Movies: Holiday (1930) and Holiday (1938)

Both these movies are based on the play by Philip Barry.  I first saw the 1938 version many years ago and it has been a favourite ever since.  I saw the 1930 version for the first time this week on Tubi  (thank you Tubi) - it had been "cleaned up" with computer magic and was clear to watch and had good sound quality.

The 1930 version starred Ann Harding as Linda in an excellent performance that was deservedly nominated for a best actress Oscar.  The ever reliable Mary Astor played Julia.  Robert Ames was there as Johnny and this was the one unfortunate casting decision in the film - he was far too old for the part (he was around 40 and looked older - he was a man with alcohol problems which killed him in 1931) and the writing left him with very little to work with.  The 1938 film changed the role to allow the character to be a co-lead unlike the 1930 film which centered on Linda.  Another actor who died young at 36 was Monroe Owsley who played Ned.  Columnist Hedda Hopper appeared here as Susan.   

This film was made in the early days of sound but doesn't show any of the awkwardness you often see in films of that era.

There was one lovely scene where a drunken Ned has fallen asleep in the playroom and Linda looks at him with such love and compassion and then turns out the lights as she quietly leaves the room.

The 1938 version is well known and features the always successful pairing of Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.  Hollywood had come a long way between 1930 and 1938 and this version is more polished - camera work, pacing etc and especially the script.  Johnny has an actual character and you can see why Linda and Julia would be drawn to him.  Changing the Nick and Susan couple to be friends of Johnny rather than Linda works far better.  In this version though Linda and Johnny really do dominate the film - the other characters and clearly supporting parts for the Hepburn-Grant dynamic.

I can't say that I liked one version better.  I like them both and I hope that the 1930 version becomes better known.  It's similar to the 1940 and 1944 versions of Gaslight - the later version is slicker but they're both wonderful films and I hope that the 1940 version, again, becomes better known.  (I read that when MGM bought the rights to remake Gaslight they wanted all prints and the negative of the 1940 version to be destroyed - I'm so glad it survived.)

Extreme Minimalism?

 

I began downsizing possession in the 1990's and then discovered the whole minimalism movement.  I've been hooked ever since and now have my possessions pared down to a level that I'm overall happy with.

However.  Recently I was reading a detective novel in which the detectives do a search of a supect's apartment.  They find he owns almost nothing - one plate, on fork, one spoon, one cup, a few clotting items (all exactly the same), a mattress on the floor and so on.

I'm not going to go that route - I do occasionally have guests, I'm too old to be getting up and down from the floor, I have things that I'm fond of,  I like a bit of variety in my clothing.

But, in reading about it I have to say I found the idea of living that way very appealing.  Just the absolute minimum.    It's not realistic for me, I probably wouldn't be happy if I tried it - but the appeal is definitely there.

Miss Minimalist recently did a post on Instagram where she posed the question of what we would take with us if there was an emergency and we had to grab one bag's worth of stuff and leave our home.  (Have I posted about this before??).  In any case, this thought produced a similar reaction.  The idea of walking out with one bag does make me happy.  (And yes, I have thought about what would go in that bag!)

I'm Not Worse. Or Am I?

I've cancelled trips in recent history, and I avoid dealing with people and situations whenever possible.  I thought for a while that my not liking or avoiding things was getting worse as I aged.  But I've come to realize that I probably don't have any more travel anxiety or social anxiety that I did when I was younger.  

That difference now is that I'm not willing to put the effort in, to extend myself, to deal with the situation.  I don't care as much about the "shoulds", or "it will be good for you", or "you don't want to let yourself miss such and such".  

But no, really, it's also that I don't have the confidence that I can deal with situations.  So maybe it's not just being willing to deal with things, it's a lack of trust in myself to be able to deal with things that might come up.

A Moment

 

Last night as I was just settling in to bed I suddenly felt this wave of contentment.  Not a huge thing, just a sudden and quiet feeling that "it" was all right.  I don't quite know what that "it" was - my life, that evening, just those few moments.  Whatever it was, it was a lovely feeling.  I don't know what brought it on - I'd had a pleasant day (lunch with a friend, a walk in the nice weather) but nothing really unusual-  but whatever it was, it was special and I'm really grateful for it.

Effort, and Time

Lately I am really feeling like an old man.  I'm finding just doing basic physical things like putting groceries away or washing up dishes or making the bed seem to be so tiring.  It's not that I can't do them but the effort required seems to be so much more.  Those are little things.  Bigger chores like vacuuming or washing floors or scrubbing the bath tub feel like they're right on the edge of what I'm physically able to manage.  Certainly if for some reason I need to get down on my hands and knees to clean something or reach under something it''s become a major production both getting down and getting back up - I can do it, but it's hard.  

The other thing I'm finding is that things seem to take up so much more time than they used to.   Just getting myself washed up, shaven and dressed to leave home seems to take far far longer than it reasonably should.    

There is also more personal maintenance to do.  I have a whole set of things to do to my teeth before bed to protect my gum and tooth health - no more just a brushing and off to bed.  Eye drops for glaucoma.  Dry mouth.  Dry eyes.  Dry nose.  All things that require some kind of action.

Plus medical appointments.  More maintenance.  Ophthalmologist, cardiologist. family doctor.  My dental checkups have moved from every six months to every four.

So far I'm managing to keep up with the computer world. More or less.  But all the things I do on the computer -banking, medical appointments, taxes etc - do not come naturally, they require thought and effort.   It's a battle I may be slowly losing - I'm not using my phone like the young people do, I'm still using credit cards and a transit card.  Old age again, finding innovation challenging and tiring.

One thing I feel very guilty about is my unwillingness to invest time in serious reading.  I've always been a reader but of late if I find a book challenging or very long I just don't make the effort to keep at it.  I turn to something lighter and fun.  I find that sad since it's something that was a big part of my life which I'm letting go of.

And music.  This surprises me.  Classical music was always a part of my life, and if I hear something classical I still find it beautiful and think to myself that I should listen to music more.  But day to day I don't turn anything on.  There's a whole world of classical and other music available to me at the touch of a button but I just don't seem to have the time or energy to take advantage of it.

A So-So Holiday Season

 

There were good times over Christmas and New Year's but for me this year I just did not feel the enthusiasm I normally do.  It's a time of year I have always really enjoyed.

This year it was marred by the sudden death of a friend of more than forty years the week before Christmas.  This is not the first longterm friend I have lost, and not the first I have lost at Christmas, but it doesn't get easier with repetition.

I did put up my Christmas decorations (not that I have many), and I did watch my usual favoured Christmas movies:

The Holly and the Ivy, Scrooge (with Alistair Sim). Christmas in Connecticut, The Bishop's Wife (with Loretta Young, Cary Grant, David Niven), It's a Wonderful Life, The Family Stone,  The Family Man, Auntie Mame (Rosalind Russell), some newer gay romance things, the original Black Christmas from 1974, and on Tubi some fun Slasher-Santa flicks.

I did get together with people several times, and had a lovely Christmas dinner with good friends.

But I don't think it's just me.  In the buildings around mine I saw far fewer windows lit up with Christmas lights.  The same was true when I was out visiting in more residential neighbourhoods.  

I sent Christmas cards as usual but got far fewer back than in the past.  I know part of that is due to the 2024 postal strike - many people didn't send cards last year because of that and have told me that they decided to just stop sending them at all.  At most they send an ecard.

Or maybe it's that people are just worn-down with the things going on in the world at large.

Drinking

 

It's possible to not have a problem with alcohol in the addiction sense but still have a problem with alcohol in the "you're a total asshole when you drink and it's unpleasant to be around you" sense.

Speaking of a friend.