Euro 2016: Allez les Bleus!

In eager anticipation of Euro 2016 in France, the French Institute’s Ciné Lumière held a series of films and talks. The series was entitled “Art and Football: A Perfect Match?”

 Introducing On the Road with Sócrates at Ciné Lumière 

I attended the first film and talk: On the Road with Sócrates (Sur la route avec Sócrates). During the 2014 World Cup, Dany Cohn-Bendit headed to Brazil. His original plan involved meeting up with his friend, the famous Brazilian football player, Sócrates. Unfortunately, Sócrates died in 2011. Instead Dany toured Brazil in a mobile home painted in his honour (see tweeted photo below). He met up with many people who knew Sócrates.

Dany travelling in Brazil with Sócrates in spirit

Dany discussed the impact of football on Brazil. Two moments stood out in the film. The first was a visit to the indigenous boy who appeared as a mascot on the pitch – unfurling a protest banner unseen by the world’s TV cameras.

The second was the agony on Brazilian faces in a café as their team lost 1-7 to Germany in the semi-final. As an England supporter, I am accustomed to the agony of watching my national team. (Please Euro 2016 spare us penalties). The agony on the faces of Brazilians accustomed to winning in style was one of the film’s most powerful sequences. You could feel every goal go in with every Brazilian wince. No need to see the game on screen at all.

Dany Cohn-Bendit was present during the film. He discussed Sócrates, how the film was made and its special moments afterwards.

Talk with Dany Cohn-Bendit after the film at Institut Français

Underdogs triumph

The UEFA European Championship is an incredible tournament. It has had many great moments in the past. It’s good for football when the underdogs win – as when Denmark won unexpectedly in 1992 or when Greece won in 2004.

I treasure memories of watching Euro 1996 at Wembley. It is great when the home nation qualifies for the later stages. Then the whole nation gets excited – including those not normally interested in football. Flags appear in every window and on every vehicle.

Euro 2016

I’m looking forward to a fantastic tournament in France for Euro 2016. Let’s have a great championship played in the best spirit of the game.

The opening match is France v. Romania on 10^th June. England and Wales play their first matches the day after. Just days away… Allez les bleus!

Video copyright: vladbarza

For information about Anglicity's translation, editing and content writing services, please email karen@anglicity.com

The Shakespeare Walk

London staged a special walk as part of the 400^th Shakespeare Anniversary Celebrations. A total of 37 specially-made short films played on the South Bank between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge. The event's title was The Complete Walk.

A special map showed where the 37 screens could be found. Each short film lasted about 10 minutes. Many had been filmed in Shakespeare’s chosen locations:

•  Hamlet at Elsinore in Denmark
•  Macbeth at Glamis Castle in Scotland
• Henry V at the Agincourt Battlefield in France
• The Tempest in Bermuda
• Anthony and Cleopatra at the Red Pyramid in Egypt
• The Merchant of Venice in Venice, Italy
• Othello at Othello’s Tower in Famagusta, North Cyprus
• Troilus and Cressida at the Ruins of Troy in Turkey
• Romeo & Juliet at Juliet’s Tomb, Verona, Italy

… and many more.

There were lots of people following the walk. At times there were so many that you had to wait for the next 10-minute screening. Each film played in a loop, so you didn’t have to wait long for the next screening of the most popular plays.

The walk took me past Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, a replica of the original theatre. President Obama had apparently visited earlier that day and wondered about the absence of a roof if it rained. I was more concerned about the very chill wind blowing off the Thames that day.

There was quite a bottleneck near the Financial Times on Bankside, where Measure for Measure was playing. Isabella’s entreaties were very powerful. The large crowd demonstrated that Shakespeare can still capture our attention and connect with us today.

I encountered another large crowd near the Clink Street Bridge Arch. Here Twelfth Night was playing just a stone’s throw from the site of the old Clink Prison. The prison dates 200 years further back than Shakespeare.

All's Well That Ends Well at Southwark Cathedral

Sadly not all the screens were working as I passed and I missed some of my favourite plays. However, that meant that I enjoyed plays that were not so familiar to me. I welcomed the seating in the Millennium Courtyard at Southwark Cathedral. Here I saw great acting filmed at the Château de Lourmarin in France for All’s Well that Ends Well.

Karen Andrews runs
Anglicity Ltd. She offers 

copywriting, translation

and transcreation services.

For further information,

 see Anglicity's website