Perfection is not an aim.

Danny Boyle on David Lean "[Lean] dominates the British landscape in a way that I think is unhealthy really.  He was a perfectionist and I'm not sure that the pursuit of perfection is what it's about really.  I think it's about expression, not perfection... I find that perfection a little bit glossy at times really." (from an interview with Danny Boyle in the Guardian - I have searched online and cannot find the article this came from, I should the have kept the paper copy!)

I wrote this down at the time because it stuck in my head in reference to the Free Cinema Manifesto which Lindsay Anderson wrote:

“No film can be too personal…
Perfection is not an aim.
An attitude means a style.
A style means an attitude.”

Lindsay Anderson, Free Cinema Manifesto from the 1956 Free Cinema Programme

I'm with Lindsay Anderson and Danny Boyle on this one, perfection is definitely not what it's about!

New book on music collector Alan Lomax

"It still remains for us to learn how we can put our magnificent mass communications technology at the service of each and every branch of the human family." - Alan Lomax


This aim was something that Alan Lomax worked towards his whole life, using technology to make field recordings of grassroots music, dance and song throughout America and abroad.  He founded the Association for Cultural Equity to promote his belief that every culture has the need to express and develop its distinctive heritage. In addition to his position as an ethnographic music collector and then head of the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress Alan Lomax was also well known as an author, folklorist, radio broadcaster, filmmaker, concert and record producer and as a television host.

This book The Man who Recorded the World about Alan Lomax is on my 'to buy' list for this year as I have a feeling it's a book that I'd want to come back to again and browse through.  I have heard a lot about Alan Lomax, originally through my mum and her love of folk music, then I read America over the Water by Shirley Collins in which she travelled to America and worked as an assistant to Alan Lomax in his field recordings.

The Alan Lomax Collection is held at the American Folklife Centre.  There is a huge amount of material from the Archive online on the AlanLomaxArchive YouTube channel.

Danger! Danger!

Oh dear, the news that Liberty have opened a new stationery department in their store is something I've been trying to ignore but I. just. can't. do. it. anymore. - I've caved. I've looked at pictures, salivated over notebooks, wrapping paper, notelets etc and now I'm going to have to go visit!  There's some particularly enticing photo's at The Women's Room.  My husband has endured stationery shops throughout the world for me as I just can't walk past one without going in - though I think the Liberty experience may have to be undertaken alone so I can spend as long, and as much, as I like!

Image from the Liberty blog

Using Wordle for Archives

Yes, I know I'm coming slightly late to the party but I've just discovered the fun of using Wordle for Archive Collections - it's great!  At lunchtime today I've been experimenting with entering the text from a number of small film collections (such as the example below).  This means that you get an overview of the main subjects, places and names which appear in these films.  I haven't worked out yet if there's a way to stop a word from appearing more than once so if anyone knows if there is a way to do this then please let me know.  As well as being eye-catching and nice to look at I think Wordle could be very useful, for highlighting the places or subjects which are discussed, or in the case of film archives shown, in a particular collection.  It could also give a general overview of the content of an entire archive, a filmmaker, a particular project - anything you want to highlight from your collections really... it's also quite an enjoyable way to while away a hour or so!

The examples below are from the text of my cataloguing for four films by Antony Clover, an amateur filmmaker from Portsmouth.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone!  I was thinking of writing a list of New year's resolutions but decided against this when I realised I hadn't done half the ones I set out last year.  2010 was a very busy year with lots of happy times, and some sad too.  Here's to a year of new and happy experiences in 2011.

I don't have the TCM television channel but if I did I'd be tuning in on Sunday 11th January (it said Sunday 11th on their website but have just checked an online TV Guide and it is actually on Saturday 15th January at 1.10pm and again at 5am) as they will be screening Lindsay Anderson's The Whales of August (1987).  This film is available on DVD but has never had a UK release so it can be difficult and pricey to get hold of.   It is one of my favourite Lindsay Anderson films so this is as much of an excuse as I need to post a lovely photo of Lindsay Anderson with the wonderful Lillian Gish.

Lindsay Anderson and Lillian Gish on set of The Whales of August, LA/1/11/4/2
© Lindsay Anderson Collection, University of Stirling Archives