So what caused the distraction this time? Well there a several things .To begin with a posting on Facebook from The Daily Mail by Michael Shearing entitled, I lost my phone inside a cow! It's an article about mobile phone insurance claims. The title comes from a claim by a farmer who was trying to help a cow give birth and was using the light on his phone, to do what he needed to do. Without being too graphic, the farmer managed during the process, apparently, to drop the phone inside the cow. I just hope there weren't any calls or text messages! This reminded of a list of hilarious car insurance claims I've got somewhere in the BOA house. They make wonderful reading. . . 'I was parking my car and a tree suddenly jumped out at me and made me swerve into the other vehicle'. I've had the list for ages and never used it. Now's my chance. Watch this space. Then there was the late night news round-up on Southern TV when I was down in Sussex with Mike one time, which included a report about a man who had been arrested one evening, after knocking down a cow while on his pedal bike. And then running over it! How? The cow survived but had an interesting kink! This story remains a complete mystery.
Then I remembered my own mobile phone moments, all of which happened while I was still working in the theatre. I'd phoned one of my technicians from my mobile on his mobile, not knowing that he'd given his phone to an actor to rehearse with. So I managed to phone up in the middle of a rehearsal at the most perfect moment by all accounts, which had the cast in hysterics and they had to stop. Another time I was on tour in Scotland, in a restaurant with the company on what was now our night off. I'd gone to the loo - a modernised block of six metallic cubicles which after I'd arrived, were all occupied. My mobile phone went off. It was so loud, that all the little metal boxes resounded with laughter, as I tried to discuss in a whisper, details of a company call my boss wanted the following day, over breakfast. I could only imagine what it must have sounded like, me whispering 'I'm on the loo and everyone's listening'. The incident at the Barbican was the worst. Me of all people! After a hefty day of rehearsals I had gone to see a show and had forgotten to switch my mobile off. No phonecalls, but the battery was low, and so of course in the middle of the action, it started bleeping. I couldn't get at it either until the interval as my bag had got wedged right under the seat with my coat in front of it. Never did it again mind you!
Then came a Ellen Generes clip, again on Facebook, which a uni pal of mine Debbie posted. I'm not saying any more. Just have a look at it if you've got a minute.
What I wanted to blog about is a French magazine I'm reading which has a whole series of features about French cinema. As I mentioned in an earlier blog we go to the cinema regularly in Chinon and thoroughly enjoy the mix of mainstream and art house movies. So reading a bit more about the history of French cinema has been really interesting.
So finally I am at the point where I was going to start. Although after all the earlier stuff, I'm not sure this really fits in. Anyway I found a really interesting article about the brothers Auguste et Louis Lumière who are credited with the development of film as a mass medium, using the camera-projector called a 'cinématograph 1' They were born 150 years ago on the 19th of October 1862. Their first public film showing was on the 28th December in Paris,1895. Entitled 'Workers leaving the factory' the film started at 7pm and ran for 50 seconds, in front of 33 people. The you tube link is a bit sticky. One of their other famous pieces is called L'Arroseur arrosé which runs for about 44 seconds. The affect on audiences to see moving images must have been quite astounding. The same when sound in movies arrived. For me such a moment was watching a man land on the moon - live broadcast. Quite amazing and something I'll never forget. Back to the Lumière brothers - their house and studio in Lyon is now a cinema and museum and attracts renowned cinéastes (film directors) from all over the world for talks, lectures etc.
A couple of brilliant inventors.
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