Spotlight - 01.2020

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Fotos: Paramount; Universum; PR

Spotlight 1/2020 ARTS

ARTS

Cards, Brits

and baddies

Filme, Bücher, eine Ausstellung und ein unterhaltsames

Kartenspiel – EVE LUCAS gibt kulturelle Tipps aus der

englischsprachigen Welt.^ MEDIUM

FILM PREVIEW | BIOPIC

Like many great artists who died fighting the demons of addic-

tion, Judy Garland (1922–69) has become a legend, living on

through her work as a singer and actress in such films as The Wiz-

ard of Oz and A Star is Born — and unforgotten in our fascination

with her troubled life.

Near the end of her too-short life, badly in need of money, Gar-

land agreed to perform in London’s Talk of the Town nightclub.

It is on these performances that the film Judy focuses. Actress

Renée Zellweger, as Judy, goes to great lengths to capture both

the movements and the singing voice of Garland. These efforts

have been rewarded with a film that lives by and through Zellwe-

ger’s performance. There is a near perfect fusion here of actress

and character. When Zellweger/Garland faces her audience, we

feel that she’s looking at us personally, hoping for our admira-

tion, but not completely sure she’ll receive it. Then she sings, and

we are fascinated by the talent, but also by the pain and the glory

of having such gifts, and knowing that they are your only sup-

port. Wisely, the film chooses to concentrate on this dilemma,

looking only briefly at the chaos of Garland’s life as a wife and

mother. But whatever she did, it was love she was looking for.

Starts 2 January.

addiction [E(dIkS&n]

, Sucht

capture [(kÄptSE]

, einfangen

lengths: go to great ~

[leNTs]

, große Anstrengungen

unternehmen

EXHIBITION | THE BRITISH

Some of us will greet the year 2020 by

watching Dinner for One on New Year’s

Eve. There is, though, a lot more to Ger-

man-British relations than that sketch. An

exhibition entitled Very British: ein deutscher

Blick, at the Haus der Geschichte der Bun-

desrepublik Deutschland in Bonn, brings

together Mr Bean and Mr Bond, the Bea-

tles and, yes, Brexit, following develop-

ments from post-WWII. With objects

loaned from the Royal Family and a wealth of other material —

including that tiger skin from Dinner for One — this exhibition

explores a relationship that fascinates both Germans and Brits.

The exhibition ends on 8 March 2020. Find out more at hdg.de

entitled [In(taIt&ld]

, mit dem Titel

trail [treI&l]

, Pfad, Wanderweg

veld [velt]

, Steppe, Buschland

wilderness [(wIldEnEs]

, Wildnis

EASY READER REVIEW | SHORT STORIES

Whether set in the African veld, the sky

over the English Channel or the wilder-

ness of the Yukon Trail in Canada, these

five short stories are all about adventure.

“The Old Chief Mshlanga” by Doris Less-

ing describes the life of a white girl grow-

ing up in Zimbabwe — when the country

was still called Rhodesia. At first, the child

copies the racist behaviour of her family

and friends, until a meeting with a chief

forces her to rethink. All the stories provide notes on the life

of the author and background to the stories, as well as pre- and

post-reading activities and the translations of difficult words.

Adventure Stories is for level C2 learners. Macmillan, €32.

Renée Zellweger

as Judy Garland