Wednesday 25 December 2013

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Adoration of the Child (c.1620), Gerard van Honthorst 

11 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas to the Gronmarks and Happy New Year.

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    1. And a Very Merry Mississippi Christmas to the Bartlams!

      I'm still trying to wrap my head round what time it was when you posted your message. Respect!

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    2. I woke up at like 4am yesterday and couldn't go back to sleep. So I sat out here...until I heard the Boy squealing in the living room.
      Santy Clause had left an Afghan hill fort, Higlanders, Bengal cavalry and a swarm of Pathans on the coffee table.

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    3. Careful - social services will be paying you a visit and you'll be charged with gender stereotyping. Unless, of course, he favours the Afghans, in which case you might get away with it. Has he seen Gunga Din and The Four Feathers - what a fabulous year 1939 was for proper movies.

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    4. Long ago...they just walled off this entire state.

      He has seen Four Feathers...at least the battle scenes.He hasn't seen Gunga Din but he has watched the Last Pavilion.

      Lots of trouble this morning dislodging a group of Pathans from a hill...the Highlanders were decimated and it was up to a squadron of dismounted Indian cavalry to the summit. Alas they couldn't hold it. So the British forced shuffled off back to their fort while the Pathans retook the hill and mooned them.

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    5. Dammit, sir! This heinous outrage must be avenged forthwith!

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    6. Oh it will be...bet. The British forces enjoy a completely a-historical and outrageous numerical superiority in the toy box.

      If he wanted to the Boy could deploy three regiments of infantry, as many batteries and a division of cavalry against an ant hill.

      They will pay.

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  2. Also would suggest "North West Frontier" [1959] with Kenneth Moore and Lauren Bacall and the first half of "The Charge of the Light Brigade" [1936] with Errol Flynn. But the classic is "Carry on....up the Khyber" [1968] with Sid James [Sir Sydney Ruff-Diamond] and Kenneth Williams [the Khasi of Kalabar].. The British Army unit in the film is the famous Kilted 3rd Foot&Mouth Regiment. The episode in the film showing the Raj maintaining its sang-froid at a dinner party while being viciously attacked by tribes people is classic.

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    1. Agreed:

      The Khasi of Kalabar: [unimpressed by the Fakir's performance] "Bring on the dancing girls. Get rid of this idiot!"
      Bungdit Din: "Fakir! Off!"

      and

      The Khasi of Kalabar: "May the benevolence of the god Shivoo bring blessings on your house."
      Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond: "And on yours."
      The Khasi of Kalabar: "And may his wisdom bring success in all your undertakings."
      Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond: "And in yours."
      The Khasi of Kalabar: "And may his radiance light up your life."
      Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond: "And up yours."

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    2. Thanks for the happy reminder of a truly great British comedy classic, SDG. for years I managed to avoid the film Gandhi by saying that I couldn't see what it could possibly add to the experience of Carry on up the Khyber. Almost worth getting a Samsung dongle for.

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  3. ex-KCS. ""Gandh" was Lord Onions at his worst. However, the depiction of the massacre at Amritsar was most satisfying.Civil unrest....call up the Ghurkas and their heavy machine - guns. Mob goes home.

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