“Last night I dreamt of Manderlay…”

Opening words of Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’. Which I know firstly because I’m a totally cultured and literate literary litter-lout who adores true love, romance and the whole chic-lit schtick, and secondly because its Mel’s favourite book/film ever. Otherwise, if I’m honest for once, I wouldn’t have a fucking clue. If it ain’t in a Spurs match program, it ain’t worth readin’.

Daphne Du Maurier also wrote another book. My Cousin Rachel. Not ‘My Cousin Vinny’, that was someone else. Someone who wrote good books. Funny ones. Nothing funny about My Cousin Rachel, so they made it into a movie. And because its Daphne du M, and because… because it was on, ‘we’ just ‘had’ to see it.

So to reason. There’s a reason why everyone’s heard of ‘Rebecca’. And a reason why virtually no-one knows ‘My Cousin Rachel’. Always a good reason. And there’s a reason why a busy cinema is empty. How often do you see that? Ok, it was a gorgeous hot and lovely mid-summer eve, but heh, there was air-con in the movie. That alone should have dragged half of Crouch End off its collective sweaty arse and into the film? But no. The film is shit. Even Mel asked me about 2/3 the way through if we should bother waiting for the end. Unfortunately I was asleep and thus missed my opportunity.

Maybe its the old ‘good books don’t translate into good movies’ thing. Other than Shawshank. The Shining. Godfather and a million others. That’s why there was never a movie of a JT Edson book (so obscure even I’m struggling with it, but those who knew JT will understand; even if they’d never admit it in public).

Never mind; the British (ok, ‘and Irish’) Lions are playing the All Blacks tomorrow morning. And that won’t be nap time. Its a win-win for me. I love a Lions tour and yet I’m a massive All Blacks fan. You don’t have to be a kiwi. You’re allowed. Because when Dan Carter resigned from international rugby after being the best fly-half the world has ever seen, (apologies to Barry John) they just ‘found’ Beauden Barret who may possibly be even better. When Ricky McCaw left the game after captaining over 100 times, in steps Kieran Read. Where do they get them? Where do they make them? In a population of about 47 people and 92 million sheep, how can they keep producing such superstars?

Come on Lions… ish

Happy Friday

A xxxx