Henry VIII and The Naked Spur (May 9th and 10th)

That title sounds like a name for a Shakespearean country music group...there's a terrifying thought...*shudders*...the horror...

--- Monday May 9th ---

We went to Hampton Court Palace today. If you haven't guessed it already, Hampton Court is most famously known the palace of Henry VIII. You know the Henry that had 6 wives. Yep. That Henry. Despite that bit of history, it was a majestic place with many wonderful pictures and gardens. I spent most of my time in the gardens because we had been spending so much time in museums that my head just couldn't appreciate any more info...also the gardens were just beautiful.

Hampton Court Main Entryway

There were a few really cool things in the photos. You'll notice in the photo above that the statues are all different animals. In the Base Court you'll see a decently large fountain. That fountain is a wine fountain and those wooden mannequins around it drunk. The Clock in the appropriately named Clock Court told not only the hour, but the day, month, expected moon phase, zodiac signs and more. It's quite the feat of engineering for a clock made in 1540...and note that it's still functioning (given that it has need restoration a few times in that time period).

Flowerbeds & Carriage

Base Court
(That's a wine fountain on the right btw...)

Another Flowerbed & Carriage

The Clock in the Clock Court

Closeup of Clock

More Flowers & Statue
(Can you tell that I really liked the flowers?)

Feast Hall

Garden

--- Tuesday May 10th ---

Since we were still so exhausted from running around everywhere the past couple of weeks. A few of us decided to take it easy. I ended up just reading The Hobbit for one of my classes. After reading that it really makes you take a hard look at the movie and sigh. It could have been something so much more.

Anyways, that evening we saw a movie at the BFI called The Naked Spur (1953). For those of you unfamiliar with this film I'll try to put it into perspective for you. Imagine a Western but instead of John Wayne as your somber western hero, imagine Jimmy Stewart...because that's exactly what it is. This is a Jimmy Stewart Western. And I must say that I almost did not believe my professors when they told us.

The Naked Spur (1953)
Starring James "Jimmy" Stewart and Janet Leigh

The movie was directed by Anthony Mann and apparently Jimmy Stewart made 5 westerns with Mr. Mann. The fact that made 1 western was something else but now I find out that we made at least 5!?

Anyways. The movie was interesting. It's what's called a "Psychological Western" as it less interested with action and more interested with getting inside the minds of the characters and showing conflict via relationships. None of the characters were really "good guys". Everyone of them was moral ambiguous to a degree. You could think of it sort of like Treasure of the Sierra Madre and you wouldn't be far off the mark.

Well that's it for this post. Stay tuned for another post...soon hopefully...