Sylvain Chomet is a great french comic writer, animator and film director. This animation "La vieille Dame et les Pigeons" dated from 1998 represents his first short animation and his first great success in Europe. Later, this animation has been followed by other great ones : The Triplets of Belleville (2003), Paris, je t'aime (2006) and The Illusionist (2010).
I will add extracts from the other animations very soon... Here is the full version of this short animation (3 parts).
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. It is so funny!
Her name is Mata Amritanandamayi, which translates into "Mother of Immortal Bliss", but to millions around the world she is known as "Amma" (mother) or "Ammachi" (beloved mother). So approachable is she that many have to come to realize in her a love that is archetypal of "everybody's Mother."
When invited to speak at the United Nations, she is recognized as a "preeminent religious leader". The media have dubbed her "the Mother of Compassion" because of the extensive humanitarian charities she has launched. The press have also nicknamed her "the Hugging Saint", because of the loving embraces she has given tirelessly to thousands everyday for the last 30 years. It is estimated that Amma has already given over 20 million hugs!
Around the world she is identified as "a living Saint". Wherever she goes the crowds that flock to her only seem to grow as people experience something unique in her presence. To observe what Amma does, it becomes obvious that she exhibits nothing of what we would call "a personal life". Sleeping less than two hours per day, she is the untiring servant of all people, dedicated to removing human suffering. Her outreach takes two principal forms: 1) her darshan programs, where she reaches people individually, and 2) her charities, designed to improve peoples' lives on a broader scale.
"We must light the lamp of faith and love in our hearts. This will remove all darkness in and around us." -Amma-
Stephen Wiltshire is an artist who draws and paints detailed cityscapes. As a child he was mute, and did not relate to other human beings. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He has a particular talent for drawing lifelike, accurate representations of cities, sometimes after having only observed them briefly.
In May 2005, following a short helicopter ride over Tokyo, he drew a stunningly detailed panoramic view of the city on a 10-meter-long canvas, from memory. Since then he has drawn Rome, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London on giant canvasses.
The last drawing in the series was of his spiritual home, New York...
An interesting website featuring ancient maps and fantastic artworks. Much more maps available at www.darkroastedblend.com.
Jerusalem is in the center - from "Itinerarium Sacrae Scipturae", by Heinrich Bunting, 1545-1606
An Italian map of North America from 1566, one of the first ones to describe the northernmost portions as Canada
Asian view of the world situation around the time of the Chinese revolution of 1912
A satirical map of Europe dating from 1870 and indicating the political situation of the day. England holds Ireland, drawn as a vicious looking dog, tightly on a leash, while France struggles against Prussia
Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in... "American Beauty" is on one of my very favs movies A magic plastic bag dance for Claude : http://my.opera.com/holdowicz-claude/blog/about-peace-and-artists
The blog's chain for Peace has begun, feel free to visit Claude's blog (link above) to participate to it, here are several nice participations :
Today, one of my favorite french singer, Alain Bashung, died...
He was a great poet, his lyrics moved me a lot as well as his beautiful voice and music.
I hope he will rest in peace now.
Alain Bashung aux victoires de la musique (2005).
Paroles: Bashung-Fauque album : "Fantaisie Militaire"
On m'a vu dans le Vercors
Sauter à l'élastique
Voleur d'amphores
Au fond des criques
J'ai fait la cour a des murènes
J'ai fais l'amour
J'ai fait le mort
T'etais pas née
A la station balnéaire
tu t'es pas fait prier
J'etais gant de crin, geyser
Pour un peu, je trempais
Histoire d'eau
La nuit je mens
Je prends des trains
a travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
Je m'en lave les mains.
J'ai dans les bottes
des montagnes de questions
Ou subsiste encore ton écho
Ou subsiste encore ton écho.
J'ai fait la saison
dans cette boite crânienne
Tes pensées, je les faisais miennes
T'accaparer, seulement t'accaparer
d'estrade en estrade
J'ai fait danser tant de malentendus
Des kilomètres de vie en rose
Un jour au cirque
Un autre a chercher a te plaire
dresseur de loulous
Dynamiteur d'aqueducs
La nuit je mens
Je prends des trains a travers la plaine
La nuit je mens
effrontément
J'ai dans les bottes
des montagnes de questions
Ou subsiste encore ton écho
Ou subsiste encore ton écho.
On m'a vu dans le Vercors
Sauter à l'élastique
Voleur d'amphores
Au fond des criques
J'ai fait la cour a des murènes
J'ai fais l'amour
J'ai fait le mort
T'etais pas née
La nuit je mens
Je prends des trains a travers la plaine
La nuit je mens Je m'en lave les mains.
J'ai dans les bottes des montagnes de questions
Ou subsiste encore ton écho
Ou subsiste encore ton écho.
One of the most beautiful songs sung and played by the talented trumpeter Louis Armstrong, song originally popularized by Piaf in 1946.
My favorite version...
Hold me close and hold me fast The magic spell you cast This is la vie en rose When you kiss me, Heaven sighs And though I close my eyes I see la vie en rose When you press me to your heart I'm in a world apart A world where roses bloom And when you speak Angels sing from above Every day words Seem to turn into love songs Give your heart and soul to me And life will always be La vie en rose
My lucky friend Pfelelep went to a Picasso Exhibition in HK. I've never seen any Picasso for true but I know lots of his paintings and Artwork. A long long time ago, I tried to paint one of his work : "Two women running on the beach"(1922), from his classical period. I chose to paint this one because he stayed a long period in Dinard (France) which is located near my native village, and this one has been painted in Dinard.
Here's a picture of my modest copy (oil on canvas)
Les Triplettes de Belleville is a 2003 animated feature film written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. It was released as The Triplets of Belleville in North America, and as Belleville Rendez-vous in the UK.The film was highly praised by audiences and critics for its unique (and somewhat retro) style of animation. It was an international co-production between companies in France, Belgium and Canada.
The film satirically pokes fun at national stereotypes and clichés foreigners spread about French and Americans. It laughs at the stereotypes of the French (for example their alleged obsession with the Tour de France, or their so-called fondness for eating frogs) and Americans (for example their alleged obesity and lewd manner).
The film features almost no spoken dialogue, though some spoken words (such as Tour de France radio commentary and a speech by Charles de Gaulle on evening TV) are included sporadically...
My Opera
