February 2021 Recommended Reading/Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Sorry for the lateness. I actually completely forgot about the forum this month, plus it took me a bit to find some recommendations.

Anyway, here we are in February now. For me, it feels much the same, but for some of you, it may be different. There's not much to say right now, it seems, other than it being a comparatively mild winter (I wonder if that's a bad thing for the climate, though). So while everyone is cooped up in their homes, here are some adventures to take you outside the confines of your mind.


Reading: Kidnapped (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson

One of Stevenson's best known and most highly regarded works, this story follows 17-year-old David Balfour, who has come to his uncle's estate to seek his fortune. However, the greedy man arranges for David to be abducted and sold into slavery, but, while a prisoner on a ship, David escapes with the assistance of the spirited Scottish Highlander Alan Breck Stewart. Eventually, circumstances lead the two to flee across Scotland from charges of murder, and the question remains whether justice will ever be served for the two comrades. Highly popular in its day, the novel escaped a spell of posthumous criticism to be regarded in the mid-20th century as one of the most esteemed examples of historical romance and continues to entice scholars and readers to this day. NOTE: I would highly recommend picking up the Modern Library trade variant listed below, as it is a reprint of a corrected version of the text with an extensive introduction and a Scots glossary for translating some of the words that may escape casual readers.

Mass Market: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451531434?tag=randohouseinc7986-20
Trade: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375757252?tag=randohouseinc7986-20
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002U2DQ6Q?tag=randohouseinc7986-20



Viewing: Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972)

Set in 1560 during the conquest of the Incas, this film follows a branch of an expedition of Spanish conquistadors in search of the riches of El Dorado, sent into the depths of the jungle to scout ahead and report back within a week's time. As things become difficult, they attempt to turn back, but the megalomaniacal Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) seizes control, first by proxy then directly, pushed on by mad vision of fortune and glory, dragging his accomplices into insanity and death. A slow-moving film, this German production helmed by famed auteur Werner Herzog - the first of five collaborations with the legendary temperamental actor Kinski - was first acclaimed with cult status and has continued to grow in reputation through the years, being seen as an influence on such later films as Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now; while not action-packed, it's a fascinating experience that may reward multiple viewings.

Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Aguirre-Wrath-Blu-ray-Klaus-Kinski/dp/B00QJN344G/ref=tmm_mfc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1612654243&sr=8-3
Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Aguirre-Wrath-God-Klaus-Kinski/dp/B07V6TH8TB/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=aguirre+the+wrath+of+god&qid=1612654317&sr=8-1


So that's all I have for now. I hope things stay well for all of you, all things considering.