Along with congratulating students on their exams, I would like to share the three losses and one win which we didn’t always have time to discuss as the course progressed.
26 January – composer Michel Legrand, lost two days after our lecture on Cleo from 5 to 7, for which he wrote the music to “Sans toi” (with lyrics by Varda), the transformative torch song wailed direct to camera by our heroine.
7 February – actor Albert Finney, lost a week after we studied his iconic portrayal of pre-counterculture working-class anti-hero Arthur Seaton.
25 February – director Spike Lee’s belated first Oscar win, just under a month before we reflected on Radio Raheem’s knuckle dusters.
and 29 March – director Agnès Varda, lost one day after we watched two clips of her discussing her pioneering work in the essay film genre.
Fittingly, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Cleo and Do the Right Thing proved to be the three most popular films to write about on the course.
Well done to everyone and enjoy your well-deserved summer break!
gww 