Scots are mostly really nice people, but like in any group, some are complete shites. I know this because I come from a Scots family. I shall watch the movie, on your recommendation. It sounds like fun.
Thank you for the review and the recommendation! I am a long-time fan of the Ealing comedies but have never yet been able to lay hands on The Maggie. I'll now redouble my efforts.
My far-and-away favorite is "Whisky Galore" with "Passport to Pimlico" a close second. Both are built on a wholesome foundation of ordinary folks thrusting a well-earned thumb into the eye of overbearing authority.
I love those as well. Whiskey Galore is of course another great Ealing production in a Scottish setting. And it's based on a true story!
Pimlico is hilarious. I love the ingenious plot device of the unexploded ordinance and where it leads.
I think I'm going to hit another favorite next: Kinds Hearts and Coronets. It's a perfect comedic film and there are some interesting bits of trivia; and of course it pokes murderous fun at the British aristocracy -- and who doesn't enjoy seeing a bunch of idle rich getting their comeuppance.
Hue and Cry is another I'm considering and of course there's the Ladykillers but I think everyone knows that one.
Another director I may include outside Ealing is Carol Reed. A Kid for Two Farthings is one of my favorites. The way he captures the inner life of the child so poetically... If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. Of course Reed is most famous for The Third Man: about as perfect a piece of cinema as any ever produced. But I think I will keep my focus on comedy and gently poetic films in this time of grimdark nonsense.
I think what I'm trying to do with these reviews is to get at the essential humanism of the era as it's expressed through the genius of these films. Despite, or perhaps due to, all the death and horror of the two world wars many of these films manifest an expression of gentle kindness that I think enters the realm of the holy.
It's not strictly speaking an Ealing film, but "I'm All Right Jack" fits right in with the anti-authoritarian mood of late 1950s Britain and is absolutely hilarious.
I love your description of the Scots. My maternal grandfather’s surname was McArthur. The McArthur’s were lowland Scots, whom I suspect were colonizers of Northern Ireland. I say that because my great-grandfather Solomon McArthur, Jr. told my mother in her youth that the family originally came from Ireland to North Carolina at sometime in our ancient past. Somehow, they ended settling along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in West Florida; just when, I do not know. I do know they were in Hancock County by the 1830’s, probably even earlier.
It also helps me understand how my grand father and uncle spent their working lives on tug boats. Something my French and English heritage could not have handled. Many a time I thanked my father for bringing my mother out of those marsh flats and into the hill country.
I know it's not my usual political stuff but I really wanted to start out writing about something I find uplifting. I engage in enough doomer talk in notes. I'm sure I'll write some political/geopolitical/finance related pieces at some point but I want to spread some joy as well.
Hey there Grazier. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I'm sorry to hear about your father but its good you were able to be there. I'm sure it was a comfort to him having you there. Even when people aren't able to communicate they can still be very aware of things. My sincere condolences to you and your family.
I've been taking a bit of a break as well. It's all just a bit much honestly and we have stuff going on at home to deal with. I don't need people I don't know hurling hurtful crap at me because they are unhappy or whatever. Social media seems to largely be a way for people to vent their frustrations and get a little virtual attention and so I've never been a huge fan. My little foray onto substack was an anomaly. I may write more but not now. I think my initial impulse to just talk about movies was the right one :).
As for Israel, what will be will be. The only thing I can say is I want it to exist and if that means they have to kick out the Palestinians then so be it. It's not pretty but there it is. Most people don't know this but the largest aquifer in Israel is under the West Bank and giving control of a resource like that over to a people who hate you is not the way a nation survives. No one talks about the real things - the things they cannot live without - acting like it's all just a matter of "being reasonable" or something. Nations, if they can, take what they need.
Perhaps if the Palestinians had been better at keeping their worst elements in check and not had such corrupt leadership they'd have wound up with a state. Arafat famously refused the deal back in the 90s saying "I don't just want to be the mayor of Jericho". I think this is at the crux of the anger at Israel: the Palestinians never had a state - it was just a territory with different tribes that were controlled and administered by foreign forces from the Ottomans to the British. The land was called Palestine since Roman times but they never formed into a true nation with a cohesive administrative infrastructure and organization, and didn't want to do so even when given the chance. There is a lot of resentment in the ME towards Israel for their success. I'm almost starting to believe GW Bush when he said "they hate us for our freedoms". He was of course clumsy about it but there was some truth there - the west is hated in the ME because our power and success put the lie to the alleged superiority of Islam and the Koran. People say its the war on terror but the hate came first - and yes, the CIA enabled it. But if the CIA came to my town and tried that shit they wouldn't get very far. The Arabs want power, not fairness or equality. Look at how they treat each other. They don't subscribe to western notions, imperfect as they may be, of civility and compromise. We are not all the same. And I hate to use "they" so loosely because many, most, Arabs want what everyone else wants - a quiet life and a little prosperity. So it's really tragic. But collective punishment, which I hear is a war crime, seems to come for all of us anyway. I had little to do with creating the economic collapse of 2008 but it came for me all the same. Did I start blowing up banks? I picked up the pieces and moved on, made the best of things as imperfectly as I was able to. That's how you survive in a hostile world.
Anyhow, onto happier thoughts. We had a nice Thanksgiving - for some reason I made a turkey this year instead of chicken. Well the truth is the holiday caught me by surprise - I thought it was next week and so by the time I got to the market on Wednesday night they only had turkeys left. So I got a nice one but damn, they are huge pain in the ass. Chickens are way better - you get better drippings and gravy and they don't take up the entire damned oven. I was so exhausted by Thursday evening. These are the troubles I can live with :).
Scots are mostly really nice people, but like in any group, some are complete shites. I know this because I come from a Scots family. I shall watch the movie, on your recommendation. It sounds like fun.
Absolutely. I hope my piece wasn't overly hagiographic. I tried to point a bit to the dark expressions of Scottish brilliance.
The movie is a lot of fun. Wry and witty but not detached. If you watch it let me know what you thought.
Thank you for the review and the recommendation! I am a long-time fan of the Ealing comedies but have never yet been able to lay hands on The Maggie. I'll now redouble my efforts.
My far-and-away favorite is "Whisky Galore" with "Passport to Pimlico" a close second. Both are built on a wholesome foundation of ordinary folks thrusting a well-earned thumb into the eye of overbearing authority.
So if you ever torrent stuff you can get it here: https://yts.mx/movies/high-and-dry-1954. Pretty sure it's out of copyright anyway.
I love those as well. Whiskey Galore is of course another great Ealing production in a Scottish setting. And it's based on a true story!
Pimlico is hilarious. I love the ingenious plot device of the unexploded ordinance and where it leads.
I think I'm going to hit another favorite next: Kinds Hearts and Coronets. It's a perfect comedic film and there are some interesting bits of trivia; and of course it pokes murderous fun at the British aristocracy -- and who doesn't enjoy seeing a bunch of idle rich getting their comeuppance.
Hue and Cry is another I'm considering and of course there's the Ladykillers but I think everyone knows that one.
Another director I may include outside Ealing is Carol Reed. A Kid for Two Farthings is one of my favorites. The way he captures the inner life of the child so poetically... If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. Of course Reed is most famous for The Third Man: about as perfect a piece of cinema as any ever produced. But I think I will keep my focus on comedy and gently poetic films in this time of grimdark nonsense.
I think what I'm trying to do with these reviews is to get at the essential humanism of the era as it's expressed through the genius of these films. Despite, or perhaps due to, all the death and horror of the two world wars many of these films manifest an expression of gentle kindness that I think enters the realm of the holy.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
It's not strictly speaking an Ealing film, but "I'm All Right Jack" fits right in with the anti-authoritarian mood of late 1950s Britain and is absolutely hilarious.
Never heard of it. I'll have to check that out. Thanks!
I love your description of the Scots. My maternal grandfather’s surname was McArthur. The McArthur’s were lowland Scots, whom I suspect were colonizers of Northern Ireland. I say that because my great-grandfather Solomon McArthur, Jr. told my mother in her youth that the family originally came from Ireland to North Carolina at sometime in our ancient past. Somehow, they ended settling along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in West Florida; just when, I do not know. I do know they were in Hancock County by the 1830’s, probably even earlier.
It also helps me understand how my grand father and uncle spent their working lives on tug boats. Something my French and English heritage could not have handled. Many a time I thanked my father for bringing my mother out of those marsh flats and into the hill country.
I know it's not my usual political stuff but I really wanted to start out writing about something I find uplifting. I engage in enough doomer talk in notes. I'm sure I'll write some political/geopolitical/finance related pieces at some point but I want to spread some joy as well.
Hey there Grazier. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. I'm sorry to hear about your father but its good you were able to be there. I'm sure it was a comfort to him having you there. Even when people aren't able to communicate they can still be very aware of things. My sincere condolences to you and your family.
I've been taking a bit of a break as well. It's all just a bit much honestly and we have stuff going on at home to deal with. I don't need people I don't know hurling hurtful crap at me because they are unhappy or whatever. Social media seems to largely be a way for people to vent their frustrations and get a little virtual attention and so I've never been a huge fan. My little foray onto substack was an anomaly. I may write more but not now. I think my initial impulse to just talk about movies was the right one :).
As for Israel, what will be will be. The only thing I can say is I want it to exist and if that means they have to kick out the Palestinians then so be it. It's not pretty but there it is. Most people don't know this but the largest aquifer in Israel is under the West Bank and giving control of a resource like that over to a people who hate you is not the way a nation survives. No one talks about the real things - the things they cannot live without - acting like it's all just a matter of "being reasonable" or something. Nations, if they can, take what they need.
Perhaps if the Palestinians had been better at keeping their worst elements in check and not had such corrupt leadership they'd have wound up with a state. Arafat famously refused the deal back in the 90s saying "I don't just want to be the mayor of Jericho". I think this is at the crux of the anger at Israel: the Palestinians never had a state - it was just a territory with different tribes that were controlled and administered by foreign forces from the Ottomans to the British. The land was called Palestine since Roman times but they never formed into a true nation with a cohesive administrative infrastructure and organization, and didn't want to do so even when given the chance. There is a lot of resentment in the ME towards Israel for their success. I'm almost starting to believe GW Bush when he said "they hate us for our freedoms". He was of course clumsy about it but there was some truth there - the west is hated in the ME because our power and success put the lie to the alleged superiority of Islam and the Koran. People say its the war on terror but the hate came first - and yes, the CIA enabled it. But if the CIA came to my town and tried that shit they wouldn't get very far. The Arabs want power, not fairness or equality. Look at how they treat each other. They don't subscribe to western notions, imperfect as they may be, of civility and compromise. We are not all the same. And I hate to use "they" so loosely because many, most, Arabs want what everyone else wants - a quiet life and a little prosperity. So it's really tragic. But collective punishment, which I hear is a war crime, seems to come for all of us anyway. I had little to do with creating the economic collapse of 2008 but it came for me all the same. Did I start blowing up banks? I picked up the pieces and moved on, made the best of things as imperfectly as I was able to. That's how you survive in a hostile world.
Anyhow, onto happier thoughts. We had a nice Thanksgiving - for some reason I made a turkey this year instead of chicken. Well the truth is the holiday caught me by surprise - I thought it was next week and so by the time I got to the market on Wednesday night they only had turkeys left. So I got a nice one but damn, they are huge pain in the ass. Chickens are way better - you get better drippings and gravy and they don't take up the entire damned oven. I was so exhausted by Thursday evening. These are the troubles I can live with :).