Last night the DVD film choice was between the Labyrinth, which I have seen in theatre and a film about which I knew nothing except that it starred Charlotte Rampling, an intelligent actress who has selected challenging and controversial parts in the past. The film Heading South is no exception in that it deals with the female sex tourist. I had heard that in addition to cricket tourist to the Caribbean, the general tourist and the rich and famous such as the late Princess Margaret and Ian Fleming, there were ladies of a certain age who visited the islands for the company of local young men and this may all still be more fiction than fact. The interesting aspect of this film is that the setting is Haiti in the 1970's when the country was run by a clique of murdering rapists and financial exploiters of the their own people. The film shows the provision of an hotel in idyllic surroundings where the visiting ladies have their own bungalow type ensuite accommodation with central restaurant and bar and also facilities for the provision of food and drinks on the beach. The hotel and the local community are all too well aware of the open relationships between the ladies and the local young men as they spend time together during the day, swimming, visits to the local market, horse riding, eating and drinking as the more intimate aspects of the relationships.
The films looks at the lives of two women and one young man in particular. The forty five year old character played by Charlotte Rampling leads a successful but empty life which she fills in a prolonged summer break in Haiti with a special friend who she had known for a number of years since he was still of school age here in the UK. She is oblivious to his life outside her contact with him, rarely visiting the local town as its reality spoils the heaven she has created fro herself.
The second female character also knew he young man several years before when she visited with her husband and they befriended the young man on a visit at the end of the summer after Charlotte had returned to her rest of the year life. As consequence the second would has an emotional sexual experience with the young man which effective changes her life and she returns to island without a home or a husband in search of the young man to try and recapture the experience, only to find that he has become the "property" of Charlotte Rampling and who immediately sees the arrival of the new woman as a threat, even though the woman finds herself another young man while she waits for Charlotte to depart.
The new arrival comes into contact with the reality of Haiti and that the he young man in question has become a problem to a member of the ruling clique. Charlotte attempts to persuade the young man to leave the country with her, and she blames the new arrival when shortly after they have had a row about their respective interests in the young man he and another is found dead on the beach. The death has a different impact on the future lives of both women. For Charlotte Rampling, the dream is over and she makes an immediate return to her normal life and we are left with the view that she is unlikely to return again, at least to Haiti and possibly to live out the rest of her life alone, clinging to her memories. For the second woman, this new life has just begun, and presumably with the financial means which means she can stay indefinitely and she lists the countries and the islands of the region which she could visit in the search for new experiences and new companions.
The film is therefore about a world in the early 1970's which was alien to the majority of British people, especially working families. It would therefore be easy to moralise and express dissatisfaction at the behaviour of the two women and others portrayed in the film the film, although it can also be argued that they provided employment and helped raise the standard of living of those with whom they associated, and in some instances the benefit would have been spread to the family of the young men. The film also painted a darker picture of the position of the local young women who it appeared were at the mercy of the ruling clique and their henchmen, and who were without mercy.
It has to be pointed out that subsequently the special tourist became a widespread phenomenon as anyone who has visited a package hotel on any of the Costa's will verify with one memorable experience in a self catering hotel apartment it was evident that the party of three or four young men next door had a collection of girls of all nationalities which they brought back in the early hours with much banging of doors and where the different languages would waft across veranda's if one was late leaving for a day out and about. For the more "mature" there was Paris where vats fortune were made on the with club with champagne nude and semi nude revues at the Follies, the Lido, the Crazy Horse and the Moulin Rouge as well as various other establishments where the entertainment was less defined, although the highlight for me was visiting the graves of Victor Hugo and Edit Piaf and the like, as well as watching Reds on a hot afternoon after going to the top of Eifel tower, and rushing through the Louvre.
I had a surprisingly good night after yesterday’s fall and I do look a sight when I saw my face in a mirror and the incident brought home the inevitabilities of old age and becoming disabled and dependent and where in truth the inspirational attitude of my mother simply underlines what a bad patient I am. As I said to the taxi driver who brought me home it is stretching cause and effect to put the blame on the Yorkshire and Durham Football Clubs and the English cricket Boards, although the incident has not helped to make me look more kindly on what happened and I was pleased to read the editorial in the Newcastle based Chronicle. "Howzat for a farce." " And when money comes to the table so does greed and, it seems disregard for the spectators. Last night more than 6000 fans had battled through the traffic and rain to take their seats at the Riverside for Durham's quarter final with Yorkshire. As the start approached the sun came out and there was real prospect of play, so we thought. The fact is that when the gates opened the authorities knew Yorkshire had fielded a player who did not have the necessary paperwork in a previous game and Nottinghamshire had objected. So why did it take so long to inform the fans? And why with the sun out was the game not played and any sanctions imposed on Yorkshire afterwards." Well said the evening Chronicle.
It was also announced that a disciplinary committee to deal with the complaint about fielding an ineligible player will be heard before a judge on Thursday morning. There was no statement on the ECB which is actually the English and Wales Cricket Board but under the 20 20 competition site which confirmed that Yorkshire could be asked to replay their match with Nottingham in which instances the winners would then meet Durham, or Yorkshire be eliminated and presumable the quarter final tie be played between Durham and Nottingham. The statement mentions that there could be some other penalty but does not indicate what this could be. The Nottinghamshire Cricket Club has published a statement saying that they away with interest the outcome of the hearing and have included a copy of the ECB original statement in which they sate that they made it clear to both Yorkshire and Durham that that the panel could order a replay of any match or matches which could affect any quarterfinal. The emphasis is on could which is very different from say would or saying that the game could not have taken place. Moreover it does not say when it advised both clubs which only add to the belief that it was originally intended to play the match and then for some reason one or both clubs decided not to proceed and which if so confirms the need for a separate investigation into the conduct of one of both clubs.
The films looks at the lives of two women and one young man in particular. The forty five year old character played by Charlotte Rampling leads a successful but empty life which she fills in a prolonged summer break in Haiti with a special friend who she had known for a number of years since he was still of school age here in the UK. She is oblivious to his life outside her contact with him, rarely visiting the local town as its reality spoils the heaven she has created fro herself.
The second female character also knew he young man several years before when she visited with her husband and they befriended the young man on a visit at the end of the summer after Charlotte had returned to her rest of the year life. As consequence the second would has an emotional sexual experience with the young man which effective changes her life and she returns to island without a home or a husband in search of the young man to try and recapture the experience, only to find that he has become the "property" of Charlotte Rampling and who immediately sees the arrival of the new woman as a threat, even though the woman finds herself another young man while she waits for Charlotte to depart.
The new arrival comes into contact with the reality of Haiti and that the he young man in question has become a problem to a member of the ruling clique. Charlotte attempts to persuade the young man to leave the country with her, and she blames the new arrival when shortly after they have had a row about their respective interests in the young man he and another is found dead on the beach. The death has a different impact on the future lives of both women. For Charlotte Rampling, the dream is over and she makes an immediate return to her normal life and we are left with the view that she is unlikely to return again, at least to Haiti and possibly to live out the rest of her life alone, clinging to her memories. For the second woman, this new life has just begun, and presumably with the financial means which means she can stay indefinitely and she lists the countries and the islands of the region which she could visit in the search for new experiences and new companions.
The film is therefore about a world in the early 1970's which was alien to the majority of British people, especially working families. It would therefore be easy to moralise and express dissatisfaction at the behaviour of the two women and others portrayed in the film the film, although it can also be argued that they provided employment and helped raise the standard of living of those with whom they associated, and in some instances the benefit would have been spread to the family of the young men. The film also painted a darker picture of the position of the local young women who it appeared were at the mercy of the ruling clique and their henchmen, and who were without mercy.
It has to be pointed out that subsequently the special tourist became a widespread phenomenon as anyone who has visited a package hotel on any of the Costa's will verify with one memorable experience in a self catering hotel apartment it was evident that the party of three or four young men next door had a collection of girls of all nationalities which they brought back in the early hours with much banging of doors and where the different languages would waft across veranda's if one was late leaving for a day out and about. For the more "mature" there was Paris where vats fortune were made on the with club with champagne nude and semi nude revues at the Follies, the Lido, the Crazy Horse and the Moulin Rouge as well as various other establishments where the entertainment was less defined, although the highlight for me was visiting the graves of Victor Hugo and Edit Piaf and the like, as well as watching Reds on a hot afternoon after going to the top of Eifel tower, and rushing through the Louvre.
I had a surprisingly good night after yesterday’s fall and I do look a sight when I saw my face in a mirror and the incident brought home the inevitabilities of old age and becoming disabled and dependent and where in truth the inspirational attitude of my mother simply underlines what a bad patient I am. As I said to the taxi driver who brought me home it is stretching cause and effect to put the blame on the Yorkshire and Durham Football Clubs and the English cricket Boards, although the incident has not helped to make me look more kindly on what happened and I was pleased to read the editorial in the Newcastle based Chronicle. "Howzat for a farce." " And when money comes to the table so does greed and, it seems disregard for the spectators. Last night more than 6000 fans had battled through the traffic and rain to take their seats at the Riverside for Durham's quarter final with Yorkshire. As the start approached the sun came out and there was real prospect of play, so we thought. The fact is that when the gates opened the authorities knew Yorkshire had fielded a player who did not have the necessary paperwork in a previous game and Nottinghamshire had objected. So why did it take so long to inform the fans? And why with the sun out was the game not played and any sanctions imposed on Yorkshire afterwards." Well said the evening Chronicle.
It was also announced that a disciplinary committee to deal with the complaint about fielding an ineligible player will be heard before a judge on Thursday morning. There was no statement on the ECB which is actually the English and Wales Cricket Board but under the 20 20 competition site which confirmed that Yorkshire could be asked to replay their match with Nottingham in which instances the winners would then meet Durham, or Yorkshire be eliminated and presumable the quarter final tie be played between Durham and Nottingham. The statement mentions that there could be some other penalty but does not indicate what this could be. The Nottinghamshire Cricket Club has published a statement saying that they away with interest the outcome of the hearing and have included a copy of the ECB original statement in which they sate that they made it clear to both Yorkshire and Durham that that the panel could order a replay of any match or matches which could affect any quarterfinal. The emphasis is on could which is very different from say would or saying that the game could not have taken place. Moreover it does not say when it advised both clubs which only add to the belief that it was originally intended to play the match and then for some reason one or both clubs decided not to proceed and which if so confirms the need for a separate investigation into the conduct of one of both clubs.
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