Sunshine Blogger Award 2021... No. 2!

 

Anna and myself were nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award for the second time this year! We're so dang popular, it's flattering. I'll be answering the questions posed to this blog by Rachel at Hamlette's Soliloquy, who kindly nominated this blog. I really do appreciate it so much.
 Now I must list some rules:

1. List the award's official rules
2. Display the awards official logo somewhere on your blog
3. Thank the person who nominated you (thank you ^-^)
4. Provide a link to your nominator's blog
5. Answer your nominator's questions
6. Nominate up to 11 bloggers
7. Ask your nominees 11 questions
8. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts

Now on to the questions!

1. What was your favorite movie when you were 10 years old?
Ummmm. That was so long ago (though not really). I'm thinking probably The Apple Dumpling Gang, Mission Impossible, or The Avengers, haha.

2. What's your favorite movie now?
Good golly gosh, how should I know? The Magnificent Seven always, but I feel like there's a movie I recently watched that I really thought was amazing. Oh, I've got a good one! On of my favorite comedies that is surprisingly obscure and incredibly enjoyable is 'It Should Happen to You', starring Judy Holliday, an absolutely delightful actress, and made in 1954. I love it a lot.

3. What would be your dream cast for an adaptation of your favorite book?
I have not thought up a complete dream cast for one particular book, but I have thought of actors I think would match certain characters perfectly. Like Hans Gudegast as Baron Dietrich von Schonheim in the Borrowed House, or Skandar Keynes as Edmund from the Golden Princess and the Moon. I know he's already Edmund, but he'd make a good Edmund in that too.

4. What's your favorite movie soundtrack?
Arggghhh, this is so hard! To Kill a Mockingbird is very high on the list, as are the Lord of the Rings, True Grit (1969), The Magnificent Seven, and Big Jake. Love me some Elmer Bernstein!

5. Do you have a favorite movie-watching snack?
I actually am partial to Little Debbie's cosmic brownies while watching a good movie. They're so tasty, even if they do put ingredients in there I don't want to know about.

6. Who is your favorite person to watch movies with?
Well Anna of course. I also have two friends who I've only seen a couple movies with, but they have proved themselves to be excellent movie-goers. Just enough commentary to show they're interested in the plotline, adequate gasps and chuckles, and an intelligent analysis of the film once it's finished. Oh, and they will also quote the film with Anna and me afterwards, so that's aboslutely fantastic.

7. Is there a hairstyle in a movie you've always wished you could pull off?
Not that I can think of. Any hairdo worn by a female in Middle-earth is epic, but my hair is actually long enough to pull them off, so I don't have to wish lol.

8. What movie animal would you like as a pet?
Brego is a wonderful horse. I would like him. I would also like Shadowfax, but I know he wouldn't let me ride him. Dog from Big Jake would be epic, and the wolf from the Journey of Natty Gann would also not disappoint me.

9. What movie house would you like to stay in on vacation?
I'm feeling like any Victorian mansion or colonial farm house right now. And of course the treehouse from Swiss Family Robinson (1960). 

 

 

10. What's the oldest movie you've watched?
Where Are My Children, made in 1916. An incredibly intense silent film about abortion that I should totally review sometime.

11. What's the newest movie you've watched?
Midway, I think. The 2019 version. It was one of the best modern movies I've seen, for sure.



And there we go! Those were really good questions. Now I'm gonna tag a few bloggers!

Megan at the Pen and the Cross

Sarah at Sixty-Something Trees
Samantha at Bookshire

There we go! Three is a great number. Now here are my tag questions... Dun dun dun!

1. Scotland or Italy?
2. Silent movies or 90's rom-coms?
3. Tennyson or Shelley?
4. Ambrosia salad or plain old marshmallows?
5. Cello or piano?
6. Activities with friends or just sitting and talking?
7. Cold weather or hot weather?
8. Writing poetry or writing stories?
9. Texting or talking on the phone?
10. Snakes or slugs?
11. Cheerios or corn flakes?

Until we meet again, have a wonderful September and God bless you! :D :) :D

 

Lawman: "Cornered"

                      A Lawman Episode Review: Cornered

One of my favorite (and my sisters' favorite) western t.v. shows to ever come out of the more-than-plentiful slew of western t.v. shows in the 50's and 60's is Lawman. The show starred John Russell as a seriously serious and stalwart marshal and Peter Brown as his young but more than stupid deputy, Johnny McKay. They work in Laramie, Wyoming Territory, when the city is still young and wild, and they encounter all kinds of problems, because otherwise the show would be boring. Duh.

 In season two, after two other women had been added to the show and then promptly removed because of their lack of chemistry with the rest of the cast, Peggie Castle joined the show as Lily Merrill, the beautiful owner of the saloon nearest the marshal's office, once again proving that three times really is the charm. She added what the show needed to have a 'gang feel' and rounded up the cast nicely. 
Both Anna and I (not to mention our older sister Xenia) like Dan Tropp and Lily well enough, but our hearts undoubtedly lie with Johnny McKay. He's impossible to dislike... in fact, he's impossible to not love. I mean, maybe you won't, to each his own and all that, but really, he's sweet and wholesome, great with guns, and pretty good looking. Pretty perfect.
The episode I want to talk about today is called 'Cornered' and it takes place in season three and is one of the best episodes of the show. Unfortunately, I can't get my usual t.v. show review screenshots cause the episode is not online, but I will share some pictures of the show in general to help quell the grief in my heart.

 

Now onto the plot: It's late at night and Johnny McKay, falling asleep on Marshal Troop's chair, shakes himself awake to complete his duties for the day by taking one more walk around town. Side note: Johnny is really cute when he's falling asleep ^-^ Moving on...

 Throughout the show this is a consistent thing that the Marshal and Johnny do. Every night, they take a walk around town to make sure nobody's shooting anybody else. Usually there is somebody shooting somebody else. This particular night, all seems to be calm, until Johnny walks into the Birdcage, the local saloon owned by Lily Merrill. Jake the bartender quietly informs Johnny that the guy drinking heavily at the bar is in a dangerous mood... big surprise there. Johnny, being smarter than I am, doesn't confront the old codger immediately. He just takes his cup of coffee (another recurring detail in the show: The Gang absolutely loves coffee), and talks a bit to Lily. But, like so many other annoying bad guys in westerns, the man sitting at the bar won't let Johnny be. He starts prodding him, obviously in an attempt to get Johnny to draw. Johnny doesn't realize at first that the man he's now confronting is a man famous for his fast draw. Three town busy-bodies do know this, and watch the exchange in the saloon with great relish.

Are we really gonna do this?

The situation escalates, despite Johnny's attempts to cool things down. I don't know why this particular episode was so well-directed, but the suspense is incredible! Everybody's lines are fire, and the acting is splendid. Anyway, despite his best efforts, the exchange between Johnny and the mean old gunslinger turns into a showdown. They both draw, but only Johnny fires and the drunk gunslinger falls down dead before him. Marshal Troop hears the shots and comes running, and the three busy-bodies I mentioned earlier coming running in as well to congratulate Johnny on the fact that he killed old Jeb Barker, only one of the fastest guns in the west! The young deputy is shaken, more so than any other time we've seen him shoot a baddie. It was a fair fight and the man had it coming, so what's bothering Johnny? Dan Troop congratulates his prodigy as well, only to have Johnny tell him, quite aggravated, that he did not in fact shoot faster than Jeb Barker. He leans downs, picks up the gun, and shows the marshal what the problem is: Mr. Barker's gun jammed and he would've had the time to shoot Johnny several times over if it weren't for the malfunction. No wonder our boy is so shook up! But it gets worse.

The three annoying townsmen who saw the entire altercation take place and think Johnny merely bested Barker because of his own speed, inform the deputy that it's a good thing he's fast, as Jeb Barker's son, Jim Barker, will sure as heck be coming gunnin' for Johnny, now that his father has been killed! And Jim Barker is rumored to be even faster than his father. Oh man, do things get tense fast. Marshal Troop, Lily, and Johnny himself are the only three people in the whole territory who know Johnny only survived that night because of a miraculous gun mishap. Johnny's self confidence is shaken to the core, for good reason, and as the days start ticking by, the tension builds to unbearable heights. Dan tries helping Johnny, who is like a son to him, but there's nothing he can do. He tries to tell Johnny not to sweat, not to panic, but it's not exactly working. As the day when Jim Barker will inevitably appear, seeking revenge for his father, draws closer, Johnny practices his draw almost every minute of every day and his nerves stretch thinner and thinner.

 

I love me some good drama, and this episode is packed full of the best kind. Johnny needs help, desperately, but there's literally nothing his friends can do. It's up to him to saddle this bronc and it's no easy task. There's nothing he can do through the better part of the episode but wait for death to come. It's soooooo good!
Eventually, the day every single citizen of Laramie has been waiting for comes. Jim Barker comes riding into town on an old and dusty horse, looking meaner than heck. He stops at the saloon, swings down from his horse, and enters the building. Johnny, despite the urging of Marshal Troop to ignore Barker, straps on his gun and heads to the saloon, ready for what may be his last few minutes on earth.
And here is where the moment that sets this episode above almost any other western t.v. show I've ever seen comes.
Johnny walks into the saloon. He sees Barker at the bar and immediately joins him. He's not in the mood for dilly-dallying. He straight up tells him he's the guy that shot his father. Jim turns around, looking kind of sad and sullen. He looks at Johnny and Johnny looks at him, ready to die. I believe Johnny also told Jim that he didn't want to kill his father but he was mean as a coyote and looking for trouble. The moment is tense. Everybody is watching the two of them, and then something unexpected happens. I can't remember the lines exactly, but Jim says something to the effect of "I'm glad my father's dead. He had it coming."
And Johnny's like "Whaaaaahhhh???"
Jim tells him he hated his father 'cause he was a terrible and nasty father. Fair point.
He also tells him that he only came into town because everybody expected him to do the whole revenge thing.
There's a lovely bit of exchange here between the two of them. It's absolutely hilarious, and the relief in both of them when they find out that neither of them wants to kill the other is so thick in the air, you could cut it with a knife.
Soon the two of them are laughing together. They discover that they're both twenty-one. Johnny raises a glass of whisky and says something to the effect of: "Here's to maybe making it to twenty-two!"
By this point, Lily and Marshal Troop are practically crying with relief, and everybody's laughing, including me. It's so wonderful! Gosh, I love this episode.
-
That's all I have to say about that. If you're in the mood for a juicy, well-acted, family-oriented, but without an actual family, t.v. show, I highly recommend watching Lawman! Thanks for taking the time to spend this week of western appreciation with Anna and me! Have a great weekend, and may the deck be always stacked in your favor!

 

This has been Anna and Irene's final contribution to the 2021 Legends of Western Cinema Week. Ride on over to the link I left and check out all the other wonderful posts that have been written this week.

Anna's Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag Answers 2021

                             

Hello! I am back for the Annual Anna's Post (yes, I know, it's ridiculous). I may be a failure when it comes to posting, but thanks to Irene's constant reminders I am here to celebrate the wonderful, amazing week that is "Legends of Western Cinema Week". What kind of a western fan would I be if I didn't put time aside for this?
Anyway, enough about me, let's get onto the questions!

The Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag

1) Western movies or western TV shows? 

A: First off, what kind of a question is this? How can one possibly choose between the two most wonderful things to ever grace the movie screen? But as an answer, I really can't choose between the two. It depends on my mood and who I'm with.

2) Funny westerns or dramatic westerns? 

A: Once again, I can't really choose between the two. I would say half of my favorite westerns are funny and half are dramatic.

3) Westerns that focus on loners or westerns that focus on families? 

A: My gut instinct was loner, because who doesn't like a mysterious, gritty stranger riding into town with a weird aversion to people? But then I thought about the perfect combination. A loner finding a family. That, that is where it's at.

4) Male-centric westerns or female-centric westerns? 

A: The only female-centric western I've ever seen was with Irene and we didn't finish it...Why'd you let us down Joel? Why?

5) 1930s to 1960s westerns or 1970s to 2020s westerns? 

A: I would say my favorite time period for westerns is definitely the late 50's into the 60's. That was when they were really getting the hang of it.

6) Westerns that take place in America or westerns that take place internationally? 

A: Considering the only two I've seen that didn't take place in America were Hidalgo and the Man from Snowy River (both fantastic movies), I would have to go with America. 

7) Family-friendly Westerns or edgier Westerns? 

A: That depends on your definition of edgy, but I don't go for the super gory or gross westerns.

8) Straightforward good guy or conflicted hero? 

A: I love both! A nice healthy mixture is what I would say. Too much goody-goody is bleh, and too much conflict-shmonflict is also bleh.

9) Historically accurate Westerns or Westerns that aren't afraid to take some creative liberties?

A: Welllllllllllllllllll, ya see, I am willing to look over some inaccuracies and whatnot, but I would be a lot happier if all westerns were accurate. Too many creative liberties just throw me off.

10) Bittersweet or happily-ever-after endings?

 A: BOTH! It allllll depends on my mood. I love a good heart wrenching ending where you hate everything and cry yourself to sleep, but I also like to have those happy endings where everything is right with the world and the hero and everyone else is happy!

There you have it! Once again, this tag was super fun and I feel like a new person...Not really, but I feel good for finally writing something on here. I hope you all enjoy the rest of this brilliant week and watch lots of westerns.

- Anna

Irene's Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag Answers 2021

Hi there everyone! After being AWOL for a stupid amount of time, I come back just when I'm needed most... Legends of Western Cinema Week! This special, so-far-yearly event is just what I need to get the blogging juices flowing. Westerns are beautiful things, and Anna and I had an especially lovely experience with our favorite western, The Magnificent Seven, when we showed it to a bunch of our friends in Eastern Washington who had never seen it. They had a screen projector so it felt like we were in a movie theatre. Everybody loved it, the reactions were ideal, and the thundering applause at the end was ample proof that the film had been a hit. It made me so happy. This blog party in celebration of westerns and all that makes them beautiful is hosted by three ladies at three great blogs: Rachel at Hamlette's Soliloquy, Heidi at Along the Brandywine, and Olivia at Meanwhile, in Rivendell... I don't know why everybody has such great blog names, but they do. Just a quick note: The absence was actually not my fault! (uh huh, fer sure, yeah right). No, really! Anna and I returned from our trip to Eastern Washington (where there was no wifi). I was rearing to blog, so ready, had one day to answer a couple comments, and then our own internet connection absconded, leaving us high and dry! It was out for about ten days, but we should be good now. I'll do another post later this week, but for now, I'll just answer the extremely difficult tag answers, and I'll try to get Anna to do her own answers as well. 

1) Western movies or western TV shows?
... Both? I know I can't do both... I'm gonna do both for all of them... But honestly, it's both. Stand-alone westerns are of more quality, but I have such fond memories of binge-watching Lawman and the Rifleman, I'm just gonna go with both.

2) Funny westerns or dramatic westerns?
I like a mix of the two, but I would have to say I like it (usually) if they lean a bit more comedic. Big Jake (really not super comedic, but kind of so), Rio Bravo, and El Dorado all come to mind. Then again, The Magnificent Seven, Red River, The Tin Star, and The Searchers come to mind in the latter category... Dang it, I'm going with both again.

3) Westerns that focus on loners or westerns that focus on families?

I would have to say found-families. That conglomeration of different characters with different backgrounds who grow together and eventually form a family that's technically not related. I love the 'gang' feel, as Anna and I call it. Marshal Dan Troop, Johnny McKay, and Lilly Merrill have such a gang feel. Such togetherness, it's absolutely beautiful. I do enjoy epic loners though, but their full potential is only met when they meet a family and have to help them out, so yet again, I like the family theme.

4) Male-centric westerns or female-centric westerns?

I can't even think of a female-centric western... so male-centric lol. Well, I like it best when it has a bunch of different people, but it's still usually male-centered anyway. 

5) 1930s to 1960s westerns or 1970s to 2020s westerns?

1930s to 1960s, I would have to say. I haven't seen a lot of good 30s westerns, the 40s were hit and miss, but the 50s and 60s were just *chef's kiss*. The Golden Era, for sure. I have not seen many westerns from the 70s through the 2020s, but I like older movies in general, so it's not hard to pick. The 70's did have a surprising amount of good westerns, since all the other movies from that time period seem to be terrible most of the time. And of course Silverado was in the 80s, so that elevates that decade to generally undeserved movie heights.

6) Westerns that take place in America or westerns that take place internationally?

Ya know, a western anywhere is good. The Man from Snow River is the only out of country western I can think of, and it's really very good, so I'm open-minded, haha. I do love America more than anywhere else though, so will say American westerns are just a *tiny* bit better. (I almost forgot Hidalgo, which is in Arabia and is epic)

7) Family-friendly Westerns or edgier Westerns?

Family-friendly bruh. I am not edgy. No bueno. 
Like, it can be darker and have a kind of mature theme, but I don't want no hanky-panky or gratuitous violence at play. No-siree-bob!

8) Straightforward good guy or conflicted hero?

I love me a hero who knows good from bad and never flinches doing what's right, but I feel like it's easy to make those characters shallow and cardboard, so I don't mind a conflicted hero, as long as he pulls through in the end.

9) Historically accurate Westerns or Westerns that aren't afraid to take some creative liberties?

What a good question! I'll watch a western even if it's obviously not historically accurate in any way, but I prefer my movie makers to put some effort into authenticity. It adds just that extra teaspoon of hard work that makes a really solid film. For instance, can we just not have the obviously 1968 hairdo? Like, would it be that hard to wait until you were done filming to get the hard done up like a beehive or a perfectly symmetrical beach wave?

Nothing against dear old Audra, but her hair wasn't exactly 1880's

10) Bittersweet or happily-ever-after endings?

😭😭😭 I don't know!!! I love happy endings, but the end of The Searchers is the quintessence of bittersweet and it's the most beautiful thing ever! Same with The Magnificent Seven. I think I'll put bittersweet just above happily-ever-after, but the ending to Big Jake takes the place as my favorite western ending for some reason, and it's as happy as can be.

Just casually inserting a picture from Chisum just after I was talking about Big Jake.

And there you have it folks! Great questions, without a doubt. Have fun with the rest of this western-loving week, and remember: Don't squat with your spurs on (courtesy of Sam Elliot).


                                                                             ~Irene

 

Irene's Five Favorite Book Characters

                                                     

It's redundant to say 'Irene's Five Favorite Male Book Characters', because all of my favorite characters are always men *grins sheepishly*. Like, women usually aren't that interesting in books? I can literally fit them into a boring formula, and even if they fail to fill the formula perfectly, I still don't like them *grins sheepishly again*. As I saw Megan say in the comment section on one of her blog posts, it's not like I have a crush on the male characters (at least, not all of them), but they're exceedingly more lovable, likable, and interesting than their female counterparts in fiction. I do have a couple female characters I'm genuinely fond of in books, but I'll keep them for another time and another blogathon. This one is focused on men so it makes my job easy! But also hard, because I have to choose between so many amazing characters. I wanted to do my top ten favorite book characters, but I felt I didn't have an absolute undying love for that many characters. I might, but I'm doing this rather last minute, so these are just the characters that immediately come to mind when I think of who I love. It's raw and authentic folks!
Without further ado, let's get into this!

Edmund Pevensie (mah boi)
Aghhghghghghgh!!!!!! Edmund has always been my favorite Chronicles of Narnia character, closely pursued by Puddleglum. This is quite a statement to make, as the Chronicles of Narnia has more lovable characters than even the Lord of the Rings, in my opinion. Like, I feel closer and more friendly with them than I could ever be with the epicness of Aragorn or the majestic majesty of Legolas. Edmund's story arc (which you've no doubt heard of) is actually interesting in a very unique way. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe he represents humanity. The traitor who must be saved, not by his own blood, but by the blood of a perfect savior, i.e. Aslan, i.e. Christ. He's a symbol in that sense, but he is also a real character who just happens to fit the role of humanity perfectly. He begins bitter, spoiled and just generally nasty. To see how he changes, you must read the books, but his is a perfect arc. He doesn't end up perfect, but from his position of knowing the darker side of humanity, he carries himself extremely humbly but also with great perception of human nature. He's noble and just, and he also seems like such a good sibling that you can't help but warm to him. Older siblings can have a tendency to be slightly condescending, if not in their attitude, in what they think about their younger siblings, but Edmund actively prevents himself from ever thinking he knows more than Lucy simply because he's older. One of my favorite moments with him takes place in Prince Caspian. Lucy says she's seen Aslan but no one else has. Lucy claims Aslan indicated that they should go a certain way to leave the forest behind them, but it seems counterintuitive to common sense. Peter puts it up to a vote. Susan wishes to go a different way that looks more comfortable, as do Peter and the dwarf Trumpkin, but despite the uneven opposition, Edmund remains firm to his convictions.

                                                      

"Edmund?" said Peter.
"Well, there's just this," said Edmund, speaking quickly and turning a little red. "When we first discovered Narnia a year ago - or a thousand years ago, whichever it was - it was Lucy who discovered it first and none of us would believe her. I was the worst of the lot, I know. Yet she was right after all. Wouldn't it be fair to believe her this time? I vote for going up."
"Oh, Ed!!" said Lucy and seized his hand.

What a flippin' sweetheart! Humble as he is, Edmund is also a formidable warrior, famed throughout Narnia and beyond for his swordsman ship and sense of justice during his time as king. Edmund the Just is his name, and he's Just Wonderful... Sorry for that.

Edmund, Rosa's Cousin
Isn't it epic that my second favorite character on this list is also called Edmund? I now love that name, simply because I love everybody with the name. If you have not read The Golden Princess and the Moon by Anna Maria Mendell, you'd best get to it, right quick! plz ^-^
Seriously, the book is amazing. There are many Catholic writers producing work currently, and I have enjoyed sooo many new Catholic books, but none struck me as so deep, well thought out, enjoyable, and simply beautiful as the Golden Princess and the Moon, and I fell in love with a character named Edmund in it. So basically, the book is an in depth retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. It explains why everything went down the way that it did, expounds on and creates an entire kingdom and backstory around the infamous events of the fairy tale, and is absolutely beautiful while it's at it. I really need to do a review of the book next time I read it.
Edmund, the cousin of the main character Rosa, is bitter and sardonic in the beginning of the tale. This all stems mostly from insecurity. I'm hesitant to explain too much, as I want you to be as surprised by everything in the book as I was. Anyway, like Edmund Pevensie, he has a beautiful character arc, but its nature is much more tragic and fraught with intense grief. He had me going 'Whyyyyyyy??????' so many times, I can't even. He kind of caused the whole "You will prick your finger on the spindle of spinning wheel" thing. But I love him anyway. One reason is that I am a typical teenager and like angsty, troubled youths that have sad backstories, but another reason is that his utter redemption from the abyss is so complete and so noble, it makes me cry. His place as a strange opposite of the main hero, Erik, is fascinating in their differences of strength and weakness. I'm really trying not to give anything away here, but it's very hard. Let's just say, tragic as Edmund's story his, he shows that no matter how late the hour, it's never too late to right the wrongs of the past and show your true mettle, your true integrity, your true nobility!

                                                        

"Did you love him, Edmund, I mean?"
She spoke after a pause. "Yes... but not in the way you mean. Edmund needed me to rescue him. He had not the strength to rescue himself."

UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE GUYZ 😭😭😭

Sef
Hold onto your hearts girls, 'cause this guy's amazing. One of my favorite books is called The Borrowed House, by Hilda van Stockum. Anna already did a review of the book, and it explained a bit why Sef is amazing, but let me just reiterate some of those points.The Borrowed House is a magical dream of a book, what I would literally think of as the perfect story as I lay in my bed at night. It takes place in World War 2, occupied Holland. A young German girl name Janna lives in a large, mostly uninhabited house with her two busy, actor parents. One day, while playing hiding seek with a spoiled neighbor boy, she falls into a false panel at the back of her closet and finds a hidden room wherein lies forging equipment, falsified papers, and Sef. Sef (short for Josef) is a young man (seventeen, I believe) and is helping the Dutch resistance in secret. He is Jewish himself. Janna grows extremely attached to him after he threatens to kill her if she reveals the secret of his existence. Sef is passionate about what is right, and never hesitates to criticize Janna's foolish and naive tendencies, and this sometimes causes Janna to be, um, upset with him. But he's also quick to forgive and he eventually grows a serious attachment to Janna, foolish little German that she is. I encourage you to read the book (duh). It's like a fairy tale, it's so perfect.

                                                   

"No, I was wrong," said Janna. "Can you forgive me? I really like you just as much... it's only...only..."
"You've lost your Siegfried," said Sef, smiling.
"Yes, how did you know?" asked Janna wonderingly. "That's exactly it."
"So I'm just Sef now. That's good. That's what I want to be."

Mac
I've already written a post detailing the reasons why I love Mac, which you can read HERE, but his amazingness never dwindles. Mac (Mackenzie) Campbell is one of the main characters in Louisa May Alcott's Eight Cousins and its sequel, Rose in Bloom. Spectacled and scholarly, Mac is a young man of integrity and inner strength that hides his gold underneath a crust of dusty curmudgeonly book-wormishness. He made me laugh out loud and squeal with delight many times when I first frequented Rose in Bloom, and then later Eight Cousins. After angsty, dark young men with sad backstories, I have a thing for guys with glasses in books, so go figure.

                                                  

"Mac, do you ever write poetry?"
"Never."
"What do you call the song Phebe sang with her bird chorus?"
"That was nothing till she put the music to it. But she promised not to tell."
"She didn't. I suspected and now I know," laughed Rose, delighted to have caught him.
Much discomfited, Mac gave poor Keats a fling, and leaning on both elbows, tried to hide his face, for it had reddened like that of a modest girl when teased about her lover.

Or one of my personal favorite moments:

"Mac, are you in love?"
"Do I look like it?" and he sat up with such an injured and indignant face that she apologized at once.

Puddleglum
And after much consideration, fifth place will indeed fall to Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, of Narnia fame. What can I say about Puddleglum's utter pessimism, optimism and humility that hasn't been said already? In the Silver Chair, Eustace and Jill Pole are tasked with discovering the lost Prince Rillian, son of the aged King Caspian. Tasked with being their guide and helper is Puddleglum, a member of the race 'Marsh-wiggle,' who, though a confirmed pessimist and wet blanket, is considered too flighty by his Marsh-wiggle neighbors. That'll tell you something about their outlook on life. I literally laugh out loud when I read the dialogue in the Silver Chair. Puddleglum is bloody hilarious! Though he constantly says the most negative things possible and, owing to his race, is a rather unimpressive, wrinkly looking creature, Puddleglum turns out to be the bravest and wisest of all the characters in the Silver Chair, I don't hesitate to declare. That is excluding Aslan, of course. He's rather like Mac in the sense of gold hidden underneath a rough exterior, only his exterior is rougher than most. Mama calls him the greatest Philosopher and the way he handles the illusions and lies of the Green Witch is beautiful and insightful and utterly inspiring. He's an absolute crusher of relativism. We should all be like Puddleglum, though a little less depressing maybe.

"Good morning, Guests," it said. "Though when I say good I don't mean it won't probably turn to rain or it might be snow, or fog, or thunder. You didn't get any sleep, I dare say."

"Yes we did, though," said Jill. "We had a lovely night."
"Ah," said the Marsh-wiggle, shaking his head. "I see your making the best of a bad job. That's right. You've been well brought up, you have. You've learned to put a good face on things."
"Please, we don't know your name," said Scrubb.
"Puddleglum's my name. But it doesn't matter if you forget it. I can always tell you again."

What a beautiful character introduction! Gosh, Puddleglum's lines could go on for an age of a wizard. Let me share one more interaction that literally makes me wheeze, and then a really beautiful one.

He quite expected the Marsh-wiggle to give him an angry reply, but it only said, "That's the spirit, Scrubb. That's the way to talk. Put a good face on it. But we all need to be very careful about our tempers, seeing all the hard times we shall have to go through together. Won't do to quarrel, you know. At any rate, don't begin it too soon. I know these expeditions usually end that way: knifing one another, I shouldn't wonder, before all's done. But the longer we can keep off it -"

Lollllll Here's one so deep I melted when I read it 'cause I reached the core of the Earth. You may have heard it before. Take that relativists!

And there are my top five favorite book characters! Some runner-ups include Sydney Carton, Fish (Benedict) fron the Regina Doman fairytale retellings, Peter Pevensie, Francois Joubert, Faramir, Pippin, Legolas, Samwise Gamgee, Reepicheep, and many others. This list will undoubtedly change soon, but this is how I stand at the moment. All five of these characters are men, good men, but they're all completely different! What can we gain from that? Being 'good' and being 'a real Man' isn't one set narrow definition. Goodness isn't boring. Holiness isn't lame. Virtue isn't dry.

Goodness
Is
Epic.

This has been Irene at Horseback to Byzantium's first entry into the Thank Goodness for Good Men Blogathon. Please do join!

Thissss ↑

Thank Goodness for Good Men Blogathon 2021!

~THE BEST BLOGATHON YOU'VE EVER SEEN IS HERE ~

 

After that momentous introduction I've set the bar pretty high, haven't I? I am supremely confident in the epicness of Anna's and mine and Megan Chappie's (of the Pen and the Cross) blogathon/blog party thingy-ma-bob (Yes, it is three words. Thingy. Ma. Bob.). 
This year of our Lord, 2021, is officially dedicated to St. Joseph and in honor of him and all the amazing and virtuous men who go unoticed all too often (real and fictional), Megan and I decided to host together a celebration of epic, righteous, honorable, virtuous, courageous and yes, good, men.

So here's how the papaya slices: as I stated in my original post about this blogathon and Megan in hers, your contribution to this celebration can be basically anything you want that's about cool and epic men. A character review (or two) of that special man, a list of your favorite male historical figures, a five thousand word essay on the beauty of responsible men (I'm not guaranteeing anyone will read it), anything you want! You can post your entry or entrees into thecomment section on ours or Megan's blog and they'll all be rounded up into a neat little list by the end of the blogathon. You'll also be able to see the many other posts by different bloggers that inevitably will be there, even if only Megan, Anna and myself participate... Do join in the fun and comraderie as we appreciate and honor the goodness of good men and thank God and His goodness for all they do and have done!

~ Anna and Irene

P.S. Feel free to grab any of the posters/banners either Anna or Megan have made and post them on your own blog.

I Confess (1953)

 Horseback to Byzantium's second blog entry into:

If you knew what he knew - what would you do?...

I Confess (1953)

Out of all of Alfred Hitchock's masterpieces, this one is probably my favorite. I feel like an insider to a mainstream 1950's movie (though not as mainstream as it should have been), and it's just so amazing. Beautiful and exact black and white cinematography, a haunting score, a unique and supsensful plot (I'm going to be using the word suspensful a lot here) and some great actors come together to make this a wonderful film. Not to mention, it's underrated, so that makes me like it even more, contrarian that I am. But why, you may ask, am I reviewing this for Catholic blog week? If you haven't already guessed from the title and picture, this movie is all about the sacrament of Confession and a priest so brave he wouldn't break the holy sacrament even to save his own neck. Now for a brief summary of the film:

-
Fr. Michael Logan, a Catholic priest living and serving his flock in Quebec, finds his faith challenged in a shocking way when one late night, whilst hearing the confession of German immigrant Otto, the man confesses to murdering a local wealthy banker. The seal of confession cannot be broken, and Fr. Logan is weighed down by his knowledge of the murder that he cannot reveal to the police. As if that wasn't enough, soon the stakes are raised. Fr. Logan himself is suspected of the murder and has no way to clear himself, and soon his past life comes back to haunt him and a motive of murder on account of blackmail becomes all too believable.

-
Once we showed this to our friend on a sunny afternoon when we felt like watching a movie, and when we mentioned it another day, she sad "Oh, isn't that the one with the hot priest?" Lolll I'm sorry, I just thought that was really funny and true. Anyway....
Since Alfred Hitchcock directed this movie, when I think of it and the moments that struck me, I can literally feel a chill. Some scenes just... were magical, in a dark way. Masterful would be a better word for it. Montgomery Clift is a masterful actor himself, and his eyes are so piercing that the way he looks when Otto reveals he murdered Mr. Rich-mean-banker is just like 'wow'. He carries the role of a man with a noble secret so well. I loooovvveee it when characters have something they just can't tell anyone and you know it's for a good cause and that it will cost them so much but they'll never tell because they're brave and everyone is trying so hard to get them to speak, but they just won't. I say this because I haaattteee it when characters have a secret that they really should tell and it's not that bad and they're just being silly and overly dramatic. I had to get that off my chest.
It seems that Montgomery Clift never changes his expressions noticibly, yet the subtle buildup of tension in the film is unmistakable.

Otto has piercing eyes as well, but creepy piercing eyes instead of beautiful piercing eyes.

So a couple days go by, an investigation ensues, and a tenacious police detective, played by an *excellent* Karl Malden, begins to suspect Fr. Logan for various reasons. He doesn't like to suspect a priest, but Fr. Logan does appear incredibly suspicious when he cannot account for his movements at a certain time of night that happened to be the time of the murder. And a man in a priest's cassock was seen near the scene of the crime by two young schoolgirls. Plus, he has a motive, which I will now tell you about in the messy part of the story. You see, at one time, Fr. Logan was........ IN LOVE!

It was before he became a priest, when he was young and Ruth (Anne Baxter's character) was just as young and almost as beautiful. But Michael (that's his first name) had to join the army and go off to fight in World War II, I believe. All this is showed to us in a mercifully brief flashback that I actually kind of enjoy. It's really dreamy and everyone looks beautiful and the music is lovely. I just close my eyes when they kiss. Long story short, Ruth thinks Logan is dead, and ends up marrying the man she works for, who is actually a very nice man. But Michael Logan WASN'T dead, and he comes back to Canada, looking for Ruth. She, in her joy at realizing her lost love is still alive, spends one entire magical day with him, without telling him she's married. Needless to say, we know this isn't gonna end well.
Caught in the rain, Ruth and Michael take cover under a little gazebo next to a house. They sit down and fall asleep at the table.
When they wake up, they see a man, the owner of the house apparently. He makes some crude insiuations about the two of them and reveals that Ruth is married. This man is the later-to-be-murdered-mean-old-banker... I should just look up his name.
Montgomery Clift looks so darn betrayed at this point, I just can't. He immediately breaks off their little rendezvous like a honorable man, and they don't see each other again, except in passing, because they awkwardly both live in Quebec.

As times goes on and Michael goes to seminary school and becomes a priest, Ruth and Michael's days together are mostly forgotten. Until Mr. Roberts (that's right, I looked it up) comes a-pokin' about Ruth's place, talking about what a shame it would be if her husband found out about a little affair she had with a man. Not just any man, but a priest! And KABAM. Next thing ya know, he's blackmailing her. Doesn't matter that Logan wasn't even a priest then and that nothing actually hanky-panky went on, he blackmails her anyway. 
And there you have Fr. Logan's motive.

I won't spoil anymore of the plot. Since the idenitity of the murderer is revealed early on in the story, this whole film is just suspense and more suspense.

Nothing (that I can think of) about Catholicism is misrepresented here and though Fr. Logan *did* run off to the seminary *after* he was left broken-hearted, it's clear that his heart is, when the film starts, in his vocation as a priest. He has no regrets, as is especially evident in his talks with Ruth. She obviously yearns for him, but he shows no such hankering after the forbidden. His path is laid out before him, and he does not wish to stray from it. God has put him there, and he wishes to serve God. 

Religion isn't mentioned too much in the film, but, as I said earlier, all is correct and as it should be. The center crisis of the film is brilliant and every single actor plays their part perfectly, just perfectly.

Watch for the part near the climax of the film, where Fr. Logan walks down the streets of Quebec, worn down by the secret he holds, and the theme piece of music grows louder and louder until Fr. Logan shows his frustration in one brief moment of exasperation. Absolutely beautiful direction. This is film making as it should be. 

This has been Horseback to Byzantium's second entry into the Catholic Blog Party, hosted by the Pen and the Cross and Bookshire. 
Irene signing out.