Bryan ponders a 'troubling dream' of a photograph... This is William Henry Fox Talbot’s Nelson’s Column under Construction, Trafalgar Square, April 1844. It is a photograph that has haunted me for some time. The Met’s commentary says it ‘marks the beginning of a new, photographic way of seeing’ which, I think, is ... Read More...
About Author Profile: Bryan Appleyard
From the August 2010 archives, Bryan Appleyard is struck by a still from Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times... I was never much taken with Charlie Chaplin, too cute, I preferred the comparative austerity of Buster Keaton. But a couple of days ago I came across this picture. It is the last shot ... Read More...
Bryan Appleyard responds to Mahlerman's review of Tree of Life... Much as I esteem Mahlerman, on the subject of Terrence Malick's film Tree of Life he has made a familiar film reviewer's mistake - criticising a film for not being another film. Malick, more than any other director, has earned the ... Read More...
Hard by Notting Hill Gate tube station there is a breathtakingly expensive fish shop. I once bought a moderate-sized halibut steak there and was charged £11.50. Latterly, however, there has been a change in this sea-boutique, a small sign perhaps that the Osborne squeeze has struck even here. Boards have ... Read More...
Why do all drugs have sci-fi names? I am currently taking some antibiotics called Zithromax, which, as any ful kno, is a planet in the Paracetomol system ruled over by the evil Lord Seroxat whose regime is constantly threatened by the rebellion led by the brave warrior Benadryl. Meanwhile, the ... Read More...
I was never much taken with Charlie Chaplin, too cute, I preferred the comparative austerity of Buster Keaton. But a couple of days ago I came across this picture. It is the last shot of Chaplin's Modern Times (1936). At first glance it seems merely generic - hero and heroine ... Read More...
