Where's Armand?

The Tourist, in Venice

Armand would have loved The Tourist, a movie starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. We know that Johnny Depp was one of Armand's all-time favorite actors:

• Johnny Depp See Armand (at 20) and Depp.
• Casting Another Armand and Johnny Depp, side by side photo.

We also know that Armand has been to Venice, many times.

 

The critics are panning the movie, saying that there was no chemistry between Depp and Jolie. That would be the least of my cares since Johnny Depp does something to my chemistry. I think Armand would have understood that.

 

 

Tour Venice, virtually.
Photo:The Tourist Trailer

 

Reflecting the Film

From The Armand Diaries
Saturday, June 18, 1949:

Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo in Colorado Territory - filmed not in color, in New Mexico's south west canyon country. Story of a train robber who decides to go straight, and how he is finally hunted down and killed, with his bride to be, by a heartless, callous posse, interested in the $20,000 reward.

His end comes into sweeping, deep canyon country, which is made to seem a part of the action. The westerns often fail to tie landscapes into the story, but this one does.

The story is old, but gives new touches to it. Obviously in The Treasure of Sierra Madre, there was just a hint of morality (or religious) play here, at least the hint of retribution for sins...Pretty well acted. One of those pictures that in a minor way leaves you sad and thoughtful on leaving.

Through years of conditioned training a movie goer has come to expect a happy ending in a western and even wants it. In fact, our "movie" morality is so low, we cheer for the crook-hero-a-victim of circumstances, etc. - though a killer and want him to escape with the $100,000 he's stolen from the train, to Mexico and marry his reformed dance hall girl and be happy.

Gets you to wondering just what the tragic ending does to you (beyond pointing a moral) - the Aristotelian katharsis, etc. I suppose, among other things, it makes you count your blessings, love your own wife, family, girl, etc., more (the girl of course you identify with girl in picture, the hero with yourself).

Does it purify you through vicarious suffering, a substitute for having to have it actually happen to you yourself? You do feel different in some way after wards. Or is it a desire for self torture, a mild form of masochism, that makes one want to experience a tragedy?

Note the picture's title. Most all movie westerns are named after a state, territory, or a city.

Rocking

There's an ongoing series on PBS titled "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" that I'm sure Armand would not have missed. Although the series is nearing the end of its debut broadcast, I'm hoping to add some of Armand's adventures to the archives.

In fact, if you ever come across a project or website that is looking for reader submitted stories and photos, such as PBS is doing, please let me know. It will be another way to answer the question, Where's Armand? He'll be everywhere.

I plan to submit this photo to PBS when I locate a diary entry to match "Armand on Mt. Lassen". On the back of the photo he wrote,

David Ashcraft, Park Ranger shoots me and some rocks in both hands.  It is known when these rocks formed on the mountain in an eruption 5/27/1915, I think it was.  I'm about a half year older!  Taken high on Mt. Lassen.

I wonder if Armand took any photos during these adventures, which I also think would enrich the PBS project:

• Climbing the Tetons
• Climbing the Tetons, Part 2
• Climbing the Tetons, Part 3

Photo: Courtesy of Tomas & Ann Hill

Related articles by Zemanta

• The National Parks: What's Missing? (timesunion.com)
• Ken Burns' National Parks: America's Best Idea is more about people than places (realityblurred.com)

At the Movies

One of the Like-Armand characteristics that will make the qualifying list, is a person's passion for films and popular culture. Conservatively speaking, if Armand Singer began his "affair" with the movies at the age of eighteen and he only watched two movies a week, he would have seen nearly 8,000 in his lifetime. Conservatively speaking.

He would definitely have seen all of the movies that won the top Screen Actors Guild Awards last night. I would love to have his current assessment but find pleasure in his logged comments:

Anna Karenina. Greta Garbo and Frederic March. The picture portraying the sorrows springing from an overmastering but illegitimate love, with most of the sorrow befalling Anna. It might be life, but still, hopeless as the situation was made to be from the very beginning, I did so hope things might right themselves. All of which proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that I am hopelessly, incurably romantic. -September 22, 1935.

Call of the Wild. Clark Gable and Loretta Young. Very swell drama and gorgeous scenery, supposedly Alaskan - I think, High Sierra. There is nothing wrong with Loretta - really too bad she couldn't have Clark, who is a very likeable chap. -October 13, 1935.

Gentlemen's Agreement. Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Celeste Holm. Academy Award movie on evils of the subtler sort of anti-semitism. Not well acted on whole, self-consciously preachy tone. I think they mixed up good intentions and good ideas with great art. Still interesting enough. The love affair, played up for box office appeal, often got in the way of the idea. -April 2, 1948.

In April, 2007, Armand (then 92) had just come home from watching Shooter, starring Mark Wahlberg and said: "I gave a talk some 3 years ago about the fact that there's more sex and violence in books and movies today. I'd like to revise it and mention this movie so I want to spell Wahlberg correctly and present it again...hell, people hear all kinds of theories, they might as well listen to me!"

Looking for More Armands

You already know that Johnny Depp is the actor that Armand chose to portray him on film. There's an ideal physical resemblance but I think Armand simply admired Depp's talent. While we wait for Johnny Depp, there's another Armand act I'm searching for.

Where's Armand? began in June of 2006 and the ensuing posts followed him around the world during the last year of his life and through his hasty passing. Had it not been for his diaries, the Armand tracking system would have abruptly ended. Although a generous supply of tales, opinions and travelogues still remain to be published, I'd like to pursue a recent suggestion, find another Armand.

The search for Armand-like people is a great way to share Armand with the world and allow his incredible life to inspire people to follow their passions, regardless of age or physical capabilities.

I'd love to hear suggestions from you. What are some of the basic qualities that would place a person (of any age or gender) in the Armand category? Send me comments, web-links or call, 808-937-3768, 7am to 7pm, Hawaii Time. Mahalo!

The Mondo Awards

If Armand (Mondo) were to hand out his own movie awards, there's a good chance that they would have been made of chocolate. Armand loved chocolates. Plain, no nuts or fancy flavors.

Last week I proposed that Armand Singer saw more movies in his lifetime than any other human being. All I have to substantiate that claim are his diaries, so there may be hundreds of films that won't make the list. Of course, if a trusted source reports having seen a movie with him, it's good enough for me.

Where's Armand? is proud to present a preview to: The Mondo Awards!

Photo: LA Times

The Movie Buff

The first Academy Awards were presented in May of 1929. Tickets were $5 and the entire ceremony lasted fifteen minutes! Curious to see what movies were up for the Oscars this year, I found out that I had NOT seen any of them on the list. Armand would have seen all of them, at least once!

I remembered a conversation I had with Armand last year, after he had had a two-movie-afternoon. He talked about seeing The Last King of Scotland (Forest Whitaker won the Best Actor award in 2007) and the conversation segued into memories of his many trips to Africa, the use of the term "Third World" and the word "primitive". Both mislaid, in his opinion.

For Armand, movies were a reflection of our culture. He watched as many as he could for pleasure and discernment. He commented ("100 years of movies ... and we are right back where we started!") and wrote essays until the last few weeks of his life.

As I read through some of his early diaries and see that his passion for the cinema existed even in the early 1930's, I am willing to bet that Armand Singer saw more movies in his lifetime than any other human being. There's a man who claims to have watched 7,714 movies (as of October 2007) but he's only 62 years old. Armand had a good 30 years ahead of him.

I think I'll set-up a page on the Where's Armand? blog and list the movies that he saw, along with any comments that he might have made. As an example, on January 31, 1937, Armand and Mary went to see "The Good Earth" starring Paul Muni and Luise Rainer. Rainer won the Oscar for best actress that year and Armand wrote: -the earlier part - poverty stricken peasant stuff - was convincingly Chinese. Later part became tainted with Hollywood's idea of eternal "triangle" (Armand had drawn a triangle).

I'll let you know, as soon as I get even one year of movies listed.

"The Good Earth" movie trailer: You Tube (04:17)

Illustration: Apple Trailer

The Illusionist

Annie, Armand, and I saw the movie The Illusionist, in Morgantown. Armand is an avid film fan, not easily distracted by the flimflam. All three of us gave the movie a thumbs-up and patiently allowed the credits to scroll by. As we walked out of the matinee, Armand remembered that his father had told him about a murder-suicide involving a Crown Prince of Austria and a woman named Mary Vetsera.

The details from Armand were sketchy but intriguingly included talk of incest and deception. When Annie asked for more details he said, "Well, just look it up in that contraption you have, you might find it."

"Ah, my Blackberry," Annie responded as she reached into her purse. Sure enough, 'Mary Vetsera' googled up, and my jaw dropped. Armand's past is as rich as his memory.