I know I’ve posted (variations) of this image on numerous occasions, but I think each one is different. This one strikes me as being a bit atmospheric, even if I think so myself, so as usual – I like it.
And so to tonight’s piece. Earlier in this week’s writings, I spoke about a film, The Monuments Men. The film was released in 2014, based upon a book; The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves And The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. Hugh Bonneville plays a character Donald Jeffries. Jeffries is hunting the Madonna of Bruges and goes to the church where the statue is homed. Jeffries gets shot and whilst he is dying, there is an interlude where a letter he’d written to his father.
I can’t find the text of the letter, and I know it is a piece of fiction (admittedly, I haven’t read the source book, so the letter may not be), anyhow. The letter was lovely, incredibly well written in my opinion. Made me feel quite emotional really. But, it was that I felt it was so well written.
I really can’t recall a piece of writing that had that kind of impact on me . I ‘ve read books that I love reading, but this was somehow different. I’ve bought the DVD, and I will watch it soon. I don’t know where I stand with copyright, perhaps I will transcribe bits of it with attribution.
This then leads me on, strangely enough to the book of the week; Gosport’s Railway Era, by G. A. Alcock. Now, hang on a second, how can a leaflet written by a person from Gosport, in 1975 for the Gosport Historic Records and Museum Society be compared with a Hollywood success?
Now I started reading this a couple of weeks ago, it’s taken me a bit of time, because we are in magazine season (my walking magazine has just arrived, another interruption). I read the introduction, Mr. Alcock has written a piece that doesn’t I still the same emotional impact, but it is nonetheless an entertaining, humorous, informative, very easy piece of writing, of a quality comparable to the letter. I’m on page 33 (of 60 – so not a long book) but the read is of the same easy read all the way through. Now, I need to work out what it is that appeals so much about these two pieces. Should be an interesting piece of research.
Bills Posts 