ARTS REVIEWS
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Moviewatch A lesson in forgiveness
A new take on Oscar’s famous poem
Cinema with Martin Ceaser
The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde
Illustrations by Peter Hay Paperback, Two Rivers Press £8.95, ISBN 978190167775-
Colin Firth plays a survivor who seeks forgiveness
v The Railway Man (15) Stars Colin Firth, Jeremy Irvine, Nicole Kidman, Hiroyuki Sanada
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ric Lomax (Colin Firth) is a survivor from the Death Railway built by British and Allied Prisoners of War under the savage supervision of Japanese soldiers. The Railway Man flicks between then and now, giving us a picture of the level of suffering and despair that he encountered during his captivity. For the flashbacks Lomax is played by Jeremy Irvine, superbly cast both in appearance and mannerisms seen in his older self. Lomax is one of a group of survivors who still meet together regularly but he in particular is unable to speak about his treatment.
Then he meets Patti (Nicole Kidman), who is determined to get him to open up and so free himself from the pain of his past. Poignant, moving and chillingly realistic in parts, the film shows Lomax’s journey from hatred of the Japanese and his torturer Nagasi (Hiroyuki Sanada), and a desire to get revenge, through to his return to the site of his suffering and his offering of forgiveness because, as he says, “the hating has to stop sometime”. Only when he forgives can he finally lay down the pain and bitterness that had been crippling him for so many years. What makes the film even more powerful is that it is a true story of the power of hatred to cripple lives, and the power of love and forgiveness to set them (us) free. The Revd Martin Ceaser is minister of Crowthorne Baptist Church
Magnificent Mandela is a must-see v Mandela: The Long Walk To Freedom (12a)
If you haven’t seen it, make every effort to on DVD/Bluray when it comes out, or Netflix or whatever you watch. Idris Elba is Nelson Mandela – mannerisms, posture, looks, and especially that voice – it’s a long way from London’s maverick Copper Luther. Naomie Harris puts in a stirring performance as the increasingly embittered and
Stars Idris Elba Naomie Harris How was this film NOT nominated for a BAFTA? Stunning, stupendous, magnificent, awesome, brilliant.
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hate-filled Winnie Mandela. If you have a group that likes watching, and discussing, films, this one is a must, with so many issues to reflect upon – equality, loyalty, the nature and cost of leadership, sacrifice, suffering and the question of forgiveness, are presented brilliantly. v For Martin’s full review, log on to www.xnmedia.co.uk
SOLUTIONS
The Oscar Wilde that wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol was a very different man to the one who had written the farcical comedy The Importance of Being Ernest only three years before. The Ballad of Reading Gaol was written by Wilde when he left prison in 1897. The hard prison life had affected his health badly and on his release he left England to spend his last three years in French exile. Convicted of gross indecency he had to endure two years of hard labour. You get a hint of what life was like when he wrote “We tore the tarry rope to shreds with blunt and bleeding nails” or “We sewed the sacks, we broke the stones, We turned the dusty drill”. The experience of prison shattered him
and he was never the same. Wilde has the narrator of the poem telling the story of a soldier who murdered his wife and is now to be hung. The Two Rivers Press edition has two stanzas to a page, each accompanied by a strong image. Peter Hay’s simple, caricature linocut-style illustrations are like gargoyles on the page, grabbing your attention. This is a much loved poem as Peter Stoneley, Professor of English at the University of Reading points out in the specially commissioned afterword. The Ballad of Reading Gaol was February’s book of the month for Two Rivers Press which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To honour the occasion it is offering a 20% discount on one of its books each month if you order via its website. v For more details, log on to tworiverspress. com VIVIENNE JOHNSON
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Str8ts Str8ts Solution
7 9 8 6 5 8 6 7 4 7 9 8 6 5 7 1 6 5 1 2 3 2 4 1 2 1 3 8 3 2
1 7 4 3 2 8 9 6 5
8 3 5 4 6 9 1 7 2
2 9 6 7 5 1 4 3 8
7 5 2 9 3 6 8 1 4
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Suduku Sudoku Solution
4 6 8 1 7 5 3 2 9
5 8 9 2 1 3 7 4 6
3 2 7 6 9 4 5 8 1
6 4 1 5 8 7 2 9 3
Kakuro