Some of the Haringey branch of the London Cycling Campaign are off to see Belleville Rendezvous on Tuesday, since it's got a cycling theme. I can't go but, funnily enough, Ohna came home from the library on Saturday with Vittorio di Sica's Bicycle Thieves, as well as both Waynes World movies for the kids.

The kids enjoyed 'partying on', and found both films 'excellent'. It was interesting to see how much they'd dated, which I guess is inevitable with something that's basically just a silly idea and is based on a particular pop culture moment. There was also some humour that had to be explained to the kids, mainly the jokes that were based on the idea that this was a movie made by Wayne and Garth, e.g. product placement jokes and the bit with the subtitled Cantonese where Wayne stops speaking and waits for ages while the translation comes up at the bottom of the screen.

The Bicycle Thieves is one of those classic movies I've actually seen a few times, but I enjoyed it just as much this time. The actors playing the two main characters were amazing, especially since they were amateur actors, and I've always liked the idea of films with real people and locations in them. Viewing it was also affected by having seen The Player where a key event is Griffin Mill's trip to see the Bicycle Thieves, which represents the kind of great cinema Griffin has moved far away from, and also of course has a main character who is driven to badness by the cruelty of social circumstance, which will have a particular significance for Griffin.

Since the videos were due back today, I then had to get on my bike at 1am and go and post them through the library letterbox, taking in a fox or two on the way. I remember seeing my first fox in London, probably in the late 80s, and being amazed. Now it seems like it's only a matter of time before they start applying for council houses and taking our jobs.

B-)