Two From Today

[coalescent]

Almost immediately after I'd finished reading immortalradical's review of Closer (and disagreeing with it, without having seen the film myself), there was a segment on Today in which two critics discussed how it compared to the original play. Some interesting comments about what makes a good adaptation--and I didn't even know that it originally was a play (did anyone see it?), still less that one of the characters who lives in the film died on the stage.

A little earlier, in a segment that seems to be lacking a direct link, they were talking about a competition intended to bring together science and poetry, as part of a series of events marking a hundred years since the publication of Einstein's seminal work. They had pterry on, reading his poem, although I prefer Jim Al-Khalili's; other offerings on the website include one by Beaker and Bunsen:

But for those who think science is dull, dry and dreary,
Beakie and I have an alternate theory…
Whether you’re five or the square root of fifty,
Science, say we, is empirically nifty.

Comments

[akicif.livejournal.com]

I like this pair, which I first saw together in A Random Walk in Science:

Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night:
God said, "Let Newton be!" and all was light.

Alexander Pope

It did not last: the Devil howling, "Ho. Let Einstein be!"
restored the status quo.

JC Squire

I'm not sure it's possible to recommend A Random Walk in Science too highly.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'd heard the first of those, but not the second. Sounds like a book I should seek out. :)

[tinimaus.livejournal.com]

That last bit of the Al-Kalili poem is just so beautiful

"I’m just frozen energy, see; here for a short while
From a bright supernova all my atoms did drop
How wonderful these thoughts are…… but I must wake up
I’m back on the train, and just I’ve reached my stop."

Thanks for making me read that.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I really like the sentiment of the poem; though I think sometimes it reads a little clunkily, it does a good job of conveying that ol' sensawunda. :)

Thanks for making me read that.

I have occasionally considered forcing people to read the things I link to, but I haven't started yet. :-p

[tinimaus.livejournal.com]

You mean there weren't any subliminal messages? *decides to check her medication levels*

[cellardoor28.livejournal.com]

interestingly (to me anyway), in the original stage play clive owen was playing the jude law role. would have been interesting to compare and contrast. (oh, and patrick marber rocks. i need to go break out my old day today dvds).

[wg.livejournal.com]

I realised watching the film that I have seen the play in Birmingham, though I can't place exactly when (must be pre-Dan) or remember much about it. Most frustrating. We saw his Dealers Choice at the Rep a couple of years ago, and it was very good.