Brief notes (18 Adar I 5768)

• James Davila writes about a showing of Der Golem at Brooklyn College.  But arguably even more exciting is its showing as the highlight event of the 51st San Francisco International Film Festival on April 25 at 9:30 (unfortunately, a Friday evening):
  
  Friday 04.25.08
  51ST SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
  9:30 pm The Golem
  Castro Theatre
  
  Der Golem: wie er in die Welt kam
  Pauls Wegener, Carl Boese; Germany 1920, 82 min
  Live musical accompaniment by Black Francis
  
  Black Francis, former front man of the Pixies, will perform the world premiere of his original score to the silent German Expressionist classic, The Golem, live at the Castro Theatre. The story unfolds in 16th century Prague, where a rabbi fashions a kind of proto-Frankenstein called the Golem, sculpted from rough clay and brought to life through sorcery. Aiming to protect the labyrinthine Jewish ghetto from the Christian emperor’s annihilating decree, the well-intentioned rabbi soon loses control of his creation. Masterfully photographed by Karl Freund (Metropolis), and featuring Francis’s unique accompaniment, The Golem promises to be a sensory feast. Tickets are $15 . . . .  General public sales begin on April 3.

• However, I still think the best bet for seeing this great film is on you home DVD screen (US restored edition, US box set, US cheap edition, US cheap box set, US original score, UK edition).

• In further media news, William Patry writes about one song I remember hearing over and over again as a youth:  Drop Kick Me Jesus through the Goalposts of Life (mp3, lyrics) to introduce the recent Senate-NFL copyright dispute over showing the Super Bowl on big screen televisions.   After Senator Arlen Specter introduced a bill allowing churches to show football games on big-screen televisions, the NFL conceded the point and allowed free showings of the Super Bowl in church settings.  (Thank goodness that Specter's own religion did not enter the public discussion of this point.)

• Israel, which arguably has the worst Chinese food in the world (even the Chinese Embassy took the unusual step of labeling Israeli Chinese food as "disgusting") has recently seen an egg roll (and spring roll) strike over plans to deny permits to Asian chefs.  At the end of the month, there will be a sushi and noodle strike.  (Seriously.)  I believe that when the Messiah comes, Israel will finally have decent Chinese food.  (HT:  Jewschool)