Bonanza Part 4 - The Paiute War

1.04 - The Paiute War


Guest Stars

Jack Warden - Mike Wilson

Anthony Caruso - Chief Winnemucca

Michael Forest - Young Wolf

Howard Petrie - Major Ormsby

Douglas Kennedy - Bill Stewart

Holly Bane - Vern Wilson

Gregg Marell - Bruno Nuntah

We open on some men abusing Native Americans in a store. The natives are trying to trade pelts for fabric, a reasonable exchange. Mike and Vern Wilson don't think so. Mike is clearly marked as the trouble maker when he admits he's brought booze with him. He's the one that says the natives can't leave. He's the one who says they're going to keep the native's wives until they bring in some good skins. Mike, Vern and some other random guy then proceed to beat up the native men and kick them out, keeping their wives. What. a. dick.

We then cut to Joe and Hoss heading to San Fransciso. Because, you know, we're not going to need them for this episode. Budgets and all that. It's not like miner and native relations are going to break down or anything. It's not like some small incident is going to ruin things for everyone. It's not like the word "WAR" is in the title of this episode. Oh wait. But our brave Cartwright clan pushes on. Ben warns Joe and Hoss of the Barbary Coast; he doesn’t want them to get shanghaied. And what the heck is "shanghaied"? After much extensive research (Wikipedia) I have discovered that it refers to the 'practice of conscripting men as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation or violence'. Considering the hot-headedness of the Cartwrights, I think Ben is right to warn them. But you never know, it might be interesting. The whole family could get kidnapped and get taken to China and instead of raising cattle they can plant rice and look after herds of pandas! I think we've got a winner here.

After this little exchange, Adam rides down to bottom camp to check on the new steers. I've always been very impressed with how Adam rides horse. Just like Gary Cooper, he’s practically glued to the saddle.

Conveniently, Ben has business in Virginia City. Well if everyone's leaving, who's going to guard the ranch? Hop Sing? Playing Devil's Advocate, this would probably be the perfect time to try and take over the ranch or steal cattle or set the Cartwright ranch house on fire or generally do whatever you want to the property.

While Adam's riding to the bottom camp, he finds Bruno, beaten up and rolling around on the ground. Bruno tells him the Wilsons at Wilson’s Station took his and Numpta’s wife. He says the Wilson's were drunk and had guns. Those bozos won't know what hit them. Don't they know Adam's 4-1 fight record?

We then learn that Numpta took matters into his own hands and rode off to talk to Ringnose. Gee, do you think he has a ring in his nose? It's turns out Ringnose is from the Bannoc tribe. Adam asks why Numpta didn’t go to Winnemucca as the area of Wilson's Station is traditional Paiute territory. Apparently Numpta said the Shoshone people aren’t cowards like the Paiute. He said the Bannoc’s would ride and kill the Wilson men. So this can only get worse right? There's no outcome where has tea and works out their differences over buttered scones?

Things are about to get worse than physical abuse and beat downs because Adam knows that if Ringnose and his men attack and kill the men at Wilson’s Station that there will be a war. You know, like in the title of the episode? They need to get to Wilson’s Station first. Unfortunately Bruno spots smoke signals that say Ringnose is calling up his warriors. Adam and Bruno ride off. I'd like to take this time to point out that Adam’s wearing eyeliner hehe.

Back at Wilson's Station, the three drunk idiots are getting drunker. Is that possible? They also happen to be very bad at playing drunk. They pull the women out of a side room and try to get them drunk. The problem is we don't know how much time has passed. The men say they tried to be friendly but now they’re going to teach the women some manners. Ugh! Are we going to stray into bad touch territory?

Just as things start to take on a 14A rating, Adam bursts in, gun drawn and demands the women be let go. Mike knows who Adam is but that's not surprising. The Cartwrights have one of the biggest ranches in the area and they're always sticking their noses in everyone's business. Adam gets Mike and Vern to kick over their guns. Mike makes a move and Adam decks him. Awesome!

Adam vs drunk idiot Vern Wilson: Adam bashes a chair over head. Very reminiscent of the bar fight scene between Marlene Dietrich and Jimmy Stewart in "Destry Rides Again"

Adam vs Mike Wilson: Adam KO’s Mike.

Phil, the other random guy involved in this kerfuffle is now dead drunk asleep so we don't get to see Adam fight him as well. Darn it!

Adam leaves and assumes the issue is settled. Oh it’s not settled Adam. Mike is drunk and a dumbass. What do you think is going to happen? He says Cartwright stole their women and that they should go after them.

Mike calls Adam a “dirty squaw stealer” and walks out to go after Adam. He gets on his horse, only to be confronted by natives on horses shooting off guns. I can only assume he was terrified because he rides away, leaving his brother and Phil in the Station. Numpta's braves pull Vern and Phil outside and shoots them. Now we don't actually see them getting shot but this is still pretty ballsy of "Bonanza" and shows how short life could be way back in cowboy times. Numpta's men head for Sun Canyon. Isn’t it strange how Mike, wanting revenge, wanting to commit acts of violence while cursing racist slang at Adam, gets away and is saved? Yeah, I thought that was pretty stupid too.

What we see next is a gruesome montage of homes set on fire and dead pioneers. Yurgh!

Next we switch to a group of men arguing in the saloon in Virginia City. They question Mike Wilson about what he saw. Take a shot of your favourite beverage every time Mike lies here. He says the natives were naked and painted up (false). He says it was Winnemucca’s men (false). He says there were hundreds of them (false). He says he saw them break into Wilson’s Station and drag out Vern and Phil and shoot them, partner and brother (kind of false because they didn't break in and Vern and Phil didn't put up much of a fight because they were drunk). Why does no one question this man’s honor about doing nothing and running away instead of putting up a fight? Didn't people take cowardice really seriously back then? I mean, in "Back to the Future III" Marty gets called a chicken and he loses it. Anyway, Ben comes in at the end of the rant and hears something about Winnie.

Then things get worse because some grizzled man runs into the saloon to say the Paiutes have killed 7-8 men in Sun Canyon. He says they butchered Jo and Ellie Lawrence right outside of their cabin. I'm assuming that couple was included in that death montage. Gross! Also, why does this guy assume it’s the Paiutes? Virginia City men seem unable to distinguish between native tribes which smacks of ignorance and racism. Everyone is a jerk except Ben because he's one of our protagonists. Can you imagine if Bonanza started off with a group of ranchers completely opposed to natives in the beginning and then after learning about their people and culture, come to accept them as neighbours instead of us seeing Ben as the only understanding white guy in the entire Nevada Territory? Yeah right! I always cringe about what historical inaccuracies are playing out on screen. I do like how the show follows actual events though. There was an actual Paiute War that you can check out on Wikipedia here. Please note that I make no claims about the accuracy of the site.

But back to the saloon. In hindsight, a place that serves booze, is probably the wrong place to let a bunch of white guys know that some natives are killing off settlers. Mostly because alcohol tends to lead to bad decisions. Case in point, this news stirs the men into a frenzy to go and get the Paiutes. This posse is a great example of why mobs are bad. They don’t use their brains. Does this group have any real evidence of what’s going on? No, they’ve heard it second hand from two men and assume there is only one side to the story.

Ben, being one of the only sober people in the joint has a bad look on his face. Do you think he's a teetotaler? I don't think I've ever seen him partake in a boozy beverage so it's a possibility. In any case, Ben looks like he wants to leave and find Winnie to see what the heck is really going on.

A man named Major Ormsby pipes up and says they've got to get organized. They can't just run after the natives. Someone elects him as the mob leader and he agrees, saying they’ll 'do it the army way'. Great, a drunk man with leadership experience, just what we need. Some knucklehead says they should be able to get close to 100 men and then the Major pipes up that they won't need nearly that many to take care of a "mess of mangy Paiutes". That makes Ben mad and something you learn about watching this show is that you don't make Papa Ben mad. Remember back in episode one when he almost threatened to cut out some guy's tongue and gave his cook orders to kill a guy in cold blood? Yeah, that's why you don't piss Papa Ben off. He's like a mother grizzly. Kind of.

It's announced that the posse will march at daybreak. Ben leaves and everyone else continues drinking. Soon they'll be riding horses and waving guns around, while drunk. What a bunch of maroons. Perhaps they’ll all forget about this Paiute business after getting dead drunk and blacking out. That would be the best outcome but it's not going to happen is it?

Ben decides to be proactive because he can't stop all those crazy guys by himself. He goes to see William Stewart, Attorney at Law. Ben says Stewart carries a lot of weight. (Was that a fat joke?) People say Stewart's the first citizen of Virginia City and Ben knows that they haven’t always seen eye to eye but they both know an Indian war would be disastrous. Stewart isn't taking this seriously but Ben says Major Ormsby’s raising an army. Stewart finally perks up and says Ormsby’s no drunken fool, that he’s a good soldier. Uh oh. Ben says the posse will only listen to someone they know. Stewart doesn’t think there will be much of an army after they’ve sobered up though. Don’t count on it Stewie; the episode title says there's going to be a war and I don't think your brain farts are going to keep that from happening. Even Ben backs me up on this. He says it doesn’t take much of an army to start an Indian war.

Back at the Ponderosa, Adam consoles Bruno and says the wives are in good hands, that Bruno should stay for the night. Ben rides up in a hurry and says everyone’s gone mad, that they’re fools, that the Paiutes ran wild. Wait. What? Ben, why do you think it was the Paiutes? You heard the story in the saloon and you believed it? You supposedly know Winnie better than any other white guy so what gives? I thought Winnie was your friend? You know he’s not a warmongerer so what the heck is going on?

Fortunately Adam straightens things out. It was the Bannoc’s of the Shoshone, Ringnose’s people. Adam said Wilson and his drunken brother held Numpta and Bruno’s wives captive and mistreated them. Ben wants to know what Mike was doing accusing the Paiutes. I want to know why Ben wasn't asking these questions in the saloon. Adam says Mike wanted to shift the blame and to protect his own skin. Geez Ben, slow on the uptake much? Adam says they’ve got to stop the saloon posse tonight but Ben says there’s no way anyone’s talking to them. They’re drinking and there are dozens of them.

Adam asks about Bill Stewart, they listen to him. Great minds, I guess? Ben says he’s talking to Bill who will apparently reason with the group in the morning but he and Adam will go along because nobody will believe it wasn’t the Paiutes. Adam questions why Ringnose killed anybody on his way back to the mountains and just listen to what Ben says in response: “They’re a primitive people son, primitive and proud, once they’ve tasted blood.” Two episodes ago you showed this great understanding when the Paiutes were taking cattle from you. It was established that you and Winnie had been friends for a long time and it seemed as if you respected him and Native Americans in general but here you call them ‘primitive’. If this is what you really think then you're worse than all the other racists in town because you pretend to be a friend to the natives. JerkBen from episode one is back.

The next day, the Major has stuffed himself into his Union uniform. The rowdy group of men are carousing and the Major asks where the big group of men are. Most have sobered up and gone home. Guess who’s left to form the posse? All the idiots who are still drunk, including Mike Wilson! Mike says they’ve got enough people. He just wants to get out there and shoot a few Indians. ARGH!

Bill Stewart jumps up and starts talking with Ben and Adam by his side. Stewart says Ben knows Indians better than any man in Nevada. (And did you know he's also a secret racist? Yeah, I bet people didn't know that either). Do people assume he knows natives better than anyone just because he’s good friends with Winnie? Surely Ben can’t be the default can he? Stewart says it wasn’t the Paiutes who attacked Wilson’s Station but the Bannocs.

And here is where Mike doubles down. He says that information is a lie and he knows because he was there. Adam challenges him and says maybe they should know what he was doing there. Mike snaps at him and says it wouldn’t have happened if Adam hadn’t been there. He says Adam came in just before it happened with one of his native friends and that he wanted Wilson to sell his native friends some booze. When Wilson refused, Adam said he’d set the whole Paiute tribe down on Wilson. And what do the drunks do? They believe Mike and rally around him. Maybe they’re perpetually stupid but in any case, they're much dumber to agree with Mike.

A Wild Posse appears.
Ben uses logic on Wild Posse.
It fails.

Ben says if they go out drunk and disorganized against the Paiutes that they’ll be destroyed. Adam shouts that the Paiutes are innocent but Major Ormsby brings up a good point by saying that the massacre at the station took place before noon and that within an hour there wasn’t a Paiute in town but Wilson didn’t get back to town till late afternoon. Adam says the natives have 'ways'. What kind of ambiguous crap is that? Ormsby says murder has been done by Indians and that he aims to punish them. Hold on, you're a major, not a judge.

Stewart pipes up and says they should seek a parley when they go talk to Winnie instead of riding as a war party. Ormsby asks if Stewart’s coming along. Stewart says that he’ll 'serve them better by staying in town and communicating with the authorities in Washington'. If ever there was a bs excuse masquerading as help, this is it. What exactly are you going to do, tell Washington about how a group of stupid drunks are going to murder some natives? What is Washington going to do about that? It would take months for any help from to arrive even if they did send help.

Ben says he and Adam will go along, presumably to try and keep the group from doing anything too stupid. Soon enough a rowdy group of men waving guns around departs town. They spot signal fires and Ben remarks that the Paiutes have heard them coming for miles. No one seems really phased by this but technically they're riding into Paiute land and they're drunk. It's like walking blindfolded on the Savannah, with a pride of lions watching you stumble around.

Winnie looks like he’s holding a war party. He’s says he doesn’t know the purpose of the men or their numbers but the diggers of Sun Mountain are coming with 30 men, including Ben Cartwright and his son Adam. Winnie and his son Young Wolf argue. Why doesn't Winnie have a cool name like that? Anyway, Winnie says what happened was a mistake but Young Wolf points out that even Ben Cartwright rides with 'the diggers'. Winnie says Ben rides to talk and his son counters, saying Ben has a rifle in his hand, that the white men come towards the Paiutes and not towards the Bannocs. Winnie says they will go to war as it is foolish to think it would not come to that but that they will speak for peace with the white men, that no Paiute is to fire upon a white man. I don't see this ending well. But let's wait and see.

The two sides of this mishmash of a conflict finally meet. All of the Paiutes are stationed behind rocks and Ormsby calls them “treacherous devils”. Adam bites back with “what did you expect a welcome mat?” It's moments like these that make me glad Adam's around. Biting remarks are my thing but this show can wear a person out.

Ben says they’ll parlay. I bet Mike’s not too happy about that. Ben does a stupid fake “how” hand signal that people seem to have picked up from Disney’s “Peter Pan”. Oiy. Did any native tribes actually use this? I have doubts.

Winnie says it’s an evil thing to see Ben Cartwright ride to war. I agree but Ben says he rides for peace but Winnie says he sees men ready for battle.

Meanwhile Mike's causing problems with the rabble and calls the natives "murdering devils" and then decides to shoot one of the natives, causing all sorts of mayhem. Ben and Winnie yell and tell them to stop firing. While this is going on, Adam gets hit on the head and a Paiute tries to kill him. Ben shoots the Paiute. Ormsby is attacked, Ben is hit, chaos reigns supreme! The natives take Adam and drag him away. The natives retreat and Ben is dragged back from the front. What a total mess.

Ben starts freaking out about Adam which is a normal reaction when you're in a gunfight and can't find your child in the aftermath. This whole thing was a bloodbath and it's all Mike's fault. He then decides that maybe he made a mistake and decides to run. With the drunks turning tail, the Paiutes decide it's a perfect time to attack.

In the aftermath of their retreat, the men are being patched up at the saloon. Is this seriously the only building in town that can accommodate this large a group? What about the theatre from episode one? That would fit a ton of people. Anyway, Ben is catatonic, mumbling that his son is dead. Mike opens his big fat trap and says Ben led them into a trap and that Stewart should lynch him for causing all this trouble. Sometimes people just don't know when to shut up. Mike then goes on to say that Adam isn’t dead, that he saw Adam 'run off' with the Indians. This perks Ben up a bit who goes back to the Ponderosa, hopefully to formulate a plan about getting Adam back.

Stewart says they need help with this problem, such as Charlie Hungerford commands a battalion on other side of sierra at Placerville. I have no idea how far away that is but at least Stewart's improving. At least it's not Washington! Mike volunteers to go but Stewart puts him off. Why? Mike says he knows what to tell them. Stewart says he’d rather put it in writing. If you don't trust Mike to tell them the truth about what happened, why are you allowing him to go at all? He could mess with your note. He could write another note. He could pretend he wasn't given a note and just blab his version of events. Geez Stewart, use your brain!

We see that Adam’s alive. Yay! Winnie’s son Young Wolf is mad and asks why his enemy lives. They have beaten the enemy and Virginia City could be ashes by morning. Fortunately cooler heads have prevailed. Winnie has spared Adam’s life and asks what the miner’s will do now. Adam says the militia will come with 100 10s (1000?) Young Wolf thinks these numbers are lies and calls his dad a woman. Whoa whoa whoa! None of that disrespecting your elders stuff.

Adam says Winnie should speak to Ben, there can still be peace. Young Wolf says the whites can’t fight, that they were destroyed in that battle. Adam argues that they fought half drunken miners out on a picnic, a lark. You know, I never thought I would hear the word "lark" on Bonanza. Adam says the next time the Paiutes will fight soldiers, two to one. Winnie has confidence that Ben will stop the army but Adam rightly corrects him saying only Winnie can stop this. Winnie promises to meet with Ben to discuss everything but promises that if the army moves on the Paiutes, Adam will die. Uh oh. I don't like where this is going.

Ben is at the Ponderosa with a gun. Uh, should I be worried at this point. The last time we saw he looked ready to snap and murder someone. Little Joe returns. He and Hoss apparently heard about everything in Sacramento. What? How does news travel that fast? Pony Express? Paiute Post? Hoss goes up to San Francisco, for what reason I can’t fathom. Probably the budget. Joe came back to help but didn’t know Adam was a prisoner. Apparently Winnie is bringing Adam to Truckee Rock so they can, I don't know, parlay? Joe wants the whole story but Ben says they can talk about it later. The funny part here is that in real life, Chief Winnemucca was also known as Captain Truckee so they're essentially going to his rock.

Winnie and his men arrive at 'the rock' to talk with Ben and Joe. They bring out Adam. What is up with his upturned pant cuffs? Was that a thing in the 60s?

Ben calls Adam "boy". Whatever. Adam jokes with Joe, asking if the vigilantes ran him out of Sacramento. I like that Adam's relaxed enough in this situation to try and take his brother down a peg. Winnie says Ben will stop the soldiers or Adam will die. That's kind of a tall order, considering Ben has no authority over the army.

On another note, Winnie isn’t happy about Ben shooting one of his men. Ben comes back with the fact that the man would have killed his son (Adam). Winnie counters, saying he has 100 sons. I'm assuming he means this figuratively, as in, he considers all his men, his sons. But it does sounds like the bromance is over.

Adam pipes up, saying Bruno and Ringnose can fix this and Ben asks for time to ride to the high mountains and get proof. Winnie agrees to not attack for the moment.

Joe and Ben run into the cavalry and Major Hungerford while on their journey to Ringnose. We also unfortunately run into Mike 'the total and complete jerk' Wilson who is travelling with Hungerford and continues to cause trouble. I thought Stewart wasn't going to let him talk to the army. In any case, we know Mike does whatever he wants. Here he tries to stir up trouble again and almost draws his gun on Ben.

Meanwhile Ben is trying to clean up the situation, saying the Bannocks killed Mike's brother because of what he and Mike did to some Bannock women. Notice how Mike doesn't deny he assaulted these women and instead says Ben has been on the side of the Paiutes all along.

Then we get one of the best parts of the show where Hungerford threatens to gag Mike. Do it anyway! I don't mind! Hungerford shows some sense, unlike Ormsby who paid for his stupidity as he's now worm food, and chooses to believe Ben's story. Well it's about time somebody did!

Hungerfrod says he's under express orders to attack the Paiutes and punish them but if Ben can bring proof that it was the Bannocks that attacked Wilon's Station, he'll parlay. I like this guy. He bends the rules when he knows something's not right. Ben asks for time, just like with Winnie. Hungerford agrees.

Mike protests but Hungerford says that if Ben is telling the truth then Mike will go back to Sacramento with him in irons. Do it anyway! I don't mind!

Back at Winnie's camp Adam's tied up in a teepee. Young Wolf orders Adam's guards to leave and moves to kill him. Winnie arrives just in time to stop him and decides now is the time to get philosophical with Adam and talk about how white people ruin everything. Winnie knows Hungerford is coming to fight them. Winnie feels sad for Adam because as soon as Hungerford attacks, Young Wolf will kill Adam. Winnie is one tough son of a gun. I wish we had more scenes with Winnie though. I wanted to see the conflict between saving his people and taking the life of his friend's son.

Dramatic music! We cut from a shot of the Cavalry ambling along to Ben and Joe riding like they just fed their horses shots of espresso. They ride right into the Bannoc camp, unopposed and without being shot at. Not believable in my eyes but a Bannoc man remarks that it was brave they rode up into the camp so I suppose it's fine.

Ben confronts Bruno because this is essentially all his fault. People are dead because he decided to tell Ringnose about the Wilson's Station incident. Ben says Adam will die if the California army attacks and that the Paiute people will die. Can the Bannoc's live with that? Ringnose says "war is war". Jerk. Ben says Adam brought back Numpta and Bruno's wives. That should count for something.

Ringnose says they'll ride and asks what will happen to them if they turn themselves in. I don't think he's thought about the consequences of killing innocent people.

Back at the Paiute Camp, Young Wolf drags Adam to the place where they will ambush the army. As Hungerford approaches, he says they can't delay any longer and gives orders to advance but not to fire unless fired upon. We cut to a shot of Mike with his shit-eating grin. That ass didn't listen the first time this was said so he probably won't listen now.

Adam's trying to struggle free and we just know he's going to get away. He's a Cartwright; he's like a buttered pig in a cow poke.

The bugle sounds, which lets the Paiutes know the army is coming. Very stupid. Adam frees himself at the right moment, punches Young Wolf and runs away. Yay! Winnie is all wtf man!

We see shots of Ben and Joe rushing, Adam running, Young Wolf chasing. We cut between the Paiutes and the army, with filler shots and repeated shots that drag out the action. Get on with it!

Adam shouts "don't shoot" which Mike takes to mean, "kill the closest Paiute" and shoots and kills Young Wolf. That jerkface! Everyone else starts firing and killing one another and it's a bloodbath. There is one realy cool effect where cannon fire comes right at the viewer but it looks like fireworks so I'm not sure what was going on there.

Mike rides up to Adam and is ready to blow his brains out when Adam throws a knife at that ass and kills him. Just then, Ben and Joe ride up with the Bannoc. The fighting stops and everyone is pretty much dead. Hungerford says "Gog help us. What have we done?" Is this the end of the Paiute? Is Winnie alive? Is anyone alive? Hungerford says to tell his men loud and clear that this entire debacle was all a mistake. The Bannocs confess their crimes after the fight and Hungerford says he appreciates their honesty and that they will have come to California with him and stand trial.

Adam, Ben and Joe walk over to Winnie who's mourning his son. They don't really know what to say so they just let him be.

How will this battle affect the relationship between the Paiutes and the Cartwrights? How about Native Americans and the army? What about the Cartwrights and the people of Virginia City? If the show was being made today it would probably inform on the actions of characters from now on but because it was made over fifty years ago (man that's a long time) everyone will probably have forgotten about this incident by next episode.

Episode Summary

Fights:

Adam vs Vern Wilson = Adam
Adam vs Mike Wilson = Adam

Deathtoll: 27 (This number is probably a lot higher. I just counted the ones I saw.)


Bonanza Summary

Fight Count
Adam: 6W 1L
Hoss: 2W 1L
Little Joe: 0
Ben: 0

Lady Count:

Adam: 1 (Lotta Crabtree)
Hoss: 1 (Emily Pennington)
Little Joe: 0
Ben: 0

Kiss Count

Adam: 1
Hoss: 0
Little Joe: 0
Ben: 0

Deathcount: 43


Next Time: Enter Mark Twain

Fave Five

Occasionally I find myself wandering around the web with nothing in particular mind to read or visit. This usually ends in several hours of mindless surfing with the discovery of the odd gem here and there. Some sites I've kept to myself for over a year, some I just recently discovered but I thought it was time to spread the love of all things awesome. So here, for your edifying pleasure are 5 sites that I think you should check out.








i can read

I found this site about a year ago and it's updated daily with inspirational messages and quotes. Every post is a work of art and I visit this site when I'm feeling a little down and need to smile. It works every time and I think you'll enjoy it too!

Underground New York Public Library

I discovered this just last week by coincidence and I love it! The site features riders on the New York subway system reading and each post is a picture of said reader. Sometimes the site owner has to be a bit sneaky about taking the photo and sometimes they can't tell what people are reading. The site is interspersed with comments about the site and the idea behind as well as elaborations on certain photos.

I love the concept behind this and that so many people are reading! Albeit, some are on ebooks (to each his or her own) I think this idea is fantastic.

Tastespotting

I always have to be careful when I visit this site because it continually makes me hungry. Think Pintrest with just food photos and recipes. This is just to prepare you for if you choose to click the link. Although, there is a really gross photo of cooked baby octopus on the front page. (I'm not very partial to the texture of octopus, cooked or not and the idea of eating protein that looks the same as it did when it was alive gives me the jibblies!)

Wanderlust Europe

This site is my guilty pleasure because it contains gorgeous photos from all over the world that I can't currently afford to travel to. My only bone to pick with the site is there's no way to tell where the pictures are from as they aren't labeled. But they sure are pretty!

A Sea of Quotes

I've also recently discovered this site. It pulls great quotes from everywhere! This just makes me want to read like a maniac but I also can't wait until I read these books and remember these passages. A must read for any book geek.

Illustration in Adult Fiction

I'm still working my way through "Titus Groan" but I'm always pleasantly surprised when I turn the page to find a sketch by Peake inserted into the book. You don't normally find art in books outside of children's books so I find it intriguing to see how

Peake also completed illustrations for "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and My Hyde" by Robert Lewis Stevenson and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Colerigde. All seem well suited to his style as his illustrations tend to have a touch of the creepy and otherworldly.

While Peake was writing the manuscript for "Titus Groan" he included sketches of his characters which is interesting considering how few authors are artists as well. One thing I have heard authors talk about before is how everyone has their own interpretation of characters' appearances. I think this is both good and bad. It gives you an idea of the author's interpretation of their own characters but it can also limit how you picture the characters. I think you should be able to imagine characters any way you wish. It's part of the fun of reading. There's nothing to tell you how to imagine a scene or setting.

Just look at how Peake's drawn Steerpike here. It looks as if he's up to no good, as if he's got some nefarious plan that he's just waiting to put into action. There's a slight smirk on his face which gives him a boyish look. This coupled with a slightly grimacing brow, gives him a malevolent look. He's our main character but is also the antagonist. An interesting take and reminiscent of "Psycho", where the audience is forced to identify with Norman Bates.

Fuchsia looks so melancholy. Here she seems like a lonely soul, not necessarily looking to talk to anyone but sad just the same. She also looks determined. A strong person with a stern temper. In the book she's a lonely child with no friends and no adult supervision. She goes where she wishes and is most at home when she's dreaming or pretending.

This is Gertrude. The set of her mouth makes me think she's a tough lady. Firm and perhaps not the jolliest person to be around. She cares little for anyone except her cats and birds. Her family, including her newborn son, come second in importance and that's when she pays them any attention at all.










Some of these interpretations are wrong in the context of the story but you see how much information you can gain just from looking at a person. Hopefully a character is far more complicated and nuanced than what you see at first glance but with an illustration you can picture them in your mind. I find this helps me when I'm reading a scene and trying to picture where everyone is and what they're doing.

This isn't very common in adult fiction though. My copy of "Alice in Wonderland" was illustrated and may very well have been done by Peake. The The Guardian has a piece on how fiction used to be illustrated. I want to say that a lot of stories also used to be serialized in newspapers, like Dickens for example, who felt that illustrations were important to his work. Today you rarely find that apart of literary magazines like 'The Fiddlehead', 'The Malahat Review' and 'Geist'. As well, more modern literature may not lend itself to illustration and may in fact be more internal than external, more about the mind than the physical world.

So what do you think? Does illustration in adult fiction contribute or detract from the story? Is it an unwanted interruption or an aspect that enhances your reading experience? Do you think we need more illustration in adult fiction or should illustration stick to graphic novels?

Disney Minimalist Posters

I've got another batch of minimalist posters. The artist is Rowan Stocks-Moore. Please check out his tumblr here.

A few months ago I made a post about minimalist book covers and these are by the same man. As usual these are beautiful and simple. If you want to check out the minimalist book covers click here.

Travel Plans: France 2017

That title sounds rather futuristic doesn't it? Traveling to France in 2017 may feel like I'm planning way too far in advance but I like to plan ahead and this way I feel as if I'll have more of an incentive to research, plan and actually go to France. This post is my affirmation to travel. Why 2017 you say? Sentimental reasons mostly. That year marks 100 years since the Battle of Vimy Ridge, a very important event in Canadian history and one where my great grandfather fought. I plan on attending Remembrance Day celebrations at the Vimy Ridge Memorial, a beautiful monument to all the men that gave their lives in that battle.

But while I'm there I plan to visit other parts of France. After all, traveling overseas can be expensive and I don't want to waste any time that I have in the area. The means extensive research though so I've purchased the Eyewitness Travel Guide for France. I swear by these guides ever since I went to Greece. They are heavier to carry because of the glossy pages and photos included but I found it well worth it. These guides show you what you'll be seeing to give you an idea of what's available. While I haven't read the guide yet, I do plan on making a list of the things I want to see but for the meantime I started with things off the top of my head.

Joan of Arc Statue
Mont St Michel
Arc de Triomph
The Louvre
Versailles
Pont du Gard
Vimy Ridge
Eiffel Tower
The Alps
Pont du Gard
Bayeux Tapestry

Lascaux Caves
Juno Beach
Chartres Cathedral
Musee d’Orsay
Notre Dame
Notre Dame at Rheims
Lourdes
The Chamoix Valley
Arenes de Nimes
Abbey of St Denis

I also have a list of books that are about France, take place in France or are written by someone of French nationality that I'd like to read. Almost all the authors are male though so if anyone has any suggestions for female authors please let me know.

My Life in France – Julia Child
Tender is the Night – F Scott Fitzgerald
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Victor Hugo
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
Swann’s Way – Marcel Proust
All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque
Cyranno de Bergerac – Edmond Rostand
Death in the Clouds – Agatha Christie
The Man in the Iron Mask – Alexandre Dumas
Les Dames aux Camelias – Alexandre Dumas
A Sentimental Education – Gustave Flaubert
Saint Joan – George Bernard Shaw
Joan of Arc – Mark Twain
Lord Hornblower – CS Forester

Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme – Moliere
Life, a User’s Manual – George Perec
La Bete Humaine – Emile Zola
The Lais of Marie de France – Marie de France
Un vie – Guy de Maupassant
The Mystery of the Yellow Room – Gaston Leroux
The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux
The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau – Jon Agee
The White Company – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Accursed Kings Series – Maurice Druon
The House in Paris – Elizabeth Bowen
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Vertigo – Boileau & Narcejac
The Gallic War – Julius Caesar

Kiki’s Memoirs – Kiki de Montparnasse
A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingwy
A Social History of the French Revolution – Norman Hampson
A Son at the Front – Edith Wharton
A Year in Provence – Peter Mayle
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
The Bourne Identity – Robert Ludlum
Day of the Jackal – Frederick Forsyth
Anais Nin Diaries
The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova
Paris: The Secret History – Andrew Hussey
The Mystery of the Blue Train – Agatha Christie
Old Goriot – Honore de Balzac
Paris 1919 – Margaret MacMillan
Possession – AS Byatt
The Razor’s Edge – Somerset Maugham
Scaramouche – Rafael Sabatini
The Sun Also Rise – Ernest Hemingway
The Tropic of Cancer – Henry Miller

There’s also a list of movies by French directors that I would like to watch.

Beauty and the Beast (1946)
The 400 Blows (1959)
Amelie (2001)
The Story of Adele H (1975)
Orpheus (1950)
Stolen Kisses (1968)
Les Vampires (1915)
Les Diabolique (1955)
La Grand Illusion (1937)
Belle de Jour (1967)
Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Jules and Jim (1962)
The Triplettes of Belleville (2003)
Last Year in Marienbad (1961)
Port of Shadows (1938)
Wages of Fear (1953)
Pepe le Moko (1937)
Au Hasard Balthazar (1966)
Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
The Bride wore Black (1968)
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
Pierrot le Fou (1965)
Band of Outsiders (1964)
Breathless (1960)
Contempt (1963)
My Life to Live (1962)
Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
2 English Girls (1971)

Last Metro (1980)
Day for Night (1973)
Alphaville (1965)
Un Coeus en Hiver (1992)
La Reine Margot (1994)
Plein Soleil (1960)
Pickpocket (1959)
Lady Chatterley (2006)
Le Samourai (1967)
La Vie En Rose (2007)
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Three Colours: Blue (1993)
Cache (2005)
Les Enfants du Paradis (1945)
Rififi (1955)
Le Regle du Jeu (1939)
La Haine (1995)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
Jean de Florette/Manon de Sources (1986)
A Prophet (2009)
Playtime (1967)

And painters! I can’t forget the French painters. I've only taken one post-modern art history course in my life and despised almost every minute of it. That's a story for another day but the point is that I fell in love with art.

Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros
Jean Baptiste-Camille carot
Alexandre Gabriel Decamp
Theordore Rousseau
Jean-Francois Millet
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Camille Pissarro
Edouard Manet
Edgar Degas
Paul Cezanne

Claude Monet
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Gustave Caillebotte
Paul Gaugin
Edmond Marie Petitjean
Georges Seurat
Achille Zo
Paul Signac
Jean-Honore Fragonard
Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun

If you've ever been to France or have any suggestions I would love to hear your thoughts. I'm also planning on starting French lessons in the fall. I worry that I might get French overload and get absolutely sick of the place before I even get there but the point is that this is supposed to be a multi year project. I'm giving myself lots of time to do this.

Superhero Minimalist Posters

I've got another batch of minimalist posters for you in the form of superheroes. What can I say, I'm a fan of simple and awesome.

Here, for your delectation is a sampling by Calvin Lin. If you're interested in more of his work, check out his DeviantART page here.

"Amadeus" (1984)

"On the page it looked nothing. The beginning simple, almost comic. Just a pulse - bassoons and basset horns - like a rusty squeezebox. Then suddenly - high above it - an oboe, a single note, hanging there unwavering, till a clarinet took over and sweetened it into a phrase of such delight! This was no composition by a performing monkey! This was a music I'd never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing, it had me trembling. It seemed to me that I was hearing the very voice of God."

Composer Antonio Salieri is caught trying to kill himself and is sent to a mental institution, confessing to killing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A priest hears his confession and as Salieri speaks, we are taken back in time to when he was court composer to Emperor Joseph II. All his life, he had wanted to compose and all is going well until Mozart comes to town. Salieri imagines Mozart in his mind but is confronted by the real man, a vulgar, highly-sexed man-child with a strange laugh who speaks with the voice of God through his music. Salieri becomes bitter and jealous that God should choose to bestow such magnificent musical genius on an undeserving man while Salieri, a chaste and charitable man, finds his talent lacking. As his hatred grows he decides he must destroy God's chosen composer, through whatever means possible.

One of the best parts about this movie is the music. We both get to see and hear Mozart's music and at one point even go inside his head as he's composing. My favourite scene from the movie shows Salieri and Mozart working together on a piece of music. It's absolutely amazing to see Mozart at work and to watch Salieri's realization that he's unable to follow the man's ability.

We also see how different their childhoods were and their resulting musicianship. It's somewhat sad to see how unequal the talents are between the two. For example, Salieri composes a welcome march for Mozart when he visits the emperor. We actually see him working on it and Mozart, upon hearing it once, plays it back by ear and then improves upon it, seemingly with no effort at all. This accidental mocking eventually flowers into full blown purposeful degradation at a party, further driving a wedge of one-sided jealousy between the two.

Both men are interesting characters. Salieri has had a desire to create his entire life but only passing fair talent to pull it off. He went against his father's wishes and became a composer. He is seemingly adored by the Emperor and other men in his musical court but when Mozart appears, Salieri is instantly filled with hatred for this little man who makes masterpieces. Only Salieri can see the music for what it really is while everyone else finds Mozart an unorthodox upstart. He challenges current tradition and questions everyone's musical taste. Salieri, obsessed with his hatred for Mozart, attends every one of his musical performances while actively working to get them cancelled.

Mozart, shoved into the role of composer by his father, finds the job easy and his talent only thwarted by those who can't comprehend his abilities. He also has some serious daddy issues as his father seems to haunt his every step, judging and condemning. Mozart is also arrogant but still looks for approval and appears upset when no overwhelming praise is forthcoming, possibly an effect of his father's influence. Mozart is very childish and childlike. He laughs like a child, delights in the smallest of things and acts unprofessionally at times. He takes such joy in life that it makes me wonder if he didn't do all his living at the beginning of his life. As the film continues we see Mozart physically deteriorate, Salieri's influence made manifest. Mozart's demeanor, his hair and his clothing change as does his relationship with his wife and the appearance of his house. Every aspect of his life is tied into his music which Salieri is trying to drive into the ground. Mozart, unaware of this, continues to work and we see the toll it takes on him. At one point he tells his wife that the Requiem Mass he's writing is killing him.

Apart from the music the sets and the costumes are perfect. I'm a sucker for costumes films but this one gives you a real sense of the era. The ostentation practically overflows from the film. And the hats! Look out for the ridiculously big hats.

This movie also goes the extra mile when it comes to authenticity. When they show the opera Don Giovanni, the building they shot the scene in is where the actual opera was first performed. More than 200 years later that building is still standing. Also, the actor who played Mozart, Tom Hulce, practiced four hours a day to make it look like he was actually playing the piano.

I knew basically nothing about Mozart before this film, apart from he was supposed to be some musical genius. While the film isn't an entirely accurate portrayal of his life, his music plays throughout which is what interested me. I'm far more intrigued by the man and his music now and plan to make a concerted effort to pick up a biography or at least listen to a variety of his works.

Rating: You own this film and rewatch it often, it's that good. Yes it contains classical music and is a biopic but the story is amazing. The film runs long at three hours but the time is needed to create that one-sided rivalry and introduce us to these men and their music. It's no wonder that this film won Best Picture in 1984.