The 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die, which has been delayed several times due to COVID, should prove of interest to pupils, the more so as the vast majority of them will be familiar with the hero. This A2 article gives some clues about his personality. Your pupils will also learn about Ian … Continue reading “James Bond”
Jazz singer Billie Holiday’s 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit” has become one of the most potent protest songs in U.S. history. Its images of lynched African Americans accompanied the civil-rights movement but still evoke uncomfortable truths today. The song was written by a Jewish Communist high-school teacher, Abel Meeropol. It was originally a poem, written … Continue reading ““Strange Fruit”: a Searing Protest Song”
Like all museums in England, Tate Britain is closed to the public for lockdown. But it’s still celebrating art, and the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, in a stunning artwork displayed on the OUTSIDE of the building. This year’s Winter Commission for the London museum is by Chila Kumari Burman. The 63-year-old artist’s works draws … Continue reading “Celebrating Diwali with a Light Installation at Tate Britain”
Originally, Artemis Fowl was the first of eight fantasy novels by Irish author Eoin Colfer. It was adapted for the cinema by Kenneth Branagh and finally released on Disney+ after being delayed by lockdown. It features first-time actors as well as experienced and even very experienced actors like Judi Dench who plays the part of … Continue reading “Artemis Fowl: Teen Bond Villain”
Protests against racism and the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have re-ignited demands in many places around the world to destroy or revise symbols of those who engaged in slavery, who were often honoured in their lifetimes and whose names and faces often remain in the public eye as statues, buildings or institutions. In … Continue reading “Symbols of Slavery”
Forty-six years after it was filmed, an extraordinary documentary has been released of Aretha Franklin recording her most popular album, and the biggest selling gospel album of all time. The “Queen of Soul” was at the height of her career in 1972, having recorded 11 consecutive Number 1 singles in the pop and R&B charts. … Continue reading “Amazing Grace”