Filed under: Motion picture, Music, Uni | Tags: Carla Bruni, Christophe Honoré, Orientalism
Semesterly round-up: I dropped the sequel course on Chinese history ’cause I have issues with the professor (partially due to things I’d already heard about him, partially due to the first classes’ experience) but I’m still sitting in on the classes as long as I can stand to. It’s a pity my school doesn’t have a more permanent/competent teacher for modern Chinese history; it’s such an interesting period. I dropped the course on Middle Eastern foreign policy because I can’t guarantee myself a good grade and it’s such a large lecture group: I don’t think I’d be very comfortable in that sort of evaluation environment where there’s zero change the professor might learn my name anyway (but I am auditing that too). Instead I’m taking an introductory course in Islamic studies taught by last semester’s anthropology professor (he warned that we might end up talking about Carla Bruni to discuss French conceptions of female sexuality and the 2004 ban of the foulard). Chinese language continues like usual and I’m taking a seminar on women in Chinese history. It’s cool. It’ll probably be difficult but it’ll be cool I think. And then there’s a course on medieval Islamic civ., looks good.
I didn’t start this semester as optimistically as I did the last two (the best grades I’ve gotten in my undergraduate career), I started tired. Lectures begin too early here (the 3rd). Nonetheless, hopefully I’ll benefit from the gradually increasing summer hours that characterise the winter/spring semester. My issue is really to find something productive to do this summer. My sister is in Asia having identity issues (which kind of amuses me), but it’s productive. Maybe I should go to Asia. Everyone goes to Asia… “to find themselves,” I think it’s an Orientalist thing (I forgot where I read that).
Today was a sleepy day. This past weekend was an unproductive one. Funny how those two ideas go together. I spent much of it gazing at the beauty of Louis Garrel (he knows he’s beautiful and exudes this sex and attitude characteristic of stereotypes on les Parisiens). The film I watched was Dans Paris. Je l’aime. It was filmed by Christophe Honoré and scored by Alex Beaupain. They reunite (and Garrel!) for a musical I’m very excited to see: Les Chansons d’amour (trailer below).
It appears that Garrel wanders around nude in almost every film I’ve seen him in as well as every film I’ve heard about him starring in. Maybe it is because le realisateur Christophe is in love with his body. Happy new year; may it outshine the last.
P.S. The CBC plays Radio Netherlands on the overnight sometimes. I like it like I like easy access to contemporary French cinema.
