SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS
The Finesse of Classical Chinese Dance Expressing a wide array of characters with inner spirit.
Why Seeking Nirvana Is a Good Idea
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX/ TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION REGENCY ENTERTAINMENT USA, INC./MONARCY ENTERPRISES S.A.R.L.
‘The Revenant’ is a masterpiece of suffering; groundbreaking—if you can stomach it.
See C2
See C5 ALL PHOTOS BY PAUL KOLNIK/NEW YORK CITY BALLET
C1 December 11–17, 2015
Sara Mearns Artistry and Forbearance By Milene Fernandez | Epoch Times Staff
Sara Mearns as Odile in Peter Martins’s “Swan Lake.”
N
EW YORK—Sara Mearns is in constant conversation with her body. She’s intensely aware of her every step, turn, extension, leap, jump, landing, gesture, and expression. Every millisecond of dancing requires every cell of her body to be fully committed.
Sara Mearns in “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.”
It’s a rare privilege to see one of the most celebrated ballerinas of our time up close on a day like any other. In mid-November as she rehearsed sections of the very physically demanding roles of Dewdrop and the Sugarplum Fairy in “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,” she sweated and panted. The sound of her shoes on the studio floor was actually audible. She counted or hummed as she ran through the steps, remembering a sequence she has danced many times before.
See Sara Mearns on C4
C2
@EpochArts
December 11–17, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS
Shen Yun Performing Arts
The Finesse of Classical Chinese Dance
Profound Subtleties There’s more than one Shen Yun dance that features female dancers with silk sleeves, where
Date & Time Jan. 14 & 15 at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at 1:30 p.m.
NEW PAGODA S P E C I A LT Y I N C .
EXPERT ADVICE
On Color Combinations Of Mats And Framing Styles
Celebrate with Strauss Waltzes and Operetta Excerpts, featuring European Singers, Dancers and Full Orchestra!
Strauss Symphony of America DAVID GEFFEN HALL LINCOLN CENTER
CENTERCHARGE: 212.721.6500 lincolncenter.org VIP Tickets Available
The Roman Pantheon 19th Century engraving by Domenico Amici Stunning 1950’s platinum diamond bracelet that converts into individual brooches
Custom
& Archival Framing Antique, Modern & Contemporary Prints, Paintings & Photographs
Save 15%!* Use Promo Code EPOCH 20th Annual Performance in New York!
January 1, 2016 at 2:30 pm salutetovienna.com Info: 1.800.545.7807
Produced by:
*Some seating restrictions apply. While supply lasts. Not valid on previously purchased tickets.
40 W 25th St #103, New York, NY 10010 • (212) 645-1964 facebook.com/newpagodaspecialty
TS AR ING
Running Time 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission)
During the 2016 season, Shen Yun will make stops in over 100 cities worldwide. For more information about Shen Yun, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
RM
Lincoln Center David H. Koch Theater Tickets Online: ShenYun.com/NYC Hotline: 800-818-2393
FO
Shen Yun Performing Arts
ER
Daisy Wang, principal dancer, Shen Yun Performing Arts
dancers wear costumes made of long rolls of silk that unfold like rippling water when they perform. One silk-sleeve dance is not like the other. Even though both dances use silk sleeves, the mood in a Tibetan dance is vastly different from a water-sleeves dance. In the Tibetan dance, the silk sleeves are meant to show reverence for gods. “I think of the unrestricted feeling of life in the Himalayas,” said Wang, who has performed six consecutive tours with Shen Yun. On the contrary, water-sleeve dances that portray dancers in ancient imperial courts require a more polished aura. “This requires a more dignified bearing,” Wang said. “You’re dancing for the emperor.” Shen Yun performances also feature storybased dances that celebrate figures from Chinese history such as famous generals, poets, and ruling clans. The story-based dances also tell ancient Chinese legends, where performers emulate a variety of fairies and other mythical creatures. Does the bearing vary for different kinds of fairies? The answer is yes. “Heavenly fairies and undersea fairies have different bearings,” Wang said.
NP
Every dancer’s bearing is different. The bearing of each dance is different too.
Raising Awareness of Persecution Last season, Wang was a principal dancer in a dance called “The Power of Compassion.” The dance required a bearing that Wang found particularly meaningful. The dance was set in modern China, where adherents of a spiritual meditation practice called Falun Gong face severe persecution. It was an important dance to Wang because she is a Falun Gong practitioner herself. In the dance, Wang played a woman who was beaten by a police officer for meditating. When the officer accidentally shocked himself in the leg with an electric baton, she had a chance to escape. But she didn’t. Instead, she helped the crippled officer. She found the bearing for this character by thinking of Falun Gong’s spiritual principles: truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. “I believed that as long as my heart was in the right place I would never be limited,” she said. The dance concluded with a gesture conveying that forgiveness is more powerful than brute force.
YU
I
n classical Chinese dance, seemingly simple moves can express complex characters and emotions. A wave of the arm can symbolize veneration for the gods; a turn of the head can convey a profound internal conflict. This is done through a dancer’s bearing, or “yun.” Bearing is defined as the inner spirit. It consists of qualities that vary from emotions to breathing techniques to cultural traits. Classical Chinese dance is an extensive, independent system of dance that requires performers to master intricate leaps, jumps, and spins. Nonetheless, a dancer’s bearing is a distinguishing feature of classical Chinese dance. “Every dancer’s bearing is different,” said Daisy Wang, a principal dancer for Shen Yun Performing Arts. “The bearing of each dance is different too.” Shen Yun is a classical Chinese dance company based in New York. Since this form of dance has an exceptional capacity to express deep emotions, Shen Yun dancers can depict a myriad of characters from ancient to modern China. From celestial maidens to Manchurian princesses, Shen Yun dancers use bearing to bring mystical, historical, and modern personae to life on the stages of world-class theaters such as Lincoln Center in New York and Kennedy Center in Washington. Shen Yun will begin its global tour on Dec. 22.
Shen Yun Performing Arts principal dancer Daisy Wang.
EN
SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
By Amelia Pang | Epoch Times Staff
SH
Dressed in soft pink skirts and gossamer capes, the dancers as flower fairies seem elegant, airy, and almost weightless.
(212) 755-1516 133 East 54th Street, 2nd Floor www.PhyllisLucasGallery.com
Director: Michael Lucas Mon–Fri: 10am–5pm, Sat: 2–5pm
For our online art exhibitions search for Phyllis Lucas Gallery at: onekingslane.com % 1stdibs.com
C3
@EpochArts
December 11–17, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts S I BY L L E ’ S S T Y L E D I A RY ALL PHOTOS BY NTD TELEVISION
South Korean entertainment TV producer and host Hyesoo Yoon.
Hyesoo Yoon on Showing Your Personal Story Behind Your Clothes By Sibylle Eschapasse This week’s style diary guest is the lovely Hyesoo Yoon. The South Korean entertainment television producer and host, who resides in New York, tells us all about her personal style, and how style is not just about the clothes. Equally important is personality, attitude, lifestyle, and how we communicate all these things. Sibylle Eschapasse: Describe your style? If a close friend were to describe your personality in three words, what would they be? Hyesoo Yoon: I think I’m very influenced by the European style, so I love classy, chic, minimal, effortless, and natural styles. Actually I asked one of my best friends for this question and she said funny, trusting, and graceful. Otherwise she would also say that I’m gentle, intelligent, and loyal too. Ms. Eschapasse: How did your style evolve since you were a teenager? What is the wildest thing you ever wore? Ms. Yoon: I was very skinny so my mom always forced me to wear something that would cover my thin body shape, but fortunately she had pretty good taste. I started to try something more crazy (hip-hop, vivid colors, bold prints …) after I moved to China for high school. I used to go shopping as much as I could and tried various styles. That was definitely my style transition period! I think the wildest thing I ever wore was hot pink velvet sports pants and snake printed T-shirt (which was eventually thrown away by mother). Ms. Eschapasse: How do you dress on workdays versus weekends? Ms. Yoon: Even for work, if I have a shoot, I just wear a very different look. I wear more colorful pieces for TV, and especially if I meet celebrities, I tend to be more dressy and luxurious. I’ve wanted to wear items from many Korean designers for my show since it’s a Korean entertainment and cultural show, and Lie Sang Bong is one of my favorite and most worn designers. If I don’t have a shoot, I’m wearing outfits as comfortable as possible for production work and running for meetings. Jeans or leather pants, silk shirts, cashmere turtleneck sweaters, oversized coats or rider jackets. These are all I need for my workdays and for the weekend as well! I won’t wear makeup, but usually shades. Ms. Eschapasse: What are three accessories you can’t live without, and what’s one item that makes you instantly more confident? Ms. Yoon: Actually I don’t wear many accessories. … I like bracelets or rings but it’s always hard to find my size… (it should be XXXS). I love to wear cuffs or bangles a lot and some bold accessories, but just for shooting! Ms. Eschapasse: Who have been your greatest fashion influences? Who is your style icon? Ms. Yoon: Jane Birkin and Parisian fashion editors! Ms. Eschapasse: What does having style mean to you? In other words, please define style. Ms. Yoon: Style to me … well everyone has white T-shirts and jeans, but everyone wears them differently and looks different, because they have different stories behind them. So to me, style is not just about the clothes, but it’s about your personality, attitude, lifestyle, and how you communicate all of these things. Ms. Eschapasse: What is one purchase you’re most proud of? What would you pay a lot of money for, and what would you never pay much money for? Ms. Yoon: My Mulberry Lily bouclé tweed bag (I die for tweed). I’d pay a lot for classic, basic, wearable items that I can wear for a long time. I’m trying not to pay much for shoes since I
Style is not just about the clothes, but it’s about your personality, attitude, lifestyle, and how you communicate all of these things. Hyesoo Yoon
don’t tread carefully! (Good shoes can be worn out in just two days if I wore them!) But I still wouldn’t be able to leave if I go to the shoe salon in Saks or Bergdorf Goodman! Ms. Eschapasse: When you go on the red carpet, how do you want your outfit to make you feel? Which designers can achieve that? Ms. Yoon: Classic, chic, and confident. Definitely Lanvin and Valentino. Ms. Eschapasse: What do you think of how others dress and what’s your advice to people who would like to develop their personal style? Ms. Yoon: I used to judge how other people dress, but now I just try to see their good points since they have their own individual styles and beauty. Look at yourself in a positive way and find the good points about yourself to love, and if you also love your weak points, I’m sure others will see it as a uniqueness about you! Just keep trying to find something that can make you more attractive and remember to always be yourself!
Hyesoo’s Favorites Favorite color White Favorite perfume Hermès Un Jardin Sur Le Toit for summer, Roses De Chloé for spring, Balenciaga Florabotanica for fall and winter Favorite restaurant in NY All of Jean Georges’s restaurants (especially Mercer Kitchen) Favorite drink I don’t drink alcohol so usually tea or nonalcoholic cocktails with fruits or mint flavor Favorite movie “The Great Gatsby” (I know this movie got criticized a lot for storytelling, but I love Baz Luhrmann’s visual interpretation.) Favorite book “Zhuan Falun” Favorite quote “When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.” Sibylle’s “Style Diary” is a column that explores style from the perspective of choices, and what that means for different people, with personal advice from some of the most stylish people in New York.
Work means donning colorful, dressy, and often luxurious pieces for shoots.
Sibylle Eschapasse is from Paris and now lives in Manhattan. She is a journalist and a contributing writer to various publications. Sibylle is also the author of a children’s book, “Argy Boy!: A New York Dog Tale.” She may be reached at Sibylle.Eschapasse@gmail.com
Holiday Gift Guide Need help finding the perfect gift for him or her? Check out the NYC Holiday Gift Guide compiled by the Epoch Arts & Style team. www.EpochGift.com
C4
@EpochArts
December 11–17, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts PAUL KOLNIK/COURTESY OF NEW YORK CITY BALLET
Sara Mearns as Odette in Peter Martins’s “Swan Lake.”
Sara Mearns Artistry and Forbearance
Seeing something beautiful, listening to something beautiful, it’s what feeds your soul … it’s the other side of life. Sara Mearns BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
Sara Mearns continued from C1 In the middle of her solo rehearsal, she walked toward the mirror to take a good look at her reflection. Catching her breath during that brief pause, she seemed to be strengthening her resolve—giving herself a pep talk. Then she continued running through a part of Dewdrop’s dance. At the end of the rehearsal she wrapped up her torso with a big scarf and put on a sweatshirt to stay warm. “Sometimes your mind is telling you, ‘No I can’t get through this,’ but you actually can and your body can do it if you just push it that much further,” she said. Since joining New York City Ballet in 2004 and becoming a principal in 2008, Mearns has been performing main repertory dances for over a decade. “I know exactly what I have to do on stage, so rehearsal in the studio, it’s just running it and mentally not stopping,” she said. Even though she has performed “The Nutcracker” so many times before, she was still looking forward to dancing again the “Waltz of the Flowers”—one of the most iconic, and most easily recognizable parts of the ballet— this holiday season. “It’s big dancing, flying all over the place … just beautiful, sparkly, happiness, and joy … the whole time,” she said. Dewdrop is “definitely one of the most fun roles out of the Balanchine women’s repertoire,” she said.
NICK BENTGEN/COURTESY OF NEW YORK CITY BALLET
Sara Mearns (Right) Sara Mearns practices in a studio at Lincoln Center’s Rose Building on Nov. 19.
BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES
All for That Moment on Stage Her down to earth demeanor, her sweating and panting during rehearsals is so overt, but on stage it’s as if she turns into a different person. On stage her dancing looks effortless. All the repetition during hours of rehearsals comes to a stop, to bear fruit for the very brief time of the performance. On stage all her expressivity is released through every pore of her body, creating an alchemy that draws the audience in, enthralled. Her stage presence is riveting, her passion palpable. When she danced Odette and Odile in the latest New York City Ballet production of “Swan Lake” in September, the whole audience seemed to sigh and swoon in wonder. Mearns sparkles indeed. The physicality and mental concentration required for her to create that magic is the result of a bewildering amount of dedication, strength, and forbearance. She dances over 10 hours a day, six days a week. She said she’s motivated by a desire to achieve perfection. But even if perfection may be impossible to reach because the bar can always be raised, what ultimately motivates her is sharing her passion and the
Sometimes your mind is telling you, ‘No I can’t get through this,’ but you actually can and your body can do it if you just push it that much further.
WATCH A VIDEO and more photos at ept.ms/ SaraMearnsArtistry
Sara Mearns backstage before a performance of George Balanchine’s “Symphony in C.”
magic created on stage. Videos cannot convey the ephemeral quality of the live performance. Wowing the audience involves having something meaningful to express from the inside, something that can only be experienced and seen live. “What you are seeing in front of you is live, in the moment, and it will never happen again,” Mearns said. It is part of what she finds so special about performing. Every ballerina has her own musicality and strengths. For Mearns the artistry comes easily. “I’m just an emotional person anyway, so I really don’t have to work on that, but on the physical, athletic side of me, I have to really work, and work, and work to be confident on stage,” she said. Even when she’s having a bad day or her body may be hurting somewhere, the moment when she steps on the stage, none of that matters. She found it hard to explain in words that transitory moment. She hears the music, feels the lights, the atmosphere, and the audience. As a principal carrying the story of the entire ballet, all of her hard work is focused on expressing the character she’s performing. “You just step into this kind of mystical, magical place,” she said. “Swan Lake” has been Mearns’s favorite ballet since she was 10 years old, and the first ballet she danced as a principal when she was 19. “I really know how to go to that extreme emotional place with that character and I know exactly what she is going through every moment of that ballet. So if you don’t understand what she going through in the second act when she first meets the prince, you are not going to feel what you feel at the end when everybody is crying and you are completely devastated. You are at that emotional peak of everything,” she said. Mearns has performed in “Swan Lake” for 10 years. This year it was a much different experience for her. Her coach Albert Evans passed away in the summer. “It was a very surreal experience. … Also I’m a different person, I’m older, my body is different, all of that, so it was even more emotional for me this time,” she said. On Pointe Ballerinas are like professional athletes, but have to have artistry on top of it all. “Football players or tennis players don’t have to look pretty, but we have to look beautiful until the last moment,” she said. Mearns has been on pointe for 22 years since she was 7 1/2 years old. “I could be on pointe
shoes all day long and not care, but in high heels, I can’t even keep them on when I’m sitting down, they hurt so bad. So I would rather be in these things all day long, for 12 hours, than be in high heels,” she said while holding one of her pointe shoes. Like tires for a Formula One racecar that barely last one race, her handcrafted bespoke pointe shoes last three rehearsals, at most. Ballet is a high-risk athletic art. Although she takes every precaution to prevent injury, still she could not have anticipated that the shoe on her turning and jumping foot would bust open in her first entrance in “The Nutcracker” on Nov. 27. She had no support on that foot for the entire performance of Dewdrop. The next day on Instagram she shared a photo of her feet standing on the beach at the ocean’s edge, and wrote: “Thinking healing thoughts today, the repercussions and pain from my busted shoe on Friday night were much more than expected. Will be back next week!” On Dec. 3, to the delight of all her fans, she was on stage again dancing effortlessly. It was a minor set back compared the eightmonth hiatus she had to take a few years ago after a back injury. Yet Mearns is realistic and positive. At that time she said she realized she had been in a bubble for too long. “I was younger, I didn’t know any better, I didn’t know anything different, and obviously ballet is my life, but I was getting too wrapped up in it and too sucked into my own problems there so, this [time away from the company] gave me a release to go out in the world and actually have dinner with friends and go to concerts, listen to music, and see theater, and actually do things. … I just became a real person again,” she said. She wouldn’t wish injuries to happen to anybody, but if it does happen she said, “It might be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.” She had more time to be an audience member herself, to experience the other side of the stage. Reflecting on the performing arts Mearns said, “Sports might be more exciting because it’s a competition, or somebody wins, but I don’t think you’ll get the same experience as going to a live performance. Whatever you are seeing, that will never happen again. Seeing something beautiful, listening to something beautiful, it’s what feeds your soul … it’s the other side of life.” “This Is New York” is a feature series that delves into the lives of inspiring individuals in New York City. See all our TINYs here:epochtim.es/ TINY or follow @milenefernandez on Twitter.
C5
@EpochArts
December 11–17, 2015 MICH
TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts AL DA
Book Review
“Black Broadway: African Americans on the Great White Way” by six-time Tony Awardwinning producer Stewart F. Lane is the perfect gift for theater lovers. It will enlighten readers about the racial history of New York and important theatrical figures of the past and present. The book is also invaluable for the 300 photographs (many of which are in color), posters, and other memorabilia, reproduced on high-quality paper. Running along the bottom of each page is a chronology of events relating to the country’s racial history. For example, relevant to the current controversy about Woodrow Wilson is the fact that, after he took office as president, he segregated federal workplaces and either fired or downgraded black workers, a policy that continued until FDR’s administration. Among the many facts that readers will pick up from this book is that Broadway was named the Great White Way because it was among the earliest streets to be illuminated by electric lights. For more than a century, even in the supposedly enlightened North, African-Americans were excluded from working in or even attending plays. William Brown opened the African Grove Theatre in 1821 at the corner of Mercer and Bleecker streets when the downtown neighborhood was known as “Little Africa.” Playbill lists the ambitious program for an evening: songs, followed by Shakespeare’s “Richard III” starring James Hewlett, and ending with a pantomime and ballet. The entertainment was described as being “for Ladies and Gentlemen of Colour … by persons of Coulour.” A section was reserved in the back for white spectators, some of whom were hired by a rival white theater owner to disrupt performances. The policemen called to the scene arrested cast members rather than the wrongdoers, a reminder that discrimination in law enforcement has a long history in this country.
NIEL
Black Lives Matter on Stage By Barry Bassis
Brown’s own work, “The Drama of King Shotaway,” about a slave revolt in the Caribbean, is considered the first play written and produced by an African-American. Ira Aldridge got his start at the Grove, but he moved on to achieve greater fame in Europe. Between the mid-1820s and his death in 1867, he played leading Shakespearean roles in the British Isles and on the Continent. The minstrel show was a popular form of entertainment throughout the 19th and into the 20th century. During the 1820s, Thomas Darkmouth “Daddy” Rice created an offensive stereotyped character he played named Jim Crow. This became the byword for the laws that later enforced racial segregation. Although the minstrel shows were started by whites, eventually African-American performers joined the troupes. While they had to participate in the humiliating comedy portions of the shows, they also had a chance to interject some of their own culture. One such figure was William Henry Lane, who was called Master Juba after the dance he created that combined European and African rhythms. He is considered the father of tap dance. James Bland, another performer in minstrel shows, became the first prominent black composer of popular music. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s popular novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was written with the intention of exposing the evils of slavery. Many theatrical versions ensued without the author’s involvement. Some completely altered the plot so as not to offend Southern sympathizers. In the late 19th century, Sissieretta Jones, a singer with an operatic voice, had a minstrel troupe called Black Patti’s Troubadours. (Jones was called Black Patti after a famous opera singer at the time, Adelina Patti.) Jones appeared at Madison Square Garden but was never permitted to perform on any operatic stage or with a symphony orchestra. From the 1880s until the 1930s, vaudeville
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION/REGENCY ENTERTAINMENT USA, INC./MONARCY ENTERPRISES S.A.R.L.
‘The Revenant’ Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Paul Anderson, Lukas Haas, Grace Dove Running Time 2 hours, 36 minutes Rated R Release Date Jan. 8, 2016 Will Poulter portrays legendary mountain man Jim Bridger in “The Revenant.”
Film Review
Why Seeking Nirvana Is a Good Idea By Mark Jackson | Epoch Times Staff “The life of man is one of continual fear, danger of violent death, and is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Philosopher Thomas Hobbes said that; I tweaked it. Little did Hobbes know that his famous phrase would become a precognitive, one-sentence film-review for a moving picture made 365 years into his future, called “The Revenant.” Oh yes. Based on a true story, it’s a masterpiece of suffering; it’s Robert Redford’s “Jeremiah Johnson” on steroids—a massive, muckcrawling, muddy-bearded, raw-meat-strewn, morose mess of hypothermic hatchet-versusknife-fighting, flintlock-swinging, ursine destruction, and wheezing-grunting-snarling madness—wherein Leonardo DiCaprio’s Hugh Glass displays for our “entertainment” the Hobbesian creed to perfection. If DiCaprio is ever going to win the statuette, this is his best shot at it. That is to say, it’s a groundbreaking film; it’s very excellent! That is, if you can stomach it. This is not your date movie. This is your manly tale of revenge, sheer willpower, and desperate survival. Military men, firemen, Alaskan crab-fisherman, Alaskan bush pilots, and Alaskan Coast Guard rescue-swimmers will all love it. Everybody else: stay home. You’ve been warned.
BILLY ROSE THEATRE DIVISION, THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
‘Revenant’ Means Zombie, Sort Of A ‘Revenant’ is a “a person who returns from the dead.” DiCaprio, as mentioned, plays reallife frontiersman Hugh Glass, a navigator for a crew of hunter-trappers up in the uncharted, 1820s Dakotas, which was very much then (as the military still calls enemy territory to this day), Indian country. We meet the trappers stalking elk, in a brilliant location—choice of gurgling thaw-water flooded trees, where birdsong, elk—call, and expert camera moves put us smack in the wilderness among them. Suddenly someone gets a vicious arrow through the neck, all heck breaks loose, and valuable 30-pelt bundles are jettisoned as the fur trappers hightail it to their riverboat. Later on, back on dry land, Glass manages to get on the wrong side of a cower-in-yourseat, never-seen-the-like-of-it-before, grizzly smack-down, wherein said bear gnaws and claws Glass with extreme prejudice. The trappers schlep what’s left of him on a make-shift stretcher, up hill and down, until one John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) a Southerner, can’t take it anymore, and when no one’s looking, knifes Glass’s half-Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), and buries the physically destroyed Glass—alive.
See Revenant on C8
(L–R) Ossie Davis, Helen Martin, Godfrey Cambridge, Ruby Dee, Beah Richards, and Sorrell Booke in Davis’s “Purlie Victorious.” offered opportunities for all types of performers, including African-Americans. However, they were generally still not allowed to sit in the audience. The comedian Bert Williams, like many others, was forced to wear blackface. There are biographical sketches and photos of him and leading ladies of the turn of the century, Abbie Mitchell and Aida Overton Walker. Eventually, African-Americans began writing their own plays dealing with social issues, such as Angelina Weld Grimké’s 1916 antilynching play “Rachel.” Anita Bush started a black theater troupe in Harlem. Garland Anderson managed to present his provocative play “Appearances” on Broadway in 1925. The work dealt with a black bellboy falsely accused of raping a white woman. Lane notes that Al Jolson read the play and sent the author money to travel to New York and find a producer. Although Jolson is often castigated about performing in blackface (for example, in “The Jazz Singer”), he was known to oppose racial discrimination. The book goes through the Harlem Renaissance, the pre-war and post-war periods, and the rise of the Civil Rights movement. “A Raisin
in the Sun” was a key production of the 1950s, with rising star Sidney Poitier as well as Ruby Dee and Diana Sands. There are also portraits (in text and photos) of key performers, such as Lena Horne and the lesser known Juanita Hall as well as the extraordinarily versatile Sammy Davis Jr., Paul Robeson, Diahann Carroll, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen, and the Hines Brothers, among others. The reader learns about the careers of James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson (who are continuing to make history in “The Gin Game”) as well as the brilliant playwright August Wilson. George C. Wolfe is honored as is Joseph Papp, who is white but opened the door to AfricanAmerican playwrights (such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning “No Place to be Somebody”) and through his color-blind casting (for example, the black “Cherry Orchard”). “Black Broadway” presents a wealth of information about the history of the American theater but is also a beautiful book. Just the photos alone would justify the price. Barry Bassis has been a music, theater, and travel writer for over a decade for various publications.
C6
@EpochArts
December 11–17, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts KEN HOWARD/METROPOLITAN OPERA
The Barber of Seville Dec. 16–Jan. 2 Metropolitan Opera High spirits return for the holidays in the Met’s familyfriendly, English-language, two-hour adaptation of one of opera’s most winning comedies. From $25. MetOpera.org
Isabel Leonard as Rosina in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.”
THINGS TO DO COMMUNITY EVENTS NEW IN MANHATTAN The Frick Collection Marks 80th Anniversary Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m. 1 E. 71st St. Eighty years ago, The Frick Collection opened its doors to the public, thereby fulfilling the aim of Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919) to present to New York City his extraordinary art collection and magnificent mansion. The celebration includes a day of pay-what-you-wish admission, free programming including tours and talks, and a new publication. Frick.org
ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Family Sundays at Rubin Museum Ongoing 150 W. 17th St. Bring your family to the Museum for a Sunday afternoon full of familyfriendly activities. Drop into the Education Center for some art-making, enjoy our 2 p.m. family exhibition tour, or go on your own thematic gallery search. Free. RubinMuseum.org Film Society of Lincoln Center Ongoing Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 W. 65th St.; & Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St. Year-round programming that includes premieres of new films from an international roster of established and emerging directors. $14. FilmLinc.com New York & The Nation Ongoing The Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History, 170 Central Park West Explore the story of New York and America in the Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History.$20 adults, $12 students, $15 seniors. NYHistory.org
VISUAL ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN Artistic Furniture of the Gilded Age Dec. 15–May 1, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art
This exhibition reveals the most sumptuous moment in late nineteenth-century America—a period known as the Gilded Age—through the work of some of the most noted design firms at the time. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org
ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Maestà: Gaddi’s Triptych Reunited Dec. 11–March 20 170 Central Park West After conservation and exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum and at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the New-York Historical Society’s Madonna and Child Enthroned with Ten Saints: Maestà is back on Central Park West. Painted circa 1330–34 by Taddeo Gaddi, the major disciple of Giotto, this panel was originally the central section of a triptych with two shutters (sportelli). Free. NYHistory.org Tony Capparelli— The Art Sport Gallery FIT Through Dec. 12, Seventh Avenue at 27th Street Tony Capparelli is an adjunct associate professor of illustration at FIT. As an artist, he is an interpreter of the world of sport. Tony Capparelli—the Art of Sport will feature artworks in a variety of media, representing many different sporting activities and sports celebrities, such as the late former Heavyweight Champion of the World “Smokin Joe Frazier,” NBA great Lenny Wilkens, and New York Rangers Hall of Famer Rod Gilbert. Free. FITNYC.edu Masterpieces of Chinese Painting Through Oct. 11, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art Over the last forty years, the Metropolitan's collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy has grown to be one of the greatest in the world. Replete with masterpieces dating from the Tang dynasty (608– 917) to the present, the collection encompasses the vast historical sweep of the brush arts of China, from serene Buddhist scriptures to bombastic court portraits to lyrical scholars' paintings. This exhibition, presented in two rotations, will highlight the gems of the permanent collection in a chronological display, with an emphasis on works from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–
1368) dynasties. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org
ENDING IN MANHATTAN Arms and Armor: Notable Acquisitions 2003–2014 Through Dec. 6 Metropolitan Museum of Art Focuses on approximately 30 works from Europe, the United States, Japan, India, and Tibet. $12–$25 suggested. MetMuseum.org About Face: Human Expression on Paper Through Dec. 13 Metropolitan Museum of Art The representation of human emotion through facial expression has interested western artists since antiquity. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org
NEW ELSEWHERE Tsering Phuntsok: The Art of Thangka Through Dec. 20 The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, 338 Lighthouse Ave., Staten Island The Tibetan Museum is pleased to exhibit a selection of thangkas from master artist Tsering Phuntsok. Thangkas are scroll paintings on cloth, usually sewn into a stronger fabric to enhance safety and stability. Thangkas are easily portable, store-able paintings that have been created in the Himalayas for centuries. $6. TibetanMuseum.org
PERFORMING ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN The Count Meets the Duke: The Andersons Play Basie and Ellington Nightly Through Jan. 3 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th St. Coming off their 2013 Drama Desk nominated show Le Jazz Hot, jazz virtuoso saxophonists and clarinetists Peter and Will Anderson perform the hits of big band legends Count Basie and Duke Ellington. $25. 59E59. org The Yorkville Nutcracker Dec. 10–13 The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, East 68th Street between Park & Lexington avenues This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Yorkville
Nutcracker, set in 1895, which includes lavish sets and costumes and takes the audience on a tour through Olde New York's most beloved landmarks. $45-85. DancesPatrelle.org Keith Michael's The Nutcracker Dec. 11 at noon, Dec. 12 & 13 at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., & 3:30 p.m. Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St. This holiday ballet, danced to Tchaikovsky's beloved score, is set in Art Nouveau style circa 1907 with innovative choreography by Keith Michael, set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith, and costumes by Metropolitan Opera's Resident Costume Designer Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan. $34. NYTB.org
ONGOING IN MANHATTAN La Donna del Lago Dec. 11–Dec. 26 Metropolitan Opera Joyce DiDonato reprises her stunning portrayal of the “lady of the lake” in Rossini’s dazzling bel canto showcase set in the medieval Scottish highlands. Tenor Lawrence Brownlee is the king who pursues her. Rossini master Michele Mariotti conducts the operatic adaptation of Sir Walter Scott’s classic. From $25. MetOpera.org George Balanchine's The Nutcracker Through Jan. 3 30 Lincoln Center Plaza Tchaikovsky's iconic score transports you to a world of wonder where mischievous mice are foiled by toy soldiers come to life, and a blizzard of ballerinas reveals the enchanting Land of Sweets. $20–$265. MetOpera.org Fiddler on the Roof Starts Dec. 20 Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific and The King and I bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. $39–$227. FiddlerMusical.com
NEW ELSEWHERE The Colonial Nutcracker Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. Brooklyn Center, Whitman Theatre, 2900 Avenue H, Brooklyn An annual holiday favorite, Dance Theatre in Westchester performs its family-friendly, full-length version of
Tchaikovsky’s ballet set in wintry colonial Yorktown, complete with a red-coated mouse army, an enchanted nutcracker prince, and simultaneous narration to help young audience members enjoy this timeless classic. $18. BrooklynCenter.org
MUSIC NEW IN MANHATTAN 10th Anniversary Holiday Concert Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Kaufman Music Center, 129 W. 67th St. Works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and more will be performed by NYPS concert pianists. $35– $55. KaufmanMusicCenter.org The Cecilia Chorus of New York With Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. Stern Auditorium/ Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall Music Director Mark Shapiro and The Cecilia Chorus of New York, 2015 Chorus America/ ASCAP Alice Parker Award winner, present Handel’s Messiah in a dramaticallyoriented performance inspired by the composer’s flair for opera. The Chorus, which has been together for over a century, performs with orchestra and features emerging vocal artists in both role and Carnegie Hall debuts: $25–$85. CarnegieHall.org Chamber Orchestra of New York: Gershwin & Tchaikovsky, With Di Wu Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall Chamber Orchestra of New York’s 2015-16 season opener features pianist Di Wu and trumpeter Thomas Boulton in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 35. The program also includes Gershwin’s Lullaby and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, together with a world premiere by Italian composer Emiliano Imondi, winner of the 2014 Respighi Prize for Composition. $30– $40. CarnegieHall.org Brandenburg Concertos Dec. 13 at 5 p.m., Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Alice Tully Hall Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos stand at the pinnacle of Baroque musical art. Year after year, audiences welcome the holiday season with these festive performances. From $45. ChamberMusicSociety.org Schumann’s Piano Quintet Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Kaufman Music Center, 129 W. 67th St.
Explore great musical masterpieces with NPR commentator Rob Kapilow. Find out how Schumann’s struggle with Beethoven’s overwhelming influence helped him find his own voice, and produce his greatest work. $43. KaufmanMusicCenter.org Piaf: A Centennial Celebration Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. Town Hall Tickets, 123 W. 43rd St. New York City producers Daniel Nardicio and Andy Brattain bring Broadway, London’s West End, Cabaret and Rock-N-Roll divas together for one night to celebrate what would be the 100th birthday of the legend, Edith Piaf. $55–$200. TheTownHall.org Carnegie Hall Family Holiday Concert: The New York Pops: A Charlie Brown Christmas Dec. 20 at 3 p.m. Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall Join Steven Reineke and The New York Pops to celebrate the return of A Charlie Brown Christmas to Carnegie Hall and the 50th anniversary of the iconic television special created by Charles M. Schulz. $10–$25. CarnegieHall.org
ONGOING IN MANHATTAN New World Christmas: Navidad en Latinoamerica Dec. 5–25 Cathedral of Saint John the Divine Early Music New York's superb vocal ensemble and a plethora of plucked strings performs sacred works for Spain's and Mexico's cathedrals, interspersed with instrumental & vocal chanzonetas, villancicos, coloquios, ensaladas, and indigenous dances by Santiago de Murcia. $20-$50. EarlyMusicNY.org Spiral Music Wednesdays Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St. Spiral Music presents acoustic music every Wednesday evening at the base of the museum’s spiral staircase. Artists who specialize in music from the Himalayas and South Asia are invited to forge a connection between their music and the art in the galleries. Free. RubinMuseum.org
Dear Readers If you have an event to suggest, please send details to NYC_Arts@ EpochTimes.com in the format you see here.
C7
@EpochArts
December 11–17, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts ALL PHOTOS BY SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES & INGRID LONGAUER/EPOCH TIMES
STYLES of
WHO WOULD HAVE thought it could be so fresh and fun wearing blacks and whites? New Yorkers this season have found a whole other universe of shades in between. Patterns, textures, and shapes break up monochromatic and colorblocked looks, and it’s so inspiring to see the engaging creativity in combining simple shades of gray. The trick is in the layering, a necessity of winter in this city.
New Yorkers layered up in blacks, whites, and creative grays
SMALL NECK SCARF IS A MUST HAVE.
A HAT, GLADIATORS, AND A FEMININE BAG? PERFECTION.
THIS CUT DOES MIRACLES! CULOTTES IN WINTER! WINTER WHITE— SIMPLE YET SO STYLISH.
LOVE THE THREE FABRICS.
By Ingrid Longauer | Epoch Times Staff
Essence of China
Marriage or Chastity? The Story Behind a Chinese Proverb WALTERS ART MUSEUM
By Leo Timm | Epoch Times Staff In ancient China, widows who decided not to remarry were considered models of loyalty and chastity. At the same time, when it came to major life-changing events, the Chinese believed that it was heaven, not mortals, who had the final say over one’s destiny. This principle is embodied in the folktale behind the proverb “Just as rain falls from the heavens, your mother must marry.” A long time ago, there was a scholar called Zhu Yaozong, whose father fell ill and died when he was only a year old. His mother, wishing to avoid introducing a stepparent into her young son’s life, raised him alone. When he was older, Yaozong went to study with a teacher called Zhang Wenju. By Teacher Zhang’s strict instruction, Yaozong proved an able student. At 15 he passed the county level imperial exam; at 18, he achieved the highest rank and was granted an audience before the emperor. The emperor was so impressed with the young man’s accomplishments that he arranged for him to marry a princess. At this point, Yaozong thought of his mother, who had remained single for his sake, and told the emperor of her sacrifices. Moved, the emperor immediately ordered that an arch honoring the chaste widow be erected in Yaozong’s hometown. But when the new imperial scholar went home and told his mother of the good news, her joy turned to worry. In the time that her son was away in the capital, she had grown close to Teacher Zhang and the two had been
Just as rain falls from the heavens, your mother must marry. Chinese proverb
Chinese painting of a mother presenting her child to a temple, 18th century.
The Chinese proverb indicates that which has been predestined and cannot be undone.
engaged. They were planning the wedding in anticipation of Yaozong’s return. Shocked, Zhu prostrated himself before his mother and wept, saying “Mother, if this is true, then it means I will have committed deceit of the emperor. This is a crime that warrants the extermination of our entire family!” His mother began to weep as well. She was already engaged to Teacher Zhang, but at the same time she knew the gravity of deceiving the emperor. Finally she said, “Let our fate be
decided by heaven.” Speaking, she took off one of her silk skirts and gave it to Zhu. “My son, as a filial child, please do me a favor and wash this silk skirt for me tomorrow. If it dries by nightfall, then I’ll cancel the engagement. If it’s still wet, then leave us be.” Zhu accepted. The next day was clear and bright. As he washed, Zhu Yaozong thought to himself happily that drying not just one but even 10 skirts would be no problem in such good weather. But no sooner had he washed the garment and hung it up to dry in the courtyard, storm clouds gathered ominously and in no time a downpour had started. By midnight, the skirt was wetter than it had been when Yaozong had just finished washing it. At this, Yaozong’s mother said, “My son, just as rain falls from the heavens, your mother must marry. You can’t oppose the will of heaven.” Though Yaozong grieved and lamented his misfortune, the circumstances gave him little choice. Upon returning to the imperial capital and once again in the emperor’s presence, Yaozong spoke frankly about his mother’s marriage to Zhang Wenju, as well as the result of their bet. He then readied himself for his punishment. Hearing Yaozong’s story, the emperor considered the matter and said, “This match has been arranged by heaven. Let us not interfere.” Henceforth, the Chinese use of “Just as rain falls from the heavens, your mother must marry” (tian yao xia yu, niang yao jia ren) has become a proverb used to indicate that which has been predestined and cannot be undone.
Supreme Jazz Singer Catherine Russell at Birdland JAZZ VILLAGE
By Barry Bassis Jazz singer Catherine Russell blew me away when I first saw her perform at the Mohonk Blues on the Mountain Festival. She sang a blues and jazz set with her group and then returned on Sunday morning for a gospel show. Since then, I have been collecting her recordings and try to catch her whenever she is in town. A native New Yorker, Russell was born into jazz royalty. Her father, Luis Russell, was the longtime bandleader-pianist for Louis Armstrong. (On Catherine’s website, there are photos of her with Satchmo when she was 4 years old.) Her mother, Carline Ray, was also an accomplished musician. A guitarist in the female International Sweethearts of Rhythm jazz band of the 1940s, she held advanced degrees from Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music. Catherine Russell has won various music awards, including a Grammy for her appearance as a featured artist on the soundtrack album for the HBO TV series “Boardwalk Empire.” She has also sung backup for a long list of luminaries, including David Bowie, Steely Dan, Paul Simon, and Rosanne Cash. Russell’s most recent solo album, “Bring It Back” (on Harmonia Mundi’s Jazz Village label),
Russell has the gift of communicating pure joy. Catherine Russell Performances Birdland 315 W. 44th St. Tickets 212-581-3080, or BirdlandJazz.com Dates Dec. 15–19
..................... Tribeca Performing Arts Center 199 Chambers St. Tickets 212-220-1460 Date Feb. 4, 2016
Catherine Russell was born into jazz royalty.
is one I have listened to with pleasure numerous times. Russell has a sunny personality and, like Louis Armstrong, she has the gift of communicating pure joy. The album is steeped in tradition, and while Russell’s singing may evoke memories of greats like Ivie Anderson in the jazz ballads and Dinah Washington in the bluesier numbers, she is always recognizably herself. Each word comes through clearly, with sincerity, but without any attempt to overdramatize or to create gratuitous effects to show off her voice. “Lucille” by the singer’s father is an upbeat love song with an irresistible swing. Other nuggets from the past include “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” by Duke Ellington, “Strange as It Seems” by “Fats” Waller and Andy Razaf, and “The Darktown Strutters Ball” by Shelton Brooks. The unhackneyed program contains an
obscure but swinging tune by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler: “Public Melody Number One.” Russell communicates romantic yearning in “I Cover the Waterfront,” a version that includes the rarely done opening verse and stands in good comparison with Billie Holiday’s recording. “After the Lights Go Down” is a bluesy tune, sparked by Glenn Patschka’s Hammond B-3 organ; he also did the arrangement. In fact, the tasteful and soulful arrangements on the album are by the singer and the musicians in her excellent group: guitarist Matt Munisteri, trumpeters Jon-Erik Kellso and Brian Pareschi, sax players Andy Farber and Dan Block, and bassist Nick Parrott. Lovers of jazz, blues, and popular music should not pass up the opportunity to catch Catherine Russell at Birdland, where she will be performing with musicians from the “Bring It Back” CD for five nights, December 15–19. She will be back with her band to perform in Jack Kleinsinger’s Highlights in Jazz at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at 8 p.m. Also appearing at the concert will be Ted Rosenthal, Warren Vaché, Scott Robinson, and Alvester Garnett. Barry Bassis has been a music, theater, and travel writer for over a decade for various publications.
Correction: In the story “Keeping Time With Bovet and Lang & Heyne,” printed on Dec. 4, the correct name of the employee wearing a King Johann watch is Dominique Warmer. Epoch Times regrets the error.
C8
@EpochArts
December 11–17, 2015 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION/REGENCY ENTERTAINMENT USA, INC./MONARCY ENTERPRISES S.A.R.L.
Film Review
Why Seeking Nirvana Is a Good Idea Revenant continued from C5
You’ll appreciate for many days after how easy we all have it in the modern age with our endless conveniences.
Survival Nightmare Glass wakes up, half-dead, half-buried, son frozen like an icicle, and sets out crawling, clawing, and hauling his mangled body through ice and snow, up mountains, over tundra, escaping native tribesman by kayaking freezing rapids sans kayak, plunging over incredible falls, nibbling dead grass, gnawing desiccated elk bones, fish-eating like Gollum, and exploding gun-powder on his sucking neck wound, to cauterize it. Brrrrr!! Woo-hoo! That’s good stuff! Want some more? Chased by another tribe,
on horseback, he runs his horse off a cliff by mistake, lands in a pine tree, and has to gut his dead steed and crawl inside it to avoid freezing. True story! Wow. And throughout the wince-fest of his ordeal, we cut to a variety of storylines: native warri-
THIS YEAR, GIVE THEM MORE.
Not more stuff. More joy. More inspiration. This holiday season, give your friends and family tickets for an extraordinary journey across cultural landscapes that will leave them amazed, inspired, and filled with hope. Shen Yun brings profound and timeless stories to life on stage through classical Chinese dance, ground-breaking technology, and an uplifting musical fusion of East and West. This is a stunning and emotional experience they won’t find anywhere else. And the best part? You’ll be right next to them, sharing the adventure.
Experience a Divine Culture LINCOLN CENTER DAVID H. KOCH THEATER
JANUARY 14-17
5 Shows Only!
Tickets start at $80 | 800-818-2393 | ShenYun.com
ors searching for a daughter named Pawatqa abducted for purposes of rape (by FrenchCanadian trappers), and flashbacks to Glass’s beautiful Pawnee wife before she was slaughtered. There’s just no joy to be found anywhere! Nowhere is it clearer than in this film that, in keeping with Eastern philosophies, the earthly veil of tears that is human existence exists for the sole purpose of paying off karmic debt through pain and suffering! Which is why the Buddha suggested, more or less, that we enlighten and get out of here. Nirvana, anyone? After seeing this movie? Sounds like a plan!
Tom Hardy (foreground) and Will Poulter hunt for the person they had left for dead, in “The Revenant.”
A Muted Gorgeousness Iñárritu just won an Oscar for the highly original “Birdman.” He might just win another for this highly original death-dance. Because while not exactly fun, or a “good time,” it’s definitely a riveting learning experience—three hours fly by. It’s great storytelling. One of the reasons it’s riveting is that cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s signature photography, along with Iñárritu’s insistence on natural lighting, put you right in the action—and then backs off for nature shots of stunning, subdued beauty. The muted raw siennas, ochres, and burnt umbers of the wintry American north, the tide-pool ripple patterns, birdsong, and breathtaking striated snowcapped Bighorn mountains, nudge us in the direction of taking the artistry of a divine creator to be a selfevident truth. Iñárritu’s artistry itself rivets—he often captures DiCaprio’s blue eyes in a state of primal, animal ferocity that’s variously wolf-like, eagle-like, and tiger-like, reminding us that under extreme duress, humans are awesomely dangerous predators. Ultimately Lubezki’s nature photography has the same effect here as his work in Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” in that it allows our pitiful, human hectic mud-crawling to be put in proper perspective—minute occurrences— crawling within the vastness and serenity of the cosmos. “Revenant” has that rare, ethereal, magnetic, cinematic quality: a tangible atmosphere. It’s like watching some of the atmosphere— laden northern tundra displays at New York’s Museum of Natural History that feature bison, grizzlies, and timber wolves—come to life. You leave the movie wanting to go there and see all that beauteous nature for yourself— live. But definitely from, like, a ski lodge. Or a Mountain Hardware winter-camping tent, with a Dodge Ram 4x4 pickup and a .416 RemThe actors’ ington (grizzly security) and some hot cofperformances fee and sandwiches. Is that wimpy? Yes. The are all film’s also a good reminder of how soft we’ve seriously become. With the exception of Alaskan men intense. and new women’s UFC bantamweight champ, Holly Holm. Movie-Making Misery Apparently the shoot itself was a nightmarish, forbearance marathon. Some say more CGI and less real-life actor-suffering could have saved money. Kim Masters of the Hollywood Reporter reports Iñárritu as saying, “That’s exactly what I didn’t want. If we ended up in green-screen with coffee and everybody having a good time, everybody will be happy, but most likely the film would be a piece of (expletive omitted).” DiCaprio is quoted as saying, “I can name 30 or 40 sequences that were some of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. Whether it’s going in and out of frozen rivers, or sleeping in animal carcasses, or what I ate on set. [I was] enduring freezing cold and possible hypothermia constantly.” After seeing “The Revenant,” you will understand on a deep, instinctive level that leaving the Garden of Eden was simply a metaphor for humans heading north. Moral? Why should you watch this particular story? Well, first off, if you’re not an Alaskan bush pilot—you won’t. However, if you’re a normal person and you do go, you’ll appreciate for many days after how easy we all have it in the modern age with our endless conveniences. Leonardo DiCaprio said the endless hardship changed him profoundly. The law underlying the theatrical arts is that whatever the actor experiences subconsciously affects the audience. It will change them. DiCaprio, Hardy, et al, have done some extremely hard work for us. If they changed inwardly—so will you.