Radio Theater: Orson Welles in Dracula (7/11/1938)

 

Dracula 

Starring: Orson Welles, Elizabeth Fuller, George Colouris, Agnes Moorehead, Martin Gabel, Ray Collins, Karl Swenson 

Studio: Mercury Theatre on the Air 

Year: July 11, 1938 

My Rating: ★★★★★ 

Available free from The Mercury Theatre on the Air (if you have trouble listening or downloading, you can also listen to it here on YouTube) 

The Mercury Theatre on the Air started its short but illustrious life with Dracula by Bram Stoker in July of 1938. Orson Welles could not have chosen a better story to launch this radio theatre to stardom although it would inevitably be War of the Worlds that would keep it famous.

Go to my Classic Hollywood page to find all my Classic Hollywood reviews!

While I have never actually read Dracula all the way through because it is epistolary, I do know enough about the story to know that, while seriously abridged, this radio version of Dracula is outstanding, to say nothing of spine-chilling. All of the main characters are who they should be, meaning that Lucy and Mina aren't related or even friends, Dr. Seward is not a bumbling old man running a sanitorium, and Jonathan Harker is a poor, traumatized young man who barely escapes Transylvania with his life. Barely. The program even includes the carnage of the ship Demeter, an important element also referenced in the 1979 film version of Dracula starring Frank Langella. 

As you're already all well aware, I love Orson Welles' radio plays. Absolutely and with abandon. If I could live in his radio plays, I would, and while Dracula is a haunting story, it is beautifully rendered in this production. The sound effects, the musical score, the performances, everything flawlessly aligns. I cannot praise it enough. I find myself sinking deeper and deeper into the story as it continues, and while there are characters and storylines omitted for the sake of time, it is still exquisite. 

Life is made better by Orson Welles and his radio career, and Dracula proves that point.

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Welcome to the Library

 

We knew we needed 4 rooms.

Two bedrooms, a craft room, and finally, a room for a personal library.

While it might not be quite as grand as the Beast's library in Beauty and the Beast (that's our ultimate goal someday), it's still pretty awesome. This room had built-in shelves against one wall, the clincher as it were for us to really want this house.

As you can tell, we needed more bookcases (and will need more sooner rather than later).

We purchased the tv console right after the pandemic started last year because we had a gas fireplace at our apartment and this fit perfectly right in front of it. But we knew we wanted it in the library, so we purchased a fireplace log insert. It even has a heater, but mostly we use it for ambiance.

When the time comes, we'll pull the chairs away from the wall a little bit and add a couple more short white bookcases behind the chairs. The magazine holder has our Tea Time and Victoria issues.

That's it for now. We don't have the art wall up yet, but will at some point in the next week or so and then I'll share photos of it too. Blessings!

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House Update

Our backyard as summer turns to fall (my sister's herb garden is on the right, with a little extra Halloween decor)

Oh my goodness, so many things have happened in the last few months.

As you all know, my sister and I purchased a house. We closed on August 31st and moved on September 10th.

Then, on the 17th, our parents moved in with us.

They had an opportunity to sell their home with no muss or fuss and downsize into a darling little patio home that is around 8 minutes away from our house. The only thing is there was a timing discrepancy, so for 19 days, they lived with us, or rather, slept in their trailer that is on the parking pad next to our garage, and spent their days in our house. We had a tower of their belongings in our garage. They closed on their new home without any issues, had the interior painted by the same painter who did a wonderful job on our home, and moved into their home on October 5th, just a few short days ago.

I would never recommend moving 2 households in the same month, but God was extremely gracious and blessed us mightily during this time.

My sister and I are possibly 75% finished with the unpacking and organizing. It's organized enough that it is starting to feel like home. Our neighborhood is charming, our home is 50 years old, and we are both relieved to no longer be living in an apartment complex that made our neighbor flinch in horror when we mentioned it. He is a police officer and has been called to that very same complex many, many times. I'm not surprised, it was a rather dreadful little complex in many ways, but we never felt unsafe because we are careful. As two single women, we have to be careful and so we take precautions.

The cats are adjusting, although Kiki thought for weeks that the furnace was a monster rising up out of the floor to eat her. She was used to heating vents in the ceiling, not the floor. But all is well. As soon as our private library is finished, possibly this weekend, I'll take pictures and share them. The books are mostly organized, but there are still a few more things that need to be done, such as hanging the artwork.

We're trying to decide if we want to host a Halloween party for our friends this year or not. I strained my left arm/wrist/hand somehow so have to be careful with how much physical activity I do with that arm. But we have nearly all of the supplies and decor needed for a Halloween party since we had planned one for last year that never got off the ground due to, well, you know what. 

Adjusting is the order of the day but also taking the time for self care and soul care, two crucial elements for any person, although most people don't know that soul care is an actual thing. Whenever I turn irritable and rebellious, it is because I am not feeding my soul, or because I am engaging in thoughts and activities that are detrimental to my soul. The soul is meant to be in communion with God, and when it is not communing the way it should, well, the entirety of my personality becomes misaligned. So I am making time for both of these things.

Last Thursday night I took a bath instead of a shower for some self-care and also read some in C.S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain for some soul-care. Sometimes I can manage to do both things at the same time, which is probably why I feel calm and peaceful the day whenever I take time for the Lord. I encourage you to do the same.

I will share more when time permits. I'm excited to share our personal library, a dream we've both always had, but never entirely believed would come true.

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Book Review: Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (1969, Hercule Poirot)

Read for my own Agatha Christie Project that is a bit of a slow starter, but I'm determined to focus on more in 2022, Hallowe'en Party is considered to be book #40 in the Hercule Poirot series by Agatha Christie.

While I've not read very many of Ms. Christie's books starring the famous Belgian detective, Hallowe'en Party is one of my favorites of the miniseries' adaptations. It's chilling and brilliant and perfectly spooky for the Halloween season, so long as you don't mind the idea of murdered children.

Considering that it is written and set in 1969, there is definitely a different vibe in Hallowe'en Party than her earlier work. All of a sudden there's the question of whether crimes are sex crimes, and young people look slightly wild with younger men wearing long hair, possibly even sandals, and brighter colored clothing. The hippie era struck a blow and not even Poirot was safe from it. Not that I really mind, it's just rather funny considering most of Ms. Christie's books that I've read were primarily written and set in the 1920s or 1930s and that is a MUCH different culture than what one finds in 1969.

All that being said, I loved this novel. I resented having to put it down after breaks or lunch and return to my appointed duties. I stole moments in between conversations with family in order to read just a few more paragraphs, because you see, I was desperate to learn if it ends the same way as it does in the miniseries, and actually, the book and the miniseries episode are remarkably similar. In all of the best ways, even down to my favorite character of Ariadne Oliver, crime fiction authoress and overall crazy lady.

There's an enchantment in Hallowe'en Party that really took some effort to achieve. Michael Garfield, Judith Butler, and her daughter Miranda are all elfin creatures in their own right, somehow otherworldly, and so it's thrilling for there to be a sunken garden in an old rock quarry that has been transformed into a place of beauty and old-world magic. I've visited Butchart Gardens in Canada, also designed out of an old rock quarry, and it is a sight to behold. The murder almost takes a backseat to that garden, but then, we are talking about a 13-year-old child murdered at a Hallowe'en party in 1969, a dreadful affair, and something no one should really like to think about. Even if the child was a braggart and a liar, she certainly did not deserve to die.

A few changes were made in the miniseries' episode that I think were unnecessary, like the "witch" being an uninvited outsider to the party whereas, in the novel, she was a planned part of the festivities and told fortunes to the children. The murdered child, also, did not have to be so overdone towards an embittered fat child in the episode whereas, in the novel, her weight is never mentioned. The children are never mentioned to wear costumes in the novel but are definitely in full modern Hallowe'en costuming frivolity in the episode. There's also the peculiar addition in the episode of adult children to one of the leading characters, a completely unnecessary addition, in my mind.

But if those are the only changes of any note that I can remember, then I must say that overall it's a job well done. The episode adaptation was brilliant (and that's saying a lot considering I'm not overly partial to Mark Gatiss), and the novel itself is an absolute must-read. I may end up re-reading it every year just as I rewatch the episode every year as soon as those pumpkins start appearing on front stoops and the breeze turns crisp. I love fall.

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Opposites attract in the Jdrama Honey So Sweet (2018) starring Hirano Sho, Taira Yuna, and Yokohama Ryusei

Movie: Honey So Sweet

Country: Japan

Year: 2018

Length: 105 minutes

Genre: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, School, Youth

Starring: Sho Hirano, Yuna Taira, Ryusei Yokohama, Kaho Mizutani

My Rating: ★★★★ out of 5

You can find a list of my Japanese drama reviews on my Japanese Drama and Movie Reviews page. 

Many thanks to RJGMan56 Subs for the fansubs! It's because of folks like this person that we're able to watch quality Japanese content with subtitles! You can either stream or download with English subs from their website, go to THIS PAGE!

This film is marketed as Honey, but it's based on one of my favorite manga, Honey So Sweet by Amu Meguro.

It tells the story of red-haired delinquent Taiga Onise (Sho Hirano) and self-professed scaredy-cat Nao Kogure (Yuna Taira). On the first day of high school, Onise calls Kogure out behind the school, and asks her to date him with marriage in mind. He knows it's because she lifted his spirits once in middle school when he'd been beaten up pretty badly and was huddled on a bridge. She just thinks she's being bullied by a delinquent. Turns out that delinquent can cook, knows how to smile, and wants what's best for the people around him. He notices and cares when one of his classmates, Ayumu Misaki (Ryusei Yokohama), is alone and depressed. And he reaches out to help socially awkward Miyabi Nishigaki (Nana Asakawa), a girl who never quite knows the right thing to say at the right time. Kogure even makes a friend in classmate Kaya Yashiro (Kaho Mizutani), something she never imagined happening before. She's starting to spread her wings. As Kogure starts to realize all of Onise's good points, she's understanding that her feelings for him might just go deeper than she originally thought and that the crush on her Uncle Sou that she's had for years might just be filial love after all. But will her realization of her feelings come too late? Will she be able to clearly communicate with Onise how her feelings for him have developed?

Kogure being brave.

I struggled a bit in writing this review. I wrote one version that railed on the differences between the movie and the manga, but now, finally decided that I had to judge the movie as much as possible on its own merit. Because what we have here is a movie that is probably 65% accurate to the Honey so Sweet manga. And while I might prefer the manga overall, the movie is also excellent. It's not an excellent adaptation, but it's an excellent story on its own, so the two things, manga and movie, really are very separate.

So we'll go with that version of the review.

Onise after he was all heroic on the school camping trip.

Sho Hirano-san is outstanding as Taiga Onise in Honey So Sweet.

He plays a gentle, lonely soul who falls in love with Kogure before he even knew her name. She did him a kindness when everyone else steered clear of him. So he made a decision to change his fighting ways (or at least, the reasons why he fought). There's a joyfulness to Hirano-san's performance that is charming. He's a likable incarnation of Taiga Onise, and I adore him in the role. Yuna Taira as Kogure is equally excellent. She's well-paired with Hirano-san, and she just sparkles with a cute vibrancy. She's actually the most like her manga character, I would say. And because I can't not mention him, yes, Ryusei Yokohama is terrific. He doesn't get a whole lot of screen time, but he gets enough, and it's fun having him there as the best friend to Onise.

My favorite scene in the film, ahhhh, he stops her head from hitting the table when she falls asleep.

One of the awesome things is the total lack of a genuine love triangle. That's a good change, in my opinion, from the manga that had a couple of different love triangles going on. There's also a really solid moment of understanding for Onise as to how he can live up to saying that he will protect Kogure. It's a common thing to say in Japan, but at the same time, for Kogure who has lost both her parents, saying that he'll protect her and make her happy has to have a deeper meaning. Her uncle exhibits smatterings of character traits from the manga, but my favorite scene with him is not from the manga, actually. He has come to a full acceptance of Kogure's maturity and growth, and he lets her go in this endearing moment that relives one of her growing-up moments when she was six and had just lost her parents. It's really quite precious.

And the other half of my favorite scene.

I'm also partial to stories where the boy can be the heroic figure. I'm old-school. I like boys being heroes in terms of saving the day and protecting the girl. Who would have thought a day would come when that would be considered weird? So I love Onise's protective side, and so does Kogure. He's valiant and kind and cute and shy and all of the adorable things, all while being completely masculine. They're an excellent example of the traditional masculine and feminine, actually. And for me, I love it.

Misaki giving Kogure a little bit of a pep talk (because I have to have a picture of Ryusei).

Now, on to content. Stolen kisses do bother some individuals (a question of consent), so I'll admit that Onise steals a kiss from Kogure while she's sleeping. It also happens to be one of the cutest scenes in the manga and in the movie, so . . .? Plus, he spends a ton of time on the guilt-trip train afterward, pure Onise. We do have a high school girl whose boyfriend is definitely in his early twenties whereas she's only 15. Not cool, but also, not necessarily shocking in Japan. I'm sorry to say. There are some brawls and a boy gets beat up pretty badly in a rather violent scene. A girl has clearly been hit by her boyfriend. There's some peril and jeopardy and a girl being threatened by scary guys. A boy lets himself get beat up. And of course, there's Kogure's crush on her uncle. A common trope that goes absolutely nowhere and makes me wonder why the mangaka put it in in the first place. *sighs*

The two lovebirds, Kogure and Onise, pinching each others' cheeks to make sure the moment is really happening.

I will say that there is an unfortunate lack of time. So a lot of the relational elements from the manga get skimmed over or skipped entirely. And things are changed, like Yoshiro's boyfriend's entire personality and Misaki's character design since he's a combo plate of Misaki and Futami (an annoying love rival for Kogure in the manga). Viewers who've read the manga should be aware of the changes, and viewers who've never read the manga, well, ya'll won't know what you're missing and that's okay. Because this story does work, it's just different. Like two different chefs making strawberry shortcakes with the same ingredients. Things will taste a little different, but it doesn't mean that one is bad, it just means that you'll probably prefer one over the other based on taste. 

And because I mentioned him, Kogure's uncle, Sou (a truly kind and generous man who loves her like a daughter)

I've watched the movie more than once, and I will watch it again. But if you can, read the manga. Because, love triangle craziness aside, it's ADORABLE!

Proof from my ever-growing manga collection.

And finally, this delightful music video by JustOneGirl (because I love including these). Keep in mind, what you're seeing is the creative license of the creator. It's not entirely accurate to the movie in terms of what's actually happening. But it's cute nonetheless.

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Discovering the World of Art Restoration

At this point, it's probably been two weeks since I've watched anything requiring subtitles. So much is going on in my life right now, what with the house purchase, and other things, that my brain just rebels at the thought of watching something that requires me to read along.

Instead, as a form of decompressing every evening, my sister and I have started watching the Baumgartner Restoration YouTube channel. He's a professional art restorer and I love that he shares his work in this way. His restoration videos might only be 20 or 30 minutes or it might be a piece that takes 3 or even 5 videos to tell the entire story. One painting was done on wood and it was broken in several sections so that process spanned several videos.

If you're looking for something soothing to watch to help you unwind, then this might just be the channel for you. Some videos have narration, others are pretty much accompanied by classical music while you watch him clean and restore the artwork.

Below is one of my favorites, the restoration and cleaning of a painting of St. Francis.

Or there's this video series of his restoring a piece called A New Dawn. I'm especially amazed at how removing the old varnish and applying new varnish makes the paintings come alive!

May you enjoy discovering the magical world of art restoration!

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When the next two months look like a form of CRAZY

It's crazy how so many things seem to happen all at once. Like, if you're banking on one important thing happening, then likely at least one more, and possibly two will happen at roughly the same time.

The last time this happened was when I was going to college full-time, working part-time, and also in a local theatrical production of Pride and Prejudice as Charlotte Lucas. I ended up having a complete break-down at work, my mother being called by my concerned supervisor, and taking three days off in addition to having the weekend. It let me get caught up on sleep (that was a luxury during those few months of that play), and schoolwork, and then I was able to recover and be much more myself.

Thankfully, the crazy isn't that bad this time around, but I am also far more aware of my limitations than I was 10 years ago. When I need to step away from my job for a few hours, I do it. My job thankfully has that type of flexibility to allow me that luxury.

What's going on, you might ask?

Two things.

First, an updated system rollout for my workplace, switching entirely from an older version of software to a newer version. It looks and operates completely differently. Why does this affect me? Because I write the procedures for the processing department. That's my job, and I'm very good at it, and I have a team to support me and who I support when they need it. So that's all awesome. But it's still exhausting and intimidating sometimes when rollout after rollout keeps coming and my brain wants to go into overload. Especially if I'm only given a day to prep for something.

Second, my sister and I are buying a house. We close on August 31st. It's a charming home, all recently remodeled, and just perfectly suited to us. Even the neighborhood feels well-manicured and calm. We're so thankful to be moving out of the apartment lifestyle. BUT, the idea of moving and getting all the paperwork signed and not forgetting anything brings its own set of challenges and stressors.

I would give anything to blink and find that we're at the end of September and everything is finished and life is calm and we're making our first house payment instead of paying rent. But that's not reality. So until then, I'm taking deep breaths, throwing prayers God's way knowing that He'll catch them, and just remember to steal some downtime when I can. And push my sister to do the same. Nobody needs downtime more than her especially since her workplace has returned to the staff wearing facemasks. It's exhausting for her.

If you think of it, say a prayer that the next few months go smoothly. I hope I don't sound like I'm griping because that's really not my intention. Everything that's happening is wonderful, including the software update. It's just that it's all happening at once that is creating that added layer of crazy to our otherwise smooth-sailing lives.

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