Saint Sara la Kali, The patron Saint of the Romani

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Statue of Saint Sara la Kali picture image

Statue of Saint Sara la Kali

May 24th marks the Feast day of Saint Sara  also known as Sara la Kali. She is venerated at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the South of France. It is a place of pilgrimage for the Roma to honor Saint Sara la Kali.

But who was Saint Sara? There are a few accounts about her origins. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer was the place that the three Marys fled to after leaving Palestine. Saint Sara was said to have saved them. In other accounts she was their servant from Upper Egypt and othe othe say she was an Egyptian Princess.

Saint Sara makes her first appearance in Golden Legend which is collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine which is from the late medieval period. The Legend of the Saintes-Maries (1521), where she is portrayed as “a charitable woman that helped people by collecting alms, which led to the popular belief that she was a Gypsy.”

Though Ronald Lee, a Canadian Romani writer, linguist and activist suggested in 2001 that Saint Sara la Kali  was part  who is actually part of Kali/Durga and that Goddesses were transferred to a Christian figure. This is due to how she is worshipped on her feast day.    

While it’s unclear what Saint Sara la Kali’s origins were, what is very clear is the devotion and love she inspires in her followers. Devotees say she their “mother.” The first aspects of the veneration of Saint Sara la Kali is the pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.  The pilgrimage is an important aspect of spirituality to the Romani, and they have been making the Pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer since the 19th Century.

The next aspect of the veneration of Saint Sara la Kali is her effigy which is kept underground in the church. The statue is dressed in bright clothing made by the Romani.  A tiara adorns her head. People touch and kiss her clothing. They pin notes to them, leave photos of departed loved ones and trinkets.

The statue of Saint Sara la Kali is then carried from the church to the sea in a ritual bath so to speak. It also reacts her arrival in France. The ritual is also parallels the worship of Kali. The procession is a grand affair led by the Archbishop of Arles and Aix-en-Provence, complete with people singing, playing instruments and men on horseback.  

Martine Guillot is a lay member of the ministry team at the church. “In all the stories about Sara, I think the most important thing about her is that she loved and served the Holy Marys, and if she loved them she also loved Jesus,” she says.

“She’s an icon of love and welcome.”  (Source)

Thanks to Fatma for suggesting this post!

Sources
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/28211422
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sarah
https://sacredmysticaljourneys.com/festival-st-sarah-black-madonna/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Legend
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Lee

 

Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 22 Series Finale

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Leaving Storybrooke

Lana Parrilla as Regina, Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Josh Dallas as Charming Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 22 Series Finale Leaving Storybrooke picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina, Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Josh Dallas as Charming

Wish-Rumble’s plan was to separate everyone into their own stand-alone stories, meaning everyone is all alone. Although Zelena is on the Nautilus and hates fish.  However Regina uses her love to save Henry from the darkness that would makes Wish-Rumple’s plan happen. In the process OGRumble destroys Wish-Rumble by giving his heart to Wish-Hook which cures him of the poison. Not sure HOW THIS WORKS! But methinks the creators don’t either so just go with it. Anyway Rumble dies and reunites with Belle, Happy ending for Rumbelle.  

Then Regina cast a “curse” that brings all the realms together so all the wish people, all the other story realms, all the time-travel stuff all live in Maine. Now try, TRY to figure out the timelines and who is who. For some characters there are three versions of them. For instance Henry; there is Storybrooke Henry, Wish-Henry and Adult Henry.

WAIT! If all the realms are merged that means Henry doesn’t go to the Other Enchanted forest to meet Ella and therefore Lucy shouldn’t exist. Also if all the realms are merged  would THAT mean Rumple and Belle would be back in Storybrooke since future Rumple and Belle died but technically canonically in the timeline they would have been traveling around the Enchanted Forest with Gideon? But you’re not supposed to think of about it too much, just go with it.

Another thing they added that was pure fan-service was the dialogue about Lily’s dad being Zorro. WTF! Sure, I like everyone (I assume) wanted this addressed but a one line about Zorro being a dragon feels like a diss and a tease.  

Also speaking of tease was Henry being Rumple’s undoing, since they made us recall the seer from season 2 in the last episode. I guess yes since Wish-Henry stopped Wish-Rumble’s plan but really it was OGRumble that stopped Wish-Rumble.     

Anyway let’s talk about the big ending. With all the realms united Regina is electived the Good Queen to rule them all. I guess Storybrooke takes after Naboo with electing Queens. The show teases about why Emma isn’t there only to have Emma shows up with her baby and  a meta line about how she wouldn’t miss the event. Though Hook baby-proofing his hook was cute. AND AGAIN timelines and ages on these kids makes no sense but then again JUST GO WITH IT!

Anyway this was a fine ending for Regina, she gets her happy ending or her second chance. Regina’s and Rumble endings are both great and fitting for their character but the sloppiness  of getting all that fan-service and timeline brought the series finale down.

Then again if you just go with it and not think too deeply it’s fine, it’s all fine.

Brolin is at it again

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Josh Brolin Interview for Men in Black picture image

Josh Brolin Interview for Men in Black

Funny story, I posted the screenrant article but in the span of 10 minutes from me finding the article (which was an hour old when I got my daily google alert) to me posting it on Facebook, it got removed but I did find this denofgeek article which says  pretty much the same thing.  Here is a screenshot just prove the screenrant article was on googlenews.

So here we are with Brolin back with his Quasimodo vanity project.

Apparently the point of contention was the choice of director.  Zhang Yimou, who directed Hero, House of Flying Daggers and The Great Wall, was not approved by the studio and the project just fizzed out. That’s the story.

Brolin hopes to make the movie bigger than before  which a weird thing to say given the director he picked originally but sure whatever let’s go with what Brolin says. I hope it will still be “jazzy” like he intimated years ago.

However according to the denofgeeks article  this project is still in limbo, so let’s not get too excited.

Also, also there was a weird tidbit in the screenrant article, which you can’t read BUT did exist,  in that article there was mention of Mark Ruffalo being linked to a live-action version of the Disney version.  And here is the article on that,

https://screenrant.com/disney-quasimodo-hunchback-notre-dame-remake/

It just speculation. Though oddly that Esmeralda POV project is getting mentions in these articles.

Anyway all this “news” is just speculation. Until there is more information don’t except a new version unless it’s the Dinklage/Dance version or the Hollander version. Those projects are too recent to be dead yet, maybe.

 

Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 21

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Homecoming

Colin O'Donoghue as Wish Hook, Andrew J. West as Henry Mills, Robert Carlyle as Rumble & Lana Parrilla as Regina Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 21 Homecoming picture image

Colin O’Donoghue as Wish Hook, Andrew J. West as Henry Mills, Robert Carlyle as Rumble & Lana Parrilla as Regina

This is the penultimate episode, after this episode there is one episode left before it’s done, done, done or until  there is another reboot maybe. This episode is the ultimate example of the main issue Once has; the creators have good story talent, they are good at coming up with ideas BUT they don’t have much in the way of literary talent, they can’t execute their ideas which result in sloppy narratives.

With the timelines and mythos who  can keep up and this is the case in point with the Wish realm. Oh, the wish-realm, I hated it from the first and I still have it now. Basically Wish-Rumble (Wumble?) or New Rumple (Numble?), going with Wish-Rumble, he doesn’t want OGRumble (got that off of reddit), to get rid of the dark one powers since that would mean Wish-Rumble would lose his powers, though that doesn’t make any sense since the wish-realm people are different entities. I mean Snow and Charming didn’t die when Regina killed their Wish-realm equivalents. After this a series of manipulations and cameos ensues. Oh the cameos we have Pan, Cruella and Ariel. Aside from Ariel, the cameos don’t make sense. Like what is Cruella doing there? She was sent to The Land without Magic prior to Regina casting the Dark Curse and that when the time-line shifted so how did she get back? Then again how was Wish-Henry born in the first place?  

Wish-Rumble’s plan involves kidnapping Lucy and Jacinda to get Henry to give him the OG Dark One Dagger.

But really  Wish-Rumble wants the author’s power and has Wish-Henry on his side to exact revenge on Regina for killing Snow and Charming and taking Emma away. So that is the last plot line of the show, more Rumple being evil and power hungry. But it’s at least a different Rumble so the character progression isn’t lost.

What would have been Wish-Rumble’s plan if Henry had given Wish-Rumble the dagger?

Also Alice and Robin use the food truck and get to Storybrooke using a magic bean, which are super rare except when they are not.  They are on a mission to save Regina. New-Hook, OGRumple, Henry, Jacinda and Lucy.

None of this make contextual-sense, the only thing that makes sense is that Wish-Henry would want revenge of Regina. Is that enough for a final plot line that brings out all the cameos and ties up the convoluted plot of whatever Wish-Rumble is actually planning? Maybe and no. The wish-realm was stupid from the onset and is still dumb but now it’s all mucked up since Wish-Rumble and OGRumble’s powers are tied up together even though they are different versions that otherwise have no affect on each other?  Though given the show’s love of twists who knows what Wish-Rumble really wants. Maybe he just needs a hug.

I did like the call back to the seer from back in season 2. I wish that had been more of thing but better late than never, especially with this show.

All in all this episode is a C-.    

 

Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 20

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Is this Henry Mills?

Jared S. Gilmore as Henry & Lana Parrilla as Regina Once upon a Time Season 7 Episode 20 is this Henry Mills? picture image

Jared S. Gilmore as Henry & Lana Parrilla as Regina

In the end it didn’t matter who the other coven members were because they are trees or what Facilier’s plan was because Wish Dark One Rumple killed him. All your Fan theories sucked! They were all Plot-fodder.

Anyway on with the episode. Apparently everything is in a time paradox and the Hyperion Height stuff is running along with Henry’s senior year and Adult Henry talkes to his young self meaning that the curse needed to happen so Henry could a realm hopping or Lucy wouldn’t be born. Now timeline are even more meaningless then they were before because no one could figure it before and now definitely no can make sense of it so don’t try.

It should be noted that the Storybrooke people wouldn’t have known that they were missing anyway even with the time-travel plot since as far the Storybrooke people knew Regina, Henry and the others were in another Realm anyway. Or was there communication in the intervening years and they never spoke about it? Doesn’t really matter because the scene with the two Henrys was good. Just wish they explained why Henry got to keep his name and not had another pseudonym.       

Henry wakes up when after talking to Regina he calls himself in that time-paradox thing. So he wakes up and then he breaks the curse when he kisses Regina after she got knocked-out during a witch fight with Gothel.  So it WAS a reversal of the parent-child true love kiss as it’s the child kissing the parent. Good! That was a nice reversal, it did sort of happened on season 6 with Henry and Emma after the Gideon fight but that wasn’t a Dark Curse breaking.

Then Tilly/Alice very quickly turns Gothel into a tree ruining her menace. In the end it was all very simple and easy. Now they JUST have to deal with Wish-Rumple and not Facilier. But to be fair Once Upon a Time has done this type of  conclusion before, where the menace is built up and resolved very quickly or sometime not at all. Still want to know how Mulan and Aurora saved Philip’s soul from the wraith! But that is season 2 baggage.    

The acting was the highlight of this episode but the plot having so much build-up for little pay-off and with wish-Rumple no payoff, the episode felt very flat for what it was trying to accomplish.

Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 19

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Flower Child

Emma Booth as Gothel Once upon a Time Season 7 episode 19 Flower Child picture image

Emma Booth as Gothel

Not sure where to begin with is this one. On a semi-positive note we learn Gothel’s backstory and motivation. Turns out Gothel is a wood nymph from the Land without magic.  Gothel was a bit like Ariel and enjoyed human things but some girls go all mean girl on her and then slaughter her family. Gothel, in revenge, kills all of humanity and leaves with one other magical human who is one of the coven members. Before she leaves she tells us that humans will evolve again and she wil return to wipe out all the humans again.  Bender would be proud.

This is dumb. First off evolution doesn’t work like that! You really need to turn off your brain for this to even make a little sense and it’s asking too much. The reason for the why the sets and feel of the past scenes was just to have the twist. You think it’s set in a magic realm BUT NOPE it’s the Land without Magic, and Gothel made it that way.  Once is good at twists because they are seldom set-up.

Second from a storytelling standpoint how did the humans even get in the wood nymph’s grotto? Anytime Gothel went in she used magic? So how did they get in? Sure, Gothel’s motivation for killing all the humans ups the ante from past seasons where the threats were all localized to Storybrooke but this season use of bad guys has been so all over the place with fake outs and misdirection that it’s kind a of waste. Wasn’t Gothel also trying to revive that character from the haunted mansion ride? Did the show forget that? Or was she there amongst the  coven members. Also did that show suggest that wood nymph grove was in Seattle? So there was modern looking human structures AND fully evolved humans in Seattle millions of years ago? My mind in caving in on itself!!!

The Hyperion Heights has Gothel trying to make nice with Tilly, a.k.a her daughter, as Tilly is special. Damn right is Alice/Tilly special! She is the daughter of a wood nymph and a person created from a wish. She is one of the most magical beings in the show. Gothel reveals Rogers and Tilly’s relationship and they believe her. Then Tilly goes along with Gothel’s ritual. Also, also, the coven gets woken up with neary a problem.

The B-plot is more Henry and Jacinda related curse breaking stuff. Facilier and Lucy team up to cure Henry of curse-breaking killing poison. Turns out it was an easy fix since they find since all they need is Cinderella’s shoe WHICH was also easy to find since Jacinda had it. So Henry gets cured of plot related poison and Henry and Jacinda kiss but that doesn’t break the curse because OF COURSE IT DOESN’T. These dark curses are only broken through paternal love. The sleeping curse is broken through true love kiss. So is it going to Henry kissing Lucy to break the curse in a season one reversal? OR is it something else?

So one of the coven members is a no-one named Seraphina. No-one meaning she is not a fairy-tale story character, instead she is a million year old magic user. I bring this up because we still have the mystery of Dr.Sage. Which I only bring up because on Henry’s whiteboard there is a note next to her name that he doesn’t know how she is.  The coven plot and its members have been sloppy.

Also when Gothel offers Seraphina to join her, she extends her hand out and says join me, who else got Star Wars vibes? I might have a one track mind.  

It pains me since I enjoy Tilly story lines but this episode was a C+ at best.

What Version should be review next?

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We’re kind of at the bottom of the barrel here my friends. We have gone through all the major and not so major visual versions of Hunchback BUT there are still more versions that I know of and probably more versions that I don’t know about. So much for being an expert on Hunchback of Notre Dame, not I ever claimed to be one.

So of  the versions I know about that are left there is the Classic and highly regarded Dingo version, I’m kidding  it’s utter crap, the La Esmeralda Opera, The Mondo TV version, a graphic novel by Tim A. Conrad, The Dennis Deyoung Musical, two  radio plays (though I’m not sure if I could find the one from 1989 but I have heard the one from 2008), and an animated cartoon series that just confuses me.

There are more but these versions are on my radar and also what I can probably access, I will  never be able review the Theda Bara version. So Sad.

Not sure which one I will review or when, I have so much burn out. If you have an opinion; leave a comment below or on Twitter or theHunchBlog’s Facebook page. And if you don’t have an opinion, that’s cool too.     

Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 18

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The Guardian

Rose Reynolds as Alice Once Upon a Time Season 7 episode 18 The Guardian picture image

Rose Reynolds as Alice

Aside from the Henry/Jacinda ongoing tepid romance subplot, this episode was pretty great. Then again it was a Rumple and Tilly heavy episode, so of course it was just better.

In the past section Rumple tests Alice to see if she is indeed the guardian. She does pass the test but Rumple stops her taking his darkness as it would make her an immortal, I guess, they didn’t actually explain things that well. Anyway Rumple didn’t want to trap her in an immortal life and that is the reason why he stopped her from removing the darkness from him. Rumple was being noble and sacrificing. Also Nook and Rumple become friends after Nook learned what Rumple did for Alice. It was touching.

The Hyperion Height plot is the Dagger is missing! Oh No! Rumple steals Regina’s magic to find it with a locator spell. Meanwhile Tilly and Margot go on a date but Tilly is hearing voices in her head. The voices are actually from the Dagger which she was unknowlingly guarding for Rumple.

Also Samedi/Facilier is being shady, Regina isn’t happy Rumple stole her magic, Rogers investigates Nick’s weird death as well as teams up with Drew, and Henry tells Jacinda that he is the Lucy’s father.    

The only criticism is that what is the guardian’s role? It seems that they purify the dark one powers but they also become an immortal? Does this tie into the Holy Grail aspect of how the dagger was forged? Then again story aspects involving  the Dark One mythos don’t make a lot of sense, if you ACTUALLY give it thought. So just run with what the season tells and recall what the season want you to remember, THAT’s THE SECRET TO ONCE!

Also the episode had some sort of references. It had a nod to Coco with the place where Rumple talked to Belle. Also who got a Star Wars Vibe when Henry told Jacinda about being Lucy’s father? Because I did!

Anyway it was a great episode, one of the best of the season.  This episode gets an A-

Also Alice’s cloak was amazing.

A New British Hunchback Version???

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Tom Hollander picture image

Tom Hollander

This makes the fifth version in production that I have seen since starting this blog. Just a quick recap of the other versions that haven’t been made;  there was the Jazzy Brolin version, the Esmeralda POV from Peter Chernin, the Max Ryan version, and the Charles Dance and Peter Dinklage project. Aside from Dinklage and Dance project which was only announced back in October of 2017, the other projects seem to be in development hell or ceased to be.  In fact the most recent news from Brolin+Hunchback search in google news is that Brolin liken his character Thanos in Avengers Infinity Wars to Quasimodo. (Souce)

So about a month ago it was announced that Tom Hollander was going to produce and star in another TV movie version of Hunchback. This version will air on ITV which is the same network that aired Downton Abbey.  

Considering it’s an actor producing the project and set to play the titular role (at least in English), this does seem like a vanity project akin to the Brolin and Max Ryan versions. Unlike the those versions, Hollander does seem like he will make for a more convincing Quasimodo even though he will be playing a character 30 years younger.

Hollander has a very extensive filmography. He’s probably most known for playing Mr.Collins in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley. He has also been in Night Manger and Taboo. I have seen in Ab Fab the Last Shout and the BBC version of Wives and Daughters but he has lots of credits.

Hollander does seem more like actor and less a celebrity as he goes into a role without ego. He a bit like Rufus Sewell in that regard,  where you see him in a role and you don’t know it’s him.

So while the track record for a Hunchback movie versions getting made hasn’t been great, I hope this version does get made. Though I hope they all get made because I still want to know what a “jazzy” Hunchback will be like.  Or if there is still a Giant in the Max Ryan version or if that was an IMDB lie.

 

But do you think? Are you excited by this news and hope that this is the version that FINALLY gets made?

 

Source 

Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 17

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Chosen

Rebecca Mader as Zelena Once Upon a Time Season 7 episode 17 Chosen picture image

Rebecca Mader as Zelena

This episode explores more of Hansel’s backstory and what wrong Zelena did to him and why he is crazy. It also explains how he woke up, it was Facilier. Facilier is like the Palpatine of this season, he’s behind it all.   

Considering Hansel’s vendetta, two counts of murder, two attempted murders and two counts kidnappings his back story is actually underwhelming.

The backstory is that the witch that kidnapped Hansel and Gretel, who was also the blind baker woman, was in OZ and Zelena didn’t want her there so Zelena goes to her candy home and they get into a witch fight. Zelena has a chance to free the children but doesn’t and goes her magic goes out from the fight. She is then nursed back by a blind man who is also the children’s father.

Zelena withholds the information from the dad but does go to try and save the children when her magic is back but they have already escaped and told their father what happen. They are all pissed at Zelena who is remorseful but she does end up purposefully burning Hansel. Hansel was being antagonistic  but he was also a child who had gone through trauma so while he didn’t deserved to get burned it does seem anti-climatic when compared to getting burned by an oven as someone trying to cook and eat him opposed to a hurt women who made a big mistake.

The Hyperion stuff is Hansel going after Zelena and kidnapping her fiancé, Zelena trying to deal with both her personas, saving Henry and Dr.Facilier’s plan. Hansel also gets the axe from Facilier since Hansel wasn’t operating toward Facilier’s goal of getting the Dark One’s dagger which seems to be Gothel’s plan. It’s also revealed that Naveen a.k.a Drew is awake. I don’t get this curse since it’s easy to wake people. Would Henry die if he was woken but the curse is still in affect?

So Hansel a.k.a the Candy killer was a Mid-Boss who did help to wrap Ivy’s storyline and Zelena though Zelena’s story also got wrapped in season 6 and according to press stuff she’ll be back towards the finale. If I didn’t know that from Reddit it would have been a nice ending for Zelena as she got back with her fiancé.  

With Hansel there have been five villains this season. Victoria/Rapunzel in the beginning, then Ivy/Drizellla,  then Gothel, then Nick/Jack/Hansel and Facilier. Is that it? Did I miss one? Also Hansel was nearly a good kidnapper except the parts where he was sloppy using his nickname with Jacinda in the text from Henry’s phone AND holding Henry at his own apartment. In the living room no less.   At least that plot-line was short.

While this episode was ok at best, I did like Zelena’s interactions with Rumple and Margot (with a T) and the fire motif.  

Overall the episode was B-.   

And I still want to know who was Dr.Sage???  Can I just BELIVE she was Esmeralda? I mean Sage is green and Esmeralda means Emerald which is green so it works in theory? She’s Esmeralda till otherwise proven like the other two ladies I suspected as being Esmeralda.