Fictional Friday: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

    I insist, you must listen to my favourite soundtrack from the movie while reading this article. Ah, there we go. Isn't this music catchy and magical? Isn't this movie poster beautiful and magical? Yes, yes, this movie is magical. The 7th voyage of Sinbad (1958) freely adapts the tale from One Thousand and One Nights: Sinbad is blown off course and arrives on a mysterious island, home to Cyclops and other monsters. There, they rescue the magician Sokurah and leave his magic lamp behind. Desperate to get it back, Sokurah forces Sinbad to go back to the island by shrinking the princess, claiming he only misses one ingredient to make the potion that will turn the princess back to her normal size, ingredient which can only be found on the terrible island.

 There's no time to breathe in this movie, it is packed with action from start to finish but most of all, it's packed with the beautiful monsters of stop-motion wizard Ray Harryhausen. I think my love for monsters, stop-motion and handmade special effects was born thanks to this specific movie, which left me craving for more adventures with Sinbad, and more monsters made by Harryhausen. Back in the days when special effects were not made with computers, Ray Harryhausen was the master of monster making. The main monster of the movie, the Cyclops, was absolutely groundbreaking for that time, and still is. And the dragon! And the battle between the two, oh my, how they feel like home! I can confidently say that in a new era of impressive CGI achievements that has become commonplace in practically every blockbuster made in Hollywood today, Harryhausen’s work, while admittedly a bit crude by today’s effects standards, is exponentially more likeable and tangible on-screen. Contemporary visual effects remain cold and impersonal for the most part and in comparison, Harryhausen’s finest moments represent the literal human touch lacking in today’s sci-fi and fantasy movies. Ray almost always earned the sense of wonder he set out to achieve. Can you believe it, he developed his own stop-motion animation technique that allowed for better interaction between live-action subjects and stop-motion animated models. It remained unnamed until The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, when it was finally given the name "Dynamation". Although it was not the first film in which Dynamation was used, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was the first to use the term in its promotional material, as you can see on the poster. For example, to make my personal favourite monster from the movie, the snake-woman, he combined the images of an actual snake, of the actress, and of a figure of the monster. Harryhausen’s attention to detail was legendary. Sequences that would last only minutes on-screen took months for him to painstakingly photograph, working by himself to command each creature’s movement-by-incremental-movement, imbued with life one frame at a time. It took 11 months to complete the stop-motion effects alone. The results of that exquisite patience consistently yielded some of the greatest, naturalistic creatures of the silver screen, and that irreplaceable talent prompted producer Charles H.Schneer to insure Ray’s hands for no less than one million dollars, an unheard of precaution at the time, even by today’s standards when it comes to special effects technicians.

 

 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad sparked a cycle towards fantasy films that lasted into the Sixties. In the wake of the success of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, many other films emerged, such as Hercules (1959), The Thief of Baghdad (1961),  Jack the Giant Killer (1962), Lancelot and Guinevere (1963), and Ray Harryhausen's own Jason and the Argonauts (1963). The film also marked a shift in Ray Harryhausen's career. He went from making primarily science fiction movies to the fantasy films for which he is best known. Had The 7th Voyage of Sinbad not been a success, it seems certain we wouldn't have Jason and the Argonauts or Clash of the Titans (1981). The film would also have a lasting impact on various directors through the years, including Sam Raimi, John Landis, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. There should be little wonder that The 7th Voyage of Sinbad should be considered one of the greatest fantasy films of all time. Alongside Jason and the Argonauts, it is considered Ray Harryhausen's crowning achievement. It isn't a simple case that it features some of the most spectacular stop motion effects on film. It also benefited from a strong screenplay and good performances from its cast; The live action sequences having been shot in only three weeks and with a budget of only $65 000. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad truly is a triumph in artistry.

 As a lifetime lover of the cinema, less than a handful of films truly changed my perspective between before watching the movie, and emerging two hours later as a different person. I don't know which movie gave the same experience to other people of my generation, but I was entranced by this 1958 masterpiece and still am every time I watch it.

I've tried Lush's Fresh & Flowers subscription box

     I promise, this is not a beauty blog and reviewing cosmetics won't become a regular thing; I was just gifted with the newest concept from a brand that I've been loving for the past decade so I thought it would be nice to keep a memory of that one time thing.

Lush is the brand that saved my skin back in my dreadful teenage years and their hair products are among the best on the market in my opinion. All of their products are vegetarian – most of them are vegan, the ingredients and final products are tested on humans only and many ingredients come from small producers who respect both the environment and their workers. That's what I like about this brand. Lately, Lush has been experimenting with new things like concept-stores that sell only exclusive bath products or perfumes or, here in Paris, the freshest cosmetics in an exclusive store called the Fresh & Flowers. The brand has always been boasting about how fresh their products are (and they are!) and at the Fresh & Flowers, everything is fresher than freshness itself, as it appears. This means packaging-free products with a very short lifespan and little to no preservatives, cosmetics to be appreciated right after being purchased, the fresher the better. I don't care too much about the freshness of the products I use in my bathroom (if only you knew how many expired lipsticks and eyeshadows I own), but I guess if you're really into clean, green, fresh cosmetics, that's nice. This shop also sells seasonal flowers, locally cultivated in the Paris region, pesticide-free. That's nice too if you're into flowers, another thing I don't care much about. All this to say that within this new concept, Lush just launched this month their newest idea : the Fresh & Flowers subscription box. For 50€ each month shipping included, you're treated to a box full of various super-fresh products to take care of yourself, and a small bouquet of seasonal locally grown flowers. I don't have the money to put this much into self care each month, but I guess ordering one from time to time as a treat or gift for someone you like could be an option, especially if the theme of the box is to your liking. The one I've been gifted was all about Valentine's Day, I don't give a damn about Valentine's Day, not because it's another commercial holiday, after all life is nothing but a commercial holiday, but because I'm not a fond of roses and chocolate-scented stuff. Now let's dig in and see what we got.

  

 First of all, I think it's relevant to note that you'd better be home when the parcel is delivered, otherwise you'd have to pick it up at your local post office whenever you can, which can lead to your products rotting in the box. Again, super fresh products that need to be stored in the fridge and all. Luckily, I was home the day the box arrived. The packaging was cute, everything had an overpowering scent of rose, I was just surprised at how tiny the box was, I imagined the flowers already starting to decay inside, squished on top of the products. But I was wrong to worry about this, the flowers were doing alright. I was just really surprised to see red roses. The Fresh & Flowers concept store opened one or two years ago –  I can't remember, and at that time Lush promoted it by taking pride in the fact that their flowers were seasonal and how red roses in February were not seasonal and hence, ludicrous. Finding fresh red roses in this box made me mirthless laugh. Aside from this very tiny "bouquet", the box included four products : Glen Cocoa (ok, this made me smile) a chocolate face-mask, Tisty Tosty a bath bomb made from roses, Fresh Flower a flowery enfleurage (fancy massage bar), Rose Eyepad, the name is self-explanatory, and a sealed note. If you know me you know I've always sealed my mail with wax, so I was definitely not impressed; I was even less impressed when I opened the letter, expecting to find informations about the products. Instead, when I found this "love spell" I cringed. Hard.

Oooo so #witchy.

 I put the tiny roses in a tiny vase and stored the products in my fridge, between the goat cheese and the tofu, hoping to get rid of the strong rose scent. I noticed the bath bomb had a self-love message engraved on it that said "I choose to love and accept myself as I am in this moment" which I found pretty cute and decided to keep it for a day when I'd need to be remembered of that. I tried the face mask first but wasn't convinced as the ingredients contained don't do much for my dry skin. I had to wash it off after three minutes because it started to burn my face. I guess it just wasn't the right face mask for my needs. I also tried the most intriguing item of the box, the Rose Eyepads. They had the texture of an oyster and the scent of a fish market, which was quite bewildering. On the instructions it was written that they were single use items. I don't quite understand why, as they look like you could always put them back in your fridge and take them out again. But I didn't get a chance to try to reuse them, because they lit my eyes on fire. They burned the hell out of my eyes and made my eyelids super itchy. I felt just like poor Gollum during the whole 4 minutes I had them on :

 After removing them, I read the ingredients and... they were made from aloe gel. Oh no. I'm highly allergic to aloe. That's not Lush's fault, it's entirely my bad, I'm too naive and wasn't expecting to be gifted a product that would try to kill me or at least blind me. I should have distrusted them from the beginning, they looked just like those stones painted with eyes that people put on their dead in Game of Thrones, I should have known that this was a bad omen and the sign that they were already prepared for my demise. Aside from those pesky eyepads, no product tried to kill me and I quite enjoyed the rest of the offering. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, I wouldn't put 50€ in a monthly box of that kind, but if you're really into self-care, exclusive products and "seasonal" flowers, then once in a while, it could be a nice and fancy treat.

Fictional Friday - The lesson of Time Bandits

    My parents never liked Disney and all the typical watered-down kids movie. Growing up, the only Disney tapes we had at home among the Tex Avery and Ghibli ones were Robin Hood, Mulan and The Jungle Book. I remember watching those again and again until the tape eventually broke, and being inspired by the wit of Robin Hood, the courage of Mulan and the joyful philosophy of Baloo. I didn't grow up with Disney princesses and I'm thankful for that. Instead, my parents made me watch all kinds of whimsical movies and some of them really contributed to build my personality and hence, the person that I am today. It's nothing new, the things we watch, read, play with or listen to as a kid define the adult we grow up to be. In this Fictional Friday column, I'd like to share all these fictional things, books, movies, games, that feel like home and contributed greatly in building the human that I am today. Mum, Dad, thank you.

My father passed down to me his love for the Monty Python at a very young age. He made me watch many of their movies and sketches before I even reached puberty, and some of them will forever remain among my all time favourites. British humour is the only one that cracks me up, and I owe everything to these guys. But there is one Monty Python who's got a really special place in my heart: Terry Gilliam. He's got an incredible universe, a very unique way of telling stories, inspired many other directors (I even think Tim Burton stole quite a lot from him) and thrilled my imagination. With Time Bandits (1981) I was hooked on an adventure like no other.

Most movies targeted at kids have a happy, sugar-coated ending with the good guys winning over the bad ones and everyone being happy. As I watched the adventures of Kevin — a 11 years old kid, barely older than I was  — unfold, it completely destroyed any preconceived idea the few Disney movies I had watched could have put in my head about happy endings for kid stories. The movie has barely started when Kevin is waken up by a group of time travelling dwarves, bursting out from his closet at night, chased by a terrifying giant glowing skull that happens to be the universe Supreme Being himself. This is already pretty intense, but things escalate even more when the odd party pushes back one of Kevin's bedroom walls and leaps off the edge of it into a bottomless abyss, with God's giant skull demanding them in a terrifying voice to return the time map they've stolen from him. This is how begins the story of Kevin and the six dwarves, who will use the stolen map to travel through space and time. They will cross paths with famous historical characters, such as Napoleon, Robin Hood, King Agamemnon and will even enjoy a short cruise on the Titanic itself. As the movie unfolds, the main issue becomes clear: the Supreme Being wants to get his map back, before the embodiment of  Evil seizes it and uses it to remake the universe in his image, in a better, more utilitarian version. The movie is packed with adventure, dark humour and I craved of living Kevin's adventures or something as magical, no matter how dreadful everything felt. In every situation throughout the movie, there's a terrible feeling of despair and hopelessness. No matter how good a character's intentions might be, no matter how noble they are, the universe never rewards any good deed and disappointment ensues.

 

I've always loved this movie for how magical and imagination-stimulating it is, but also because it tackles interesting subjects. First, the let-downs one encounters when maturing and understanding what the real world is like (definitely not all sugar-coated fairytales); it almost feels like Kevin is a kid lost in the dysfunctional world of adults and its heartless system, a bit like Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Maybe everything that happens is just in his head, as many of the characters he encounters are toys in his room, and this is just a way for him to cope with the abuse of his parents? And also at the same time, it raises metaphysical and philosophical questions. God is depicted as an absent being, leaving mankind to its own, managing a disorganized universe filled with lonely beings. In the final scene where God eventually defeats Evil with the help of Kevin and the bandits, Kevin is dismissed and gets back to the dread of his previous life with his awful, careless parents, in their house now engulfed in flames. Even worse, Kevin can't prevent his parents from touching a remnant of Evil and burst into a cloud of ashes, leaving Kevin orphaned. As the movie ends, it leaves the viewer with the conclusions that no good deed goes unpunished, no matter how well-meaning one's intentions are. It definitely had a huge impact on little 8 years old me, leaving me with one of my very first existential crisis, questioning the meaning of life and the universe. Maybe the universe isn't a harmonious construction indeed? Perhaps it is truly flawed? From that moment, I started to believe that there is no god, nothing, no salvation except our endless imagination. 

 

I'll leave you with this for today, a look inspired by the bandits, because I'm still dreaming on going on adventures with these guys. I can't guarantee I'll do a look inspired by each of the movies / games / books I'll be talking about here, but who knows!

To new beginnings

     Remember that time not so long ago, when blogs and forums were a thing? When it wasn't all about the number of likes and followers, when you didn't feel pressured to post content, when you didn't end up doom scrolling for hours, when you actually took the time to write an article for your blog or reading other people's blogs, comfortably sitted with a cup of tea? I miss that blissful time. I miss writing down my thougts and unpretentiously sharing the things that make me happy with whoever wants to read about it. Blogs are like journals available for everyone to read. They keep precious memories, give a sense of achievement when an article you spent time on writing is eventually published, and most of all, they feel like home. A tiny, intimate corner of internet that belongs only to you and the ones who read it. I used to have a blog many years ago (La République Horizontale) and I sometimes go back to that cozy place; it still feels like home. I felt burned out of social apps which feel more like gigantic shopping malls flooded with waves and waves of loud people; Such a place is exhausting. I'm building a new corner here, without any like button but nice things posted at a human pace. You are welcome to grab a pillow and some hot cocoa, make yourself at ease and let me tell you stories I've lived in different worlds as a LARP or tabletop RPG character, let me show you the things that brighten my day, let us share a moment of bliss in this snug internet lair.

    Back in the days on my old blog, I had a weekly column called The Sunday Outing about an exhibition, a movie or an interesting thing I did during the week; I quite liked that, it motivated me to go out and do things. Giving the current pandemic, going out to do things isn't possible nor wise, but I have other plans for weekly chronicles. I'm not planning on posting lots and lots of articles and maybe, in the future, I'll make a monthly newsletter available to keep you up to date. We'll see how it goes. For the moment, let me refill your cup. Oh, and grab some biscuits as well.