This week’s diary
Published on: Sunday, November 01, 2020
By: Sylvia Howe
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I have just watched The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix. I enjoyed it, and learnt a bit – I am, thank goodness, too young to remember much about the US and Vietnam. I have heard of Abby Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and Tom Hayden (mostly as the husband of Jane Fonda) but the other names were new or newish: David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner.
These men came together to protest against the war in the 1960s and Aaron Sorkin has made film that had me wriggling with frustration and horror at the unfairness of their trial and their charges. Frank Langella’s performance played a great part in this – he is completely unlikeable, a prejudiced product of the old school, who keeps banging his gavel and delivering yet another charge of contempt of court.
I don’t think I would have played an active part in the protests (too much of a coward for that and I have always found Flower Power a bit silly) but these movements have their time, and it was certainly the time for something like this in the America of the Sixties, coming out of the affluent Fifties and sending young men to a war that went on and on and on.
Dellinger was a pacifist who had been imprisoned as a conscientious objector during World War II. Hayden was a journalist and an activist, Hoffman the founder of the Youth International Party (the Yippee party) and someone very keen on flower power.
He wrote Steal this Book about living for free (so as the film says, hard to tell how many it sold), and committed suicide in 1989. Jerry Rubin was sincere about his opposition to the war, but ended up a multimillionare stockbroker. Bobby Seale was a co-founder of the Black Panther Party and in a truly shocking scene is sent out of the courtroom for contempt and returned gagged and in chains after a beating.
For such an American film it was a surprise to see many British actors playing prominent roles: Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alex Sharp. It’s a good film, it touches emotions, and makes you think. Always to be encouraged.
A toast to the NHS
I want to say something about the wonderful National Health Service in the UK. Not wishing to be too soppy about it (it’s not perfect, it’s too big, too unwieldy, too all sorts of things) but the fact remains that I have had reason to be grateful to it, for myself and my family, and as someone said, what is so impressive about it is not just that it does a great job for people, but that it does a great job for anybody who comes to it. It really is a life saver, free at the point of use, and the hard pressed staff have more often than not extended a smile and a helping hand. It deserves respect and governmental support, not just clapping in the street on a Thursday evening, as was happening during the last lockdown.
Strictly Sequins
Another thing I have started to watch is the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. Oh Joy! It is silly, it is overblown and obsessed with celebrity. I have been to a quarterfinal, and seen for myself the sticky tape used to pin the sparkles on to the cheap props.
But nevertheless it works. It has followed the rules perfectly. The audience is socially distanced this year, and great effort has been made to keep everyone at more than arm’s length. People say silly things, there is always the oldie, and the young star with a huge Instagram following. There are tears, there are flat feet, the judges’ comments inflate and deflate and cause controversy. Someone will probably kiss their partner too enthusiastically.
There may be a huff and a dismissal. Whatever. The costumes (surely stuck together with sticky tape, so many are made so quickly) are tight and sparkly and flatter every curve and muscle.
The band and the singers are quite brilliant, adapting themselves to every kind of song, and delivering it beautifully – although not every song suits the chosen dance, in my opinion. It’s not deep, it’s not serious, but it is FUN and I absolutely love watching initial tentative steps become more confident, and I never fail to have my breath taken away at the final. Go on, give it a go!
Wheely good fun
To my amazement as a non sports watcher (ice skating and tennis doesn’t count) I sat with my husband and watched – nay, enjoyed – the Portuguese Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton broke some longstanding record. I have always thought it boring to watch cars going round and round, but I watched the Singapore race in Singapore and it has rather changed my opinion. Jolly brave, these chaps, and rather skilful too. So this time, we sat down with glass of something cold, and watched with pleasure as nippy old Lewis made it to the front pretty soon, and stayed there. And when I say front, I mean way way way out in front.
How does he do it, I wonder? And he thanked his team, and hugged his dad, a lot. What’s not to like?
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