Songs of Praise

TullyBascombe · Post by **TullyBascombe** » 14 years ago

Murkskis wrote:
Lexi wrote: Maybe they'll release it as a Christmas present to all of us!
Oh, I would love it

My apologies for the extra long post again ...

BTW. Do any of you remember the ballet scene in the video ?
I made a little resarch('just for fun' as I like to find out all the sources sometimes) on 'The Red Shoes' for the possible origins (along British film producer J Arthur Rank, of course it's just my personal interpretation of the source )
"The Red Shoes" (Danish: De rÃ¸de sko) is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen first published by C.A. Reitzel in Copenhagen 7 April 1845 in New Fairy Tales.

And is this the ultimate origin of The Red Shoes? (in my opinion it is )
Quoting: ''Background
Andersen explained the origins of the story in an incident he witnessed as a small child. By his report, his father was sent a piece of red silk by a rich lady customer, to make a pair of dancing slippers for her daughter. Using red leather along with the silk, he worked very carefully on the shoes, only to have the rich lady tell him they were trash. She said he had done nothing but spoil her silk. "In that case," he said, "I may as well spoil my leather too," and he cut up the shoes in front of her''
-----
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Shoes_(fairy_tale)

Finally I decided to include reference to the film as well:
''The Red Shoes is a 1948 British feature film about ballet. The film tells the story of a young ballerina who joins an established ballet company and becomes the lead dancer in a new ballet called "The Red Shoes", based on the fairy tale. Her desire to dance conflicts with her need for love and a traditional life as a wife and mother, ultimately leading to her suicide.''

Any comments?

I'm not sure how either of these stories fit the theme of the song "Eternal Light".

Murkskis · Post by **Murkskis** » 14 years ago

TullyBascombe wrote: I'm not sure how either of these stories fit the theme of the song "Eternal Light".

Just because of the note by Libera on YT (below this video) referring to the Red Shoes and J Rank and his films

Quoting: ('Eternal Light', performed on BBC 'Songs of Praise' in a programme about the movie mogul J Arthur Rank who produced landmark British films like 'The Red Shoes' - a reference to which is included in the video.)

TullyBascombe · Post by **TullyBascombe** » 14 years ago

So the film "The Red Shoes" tells the story of a woman trapped by conflicting desires. When ultimately unable to resolve the conflict in her mind she despairs and takes her own life. In a way "Eternal Life" would seem to be the antithesis of that movie - extolling the listeners to embrace the joyous "miracle of life" despite the pains that cause their "sleepless nights". I suppose that might be the link between the two.

Did RP write this song and did he have a hand scripting the video? Might this theme have some personal relevance to him? Little has been said of his personal life, there has never been mention of wife and family. Did he sacrifice family for career? Perhaps he's telling us a little about himself, that he was faced by the same choices as the ballerina and how he overcame that dilemma.

Note that in the scene where the ballerina dances past Stefan he is reading an old magazine, one that looks old enough to have been published in 1948.

Yorkie · Post by **Yorkie** » 14 years ago

RP didn't write the lyrics or music for Eternal Light if iirc and I doubt he directed the video. My guess is they wanted Libera and tried to fit in a theme to the video to give a connection - any connection - to the theme of the programme.

katyafan · Post by **katyafan** » 14 years ago

and here is where my opinion comes in:

no offense to anyone involved in the making of this video, but i do not like it at all.

in my opinion, the video does not go with the music, it seems hastily put together, and nothing makes sense. the boys are not used in any meaningful way, it did not have a Libera spark at all.

i think i have been spoiled by the high quality and inspiration behind the usual Libera videos....

Murkskis · Post by **Murkskis** » 14 years ago

It's already the second time (as far as I know) they relates to ballet somehow. The first was the Nutcraker, and now the film by J.A.Rank. Maybe it's just a meaningless coincidence, but still plenty of room for interpretations.

''Her desire to dance conflicts with her need for love and a traditional life as a wife and mother''- this line is so deep (and sad

). In my opinion this is kind of philosophy about 'the choice' between career and family life.
If this is the case, it makes sense and could be one of possible interpretations of the Red Shoes. And the 2nd I think might be found in the fairy tale, if you check out the plot you will find it definitely has a meaning, too.

TullyBascombe · Post by **TullyBascombe** » 14 years ago

Murkskis wrote:It's already the second time (as far as I know) they relates to ballet somehow. The first was the Nutcraker, and now the film by J.A.Rank. Maybe it's just a meaningless coincidence, but still plenty of room for interpretations.

''Her desire to dance conflicts with her need for love and a traditional life as a wife and mother''- this line is so deep (and sad ). In my opinion this is kind of philosophy about 'the choice' between career and family life.
If this is the case, it makes sense and could be one of possible interpretations of the Red Shoes. And the 2nd I think might be found in the fairy tale, if you check out the plot you will find it definitely has a meaning, too.

The theme of the fairy tale would seem to be: Don't insult or try to cheat the craftsman.

Murkskis · Post by **Murkskis** » 14 years ago

TullyBascombe wrote:
Murkskis wrote:It's already the second time (as far as I know) they relates to ballet somehow. The first was the Nutcraker, and now the film by J.A.Rank. Maybe it's just a meaningless coincidence, but still plenty of room for interpretations.

''Her desire to dance conflicts with her need for love and a traditional life as a wife and mother''- this line is so deep (and sad ). In my opinion this is kind of philosophy about 'the choice' between career and family life.
If this is the case, it makes sense and could be one of possible interpretations of the Red Shoes. And the 2nd I think might be found in the fairy tale, if you check out the plot you will find it definitely has a meaning, too.
The theme of the fairy tale would seem yo br: Don't insult or try to cheat the craftsman.

Just discussing the appearance and possible meanings of The Red Shoes (As it has a seperate meaning along the song itself). Ballerinas- this is something unusual in Libera's videos, isn't it?
And I'm sorry if any of my posts seems offensive

. I'm not trying to insult or disrespect any of the craftsman here.
Of course the video could be related even to RP, why not? But other versions/meanings are also possible.
I decided to post the summary of the fairy tale. As I see it nicely could relate to SOP overall themes. And also to Eternal Light

Plot summary
A peasant girl named Karen is adopted by a rich old lady after her mother's death. She grows up vain. She tricks her adoptive mother into buying her a pair of red shoes and repeatedly wears them to church, without paying attention to the service. Her adoptive mother becomes ill, but Karen deserts her, preferring to attend a party in her red shoes. Once she begins dancing, she can't stop. The shoes take over. She cannot control them and they are stuck to her feet. The shoes continue to dance, through fields and meadows, rain or shine, night and day. She can't even attend her adoptive mother's funeral. An angel appears to her, condemning her to dance even after she dies, as a warning to vain children everywhere. Karen finds an executioner and asks him to chop off her feet. He does so and gives her a pair of wooden feet and crutches. Thinking that she has suffered enough for the red shoes Karen decides to go to church in order for the people to see her, but her amputated feet, still in the red shoes dance, before her, barring the way. The following Sunday she tries again, thinking of herself at least as good as the others in church, but again the dancing red shoes bar the way. Karen gets a job as a maid in the parsonage, but when Sunday comes she dares not go to church. Instead she sits alone at home and prays to God. Then, it is as though the church comes home to her and her heart becomes so filled with sunshine, peace, and joy that it bursts. Her soul flies on sunshine to heaven, and no one there asks her about the red shoes.
------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Shoes_(fairy_tale)

TullyBascombe · Post by **TullyBascombe** » 14 years ago

Ultimately only the person who scripted the music video knows why he included the red ballet shoes.

I read up on the film "The Red Shoes". It's a little more complicated then Murkskis plot summary. First, the movie employs a story within a story - the ballet based on Anderson's fairy tale is part of the movie and central to the plot. THe story is about a young woman, Vickie, who has been "discovered" by a great impressario, Lermontov, who wants to make a great prima donna out of her. He has just lost his last prima donna to marriage. He asks her: "Why do you want to dance?" She replies: "Why do you want to live?" He responds that he doesn't really know, but he must, and she finishes: "That's my answer too."
She becomes his prima donna, but then as the company is preparing to perform "The Red Shoes" she falls in love with the composer, Julian. Lermontov tries to break them up, but can't. They marry, she loses her place as the prima donna, but sometime later Lermontov convinces her to return for a revival of "The Red Shoes" in Monte Carlo. Julian abandons the premiere of his latest work in London to try to convince her to come back. She refuses, Julian leaves and Lermontov consoles her: "Sorrow will pass, believe me. Life is so unimportant. And believe me, from now on you will dance as nobody ever before." On her way to the stage she suddenly runs away towards the train station. Julian sees her, runs towards her, but she jumps in fornt of a train. As she lies dying she asks Julian to remove her shoes, just as Karen in the story asks the preist. (In the version of the story the movie is based upon the shoes are bewitched by an evil shoemaker. The shoes cause her to dance with every man she meets, seperating her from her boyfriend. They driver her to the point of death, where a kindly preist removes them from her and she dies in peace.)

So, how so these stories relate to the song "Eternal Light"? In the film "The Red Shoes" the fairy tale and the plot of the film parallel each other, but I don't think there is a parallel between "The Red Shoes" and "Eternal Light". I think that "Eternal Light" is actually a sort of anti-thesis to "The Red Shoes."

Murkskis · Post by **Murkskis** » 14 years ago

Like your version. I think the video of Eternal Light was aimed to relate more to the film than the fairy tale, but seemingly traces can be found to both.

TullyBascombe wrote:Ultimately only the person who scripted the music video knows why he included the red ballet shoes.

That's for sure.

TullyBascombe wrote: He asks her: "Why do you want to dance?" She replies: "Why do you want to live?" He responds that he doesn't really know, but he must, and she finishes: "That's my answer too."

Really good part of the film

TullyBascombe wrote: I think that "Eternal Light" is actually a sort of anti-thesis to "The Red Shoes."

Probably it is.

Benj · Post by **Benj** » 14 years ago

I wonder if Stefan is related to CW Leadbeater, one of the great authors of the 20th century. Is Leadbeater a common name in England?

Thunderhawk261 · Post by **Thunderhawk261** » 14 years ago

Has anyone spotted Mini-Ben performing in this video? I'm still trying to determine if that's him in the chair at 0:47. If that's him, does his not being in a robe therefore signify his departure from the performing part of Libera?

Any guesses who is sweeping from 0:47 to 0:58?

tom413 · Post by **tom413** » 14 years ago

Ben is the leader of the first row shown at approximately 1:46.

He's definitely not the person in the chair as that person wasn't wearing a robe and is stockier than Ben is. Personally, I don't think the video signifies much of anything other than the opportunity to see a Libera performance on TV.

No idea who is sweeping but I assume it is either a younger brother of one of the cast or a child of one of the production team.

Sue · Post by **Sue** » 14 years ago

SoP Eternal Light
1080 HD & better audio - version with german subtitles / Version Ã¼bersetzt & mit deutschen Untertiteln in bester Ton- & BildqualitÃ¤t

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cIuzklf9ik

fan_de_LoK · Post by **fan_de_LoK** » 14 years ago

Errr .... 1080...

Sorry Sue, I do not really see the value of a so high upscalling, the quality will not improve by miracle when you have a source that is not HD