On the train, passing by Berwick-upon-Tweed towards research in Edinburgh, 27-28 February.

Hell in the Pacific (1968)

Welcome to the all new 'what I've learned from . . .' series of posts. Today's subject: 'Hell in the Pacific' (1968):

‘Hell in the Pacific’ (1968) proves that it isn’t always necessary to have brilliant dialogue in order to have compelling film.  It was an amazingly powerful experiment in how a story can be formed in the absence of conventional narrative coherency. Powerful acting from Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin, creative direction from John Boorman, brilliant cinematography by Conrad Hall.

I also had something of a history of media technology realisation moment. Because Paul and I watched ‘Hell in the Pacific’ in VHS standard format I was reminded that early VHS releases of motion pictures almost never came out in ‘letterbox’ format. Most early VHS releases (back in the dark days before DVDS) were edited with the standard dimensions for a television screen in mind, rather than the standard for a film screen, resulting in visually non-sensical moments during the film--moments of scenes displaying part of a nose or ear, rather than the two faces confronting each other from opposite sides of the screen.

It is easy to take for granted how well some directors/cinematographers make use of the full frame of the film  . . . until a third of the image has been arbitrarily lopped off from both sides of the picture! Hell in the Pacific is certainly a film that I will need to watch again, in a proper format. Brilliant concept, acting and filming (from what I could see of it).

Annual Lenten Cleansing: 13 February-30 March 2013

I think I’m still recovering from ‘Fat Tuesday’ but Week One of Lent is progressing okay. The annual fasting ‘shed-yule’ is as follows:

Week One and Two: Give up booze.
Week Three: Additionally give up the refined sugar.
Week Four: Go vegan (diet wise).
Week Five: Additionally give up wheat products.
Week Six: Additionally give up caffeine. (Yes, by this point it’s all about herbal tea, fruits and veggies, rice, legumes.)

I know that given how much I subsist on tea, biscuits and chocolate for most of the year, this little ‘vacation from vice’ that I do annually is probably all that’s been standing between me and a massive coronary for years . . . but that said, the ‘Lenten Fast’ can never go fast enough.

Paul and I in Wales.

Stopped Short . . .

‘Misgivings’. An interesting word. Meaningless apart from the moment you are in the midst of it. The night before I was to go to London, I had ‘misgivings’. The weather report was okay, I was prepared for the day--there was no reason for ‘misgivings’ but there they were, none-the-less, like an overheard conversation caught out of the corner of your ear as the the compartment door closes and the tube-tram pulls away to its next destination--you can’t quite make out what was said but you’ve the distinct impression you should have disembarked at the last stop-or perhaps even stayed in bed. It looked promising enough . . . the day, I mean. A little bit of jaunty, unpredicted crispness to the air but not so much as to be of concern--the sun was shining! Lovely day to go to London. Excepting that I was destined to not quite make it. (To be continued under: 'Trouble at Harpenden')

Edward C. James: 19 April 1942 - 04 February 2011.

Edward C. James

19 April 1942 - 04 February 2011.

Dear Papa,

Right about now, two years ago, I was boarding a flight for the United States at Heathrow. I remember rushing to be with you; thinking that if I could just get there fast enough, I could change what had happened. Going through the motions of notifying my supervisors, travel arrangement, packing, baggage check . . . when security questioned the haste of my preparations and why I was making the trip, I couldn’t find the words to answer them. It was impossible to comprehend that you were gone. It still is. 

I know you are beyond reading letters but I want the world to know what a magnificent man you were and how grateful and proud I have always been that you were my father. I miss you every day.

Mom and I love you always, Papa; ‘Noster Nostri’.

Excerpt from the 2011 Obituary:

Edward Charles James, 68, of Wapato, passed away in his sleep on February 4, 2011.  He was born at home in Fayetteville, NC, to Eddie James and Lucille Smith James on 4/19/1942, the eldest of four children.  Because they were a military family, Edward moved often.  In his youth, his parents instilled in him the importance and love of learning.  His mother bought him a set of encyclopedias that he read A to Z, and his father took him to historical sites all over the world, fostering his passion for history. He attended Edwards Military Institute in Salemburg, NC. In 1959 Edward went with his father to live in Germany, remaining until 1964.  Friendships developed there have lasted his lifetime.

On 6/26/1966, Edward married his cherished Wilaalík, Mary Cecil Johnson.  The ceremony was delayed 2 hours until his father arrived from a tour of duty in Korea.  After their marriage they lived in Tacoma near the university where they met.  His daughter Kirstin was born there and made her stage debut on campus at nine months of age.  Her bedtime stories were whatever university text her father happened to be studying, be it Chinese language and culture, Roman army formations, or stage lighting. In 1974, Edward graduated from Central Washington University with BA, majoring in military history with a double minor in anthropology and theatre.

The family lived in Ellensburg from 1973 through 1990, where Edward began his career as a forest warden and then forest fire-fighting crew supervisor with DNR (Department of Natural Resources), continuing until his retirement in 2005. An expert in martial arts from his military training, Edward also trained in karate starting in 1975, eventually achieving a black belt, after which he founded the Kittitas County School of Karate and taught Doshinkan and Shudokan Karate-Do. Moving to Wapato in 1990, Edward became active with friends he met in the Yakama Nation.  As one of Virginia Beavert’s first students at Heritage University, he learned to speak the Yakama dialect of the Sahaptin language, and eventually taught classes.  Edward was an associate member and Historian of the Yakama Warriors Association and the Marine Corps League.  He took these commitments extremely seriously and considered it a true honor to be associated with these groups and share his knowledge of military history.

The family suggests that remembrances in Edward’s honor may be made to Yakama Warriors Association’s Scholarship Fund or to the Marine Corps League for service projects.

Edward C. James Funeral Services: February 8, 2011; Order of Service

1.  Tony Washines                                  Seven Drums Ceremony                   

2.  Victor Wood                                      Coordinator of Service Eulogy and Comments for Yakama Warriors  

3.  Ed Falter                                            Comments for Marine Corps League Washington State Commandant

4.  Loren Corpuz                                    Yakama Warriors    Bugle: Battle Hymn of the Republic 

5. Dr. Virginia Beavert                           Beloved Friend and Sapsikw’ala

6. Family Speakers                                 Recollections from Family 

7. Ed and Sue Rousculp                          Recollections from Friends 

8. Mary C. and Kirstin A. James             In Memorium 

9. Military Honors                                  Yakama Warriors Association and the Marine Corps League

10. Loren Corpuz                                    Bugle: Taps

11. Tom Redfeldt,  Yakima-Kittitas Commandant, Marine Corps League.  

12. Presentation of shell cases and Flag.