More on "Betrayal" by Harold Pinter (1930-2008)

This is what I wrote on Amazon last year about "Betrayal."

A Masterpiece: No play will ever surpass this look at infidelity, friendship, and trust

February 25, 2007
By Mimi Tanner "Secrets of Flirting.com" (Texas, USA)

"Three people, intertwined by friendship, marriage, and work, live with the realities and consequences of the extra-marital affair between two of them. The story is told in reverse, covering a nine-year period. This is one of those plays and films that only gets better with repeated viewing.

"Over the years, more and more questions have come to mind that compel a repeated viewing of the movie (or reading of the play) in the hope of finding the answers. On some points, the movie is remains as unfathomable as Mona Lisa's smile.

"The acting in this movie is beyond wonderful. When you read the play, you can appreciate even more how much the actors do to portray the author's intentions and to make the film such a masterpiece.

"I never get tired of this film - it is a marvel of genius on the part of the playwright Harold Pinter, the director, and all three actors. It is also a wonderful and restorative retreat from much of what passes for entertainment on television and in movies as well. This movie must be seen far more than one time to fully appreciate it."

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Okay so I would change the "Mona Lisa" comment but you get the point.... This play leaves my normal "writing ability" in the dust due to being in such awe of every facet of this - the play, the performances, the perfection of the fact that this movie exists and that I'm lucky enough to know about it. And thankfully unlike many movies, it endures repeated, and I mean REPEATED viewings.

I could go on and on about "Betrayal" and be a lot more specific. Enjoyment of a film is a really personal thing in some cases, this one being one in particular. Why isn't it on DVD yet? It also never shows on television. The only way to see it is to buy the few VHS copies that are around.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

This is a wonderful CD - "Celtic Woman" Christmas Album.
Rest in peace to Harold Pinter, the Nobel-prize-winning author of my all-time favorite movie. It's a play but I know it best as the movie, for which he wrote the screenplay as well: "Betrayal," Harold Pinter. I wish I could have met him.

I can never explain fully why "Betrayal" is such a favorite for me but I never get tired of that one and find it full of new discoveries with new viewings. For some reason it inspires and restores me. Some movies remind us of who we are / what we appreciate / when things are too busy. Saw this first in theatres and my boyfriend at the time was upset by the film because he felt like he "didn't get it..." - saw it at the Prytania Theatre in New Orleans. And I've liked it more and more ever since. It's definitely not for everyone - must love movies which are mainly dialogue!

Nice Christmas Photo (to stay in my mind)

Today one of my children had all 4 wisdom teeth removed. Long story short, the experience was definitely stressful due to a lot of pain, not to mention a drug called Versed that in the future I will list as an allergy on her records to make sure she doesn't get it ever again.

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=18654&name=VERSED

But thankfully after a day that brought to mind this child's experience of emergency surgery over in Russia 8 years ago... she is a lot better now, Thank God.

The Christmas Photo is this - her friend, a guy, came over (her dad was also here for several hours) and they were watching movies but it got really quiet. I peeked in the living room and there was a cute picture on this giant sectional sofa: my daughter asleep, her friend asleep, and our 2 dogs (Harvey and Oliver) as bookends on each side, standing guard, or more accurately, snoozing and protecting at the same time. If I'd tried to take a photo, Oliver would have jumped down and run off (he is not fond of flashes). Oliver and I exchanged knowing looks however and I quietly tiptoed back here to the desk.

The Christmas tree and fireplace were in the background; it is a great image; as I write they are still asleep. Okay.... back to work!

My Favorite Paul Newman movie - "Absence of Malice"

It does not seem possible that Paul Newman could be no longer here. I grew up knowing his name and hearing news about him all my life. I remember when Tom Cruise was a fairly new star and he worked with Paul Newman in "The Color of Money" and how Paul was a mentor to Tom. Life Magazine did a profile on their friendship. I remember when Paul Newman's son Scott died as a young adult. He created the Scott Newman Foundation to honor him. I think I also saw one of his daughters in an off-Broadway production when I was growing up ("...Gamma Rays...").

Paul was never like anyone else. He was able to handle the huge stardom and still not get a big head over it. No star was ever more famous or more respected than Paul Newman. He had an astonishing ability to raise hundreds of millions for charity because he made the most of his ability to help others. I'm deeply impressed with his 50-year love story with Joanne Woodward, and equally impressed by their devotion to living in Connecticut all these years. It's been a few weeks but it's still very hard to get used to the fact that Paul Newman is no longer with us. I trust he is in an even more wonderful place now.

He REALLY seemed to know how to live life to the fullest. That's more than most of us can say.

My personal favorite Paul Newman movie is "Absence of Malice" and I highly recommend you get a copy and see it. It stars Sally Field, Melinda Dillon, and a great cast. I LOVE that movie. I can't count how many times I have seen this film.

An ex-boyfriend raved about this movie and insisted that I watch it. He was right. Now I'll rave about it to you. WONDERFUL - a must-see drama. (It's very sad at times and tough to watch.) This is Paul Newman at his best, if you ask me. But then I think he was always at his best - yet still human, one of us, a regular guy - who somehow could stay with one person for 50 years, build an empire, be a great actor, be a father, be a beloved member of his community and the world, and still have tons of fun doing things he loved.

A great quote from Paul Newman regarding his "Hole in the Wall" camp:

"I wish I could recall with clarity the impulse that compelled me to help bring this camp into being. I’d be pleased if I could announce a motive of lofty purpose. I’ve been accused of compassion, of altruism, of devotion to Christian, Hebrew, and Moslem ethic, but however desperate I am to claim ownership of a high ideal, I cannot. I wanted, I think, to acknowledge Luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it." – Paul Newman
quoted from www.holeinthewallgang.org/tribute5.asp

Richard Bay giving "The Speech"

From "The Practice" starring, in this scene, Jason Kravits and Lara Flynn Boyle as Richard Bay and Helen Gamble. "The Practice" had several episodes with some great speeches and this is one of them.

Oliver's Story

Almost 2 1/2 years ago, I shared the story of my dog Harvey. I found him in Houston on Long Point street. He was sitting in the middle of the street; later we realized he had been hit by a car. To make a long story short, he's been doing great, and he's the best dog you could ever have.

Well, in April, I was on my way to get some lunch one day. I took a back street that I don't usually take (Judiway street, a few blocks from Ella, nothing to write home about).

I saw this little dog trudging across the street. He could hardly make it across. He was completely covered with mange. He looked SO horrible that I just had to stop.

Here are some pictures of this dog from the day I found him. He was actually living in a large SEWER pipe.

Because he was obviously suffering from starvation and mange, I had to get him out of there. This always seems to happen to me. It always happens a short time after one of my pets has died. I usually have 2 dogs (and a cat). I always vow that I'm not getting any more pets. After all, after my daughters are out of high school, I'd like to spend a month in Paris, etc., and not have to worry about mutts!

But it never fails that when one dog dies, a few months later, I happen upon some dreadful dog situation. In the last 2 cases, I kept hinting at the pet hospital staff to please feel free to fall in love with the dog and take it home after it was all well.

The complete story about Oliver is here: https://withlovemimitanner.com/oliver.html

Thornton "Thorny" Penfield, my English professor at UNO

I've spent a lot of my life in New Orleans. One person I remember most from New Orleans comes to mind very often. He was my English professor at UNO, Thornton Penfield, known to everyone as Thorny. He was truly an unforgettable person. It seems like just yesterday that I was with him.

When I came to UNO at the age of 20, it was a very difficult time for me. Several months earlier, I had left a religious community of 100 people where I'd spent two years. It was in central California, and we spent months living in mountain camps in Oregon and Washington as well. When I left, I was "disfellowshipped" - which was the California Jesus People way of saying "shunned."

In one of my papers in Thorny's English class, I wrote about the place - expressing the enormous love I had for the place, which had been my whole life and which I'd originally planned to be part of forever.

Thorny wrote a comment on the paper that still means the world to me. It said that he was grading these compositions and finally came across one that meant something.

The last time I saw him, I came to his home to get the term paper he was grading for me. I wrote it in longhand.

There Mr. Penfield gave me a book... which I still have to this day, related to the subject of my term paper about the religious and social changes of 1920s.

He also gave me some great advice which I should have taken, which was to take summer work in New York state, which he thought would be a good experience for me.

He was very caring, truly full of life, and had that mischievous smile and attitude. I have thought of him SO often to this very day.

There are some people in life that we are lucky to have known. Thorny Penfield was definitely such a person to me, and to many others. He was the first person who ever specifically encouraged me as a writer. That was an important milestone for me and I will always be tremendously grateful he cared enough to do that.

Twittering?

I have no intention of Twittering! You gotta be kidding me.

But if you must know what's going on right now...

My cat is very sick. He (Tiger) has a fever. He's on antibiotics. But he's not doing that well. I'll keep you posted.

Right now he is watching "The Usual Suspects." He loves that movie.

Long Live Patrick Swayze - Prayers sent for his rapid recovery!

March 26, 2008

We are all sending prayers for Patrick Swayze, the actor who has delighted audiences in virtually every role he has ever done. I've always admired Patrick for many reasons. One of them is his marriage to Lisa Niemi. He met her at age 19, when she was only about 15, and waited for her to grow up. They've been married for over 30 years, reportedly one of the most solid marriages in show business.

Patrick Swayze is all about excellence. His performances are always compelling. He grew up in the same area where I now live, in the northwest part of Houston, Texas. His mother had a dance studio here. Patrick was also an ice skater in his early days here in Houston.

My favorite movie of Patrick Swayze's may come as a surprise, considering that he is the star of "Ghost" and "Dirty Dancing," both of which are beloved movies. But my all-time favorite movie of his (and I have not seen all of his movies) has always been "Point Break." I absolutely love the character he plays in this film, and the interaction with another super-favorite actor, Keanu Reeves. (This movie contains language, sex, violence, it's not for children, and it needs to be seen as pure entertainment - which it most certainly is!)

My favorite part of "Point Break" is when the men are on their way to rob another bank, and Keanu's character says, "Man, this is your wake-up call! I am an FBI agent!" - and Patrick's character responds, "I know, man, isn't it wild?"

Patrick Swayze certainly deserves the highest praise as an actor, and in reading about him from so many people lately, he's said to be free of "star" ego. A relative of his said that he's the kind of guy who would be on the red carpet one night, and the next day, he'd be over at your house with his truck to help you move.

Long live Patrick Swayze! We all want you to get well. We love you, Patrick!!! You're the best!!!

Send thoughts and prayers of strength, love, and health to our "Bodhi" and much loved American actor - and to your family as well. We need Patrick to be here to win the Academy Award and the many more great roles that are surely his to come.

Scenes from "Point Break":