JUNE 12, 06 - SHIP MOVIE, TRIDIMENSIONAL DEEP SEA, SWIMMING POOL

975 days ago

THE LEGEND OF 1900...sounds familiar to anyone? La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano? A film by Giuseppe Tornatore, with Tim Roth, based on the book of Alessandro Baricco? Somebody defined it as "hauntingly beautiful" and I totally agree with it.

Haunting like a ghost, through the beauty of the images and the strangeness of the subject. For the big question marks, the blurry existential issues, the brilliant performance of Tim Roth (remember the Pulp Fiction fast food robber? or the bellboy in Four Rooms? most recently the bond agent in Don't come knocking? Maybe also Izzy in the Million Dollar Hotel). Of course it touched me in a special way because I lived on a ship myself, rocking with it, being awaked by the anchor at times, working, sleeping, eating, laughing, crying, loving - at sea. Only the character of 1900 doesn't know the sea, he never gets on land...or in the water. How can someone love the sea without feeling its embrace? This is one of the movie questions, because this genius pianist doesn't hear the "voice" of the ocean, its call, its shout.

And lately I've been asking myself if I shall go back, listen to the mermaids' song and sail back into shiplife. The answer is in the movie: this means giving up the world, ultimately giving up life. Not me.

Right afterwards some friend took me to IMAX movie theater to see DEEP SEA - a tridimensional film shot in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. I saw many old friends: fish, corals, sea turtles, even an octopus. Some beautiful sequences - oh, the amazing grace of jellyfish!, some funny - like the fight between some big kind of shrimp and an octopus, some touching - the turtles or moonfish being cleaned by smaller fishes. Got even more nostalgic.

And today I swam for an hour in the 25m pool at the Olympic Stadium. Felt like heaven, being in the water again! Last time I swam it was the Black Sea, September 4th 2005, right after my papa passed away

Three different phases all leading to the same spot.

I MISS THE SEA! I MISS MY THREE YEARS IN THE CARIBBEAN! BUT I WON'T GO BACK!