Is this a cleverly disguised backhand at the piece and/or the performance? The last time I saw Paris, it was far from chic. It’s been a much longer time since I was in Hollywood but it had no glamour back then and my mates in Los Angeles say it has even less now.
Dmitry: It’s all sincere – the admiration for the piece, and the equating of Hollywood with glamour and Paris with chic.
Of course, Ravel and Gershwin would be early 20th century chic/glamour. Both composers would probably agree with you that these places have lost a lot of those qualities.
My suspicion – based on no knowledge – is that the writer is very young and eager to impress. He’s a smart guy and will get better. Also – note that it’s a very short review. If he was held to this length, then some of the sentences reflect a decision to stuff a lot into a small space.
Looks well into middle age if his photo and profile are any guide. I thought it the sort of purple prose that would be soundly thrashed in a basic writing course.
May 30th, 2023 at 8:31PM
Is this a cleverly disguised backhand at the piece and/or the performance? The last time I saw Paris, it was far from chic. It’s been a much longer time since I was in Hollywood but it had no glamour back then and my mates in Los Angeles say it has even less now.
May 30th, 2023 at 11:16PM
Dmitry: It’s all sincere – the admiration for the piece, and the equating of Hollywood with glamour and Paris with chic.
Of course, Ravel and Gershwin would be early 20th century chic/glamour. Both composers would probably agree with you that these places have lost a lot of those qualities.
May 31st, 2023 at 12:25AM
Reads like a parody on the lines of Monty Python’s Australian Table Wines sketch.
May 31st, 2023 at 12:47AM
My suspicion – based on no knowledge – is that the writer is very young and eager to impress. He’s a smart guy and will get better. Also – note that it’s a very short review. If he was held to this length, then some of the sentences reflect a decision to stuff a lot into a small space.
May 31st, 2023 at 1:25AM
Looks well into middle age if his photo and profile are any guide. I thought it the sort of purple prose that would be soundly thrashed in a basic writing course.
May 31st, 2023 at 7:24AM
Ah. I didn’t check his profile.
Yes, this is the sort of writing that instructors should flag as dense and pretentious.