The Devils

Yesterday I saw the restored version of Ken Russell's The Devils, which I had not seen since a mid-80s run on The Movie Channel. I was 12 and full on into my attempt to corrupt myself by seeing movies I was way too young to watch. I think it largely went over my head then, but I enjoyed it this time. I had been watching a lot of his other work in preparation for this, which involved a re-watch of Lisztomania, which I had seen around that same pre-teen timeframe, and The Music Lovers, which I had never seen before and found mesmerizing.

The movie is so big and brash, the performances all so strong, some are over-the-top, but in a good way. I think what I enjoyed most was Derek Jarman's design for the convent. The major scene that was restored is still shocking, over 50 years later. There were scenes I remembered from my first viewing, which always gives me a happy feeling. I hardly ever buy physical media anymore [bad me] but I'll probably shell out for this once it comes out.

In other news, ventured to a cemetery in Washington, not far from here, saw a few interesting stones but didn't stay long and decided to check out a wildlife refuge I had always been meaning to go to. Lots of walking, but since it's a refuge, it's pretty difficult to see many of the birds without good binoculars. I have some that are cheap but aren't super powerful. It didn't seem like there was much activity anyway saw a few egrets and herons. The Merlin app said there was a Belted Kingfisher around but I think it was hidden from view. I'll probably go again in the spring. Birdwatching has become a new interest, it somewhat falls along with hiking. I am not super obsessive about it yet. Give it time.