Our little legs and feet were pretty much dead by this point so walking needed to be kept to a minimum today. After checking out - but leaving our bags at reception - we headed for breakfast (a busy morning so it was down to Bruno's basement for us!) before wandering towards the Royal Academy.
I was keen to see the JW Waterhouse exhibition: I've long loved The Lady of Shallot (Tate Gallery) and though easy on the eye I coulnd't pass up the chance to see the images up close.
Sadly, Andrew 'Bastard' Lloyd Webber didn't deign to lend my very favourite Ophelia (which I have sadly never seen in the flesh). I have to confess this did rather taint my enjoyment of the show, but nevertheless the pictures are beautiful.
We then mooched over the South Bank and grabbed a seat in the snazzy back bar of the NFT (sorry, I must remember that it is no longer the National Film Theatre, but instead BFI Southbank: shame on me).
We then people watched the ad and film execs in the bar before we then settled in for the 2:10pm screening of Once Upon a Time in the West. The Greatest Western Ever Made. Fact.
This is such a favourite film of ours, we could not pass up the chance to see it on a big screen with a proper sound system.
And yes, I sobbed lots of tears every time Jill's Theme was played - quite possibly one of the most heart-tugging pieces of music in film. In its original version (and please don't force me to listen to inferior later recorded versions), this is just magnificent - that swoop over the rooftops from the station vividly called to mind whenever I hear it. In fact, the music for this is near perfect. And a spectacular film to match.
After that we hopped the tubes back to Store Street to end our trip as we began with a fine meal at Ristorante Olivelli Paradiso. Then it was off to collect our bags and trudge to St Pancras for the train home. Just enough time to collect some gifts and then home, home home.
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3 comments:
oooh oooh ooh!! Once Upon A Time in the West also my favourite ever western. In fact Peter Fonda is going to masquerade as the baddie in a book I want to right because of that film (I say a book I want to write - I have so many...)
That bit when the guy says, shall I kill the kid, Frank? And he says, now you've said my name...
But also the tension of the beginning, the arrival of Claudia Cardinale, oh the magnifence of it all, really. Brilliant, brilliant film Feel I must now go and watch it again!
Glad you enjoyed your visit to the Big Smoke. We must try and hook up one time when you're down (I was actually in Menorca when you were here, but maybe another time?)xx
Hee hee = I'll even forgive you for mentioning Peter Fonda rather than daddy Henry... but then Peter himself does a fine turn in the recent remake of 3:10 to Yuma playing a grizzled Pinkerton detective/bounty hunter...
And yes, we should try and meet up!
Oh bollox. I knew it was Henry... That's what comes of typing too fast!! I liked 3:10 to Yuma too...
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