'The Verdict', mountains and pheasants

Oh, how one could forget how wonderful is this film. One of Newman's iconic performances, as the drunk, has-been lawyer, fighting a seemingly losing battle against corruption. Up against all the odds; the criminal justice system; the judge; the hot shot lawyers; the betrayal. And he doesn't win because he's a better lawyer; no, he wins because the case is just and he relies on the good and true men (and women) of the jury that they will deem justice as worth more than the mealy mouthed sentiments of advocates; those whose must present their case as best they may, whatever the cost in objective truth or even decency.

Mamet's screenplay, as always, spot on!

Irrespective of the film's worth as cinema, we all need 'art' like this. We all need the 90 minutes of release; the ninety minutes when you can kid yourself that the world is not going to hell in a hand cart, suspension of disbelief, unwilling or not; when it's possible to believe that a random selection of people really do have a morality, decency, a desire to do what's right in some kind of absolute sense, not just pragmatically right. I don't know, as an atheist, what is right in 'an absolute sense' at least in words that would make a rational argument, I just know it when I see it. Conversely I know its opposite. (Iraq war, anybody? Bail out of the banks?)

Ah, but this is just opinion, no? Just my view of what is right or wrong. Perhaps.

I am reminded of a discussion between Pontius Pilate and Christ (as recounted by Carel Kapek, I think just before the flagellation) in which Christ tries to persuade Pilate that there is only one truth, the truth the Christ himself expounds, only one right and wrong, only one belief system, only one (God-given) justice. Pilate's answer is to make an analogy, between a landscape of individual plains separated by high hills. The plains represent man's truth and the hills the barriers which separate one man's truth from another's. Each one distinct, multiple truths, co-existing but in isolation.

But what if, Pilate suggests, you were to climb a mountain in the vicinity, so much higher than the hills which separate the plains, wouldn't the hills tend towards insignificance and, to an observer on the high mountain, the plains would then merge into one, one truth amongst the myriad of 'different' truths.

I think that one just needs to make the effort to climb the mountain.

Not a bad week, as far as it went, although I do wish I wasn't so tired all the time. Come three o'clock I am ready for bed, even though I have only done the shopping (damn this low fat diet, with its fish, chicken, fish and the occasional venison/pheasant to relieve the monotony - and, God, the cost of it all) but to do so, climb into bed in the afternoon that is - on my own! - ends up disrupting the normal sleep patterns and leads to watching 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' at four am and is, I think, to be avoided.

It's interesting how much concentration is now needed to articulate words and whole sentances. What came so naturally is now a real effort. To have to break down words into single syllables, enunciated slowly and distinctly if they contain 'P' or 'B' or 'F' and other such sounds, is such a pain. To have so little control over the sounds that come out your mouth unless you concentrate, hard, when you used to gabber away nineteen to the dozen, is (a) frustrating and (b) apt to make you feel in some way 'sub-normal', especially with people you don't know! Of course, the more tired you get, the harder it is to concentrate and you find that as the afternnon progresses and evening falls, you are in increasing trouble! Still it is early days yet, and there are many who can't, after a month or so, even begin to articulate a sentence, let alone do what I am capable of. We must be thankful for small mercies. At least I don't have to repeat EVERYTHING!

I have taken to disturbing the neighbours with 'Winnie the Pooh' read aloud just to practice. I was going to do Shakespeare but decided that the similarities between that and running like Carl Lewis when you could not even walk were too close for comfort!

This is going to get boring after the umpteenth of saying it but nonetheless.....to all my colleagues and friends, both near and far, THANK YOU!