MOST CONSEQUENTAL PERSON OF THE LAST CENTURY

Owing to my rejuvenated fascination with Winston Churchill I have been Googling around trying to determine who is considered the greatest person of the 20th century. My answer, of course, is Churchill. Other contenders seem to be Nelson Mandela, Franklin Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King. To that list I would add Mother Teresa. Obviously, some of you have other persons in mind; I would be interested to learn who they are. But, for me, Churchill, with all his faults, is the clear winner. However, greatest person as I view it implies someone who somehow benefitted humanity. There is another category, most consequential person, concerning persons who most influenced the course of history. In that completion the little weasel pictured above has no rival, although Stalin and Mao Tse Tung both come close. Have I left somebody out?

THE BEST BIOGRAPHY EVER WRITTEN

\\For a number of weeks now I have been entertaining myself by rereading the Audrey-Maturin series of maritime adventures, written by Patrick O’Brian. Nearing 90 and nearly immobile, I find that I spend far more time in self-entertainment than I would prefer. But, there it is. O’Brian’s series run to 20 volumes and I have reached the halfway mark. I recommend them; well written, absorbing, and even educational – if you happen to be interested in naval warfare in the time of Napoleon. But, really, it is time for something a bit more weighty – so I just bought the first volume of William Manchester’s three volume biography of Winston Churchill and began reading it, for the third time. Manchester is a marvelous writer, in my view one of the best of the past century! To see what I mean, go to your nearest bookstore, find volume 1 (Visions of Glory), sneak off in a corner somewhere – and read the Preamble, The Lion at Bay. I would bet that, having done so, you will buy the book. Or, for $17, you can download it from Apple

GOLDEN OLDIE 85: The Fugitive

I followed Tommy Lee Jones to this well-known classic, staring Jones. Harrison Ford and one hell of a tall dam spillway. I’m no expert, but I think this may be Ford’s best role. You know the story of course; worthy medical doctor, falsely convicted of wife’s murder, escapes with the help of a train wreck, manages to evade recapture by the “Big Dog” (Jones), finds actual killer (one-armed guy), brings justice to all, etc. I make it sound trite but it isn’t – it’s exciting and entertaining. My only snide quibble concerns the one-armed villain, played by Andreas Katsulas a fine actor but no object of towering physic. I have difficulty believing him capable of vanquishing Ford (Indiana Jones) in a fight.

GOLDEN OLDIE 84: No country for old men

Wow! T don’t know what trickedme into watching this ultra-downer; probably because I like the star, Tommy Lee Jones. As a MOVIE it is pretty darned good, but as an EVENING’S ENTERTAINMENT – well, give it a pass. The action takes place in Texas/Mexico desert country, and inevitably involves drugs, robbery, murder and sadistic violence. It features the most horrifying bad guy to ever darken the silver screen – Javier Barden. I have nightmares about the guy he plays – but I bet he is nice to his wife and plays with his kids. All in all: B

GILDEN OLDIE 82: Mississippi burning

Prolog: An image never far from my consciousness depicts a little black girl, all beautiful in her snow white dress, carrying school supplies - being escorted through a presumably dangerous and hostile crowd by four burly Federal Marshals. I would like to have one of those marshals, of course, blessed with the physic of Rob Gronkowski. What that brave little girl went through fifty years ago still makes me want to punch some KKK cracker in the snoot! So, anyway, you remember this movie, released in 1988 and starring two of our most distinguished actors, Gene Hackman and Francis McDermott, accompanied well by Willem Dafoe. It is based partly on the real murder of three civil rights boys attempting to win voting rights for blacks in a violent Jim Crow town. There is plenty to hate and violence in this movie. You emerge from it, not relaxed and joyful, but rather thoughtful and even deeply troubled. Watch it again, anyway. A

GOLDEN OLDIE 82:Invictus

So, who would you choose for the title of “greatest man of the 20th century”? The contenders seem to be Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Franklin Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela. My personal choice is Churchill; after all, he basically saved the world from fascism. However, a surprising number of lists place Mandela at the top. A very great man he certainly was. Here is a fine movie that partly illustrates how great he was. The star, of course, is Morgan Freeman; certainly one of the best male actors still on the stage. His white protagonist is depicted by Matt Damon as a brawny Rugby star; he is excellent. The rugby scenes make me happy I turned out to be a 98 lb weakling, but they are entertaining and properly bloody. The music and many of the incidents make you root for South Africa. Too bad, post Mandela, it has turned out so much less than perfect. But, what the heck, Invictus is a darned good movie, one which you should soon re-visit. A-

GOLDEN PLDIE 79( Marathon Man

Having just relaxed with a feather-light bit a fluff, last night I decided to dive into something a bit more weighty. I chose Marathon Man largely because of its all-star cast; Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Rory Schneider. However, I recall not liking it very much back then – and I was not mistaken. This movie, which sent dentistry back several decades, is just too damned dark and depressing for a sunny disposition like my own. And there is no marathon at all. C

GOLDEN OLDIE 81: Outbreak

A few weeks or maybe months ago I remember writing something like The struggle for dominance on this earth has come down to two contestants: Homo sapiens and viruses, At the moment it is not clear which is going to win. Homo sapiens kill each other and inflict all sorts of unnecessary wounds upon themselves, whereas all viruses do is evolve and reproduce. Bad scene! So here is an absorbing movie about a skirmish in this battle, which deftly illustrates how human cussedness operates. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Rene Russo, and the always reliable Morgan Freeman,. The plot is somewhat hokey, involving a monkey and the near extermination of mankind. But, what the heck, at the least Outbreak is a harmless and entertaining way to waste a couple of hours. B

GOLDEN OLDIE 80: Bull Durham

I have seen this movie several times despite my perhaps irrational dislike of Susan Sarandon – and appreciated it more each time. Kevin Costner certainly was created for the role of nearly burned-out ball player filled with wisdom painfully acquired, Tim Robbins is near-perfect as the quintessential cocky feather-headed natural jock, and Susan Sarandon is, well, pretty much okay. As a whole the movie is funny and, in a way, almost insightful. To understand that last phrase you’ll just have to see it. A-