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Silent Night

Hello X. I saw your note about improving the article. This fanciful (and mostly fictional) tale is a holiday tradition in my home. If you fast forward to the 24 minute mark there is a version of the song quite unlike the one we know so well. I find that I kind of prefer it. I don't know anything about why it is so different but I thought if anyone could find out it would be you. If there is info out there it would it have any place in the article? Best regards. MarnetteD|Talk 10:35, 4 December 2018 (UTC)

@MarnetteD: Do you mean musically or lyrically? I can't find any decent sources that mention Silent Mouse more than in passing, and none that actually address it from the perspective of music or music history. However, as Redgrave opens the movie by talking about researching the history, it is possible that the production is actually based to some degree on original research: and the lyrics used may thus be an independent translation of the original German (given in Silent Night). "Still the night, holy the night" is probably closer to what I, inexpertly, would have come up with for "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" than Young's "Silent night, holy night".

The following lines are something like "Mary and Joseph in s[t?]able bed / watch over child beloved and fair". This is common imagery in Christian psalms and hymns (not that I'm an expert, mind!), and, obviously, especially so for the Christ's birthday. The original here has "Nur das traute hochheilige Paar. / Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar" which would translate as roughly "Only the faithfull and high-holy couple / tousle boy in curly hair". Looking at other translations in the Germanic languages we find "Trofast våker de hellige to / Varsomt vugger de barnet til ro" in Norwegian: "Faithfully watch the holy two / gently rock the child to calm". In Swedish we find "[Stjärnan blid] / Skiner på barnet i stallets strå / Och de vakande fromma två": "[The twinkling star] / Shines on the child in the stable's hay / And the watching meek two." The Danish version doesn't contain an exact equivalent, but also, obviously, centers around the Christ in the manger, the angels greeting his birth, and so forth.

In other words, though this is just uninformed speculation and original research, it's probable that the Silent Mouse production is using their own original translation from the German, or possibly an older independent translation that has fallen out of favour (but I don't think so), rather than the now-popular Young translation. If you mean musically I am entirely unqualified to even guess, so I'll leave that to others.

Also, Gråbergs Gråa Sång might find this interesting. It's a bit outside Bishonen's regular beat, but they might find it somewhat apropos none the less (otherwise, I apologize in advance for the interruption!). And everyone should watch Silent Mouse, which I'd never heard of before, but is now definitely a new favorite Christmas watch. :) --Xover (talk) 09:52, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

Thanks for the detailed explanation X. I was referring to the lyrics and your thought about them using their own translation makes sense. Since you enjoyed Silent Mouse you should give The Curious Case if Santa Claus a try. It is also directed by Robin Crichton and tells the story of both the historical and fictional Santa in an engaging manner. There are a couple of nice references to other Jon Pertwee roles and James Coco gives a wonderful performance. I was fortunate to find both shows on a DVD several years ago and they are a must watch at this time of year. Ho Ho Ho. MarnetteD|Talk 20:09, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

Beautiful song. Xover, I assume you already have all the Shakespeare cardgames, but if not, see here from 19:00: [1]. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 21:29, 12 December 2018 (UTC)

Wikid77

You made good points in dealing with 77's response. I added a subsection based on your ideas in hopes that those folks who can move this issue on (i.e. administrators) do so. Tom (North Shoreman) (talk) 23:41, 17 December 2018 (UTC)

Merry Merry

		Happy Christmas!
		Hello Xover, Early in A Child's Christmas in Wales the young Dylan and his friend Jim Prothero witness smoke pouring from Jim's home. After the conflagration has been extinguished Dylan writes that Nobody could have had a noisier Christmas Eve. And when the firemen turned off the hose and were standing in the wet, smoky room, Jim's Aunt, Miss. Prothero, came downstairs and peered in at them. Jim and I waited, very quietly, to hear what she would say to them. She said the right thing, always. She looked at the three tall firemen in their shining helmets, standing among the smoke and cinders and dissolving snowballs, and she said, "Would you like anything to read?" My thanks to you for your efforts to keep the 'pedia readable in case the firemen chose one of our articles :-) Best wishes to you and yours and happy editing in 2019. MarnetteD|Talk 07:57, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

@MarnetteD: Thank you, and the same to you! And in this spirit let me offer in return Dinner for One (Youtube); a Christmas staple par excellence in almost all the Western world, except the English-speaking bits (which, is of course, an absolute travesty). There was, apparently, a Netflix-produced spoof of it back in 2016 that you may have seen (but which I will now have to try to dig up). GGS may also be familiar with it (and Happy Christmas to you too!). --Xover (talk) 08:17, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Many thanks for the link X. It is a treat and will be added to my list of things to watch on future Xmas Eve's. There is this version of ACCiW. Granted it isn't quite like reading it aloud to friends and family but I enjoy it. It always gives me a chance to see Denholm Elliot - an underrated actor in my humble opinion. Cheers. MarnetteD|Talk 08:27, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

God Jul och Gott Nytt år till er båda! I've not seen the Netflix-spoof, but the original is as familiar as can be. You two should get together and make a Shakespeare-version of I Am the Very Model of a Biblical Philologist, "I Am the Very Model of a Modern-day Shakespearean". It should mention Pacino, Gaiman/Sandman and Chewbacca. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 09:59, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

And on the subject of sketches, if you seen Four Candles you should. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:56, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Good one. Oh, and don't bother with the Netflix spoof; it's not very good. --Xover (talk) 13:56, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Spoken danish is hard, but I'm quite pleased I figured out isenkram, put a little german and ye olde swedish together and there you have it. Or does it mean icecreamhug? Danish counting is not that hard but I use it so seldom I have to relearn it every time. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 18:21, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Best wishes for a happy 2019

^{The Hill Country (c.1913) by Walter Elmer Schofield, Woodmere Art Museum.}

Thank you for your contributions toward making Wikipedia a better and more accurate place.
BoringHistoryGuy (talk) 15:59, 31 December 2018 (UTC)

@BoringHistoryGuy: Thank you so much BHG, and the same to you! --Xover (talk) 21:55, 31 December 2018 (UTC)

Amleto

This [2] should be a good enough RS for Hamlet in popular culture, or is there something wrong with it? Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 12:27, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

Damn you learn stuff. Gasparinis' Amleto is actually called Ambleto, and not necessarily Shakespearean at all. Fascinating, for a certain value of "fascinating". Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 13:22, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Grove Music and Oxford Music Online in general are high quality reliable sources for anything music related that they cover, yes. The authors are musicologists and historians, and there is strong central editorial oversight. It is a ternary source, and secondary sources are usually preferable, but that only affects relative primacy between otherwise reliable sources. For Shakespeare in general you can make a default assumption that anything modern published by OUP and CUP is reliable. The other big university presses (like Yale University Press), are slightly less so, but can still be trusted as an initial default. But everything ultimately has to be assessed based on individual merit, of course: I'm sure OUP and CUP have published quite a bit of nonsense over the centuries. --Xover (talk) 14:39, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

That could happen. Thanks, I have a healthy respect for U-sources, but this was new to me so I thought I'd check. Awhile back I encountered a new editor who had written a biography and wanted to edit the WP-topic, so I was preparing a polite take-your-selfpublished-hulu.com-book-and-shove-it response, but it turned out hulu was spelled Yale. That can happen, apparently. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:00, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Heh heh. Yeah, doesn't pay to get too cocky in the long run. Sooner or later you'll end up with egg on your face (or in my case, on a weekly basis). --Xover (talk) 19:14, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

This month on Spot Shakespeare

So, I'm re-watching a celebrated danish drama, and...: "We're not in the time of Romeo and Juliet. And Korsbæk is not Verona!" Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 19:18, 29 January 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Everywhere! Now I've got to rewatch Jönssonligan to see if Balling snuck any such in there too. :) --Xover (talk) 21:07, 29 January 2019 (UTC)

Huh, I never made the Balling-Olsen connection, but that sounds like a challenge, possibly Dynamit-Harry is a version of Falstaff. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 21:50, 29 January 2019 (UTC)

Oh dear:[3]. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 21:53, 29 January 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Well, I must admit I've never watched Jönssonligan (or Matador for that matter) above a few clips, but Olsenbanden could certainly be worth rebooting. Tricky to do well, I think. Much like cold war-era spy thrillers, they are a product of an era that no longer exists and most plots won't work set in modern times: cell phones alone killed so many of the old plots. Personally, I would love to see modern versions of all of le Carré's Smiley books, but set in their original era, lovingly recreated like Mad Men for its era. Contemporary techno-thrillers are fine and dandy and all, but there was something unique about a world in which you could cross the Iron Curtain at Checkpoint Charlie. --Xover (talk) 05:34, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

Hello X. Your mention of Cold War era espionage thrillers brings to mind this series Counterpart (TV series) which is now in its second season. It calls forth that era and blends it with an alternate universe. I don't know if it is available for you and it might not be your cup of tea even if it is. I will say that there is some marvelous acting on display. Best regards to you both. MarnetteD|Talk 05:45, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

@MarnetteD: I binged the whole first season, but the second season isn't available here yet. It's truly greast so far, but I fear it's about to jump the shark if they don't reign it in a bit. The two Howards remind me of Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black: no matter what you think of the rest of the series, her performance as thirteen different characters was just masterful. All the characters are clones, and so versions of the same person, but she somehow manages to make them wholly distinct (even if somewhat caricatured at times): even when one of the fictional characters is pretending to be another of the fictional characters you can tell which is which. I get the same from Simmons' Howards: you can tell which one is which in a split second.

Counterpart and The Good Place are the two series I am waiting for to return (GoT I'm behind on by two seasons for reasons unrelated to the quality of the show). --Xover (talk) 06:07, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

Then I assume you've seen Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy? Then one can watch Colin Firth again in Kingsman: The Secret Service to "compare". Bridge of Spies (film) was pretty good. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:52, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Both the 1979 version and the 2011 one. Both excellent, in slightly different ways. All the le Carré adaptations are excellent, and of the modern ones A Most Wanted Man is a tour de force by Philip Seymour Hoffman (truly gone too soon!). Kingsman and Bridge of Spies I've not seen yet, but I'll add them to the list. --Xover (talk) 07:15, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

Good comparison with Orphan Black X. I look forward to seeing anything and everything that Tatiana appears in in the years ahead. I have a vision of J.K. Simmons reading the script for episode one and thinking - I get a ten minute scene where the only other person I'm acting with is me - Sign me up!! The TV film of A Murder of Quality (film) is worth seeing if you can find it. Denholm's take on Smiley is interesting to compare and contrast with Alec's. Cheers. MarnetteD|Talk 07:51, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

@MarnetteD: The next best thing to a ten minute scene alone just eating a bowl of soup. Yeah, I'll bet he jumped at the role. Don't think I've seen more than snatches of A Murder of Quality, and I'm not entirely convinced I even read the book. Will keep an eye out for it though. --Xover (talk) 08:12, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

Btw Marnette, the next apocalypse is currently at June 6. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 09:21, 30 January 2019 (UTC)

A-HA! This one I remember reading in the 80:s:[4]. This one I haven't read:[5][6]. If I find any RS on these, they are SO going in... Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 09:50, 3 February 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Oh cool! I had no idea. Probably not easy to find sources for, though. --Xover (talk) 14:46, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

Quite the collector:[7][8]. Plus, according to that wiki, "Remaining script pages from an unknown play by William Shakespeare". Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 19:27, 8 February 2019 (UTC)

Bard-check

"Villain, I have done thy mother." Does that mean what it seems to?

Also, did you write the lead at Helsingør? Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 19:00, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

Hello Gråbergs Gråa Sång. I'm sure Xover will have a better answer but I did find this that might help explain things. The line is also mentioned in the article Maternal insult. MarnetteD|Talk 19:40, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Ayup. MarnetteD is entirely right. Or, as the Arden editors gloss the word done, it is a "pun on [the] bawdy sense of 'copulate with'". Titus is… a weird play.

I don't think I can be blamed for any part of Helsingør, but one never knows. --Xover (talk) 19:49, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

For a rip roaring version of TA Gråbergs Gråa Sång see Titus (film). I once saw the play at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival with a lightening storm in the distance. Most effective. MarnetteD|Talk 19:56, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

Thank you both. It's like the "I'm gonna scratch your eyes out bitch!" scene in Midsummernights Dream, it has a surprisingly modern feel. Watch this Shakespearean version of Sean Connery: (1:50) [9].

That discussion indicates that I should not try to remove Hamlet from the lead of Helsingør, the local tourist-industry may crash. "battery-operated sex aides"!?

I've left 2 citation needed in Hamlet_in_popular_culture#Contemporary, in case any of you have any good ideas. Or get the album.

In Upstart Crow Henry Condell comments on the script of Titus Andronicus "I certainly shant be recommending it to mother." Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 20:29, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

And, I suppose everybody noticed that Kellyanne Conway is King Lear. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 20:05, 25 March 2019 (UTC)

Apparently, Shakespeareans aren't gamers: [10]. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 19:50, 1 April 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: No, there's a lot of stuffy old men in the Shakespeare field that would never deign to mention video games, if even they've heard of them. Then again, there hasn't been any adaptations in games that would merit actual critical attention: they're all just pop-cultural references of the kind you've excised here. A pity since several of the plays' stories would adapt beautifully to a video game format. You could probably do a whole franchise based on the histories alone (cf. The Wars of the Roses, An Age of Kings, and The Hollow Crown). --Xover (talk) 05:23, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

To be fair, many of the entries were minor stuff, and the targeted audience is not exactly the traditional bardic fan-base. But now I wonder if sources would support a section on pornography... Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:54, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

@Gråbergs Gråa Sång: Does Tromeo and Juliet count? --Xover (talk) 08:24, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

Lovely. More on point: [11]. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 08:28, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

Added. They may not play videogames, but... Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 09:00, 2 April 2019 (UTC)