Monday 25 July 2011

Fry's English Delight and the Art of Appropriation

Just been listening to 'Fry's English Delight' on Radio 4 (which will soon be available on 'Listen Again' for another week). I always enjoy this programme and, this week, Stephen Fry was dealing with the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) art of persuasion. He talked about the subject in terms of every area of human activity - from Politics, Economics and Commerce to Love and Emotion.

How far are we all persuaded by the clever marketing and advertising of products and services? Or the 'propaganda' (or corporate communication) of the big company? Or the political 'spin' woven by the ubiquitous 'spin doctors' in the speeches they write for the politicians; and the policy documents which they edit?

It's an old story, well-documented in books like 'The Hidden Persuaders'; and, by now, a subject of daily interest in the media.

Mr Fry is no stranger to the arts of persuasion himself. He has become almost synonymous with 'Twitter'; and one of the main celebrities people associate with the 'Twitter' brand.

The name of the programme itself, 'Fry's English Delight', has been appropriated from the advertising campaign for Fry's Turkish Delight, the chocolate bar with the pink, gelatinous centre. The original 60's television commercial for the product featured a scantily clad and very Western-looking blonde lady, who prances barefoot across the sand from her tent in the desert to profer her delights (the chocolate, although you could be forgiven for thinking other delights were on offer) on bended knees to her 'Master' (a very 'Lawrence of Arabia' type character).The1984 commercial is recast to use a  cast of characters, who were more in tune with the times; and therefore, more believable to the audience. The dark, swarthy male character is still there; but the woman is also dark and mysterious and dressed in more of an Eastern-looking outfit. The background music has some of the flavour of 'The English Patient' and the male character shows gentleness and affection to the female, whose face emerges, like magic, as he brushes his hand along a shape buried in the sand. The 'packshot' at the end involves the man slicing a bar of Fry's Turkish Delight into two with an enormous curved weapon. Then a snake wiggles along the sand. The snake suggests sex is involved; so I don't know whether the woman gets half a bar of chocolate for 'afters'; or if the swordmanship is a sort of threat, in case she doesn't do what he wants. Obviously there is room for an update which reflects the political and social mores of our times. Was I imagining things? Or did I see such an update recently? I could only find the 60's version and the 1984 version on 'Youtube'. If anyone knows of a later version, please tell me where I can see it.

In any case, the advertisers have paid substantial sums of money over the years to promote their product. And that is what I think about when I see the words 'Fry's English Delight'. I now also think of a very entertaining radio programme; so that's very clever of Mr Fry.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Carl Bernstein is right: 'The British Public has lapped it up'.

Carl Bernstein, one of the journalists credited with exposing the 'Watergate' affair, has described the recent phone-tapping fiasco, as a 'British Watergate'. This may or may not be shown to be the case, in due course. However, he is surely right in his assessment that 'The Gutter Press' and other media are not entirely to blame. We, the consumers of newsprint and footage, also bear some responsibility. I don't know how many copies of the last issue of the 'News of the World' were sold; reportedly, for 'charity'.However, I wonder how many 'deductions' for expenses have been/will be made before that charity donation is actually made.
We also hear that MP's are delaying their holidays for 'one day' so that they can meet to discuss this issue. This will mean more expense for the rest of us. No doubt, those 'honourable persons' will be claiming for delayed and cancelled travel plans (possibly upgrading to Business class for the inconvenience - if they weren't already). And they get 'Brownie points' into the bargain!
Well, not from me! It's bad enough that we have to put up with them all for the rest of the year. Send them away on their hols immediately I say. Then the rest of us can settle down to enjoy the 'Silly Season' in peace.

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Art with Soul at Tate Britain

On the week-end, I spent a wonderful half-hour watching Mark Wallinger's wonderful installation piece at Tate Britain; called 'Threshold to the Kingdom'. I'd seen it before, but I hadn't sat through the whole thing previously (about 12 minutes). You can find a couple of versions on video sites, but I wouldn't recommend them. You really need to see the piece itself, at the Tate; as it is so site specific as to be rendered meaningless without its context. I won't spoil it for you by describing the artwork, other than to say that it's rare enough to find art which is so thought-provoking and clever. However, it's even rarer to find art which is also so utterly moving.

Ok I will describe it - but I can't do it justice:  You are sat in a part of the Tate which looks and feels like a high-domed cathedral. You are looking at the 'International Arrivals' gate at a London airport and listening to the ethereal strains of the famous 'Miserere' by Gregorio Allegri.  As people of all types and nationalities emerge from the arrivals gate, and stride towards you in slow motion, you feel as if you are God welcoming your people into the Kingdom of Heaven. The latterday St. Peter, on the left of the screen (pearly gates?), watches each batch of new arrivals; and you half expect him to get up and bar some of them from entering. That doesn't happen (hope for us all?).

The whole experience is so meditative, I could sit and watch it for hours. If you've seen it already, I'd just like to remind you that it's worth visiting again. If you haven't seen it, I would urge you to go and see it (and let me know what you think).