Kon Ichikawa: The Burmese Harp

This is what MUBI says:

A Imperial Japanese Army regiment surrenders to British forces in Burma at the close of World War II, while a private thought to be dead disguises himself as a Buddhist monk.

Magnificently shot in hushed black and white, The Burmese Harp is an eloquent meditation on the coexistence of beauty and death, and remains a highlight of Japanese cinema’s golden age. A masterpiece—in the 50 years since, war movies haven’t been more tender or shattering.

A very simple tale told in what seems a very simple way; washing over you like a warm sea. It all seems so obvious with seemingly no need for explanation or elaboration; as passive or inscrutable as a Buddhist monk can be. And then as we approach the end and it is time for the soldiers to return to their homeland, huge waves of emotion roll by and the profundity of what you have just witnessed is realised in all the depth and complexity of the human condition. If that were all, we could have chatted about it afterwards but the emotional strength is yet too strong and too fresh - its too soon and before you know it, this film has sown seeds in your soul that day by day shed a little more light in the darkness.

Fabulous is a seriously inappropriate word to describe this film; we need a different scale to measure this one.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Greenfeld & Roy: Two Scoops of django

Daniel Greenfield and Audrey Roy originally published their "Two Scoops of Django 1.5" last year with a very public editorial policy revising the text with direct input from an active readership. Both authors are established Django developers and creators of the www.djangopackages.com website and much of the tips and tricks described in this original book came from their direct experience and ultimately the collective experience of core Django developers.

As such, the book doesn't follow any sort of a narrative, instead just delivery a hackers guide to the framework demonstrating some best practises. That original book, offered as a PDF only, proved really successful and much to their chagrin started appearing throughout the Internet in bootleg form. So for their next effort they buckled to the demands of capitalism and only offer it as a dead-tree version. Now referencing v1.6 of Django the latest book boasts 100+ new pages, 6 new chapters and 3 additional appendices plus a raft of updates to existing material.

Both versions were self-published and the later version sold out in many locations within the first few days it went on sale: django developers voting with their feet! I was fortunate enough to get one through Amazon's UK store (try the links below)

The first book was essential reading for any new Django developer and I am sure the new version will deliver as well. Shame about the absence of an ebook, I prefer my trees to be growing with leaves on.

✔✔✔✔✔

Jeannette Walls: Half Broke Horses

This one grabbed me from the off.

The book describes the real-life story of the author's grandmother. Born at the turn of the century into a Texan small-holding family. It tells of her growing up, the history of her family in the early days of colonial America, her siblings, her parents and eventually her husbands. She doesn't seem to have had friends or not as I would know them.

The book was written in the first-person and starting as a youngster, not even a teenager, the language seemed to me to contain a naivety and simplicity that I found really engaging. I am not sure whether this type of prose matured as the book follows the girl into her adulthood and eventual old-age. Regardless I enjoyed this style of writing. The story was strong too, appealing to my personal interest in how individuals deal with the major social changes evident in the 20th century.

At the end though - looking back over the story, there are weaknesses. There is a sense that many episodes are just being retold as if remembered by a grandchild, without colour, without depth and quite often without any real context. In that sense the narrative does not flow well at all. The subject of the book turns out to be a rather cold, unemotional woman and quite possibly not a very pleasant person; that's a tall order for anyone to write but about your grandmother, nigh impossible. We can expect a rose tinted sheen about the woman  - we wonder how unpleasant could she really have been.

A very odd conclusion to reach, a book I enjoyed and hesitate to recommend. Really I just think the style suited me and doubt you would agree. We would both probably agree on the content so maybe best if you pass on this one.

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