Dinner
and a Movie
Victor
and Ken
By
Steve Herte
This
past week I paused at Thanksgiving to think about what I was thankful
for. Number one, my good health, number two, my loving family, number
three, being able to sing, and number four, finally learning – with
excellent coaching and encouragement – to write the reviews I've
always wanted to write. Back in high school, my attempts were poor
shadows of writers I admired and my teachers' comments were far from
encouraging (e.g. "Sounds like a comic book.")
I
stopped writing for a very long time, only interrupted by the
occasional sonnet at Christmas or a limerick here and there. Then, in
my barbershop singing days I did a few parodies that are still hailed
as funny today. But it wasn't until I met Ed and became acquainted
with Dave (long distance, I admit, though someday we may meet) that I
became convinced that I might make a second career out of writing.
Thanks guys!
Friday
made me realize that, though I love the Frankenstein story, I had
never actually read Mary Shelley's original and had even missed the
last installment in 1994, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I
really must include them in my background to see the differences
in the various modern productions. Enjoy!
Victor
Frankenstein (20th Century
Fox, 2015) – Director: Paul McGuigan. Writers: Max Landis. Based on
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Jessica Brown
Findlay, Bronson Webb, James McAvoy, Daniel Mays, Spencer Wilding,
Robin Pearce, Andrew Scott, Callum Turner, Di Botcher, Eve Ponsonby,
Will Keen, Louise Brealey, Nicola Sloane, & Freddie Fox. Color,
Rated PG-13, 109 minutes.
“You
know this story. A mad scientist, his unholy creation…”
The
voice-over at both the beginning and the end of the movie is by a
much abused, hunchback circus clown who will be transformed into the
character known as Igor Strausman (Radcliffe). Between being hit with
various objects and kicked by his fellow clowns while the audience
laughs in true schadenfreude, he sees the anatomy of creatures and
performers around him, particularly that of the aerialist, Lorelei
(Findlay), and studies it. Until one day, when Victor Frankenstein
(McAvoy) attends a performance and Lorelei falls from her trapeze, he
miraculously knows to snap her collarbone back into place so that she
can breathe. Victor is amazed by his quick thinking and his knowledge
and a famous friendship is born.
But
Barnaby (Mays), the owner of the circus, will not let the hunchback
leave without a fight and locks him in an animal’s cage. Using
magnets, Victor frees the baffled prisoner and together they escape
through an underground passage. Unfortunately, in the melee, the
knife thrower kills fellow clown Rafferty (Webb) and the circus puts
the blame on the hunchback. There is a police investigation including
accusations of robbery and murder.
Inspector
Turpin (Scott) sees through the lies told by Barnaby and deduces what
actually happened. He knows that dead animal parts have gone missing
from the zoo and he already suspects Frankenstein of being at the
heart of it, but has no proof.
Back
at Victor Frankenstein’s house, the hunchback is re-dubbed Igor
Stausman and painfully cured of his ailment. The abscess which formed
his hump is jabbed and drained by a process akin to siphoning gas
from a car and his posture is forcefully corrected by ramming him
against a post and strapping on a brace to support his back. All the
while the sound of cracking bones and sinews drowns out the musical
background.
Conversations
with Igor bolster Victor’s ego and embolden him to continue his
experiments in bringing life from death. Soon the two hastily stitch
together a monster that would have been hideous to a normal
chimpanzee. Inspector Turpin pays them a visit and confronts Victor
with accusations of going against the will of God. But, since he does
not have a warrant to search the place, he leaves with his compatriot
Alistair (Turner) to hopefully return with one.
When
a jolt of electricity gets the “Chimpenstein” breathing, Victor
is elated and sets up a demonstration at the college where he
teaches. In front of five bored attendees and Lorelei, they repeat
the experiment and at first nothing comes from the creature but
blowflies. Young Lord Finnegan (Fox) is gleeful at Victor’s
failure. But when Igor turns up the voltage to full and the force
sends Victor across the room, the monster awakens, stands up, breaks
its bonds, and races around the room and out the door. Victor and
Igor are forced to kill it before it escapes. Finnegan is dually
impressed and vows his support on future experiments.
But
Turpin will not be deterred. While Victor works and Igor goes dancing
with Lorelei (they’re becoming lovers), Turpin returns to Victor’s
front door with a force of policemen and they batter their way in.
Igor returns just in time to save Victor from the fanatically raving
Turpin (again, through an underground passage). Only by getting his
hand caught in the huge gears of Frankenstein’s machinery does
Turpin lose the chase.
With
nowhere to go, Frankenstein turns to Finnegan, who offers his castle
in Scotland as a workshop and his fortune to hire a staff and rebuild
his apparatus there. From a previous exciting revelation realized in
a conversation with Igor, Victor cobbles together his new Prometheus
(Wilding) using two hearts and two sets of lungs. The new creation is
much larger than the chimp and the two conclude that the only way
they can get enough power to animate it is with lightening. Feeling
that he’s the one being hunted by the police, though, Igor does not
follow Victor to Scotland. That is, until he learns of Finnegan’s
hidden agenda to take credit for Victor’s research and dispose of
the “madman” when he no longer needs him.
It’s
an interesting twist on the familiar tale by Mary Shelley. I admire
Daniel Radcliffe’s performance both as a hunchback – a
body-cramping stunt even if you’re a bodybuilder – and as a
sensitive, but brilliant scientist. I still see the Harry Potter in
him though in several scenes. James McAvoy is remarkable in that you
never know where his character will go. One minute he’s the society
gentleman, the next, he’s a raving lunatic spouting horrifically
inappropriate terms at a society gathering. Andrew Scott is almost
his match. Coolly citing law at one moment and then going fanatically
religious the next, until he’s removed from the case by his
incredulous police chief. Jessica Brown Findlay is lovely and caring,
but her character pales next to the male leads.
The
stage sets are fantastic, especially for pre-Victorian England, with
outsized machinery and fabulous copper “balloons” to draw the
lightening. There’s even a scene where we see Big Ben just being
completed in the background. The story is imaginative and keeps
elements of the original intact while bringing in what could have
been. The soundtrack kept the excitement or joy or melancholy of the
moment going without being intrusive. And…of course, the costumes
were accurate and beautifully designed.
Aside
from the gruesome monsters, dinner platters of body organs (we
assume) and a modicum of gore, Victor Frankenstein is
clean of vulgarity and unnecessary licentiousness. If your child will
not get scary dreams from it, by all means, parents, they can safely
see this film. I especially liked the sprinkling of humor throughout.
When Igor enthuses over getting the chimp to breathe and asks Victor
if he has any idea how great this is, all he gets in response is a
wry smile and, “I have an inkling.” For those who hate sequels,
this movie definitely hints at one in the end through a note from
Frankenstein to Igor stating, “I may have occasion to call on you
again.”
Rating:
4 out of 5 Martini glasses.
Aretsky’s
Patroon
160
East 46th St. (Lexington/3rd Avenue), New
York
Somewhere
over 10 or 12 years ago, I first dined at Patroon (no “Aretsky”
in the title then) with Helene and I remember it fondly. When the
opportunity came around to return and count it as a “new”
restaurant this week, I took it gladly. I learned that the restaurant
has been in continuous operation for 19 years and was formerly Christ
Cella, which closed in 1995. Ken Aretsky came from working at the now
famous 21 Club and decided to combine the clubby atmosphere of the
past with updated recipes of the present and a fashionable rooftop
lounge.
The
white brick and block glass exterior make Aretsky’s unmissable on
the street and the large black letters above the brown wind-guard
entry abet the obviousness. A young lady at the Captain’s Station
on the left greeted me and took my coat and hat before leading me to
my table in the main dining area. The walls range in color from
pumpkin to cream and the lighting is ample without being excessively
bright. Photos hang on the walls taken by various noted
photographers.
My
server, Jim, arrived and, as he took my water preference, presented
me with the food/drink menu and the wine list. The menu is easy to
read and simply organized into Appetizers, Entrées, and Market
(Sides) categories. When Jim returned, he asked if I desired a
cocktail, and, getting an affirmative from him that they had
Beefeaters, I ordered my favorite martini. Whoops, he came back
quickly with, “We have another gin equally as good, Langley’s No.
8.” “English?” “Yes.” I agreed to it. It was a close match,
milder than I’m used to, but satisfying and a good martini.
When
I had almost decided on my meal, Jim asked if I had any questions. I
told him that my first and second courses were chosen, but the entrée
was a dilemma. The one dish I wanted had uninteresting sides while
another dish had a side I wanted to try. Jim answered that they could
recombine the first dish with the side from the second and I was
delighted. “Do it.” And he left to input my order while I perused
the wine list.
Finding
a wine under $100 was almost a ludicrous search, but I found three
possibilities to go with my meal. Jim deferred the decision to Jody,
the sommelier. Jody came up with a fourth option I had missed. It was
a 2012 cabernet franc, Irouleguy “Herri Mina” by Jean-Claude
Berrouet, from the Basque region of France. What a delicious red!
Ruby red in color, it had a medium body richness to it and yet was
fruity enough to pair with all my dishes.
Jim
had to help me remember whether I preferred east coast to west coast
oysters (east coast, larger and brinier, west coast, smaller and
sweeter) and soon a half dozen Kusshi oysters from Vancouver were
served to me on ice accompanied by ramekins of tomato catsup,
horseradish, and brine sauces. He mentioned something about getting
an oyster fork, but was too busy to accomplish getting one. No
matter. I ate them in the classic way, straight from the shell, and
they were excellent.
A
different server brought the bread and a small crock of sweet butter.
Still warm, I could smell the wonderful “fresh baked” aroma
across the table. Topped with flakes of sea salt, the flavor almost
reminded me of fine pretzels. Jim called them “pretzel-brioche,”
which was an accurate description. I soon finished the three I was
served and six more came in their place later on.
My
second course was one new to Aretsky’s. Called oxtail dumplings in
consommé, it was three snow-white packets of delicate dough stuffed
with rich beefy flavor and festooned with Hen of the Woods mushrooms.
I tried to make this dish last as long as I could. At the same time,
I eagerly anticipated the main course.
The
venison was medium rare and sliced to show the moist redness inside.
This was the dish I had adjusted to be served with what would have
accompanied the duck dish, the cashew-apricot wild rice and grilled
scallion. The intense flavor of wild rice was effectively moderated
by the nutty, fruity tastes of the cashews and apricots. It was
divine with the venison.
Have
I told you I adore mushroom? The side dish was wild mushrooms on bleu
cheese grits. There was such a mound of tender julienned mushrooms I
didn’t see the grits beneath and I temporarily forgot it until I
cleared the surface. Two tables of people could sense my pleasure
when I tasted the mushrooms and the grits together. It was amazing,
woodsy, earthy, and decadent. Aretsky’s had done it again.
The
only things on my table I didn’t finish were three of the six
rolls. Dessert time arrived and I saw grapefruit zabaglione on the
list and stopped there. Served in a hollowed-out half of a grapefruit
was ruby red grapefruit pieces, campari granite and dolce de leche. I
almost finished it before taking a picture of it. All I needed after
that was a double espresso.
Aretsky’s
Patroon is still a class act but without being stuffy. I felt
completely comfortable and at home with the congenial and helpful
staff. We even exchanged jokes. The food is excellent and the wine
superb. The prices are above normal for New York, but worth it. When
I first scanned the menu, I noticed right away that there were no
prices on it. This is old school for, “If you need to know how much
it costs, you can’t afford it.” As for the wines, I read a story
about Ken Aretsky having had a $10,000 wine on the list and one
couple actually ordered it. But not wanting to lose it and thinking
of it as more a conversation piece, he talked them out of it as being
inappropriate for lunch. Someday, I’d like to meet him.
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