Sunday, December 05, 2010


Saturday evening I was comfortably ensconced in my bed reading James R. Benn’s second Billy Boyle WWII mystery, The First Wave. It was around 11:30. My wife said, “Alex, can you turn on your computer I need to print something.”  She then produced two tickets to the movies and infromed  me that today Sunday we were going to see The King’s Speech at 10 am but that we needed to be at the Park (on Cambie) a little bit after nine because they served bagels, cream cheese, muffins, tea and coffee (plus I presumed, ugh! Popcorn in the morning, ugh!)

At the door I noticed that most of the crowd, almost made me feel young again, and there was Leonard Schein with that big smile of his telling us to step right in if we already had our e-tickets.



Schein told us that another sold-out ( I never knew this Sunday series had been going on for at least five years) Sunday performance had been Stephen Frears’ The Queen with Helen Mirren and James Cromwell. It was obvious that we folks has established a pattern of preference!

I will not attempt to review The King’s Speech except to say that if Geoffrey Rush not only gets nominated for a supporting (?) Oscar and does not get it there is truly (and Mr. Dawkins would agree) no God. Colin Firth is superb as is Helena Bonham Carter as the future Queen Mother. I almost missed the short but arresting performance of Claire Bloom as Queen Mary, Consort .

Rosemary left the theatre (I was a bit sleepy) but I kept humming that second movement of Beethoven’s second Symphony which is the music in the background of the King’s Speech when Colin Firth indeed finally manages to speak into a microphone with almost no stammer. Both the film and Beethoven have their crescendo just about there.

When Rosemary suggested we might come to see the next British film on this coming Sunday I did not tell her what I told her Saturday night, “The movies on Sunday morning! You must be joking!”

When I had my short chat with Leonard Schein he told me (when I reminded him of that picture that I took of him at the Ridge for Vancouver Magazine so long ago). My hair is mostly gone.” I should have added, “But your smile and enthusiasm for movies is still there.”

Below you will find a small but I would point our regal connection, that  I once had with one of the actors in The King's Speech, Helena Bonham Carter.  She could well play Catherine of Aragon some day as her Spanish is perfect.

Addendum from Mr. Leonard Schein:

Thanks again for this and your kind words. The picture on top of the Ridge is Allen Stevens, not me, however.
yours,
Leonard