Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Photographs - Queen Emma








What we know about Queen Emma's life can seem to us exotic and daring, with a  dark, unresolved ending

Here is a link to the Papua New Guinea Association of Australia, which has plenty of excellent photographs as well as a brief outline of Queen Emma and her family.

Here is  the first part of a more comprehensive account, and this is the second part. Read it and imagine...




Queen Emma


Photograph from the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection




Queen Emma, family and FriendsPhotograph from the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection


Outside the German Club, 1912.German Governor, Hahl, seated behind the driver.
Photograph from the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection






Queen Emma later in life







Emma with her second husband, Paul Kolbe, in San Francisco 1896
Photograph from the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection

From the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection



From the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection



 San Francisco, 1896
Photograph from the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection









Richard Parkinson and family

Photograph from the Diercke-Uechtritz Collection

Parkinson was married to Queen Emma's sister Phoebe and was employed by Emma to manage some of her plantations.


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Photographs - August Englehardt

August Engelhardt, 1911


 

August Bethmann, Anna Schwab and August Englehardt



August Englehardt (standing) and Max Lützow






 
Englehardt with Bethmann (?) and  Heinrich Eukens

   

Contemporary postcard



Englehardt's disciples join him in his "palm temple."  Illustration and original caption from New York Times article, published October 15 1905



Read it and find out what happened to those on the ship; or if you prefer an excerpt, read here


I have tried to find copyright for these images without success. If anyone can help I'd be grateful

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Rocky Horror Picture Show


Mary Elizabeth is in charge of a fanzine, Punk Rocky, about punk rock and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. she is also in charge of the showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Patrick and Sam take Charlie to see it on Halloween:

"It's really fun because all these kids dress up like the people in the movie, and they act out the movie in the front of the screen. also people shout at the movie on cue."


If you've never come across Rocky Horror before, it started out in 1973 as a successful London stage musical and was made into a film in 1975. It's described as a musical comedy horror film, and draws on sci-fi and horror films from previous decades for satirical effect, paying tribute to these genres at the same time.


A couple are driving in their car on a rainy night when it gets a puncture. They have to walk to a castle to use the phone... 




Reviews of the film were bad when it was first released but it became popular when audiences started dressing up and participating at midnight showings, just like Charlie describes.






Now it has a unique cult following, as well as conventions and an international fan club,there's even a Rockypedia site. It has featured in other films apart from The Perks and the most well-known song is Time Warp.








Charlie mentions that Patrick plays Frank ´N Furter and Sam plays Janet, Craig plays Rocky, until he doesn't turn up for rehearsals...then it's Charlie's chance. Watch these clips and imagine The Perks characters acting out the Rocky Horror Characters







Or, see this from the film version of The Perks



Thursday, February 26, 2015




The Cocovores of Kabakon Island aka The Sonnenorden

Augustburg - Cocovore settlement on Kabakon

Max Lutzow - a recently deceased Cocvore


Harry von Cadlzburg - the first live Cocovore Will and co meet



August Englehardt - leader of the community


Helena - Countess Höhenzollern


Fräulein Ilse Herzen - Helena's maid and travelling companion


Fräulein  Anna Schwab - the third female of the community



Doctor August Bethman - from Berlin, previously a doctor


Jürgen Schreckengost - a German-American from Pennsylvania


Wilhelm Bradtke - the community's photographer


Misha Denfer -  a Russian


Christian Weber - former pastor / director of music in Charlottenberg, near Berlin


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

He hated the picure..




"Will hastily tidied the room, sat in the window seat, and stared thoughtfully at the one piece of art in his house, a reproduction of Alphonse de Neuville's Defence of Rorke's Drift that he'd won from Tommy Hanson at piquet the previous Saturday. He hated the picture, not least because it reminded him of South Africa, and only took it because Hanson had nothing else in his house worth a damn."


Alphonse de Neuville Defence of Rorke's Drift



It is hardly surprising that the painting reminds Will of his last military action in South Africa, which is described in the first chapter, Massacre on the Groot Hoek River. It gives us a good visual depiction of what Will must have experienced, although on a larger scale.

Here  is a link the wikipedia entry for Rorke's Drift.

This is the link to a specialised site, which focuses on the Battle and the recipients of the Victoria Cross. As the site says, the highest number of VCs awarded to a regiment for one action.

Another site specialising in battles, lots of visuals

The events of Rorke's Drift were depicted in the film  Zulu, starring Michael Caine and Stanley Baker. Here are some interesting links:


Wiki Entry for the film.


10 things you didn't know about the film - an article from The Telegraph.

The Untold Story of the film - an article from The Independent





Here's a scene from the film:




Why not watch the whole film? Is it any wonder that Will had continuous nightmares after his own experience?













Monday, February 23, 2015

Catch up with reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower



This site,Shmoop.comis really useful if you want to catch up with what we've been reading. It has a character list and a chapter by chapter  ( or letter by letter in this case) summary of The Perks.

The book is really quite easy to read so I recommend you maybe look at the character list and first part of the summary (not all of it - spoiler!)then start reading the book.

It also has a fun video clip talking about what being a wallflower means.

You could also catch up by watching the start of the film.


Hope to see you on the 27th



Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Sun is God Character List - Chapters 3 - 6




In Herbertshöhe

capital of German colonial administration of German New Guinea



Hauptman Klaus Kessler - senior military officer, responsible for intelligence reports back to Berlin



Siwa - Will's servant girl


Governor Hahl -  Governor of German New Guinea


Doctor Bremmer - performs the autopsy on Max Lutzow



"Queen" Emma Forsayth -  owner of Kabakon island, and extensive plantations in the region



James Forsayth - Queen Emma's deceased husband



Doctor Parkinson - Queen Emma's plantation manager and aide de camp



Miss Bessie Pullen-Burry - Queen Emma's guest, writer of impressions and places



Evans - described as Queen Emma's maitre d'hotel



Clark - Australian pilot who ferries messages and cargoes around the local islands