. Try to cheat me or do me harm, and you will regret it. If you are smiling and friendly, that is the look you will see on my face and the manner in which I will respond to you.
When I am talking about this, I mean it mostly in the sense of reactions to strangers or acquaintances more than with friends. Everyone has good days and bad days, and that is a separate matter when it concerns friends.
Going off in another direction, I do not really believe in karma and I would never consider the possibilities of heaven or hell as reasons for any actions I might take.
I am not certain if I have made things clearer or more confusing, so ??
As for your photographs, "super" is in reference to their quality. Photographs of anything and everything can be "super." It has nothing to do with the subject matter or what a particular photo might remind a person of when he looks at it.
I think you and I have different connotations for use of the word "super." For instance, I think the film, "The Last Station," is a "super" movie for a number of reasons, although it is slow moving and tedious at times. Boring, even. These things said, it still is "super" to me.
I will tease a bit now, but, hopefully, not complicate this more: I feel sorry for the tree, not for the photograph of it. Do you see?
Moving on .... the most significant obstacle to living my life as I wish to live it remains present and there is no indication things will improve soon. I think I will have to make some difficult decisions in the weeks ahead, but as the cliché reads: No one ever said life would be easy.
So, we will see if Kaya's curiosity has been satisfied.
I believe Fram the First and Fram Impersonator are on a business trip to Kansas City. Just to play it safe, I will give your greetings to both of them when they return. No sense having Impersonator feeling left out.
I am satisfied. And suddenly everything isn't so complicated as it was before.
I hope that the trip to Kansas City for both boys will be safe. i wish it. Yes, it's good idea to give the both boys greetings. I will not leave impersonator out. Not good idea at all.
I got into a different world (illustration business) and it's a tough world. I try to survive in it and I think it changes me slowly. Less naivety and more.... Ahh, who wants to know what more.
I used to read the books I liked. Right now I am in the world of murders and mysteries. Yesterday I finished a book which will be published soon on Amazon and I left my home and went into the night and looked at the sky and stars. It was so silent and peaceful, Fram. And beautifully still (calm). I returned back home, took my dog Tasha out and we sat on the porch for a long time. Tasha was ok about it but surprised. It didn't matter....
You can't imagine how I want to go an a little escape ( vacation) and can't. When did you last time have a vacation, Fram? When?.... I was told that in Spain people go on vacation in summer for the whole months. Can you imagine for the whole month? And I dream only about a few days.
Ok, I don't want to bore you with all this.
Have a safe trip to Kansas City, Fram.
One of the best things about living away from a city is to look into the sky at night and to see the stars. I spend a great deal of time outdoors, both day and night, and I am far enough away from the lights of the metropolitan area so that I still am able to lay claim to the moon and to many stars.
I especially love the real wilderness areas, where there are no lights whatsoever -- no vehicles, no towns, not even farms or ranches -- absolutely nothing. Absolute darkness at night. Like being at sea. I imagine most people would find such surroundings frightening, but they are magical and mystical to me.
Yes, I know three Europeans who are on "holiday," as they call it, right now. I have been told that the only people who do not go on holiday in Europe in August are those who cannot afford it or those who are too busy catering to American tourists who are visiting there.
My last vacation?
In 2003, I spent two weeks as an amateur volunteer at an archaeological dig.
In 2004, I did a four-month tour of battlefield sites from the Plains Indian Wars. I roamed all over from Montana to Texas. I also spent three weeks in Knoxville, Tennessee, that year, but mainly for research, a week in Michigan attending a reunion and goofing off, and about three weeks in Europe with a tour group. (This was not my idea, as you might suspect, but it was all right.) It sounds like I spent the entire year on vacation and, I did, in a manner of speaking.
In 2008, I spent a week in San Francisco, but it was mostly for business.
My four months in Poland in 2009/2010, I do not consider to have been a vacation, but it was better than one, and I fell in love with the city.
Over the years, I have taken hunting trips, canoeing trips, camping trips -- but, none of these things have been vacations in the conventional sense. No week at a mountain resort filled to capacity, no cruise on some packed ocean liner, no week at a crowded beach resort, no weekend mob scenes in Las Vegas. I am proud to say I never have been to Las Vegas.
I want to do things the lemmings are not doing so that I see the world through my own eyes rather than the eyes of the huddled masses. That sounded harsh, I guess, but why in god's name does anyone want to stand in lines and to play with slot machines? Safety in numbers? So they do not appear to be different? So they can be seen? Beats me ....
There, you have my recent history.
I might as well admit this, too. I am pretty much always on the move. For instance, I lived at six locations during 2010. (Only two places this year.) In many ways, such a lifestyle replaces vacations. Right now, in my own mind, I do not need a vacation as much as I need a change of lifestyle and a bit of adventure and, maybe, a third career to keep me out of trouble.
Do not worry about boring me. I live to learn about people and life, and the best way to do this is to watch them and to listen to them. So, write as much as you wish whenever you wish, Kaya, and it will please me.
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