The strange, gothic Addams family have been a staple of American cultures since cartoonist Charles Addams created them for The New Yorker in 1938. And when you think Gothic, Tim Burton is definitely one of the first filmmakers who comes to mind. He has created a Netflix series, Wednesday, about the daughter in the Addams … Continue reading “The Addams Family, Tim Burton Style!”
Black Legends is a musical comedy that traces more than a century of African American music along with landmarks in the civil-rights movement and Black American history. It’s on at Bobino theatre in Paris till 23 March and could make a great class outing. The musical doesn’t have a classic narrative structure, it’s a series … Continue reading “Black Legends”
Veteran British street photographer Martin Parr is well known for capturing quirky images that make you wonder what is happening. There are lots on view at two exhibitions in Paris, at the Irish Cultural Centre and the Fondation Henri Bresson. Parr hails from Surrey in southern England but has been photographing Irish subjects for over … Continue reading “Martin Parr’s Ireland and England”
Edward Hopper lived and worked in New York City from 1913 till his death in 1967. Many of his paintings depict the city, but also more generally an essence of American life. Hopper’s vision of that life was of isolation and solitude. He loved films, too, and his paintings often have a cinematic quality: like … Continue reading “Edward Hopper: Views of America”
As well as lots of new and upcoming films, the Arras Film Festival (4-13 November) is organising a retrospective of films around Queen Victoria, the Victorian age and the British Empire. It includes literary classics like Oliver Twist and Sherlock Holmes, films about the Empire such as Zulu and The Man Who Would Be King, … Continue reading “Queen Victoria at the Arras Film Festival”
Since Black Panther premiered in February 2018, fans have been clamouring for a sequel. They’ll finally get their wish on 9 November 2022. But with the death of Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is going to be very different to the first film. Black Panther was hailed as a massive leap forward for the … Continue reading “Back in Black Panther!”
William Morris was born into Victorian Britain in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. But the artist, architect and Socialist championed instead beautiful handmade objects he believed should be in every home. An exhibition in Roubaix explores his vision, from Pre-Raphaelite art to wallpaper, hand-printed books and political organisations. Morris was born into a wealthy … Continue reading “William Morris Father of Arts and Crafts”
The Lumière Festival in Lyon from 15 to 23 October has a great programme of films in various languages including English. And it will be giving the prestigious Prix Lumière to American writer- director-animator Tim Burton, as well as showing a retrospective of his films like A Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and … Continue reading “Tim Burton and Sidney Lumet Honoured at Lyon’s Lumière Festival”
The “Black Indian Tribes” or crews are some of the most colourful participants in New Orleans’ famous Mardi Gras celebrations. A new exhibition at the Musée du quai Branly features their intricate, flamboyant costumes and explains the history of African Americans in Louisiana. Till 15 January 2022. There are more than 40 Black Indian tribes … Continue reading “Black Indians from New Orleans”
David Hockney is one of Britain’s best known and most popular artists (a retrospective at Tate Britain in 2017 attracted a record half million visitors). His brightly coloured pop art in many media is instantly recognisable. Since 2018, he’s been living in Normandy and was inspired by the Bayeux tapestry to produce a narrative cycle … Continue reading “Digital Seasons with David Hockney”