The White Ribbon: Small Town German Violence Presages . . .
The White Ribbon presents a simple premise: the small village of Eichwald in Germany, pre-World War I, experiences a series of bizarre accidents. It all starts when the village doctor trips while riding his horse back to his home and is badly injured. Upon further investigation, it is discovered that this was no accident; in fact, a wire had been strung between two trees at the entrance of the doctor's property. Someone knew he would be passing through and wanted him to trip.
As the story continues, more strange incidents occur. A woman falls to her death. A barn burns. A pair of children disappears. When they are found, they have been badly beaten. A letter found with one of the beaten boys says that children are being punished for the sins of the parents and will continue to be for generations to come. Whether this is a threat or a fact of life is open for debate.
These mysterious events weigh heavily on the villagers. The village baron (Ulrich Tukur) is desperate for answers. So is the village schoolteacher (Christian Friedel), who narrates the film from later in his life. He suspects that some of the children know more than they let on and, indeed, the children seem to be behaving strangely.
| Stories & Beer #2: don’t call it a comeback
Who says the sequel can't be as good (or even better?) than the original? There are the obvious exceptions: Godfather II, The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens. But we would also like to remind you of Evil Dead II. Back to the Future II. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. And, now, S&B 2.
The problem, most people argue, with most sequels is the akin to the sophomore slump in music: trying to live up to high expectations, trying too hard to outdo the orig' and perhaps taking criticism too much to heart instead of listening to your heart/gut/loins. But, it turns out, sometimes criticism can be constructive and sometimes it is merely echoing the sweet nothings already being whispered into your ear by said heart/gut/loins.
Phineas T. Barnum's notion of a "Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome" made him a millionaire, delighted the masses and became known as the Greatest Show on Earth, however, it was lost on me. As a child the movie Dumbo depressed the hell out of me, clowns frightened the hell out of me and it is likely my anxiety regarding the fate of trapeze artists contributed largely to my nervous bowel syndrome. Not a fan of the circus, I …
Wednesday March 17th | Author's Corner | Illini Union Bookstore | 4:30 p.m. As the first annual Early Spring Literary Festival winds to a close almost as quickly as it started, you dear reader, have the chance to meet some of the writers who make the U of I such a unique pocket of literary goodness. In fact, one of the reasons we have to be excited about the ESLF (there's gotta be a better way to abbreviate this thing) …
Having grown up in Champaign-Urbana, I've become relatively immune to the lofty claims staked to this professor or that invention. Just recently I was asked by a very excited stranger, who I was serving a bottle of beer to, if I had known that the LED had been created right here, in Champaign-Urbana(?!). I responded as respectfully as I could: by feigning ignorance and letting him provide me with a short history of the light emitting diode's relationship to the …
Howard Finster Exhibit | Krannert Art Museum Howard Finster might just be the most American artist of the twentieth century (the reader should feel free to contest this in the comments below since your assigned correspondent has a startlingly limited background in Americana). To gloss terms, American is here being used as an amalgam of nationalism, consumerism, religious zeal, prodigious factory-like output, genuine esteem for both Hollywood and the banjo, healthy doses of paranoia and absurdity, and an undying earnest …
I'm sure there are many different reasons why each of us started watching LOST. Some started watching from the beginning in 2004. For others, like me and my wife, we have our own "I started watching in Season X and then spent the next few weeks watching episodes until 4 a.m. to catch up" story. There is a certain recipe to the best LOST episodes and they often involve a heartwarming scene like the beach reunion from last night's "Dr. …
As is often the case, I entered the Krannert Center's Colwell Playhouse knowing next to nothing about what I was about to see. If I'd read more about this particular play, I'd probably not have attended. Christopher Durang's "A History of the American Film" is a parody of the classic 1930s–1940s musicals and films that the WWII Generation enjoyed. Good Girl Loretta falls in love with Jimmy the Gangster, and through their adventures we're treated to an historical account of …
Downtown Urbana offers representation to artists wanting to put their art on display. New artists toying with the idea of making jewelry, painting or sculpting can be featured next to seasoned veterans of photography with only a small annual fee to help pay the rent.
"Everything that I know, I know only because I love." This quote is emblazoned on the screen at the opening of the film and is just one of the simple tenets of the Tolstoyan Movement pioneered by the famed novelist, Leo Tolstoy. Leo Tolstoy (here played by Christopher Plummer) was best known for his career as a novelist, having penned such classes as Anna Karenina and War and Peace. However in his later years he was devoted to a philosophy …
Most Recent Arts Comments
It appears to me that your reviewer did all that could be expected: she paid her money, saw the play and conveyed her impressions. The review (on the whole, laudatory) may have been rushed, in a generous attempt to publicize the production while it was still available…
That settles it… Im going.
I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.
It’s a total shame this is only during working hours! It sounds great, but I’m one of those who can’t slip away very readily during the 9-to-5. Next time, a request: weekend events, please?
Nuts. Sorry I saw this, um, 15 minutes before CULitFest (my term!) begins. However, one deficit - no beer. SP.com 1, UIUC 0. In all seriousness, hope it goes well!
Good stuff as always! I like the theory Zelina presented…curious to see how it plays out with Sawyer, Jin/Sun, and Kate…
To get back to the show, if that’s allowed, we saw it last night. I know a lot about the films of the 30s and 40s and appreciated what Durang was trying to do, though some was pretty obvious and the ending was forced. A literal kitchen…
I had a great time reading around your post as I read it extensively. Gold Coins
Zeleni, I had the exact same theory only with the mysterious Man in Black/Smokie granting the wishes. MIB promised Sayid he could have anything in the world he wanted, which turned out to be Nadia. Although he does not necessarily “have” her, she has not died yet…
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Interesting about who owns land in the path of the Olympian Drive extension. My comment was in response to ‘Tony C’s remarks about the I-74 expansion. Just who owns land in the 150 [BloomingtonRd]-I-74 corridor?? Because the corridor is zoned for future use as Commercial/Industrial, I am…
(happy face)
Wow, great article. I wish you the best in your endeavors and hope you have a nice trip.
Um. Yeah — check out that “General Disclaimer” at the bottom of the article, folks.
As an adoptee, I can empathize—although I’m not an international adoptee, and I apologize if I’m assuming too much on the nature of your adoption. You can feel what you feel, but don’t be too hard on yourself. When I started a search for my birth family,…
I highly doubt a single dish is vegan at Bombay. Most Indian dishes use Ghee(essentially clarrified butter) as the base fat. While I guess they could make some dishes with canola oil, I would for sure ask the exact ingredients before I consumed if you are following a vegan diet.
You’re right! Every runner, in my opinion, is a real runner.
Congratulations on the AG place! In all of your accomplishments, don’t forget what it was like to think a mile was an impossible distance. Getting to the six-mile point takes a lot of training and preparation to acclimate the mind and musculature to so much pounding. Your…
Sounds like it!
I heading out on my 9 miler before my 10 hour work day right now. Do I have what it takes?
Nice, killer work pretty man…the channeled, one sided collaborated rhyming poem. An oft forgot genre. The ruckus was felt even here in my living room, which is normally a safe haven from ruckus.
wait, I was commenting on the wrong thing - sorry - he’s actually a gigantic sellout but who really knows what all this is about.
If the democrats didn’t have Kucinich, and the republicans didn’t have Ron Paul, where would both these parties really stand? These men actually mean what they say.
Joel, thank you for the opportunity to answer these questions and have them posted here. I really appreciate it! Yes, I was thrilled to see that Rep. Kucinich flipped today, so he will has committed to voting yes for health reform. I appreciated his comments which seem…
It appears to me that your reviewer did all that could be expected: she paid her money, saw the play and conveyed her impressions. The review (on the whole, laudatory) may have been rushed, in a generous attempt to publicize the production while it was still available…
Dan Schreiber’s chocolate is simply the best I’ve ever had. It’s a whole different ball-game; closer to very high-end wine than anything out of Hershey PA.
That settles it… Im going.
Vosges is pretty decent chocolate, but you should definitely try the locally-produced chocolate from Dan Schreiber, available (regularly?) at Amara, Caffe Paradiso, and Common Ground. I believe it is or will be at other places soon.
I read Kucinich flipped today. He must have read this and been convinced.
Bread Company can do some fantastic vegan dinner dishes! Several of their pastas are vegan or could be made vegan and their pizzas can be ordered (and taste great) without the cheese. I also recommend their roasted potatoes and their roasted garlic head appetizer.
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Nice, killer work pretty man…the channeled, one sided collaborated rhyming poem. An oft forgot genre. The ruckus was felt even here in my living room, which is normally a safe haven from ruckus.