I looked into Pirandello because of his fame as a Nobel Prize winning author. I read "The Late Mattia Pascal" which was OK but nothing special. I came across a book of his short stories titled "The Naked Truth" and I became immediately aware of the power of this author. I realized that he is known for his plays but these stories of the rural Sicilian society were outstanding. I immediately sent for this book to pick up where the others left off. Unfortunately, these stories are not in the same class as the others. They are OK but, after reading the other book, I felt let down. Still there is some good writing in here. I did enjoy "It's not to be Taken Seriously" and several others. However, these stories seemed more of mainland Italian urban society and, thus, lacked the unique flavor of the others. I suggest you read this book and pay special attention to the story "The Fly". It was the one story from the other book that was repeated in this one. In it I believe you will see the type of story I previously found so impressive.

I had heard a lot ab out GWTW before I ever had a chance to see it. When I was young, there was still a ban on showing GWTW on TV. That wasn't a ban that the TV stations imposed, it was a ban imposed by the movie's producers. I can imagine their feeling that TV was beneath the dignity of this movie. Frankly my dear, I think they were right. Thus even though it was in the 1960's, I saw GWTW in a movie theater (it made the rounds every so often and not because it was digitally remastered). This is one of the greatest movies of all time and arguably the best epic of all times. It has everything, directing, acting, script, cineamatography, sound, music, you name it. I used to listen to the soundtrack periodically and even it would give me goosebumps.

It is a movie about the South; before, during, and after the Civil War. There have been many detractors about the misrepresentation of this theme, especially of its' portaryal of Blacks (a number of slaves portrayed seemed quite content with their lot). Nonetheless, it was a record-breaking picture in that the first Black thespian to receive an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel in her outstanding role as "Mammy". This was in 1939 after all, the tone of the movie was to be expected; the awarding of the Oscar was not. In this day and age of everything needing to be politically correct, we loose sight of the fact that some art forms prefer to show a perspective rather than the "agreed upon" correct version. As a Yankee through and through, I take no umbrage at our portrayal in this movie. I realize that this is easier for me to say than for some groups. However, we are talking about a work of fiction.

The acting, as mentioned is terrific and many of the stars of the day were in the cast. Clark Gable was certainly the "Joe Cool" of his day. Vivian Leigh was outstanding as well in her coveted role as Scarlett O'Hara. The supporting cast was long and able. The scenes of Atlanta during the Civil War were gripping and technologically innovative in its' time.

While the subject was the South, the theme was romance and the electricity between Gable and Leigh was definitely high voltage. There were many scenes of great sadness in this movie and the audience seems even more involved in what happens than in most any other movie I can think of. We are all uncomfortable with the ending yet none of us wanted a sequel. We simply were left believing that Scarlett had the strength to eventually prevail.

If you haven't seen this movie, you are missing not just an excellent movie but one of the classics of American Cinema. Yes, it's long but it really doesn't seem so (and you'll have wanted it extended another 10-15 minutes to get the ending you wanted to see). The younger kids might fall asleep and the teenagers will claim that it's corny, but this really is a family movie. Maybe this is one you want to watch with your parents instead.

This movies has most elements of a good Western. It has cowboys and Indians, a stagecoach robbery, a shootout, the man (and woman) against nature theme, and much much more. Most of all, it has a great script, strong directing, and outstanding acting. Just about all of the characters are memorable for their performances but the soul of this movie is Paul Newman. His character is that of the quiet yet strong man who shares his thoughts with no one and takes no guff from anyone. The bad guy in this movie is nearly as memorable in the person of Richard Boone. He is about as evil a character as you will find in a G rated movie.

Then story is that of a man (Mr. Randall) who was raised on an Apache reservation in the Arizona Territory. He inherits some money and property and sets off to check out a different life style. On the way, he meets up with a diverse group of people on a stagecoach leaving town. Bad things happen but the only man who seemed equipped to handle things is Mr. Randall, played by Paul Newman. The movie explores the nature of good and evil which recalls the old Woody Guthrie line, "Some will rob you with a six-gun and some with a fountain pen". The movie also contrasts the values of the "savage" with that of civilization and you can probably guess who comes out ahead. This movie does not have a happy ending which is not unusual for a modern Western. Yet there is a true feeling that Good has prevailed.

This movie mixes plenty of action and thought-provoking situations and is a good movie for the whole family to enjoy.

I saw this movie when it first came out to the theaters. I had been fore-warned about some "unsettling" scenes at the beginning of the movie. Indeed, there is a graphic depiction of the horrors of war that should leave all viewers ill at ease (to say the least). Many people may object to these scenes. I came to the conclusion that Spielberg intended to give his audience a glimpse of the horror and chaos of war. I believe that he did so, not so much to shock us, but to give us a greater appreciation of what our veterans endured in times of war (and that, in turn, IS shocking). If this movie had accomnplished nothing else, it deserves our appreciation for that one aspect. I think that we at home appreciate the risk and the sacrifices that our men and women in the military services accept. We just never got such a lesson in what they went through before. Imagine having to keep your wits about you when all that carnage is happening all around you to people you know and care about. I think that this movie will be shown regularly on Memorial Day and Veterans Day as well it should.

That issue aside, there is a lot more to this movie and, again, it all points towards honoring the commitment of our men in uniform. The very beginning of the movie sets us up for the idea that we are seeing this movie from the perspective of a veteran. The story evolves that a group of soldiers are asigned a special task during the D-Day invasion aftermath. The assignment itself seems impossible and there are times that a number of the men want to quit. This serves as a reminder that soldiers aren't consulted on their missions, they simply go out and do what they are required to do, regardless of how much sense it makes. Ultimately, the men, and the movie, reach a climatic point and we are reminded again about the horrors of war. The movie concludes back in the present with a moving scene that shows the depth of the camaraderie of men that served in combat together.

This movie boasts many things including outstanding acting and direction. The special effects, as mentioned, are outstanding. There is a message about combat that is disturbing but very honest. We see men doing things that appear very wrong to us sitting in our comfortable seats. We see men who rise to the task as well as men who fail to meet the task. This reminds us all that these soldiers are men who were called to battle. They are like us but we are not like them. They are in the arena and we are not. What would we have done, how would we have coped, how would our comrades remember us? All these questions are thrust at us and it underscores the message of the film; we have always lived amongst heroes who went off to war and quietly came back home. Watch this movie and you will be better able to appreciate the veterans in your community.

After the Gosepl of Luke, the best Christmas story I've come upon is Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol". I have to admit that I've never actually read the book but I feel as if I know it for all the movie and TV versions of it that I have seen. By far the best one the Alastair Sim version which is titled "A Christmas Carol" but also shows up occassionally as "Scrooge" (the opening credits show "A Christmas Carol" and the closing credits show "Scrooge").

I am probably a bit biased in my preference for this version because it was the first one I saw. As a young boy, I was very much impressed by the story and especially by Alastair Sim's portrayal of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Sim doesn't have to yell or boil over to convey the right image. His sneering looks of disdain and rude rebuttals are enough to give you the measure of the man. Likewise, after his visit with the three Christmas spirits, his metamorphasis as a redeemed believer is a joy to watch. The way his joy bubbles over in his giddy behavior is most memorable. The other actors, mostly unknown names to American movies audiences, all fit their roles very well.

The special effects are about what you could expect from a 1951 English movie. However, that is just as well because the story, not the visual effects, are what we are focussed on. After all, the beauty of Dickens's story doesn't require any glitz. I feel that this version does the best job of delivering story that to the audience. If you haven't seen it before, you really need to. Don't be put off by the black and white film, enjoy the story as it was meant to be presented.

Back in the 70's I went to see "It's a Wonderful Life" at a theatre that specialized in old movies. I hadn't heard much about this one but I thought I'd take a chance since it boasted both Jimmy Stewart and Frank Capra. What a major surprize that screening turned out to be. It was as though someone had dug up a previously forgotten movie on par with "The Wizard of Oz". I don't know how this movie drifted into obscurity for so many years but it has really busted out of it now, hasn't it!

What this movie offers is a solid family experience with a lesson for all. At first it seems like just another "good" movie as we see the life of a young man (Gearge Baily) being recounted by some angels up in heaven. All seems well but it also appears that the weight of the world keeps getting added to George Baily's back one pound at a time. In time this happy life reaches a breaking point and then we start to see the real beauty of the story. George Baily's guardian angel, Clarence, grants him his wish to see what life would be like if he (George Baily) had never been born. Now all those minor and major incidents in George's life that we saw in the first two thirds of the movie suddenly take on a very special meaning. We see how those things affected the lives of so many people and (this IS a Capra movie afterall) always for the better. In case you haven't seen this movie, I'll leave the plot hanging there. The ending is truly heart-warming.

This movie has a lot going for it besides the plot. The directing is terrific as is usually the case in a Frank Capra movie. The acting is terrific with Stewart taking the lead as George Baily. Henry Travers may have been a lesser known character actor in his other roles but he achieved immortality (forgive the pun) as Clarence ASC. Donna Reed is well-cast as the girl-next-door who grew up to be Mrs. George Baily. Lionel Barrymore is terrifically sinister in the role of Old Man Potter. There are plenty of others who make this movie great. Indeed, the nature of the plot has a seemingly record number of role-players who are essential to the story.

If you haven't yet seen this movie, then you have been missing a real treat. When you do get around to seeing it, I recommend that you see it from the start. It's really impressive the way everything eventually fits together so neatly. This movie is like a warm hug on a sad day. It will really pick you up!

I don't know what your favorite TV show is but mine has ALWAYS been "The Twilight Zone". It bothered me that for years we could get "Gilligan's Island" re-runs but there were never any of "The Twilight Zone". I hadn't seen an episode for over 35 years so I finally decided to check out their availability on DVD (after all, my teen-age daughter has all of the episodes of "Friends" on DVD). The price was a bit steep but I came into some extra money and took the plunge. I have been completely satisfied with this package of 36 episodes on a set of 9 DVDs. After I ordered it, I talked them up to my 11 year old son who looked forward to watching them with me. He was impressed as well. I mention that because today's youth seem overly focused on modern technology and these episodes left a lot to your imagination.

"The Twilight Zone" was a unique TV series that mixed excellent writing (mostly by Rod Serling, himself, in the early seasons), good acting, challenging social issues, and stories that were unsettling if not downright scary. Many of those episodes stayed with me decades after I had seen them; far more than from any other TV show. I watched "Outer Limits", "The Alfred Hitchcock Show" and others. They were very good as well but "Twilight Zone" was always a notch above. Even now, knowing how many of these episodes would turn out, I was impressed by the quality of the product. What surprized me was how excellent they all were. There were some that were in a class by themselves but all were worthwhile. "Monsters are Due on Maple Street" was always my favorite and it is in this collection along with such all-time favorites as Burgess Meredith's classic "Time Enough at Last", William Shatner in "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", Jack Warden in "The Lonely", "To Serve Man", and Billy Mumy in the haunting "It's a Good Life". However, my favorite episode now is "Walking Distance" in which Gig Young discovers why you can't go home again. Many of the messages in these stories are timeless.

I saved up some money and am ready to order the next set. My son is as anxious to see them as I am.

For those of you who enjoyed "Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen" and "Roads", this is a briefer introspective work by the same author. This time he's vacationing in the South Seas while taking a break from the mental anguish of watching his mother slowly pass on. We start with a lot of family history and assume that this will be the theme. Then we go off in a different tangent as the book becomes something of a cynical tourist guide to the Marquesa Islands. Ultimately we find ourselves at a very appropriate ending.

This book, even more so than the other two aforementioned books, is something of a free verse of observations by the author. One comes away wondering why this book was written and I guess my impression that it was more for the author than for us. We are able to follow, somewhat, McMurtry's attempts to resolve some of his inner feelings as he knows his mother is slowly drifting away (albeit several thousand miles away). Yet at the same time, his observations about his trip and fellow travelers confuse us as to the depth of any of his feelings. Perhaps that is the point; a man who is at one of those points in life where life itself is a numbing sensation.

Should you read this book? Probably not unless you, like many of McMurtry's literary aficionados, enjoy getting to know the author a bit better. Otherwise it is just a journal of a trip. And it's a trip that the reader has to feel would have been more enjoyable if we rather than McMurtry were the ones taking it. Nonetheless, I'm glad I read it.

"A River Runs Through It" is a very enjoyable trio of stories in which the author recalls people and events surrounding his early days in US Forest Service. Many will recall a Robert Redford movie of the same title some years ago. The stories are well-written and it is not surprizing to learn that the author was a University of Chicago English professor. They take place in a time period shortly after WWI when the author was a young man.

The title story tells of the author's recollections of fishing with his brother. Avid fly-fishermen will especially enjoy this piece although there is plenty in it for everyone. His brother was a somewhat rough character (or, at least, he associated with rough characters). We meet a number of "rough" characters in these stories through the eyes of the not-so-rough author. I found this to be an interesting way to become acquainted with these individuals; something like what used to be called "slumming". In all the stories amid all the rough and tumble people and activities, we always get a good sence of the author's respect and appreciation of nature. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether nature is interfering with the action or vice versa.

The second story is about a man the author worked with in the Forest Service. This man saws trees in the summer and pimps in the winter. Again we get an interesting look at the sort of person we're not likely to run into ourselves.

The final story tells of a group of Forest Service employees who work a long summer together and then head into town in the Fall to make a killing at the poker table. They have a system all set up and we watch as the author takes us through a pretty wild night on the town. In the end, the author's mates return to their job and the author heads out in a more civilized direction.

I enjoyed this book as I also enjoyed "Young Men and Fire". The latter books advertized that it was written by the author of "A River Runs Through It". Maybe it was because of the movie. Personally, I think that any future editions of "A River Runs Through It" should be advertized as being written by the author of "Young Men and Fire". The latter was the better book although both are very good. In either book the author takes us to a place that had an important effect on him and gives us a sense of why that was.

Most people probably think of Baseball's first commissioner when they hear "Kennesaw Mountain". However, it was also a significant battle in the US Civil War. As the title suggests, it took place in June, 1864 and was part of Sherman's advance on Atlanta. What makes this book a cut above most of the rest of the many Civil War books is the author's heavy reliance on first-person accounts of the battle. Richard Baumgartner has made extensive use of letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, and the like to essentially let them tell the story. He does a masterful job of weaving them together with just enough of his own writing to keep things going in the right direction. He has editted in some fascinating accounts and personal recollections. They are informative as well as touchingly personal. He also fills us in with some helpful biographical information and follow up information on what later happened to some of his "contributors". In the end we are left with a very up-close look at a battle that shouldn't have happened and an excellent understanding of why.

If I have a criticism of the book it is with the annotation on its' cover, "Illustrated with 175 Wartime Photographs". Well over 90% of these are individual and group portraits with very little of the battlefield itself. As a final, personal note, I bought this book to read more about a battle my great great grandfather was in. It was with great pleasure that I found him quoted along with the many other participants. I mention this because it fits the general feeling I got that reading this book acquaints the reader with a great many "real" people.