Dandy’s Flag and Le Otto Montagne

 

I think I’ve told you before that the city of Chester is located a stones throw over the Welsh border into England. It is the city I did my psychiatric nurse training in and is now one I visit often for film, theatre, book club and coffee. 
For ages now I have always been impressed with a giant Ukrainian flag flying high over Dandy’s landscaping Business on the Welsh side of the border. The flag is immense, some  45 feet by 25 feet and I’ve always wondered just why the company has chosen to fly such a huge flag.
Now apparently the yard used to fly a normal sized Welsh dragon flag,but changed it to a similar sized Ukrainian flag at the start of the war, and some small minded Welsh nationalist complained, and questioned just why a Welsh business should support a country so many hundreds of miles away .
Dandy’s replied with the towering flag.
I loved this simple yet effective statement of support and of rejection of blind nationalism.

This afternoon I went to see Le Otto Montagne ( The Eight Mountains) 
A slow, beautifully paced Italian film chronically four decades of friendship between Bruno ( Alesandro Borghi) and Pietro (Luca Marinelli), this film takes its time examining the complexities of male relationships and underlines how difficult it is for men to verbalise their feelings and rationalise their thoughts and motivations . 
The piece has unfairly been termed a straight Brokeback Mountain , which is lazy, as this film is a nuanced , incredibly sad, story of an intense relationship forged from loneliness and need. 



23 comments:

  1. Good on Dandy's for their very visual support of Ukraine, and shame on the complainer. The film sounds interesting, and oooh, those beards... (very shallow of me I know but I do like a beard!) xx

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  2. Is it a film of a book?

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    1. The film is an adaptation of a novel. Here's a link to a 5-star review of the film: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/19/le-otto-montagne-the-eight-mountains-review-cannes-film-festival

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    2. Anonymous10:17 pm

      Your review was rather brief

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  3. There is always someone ready to complain. I like the flag owner's response too. The film sounds outstanding and it is, I note, rated highly.

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  4. Barbara Anne10:04 pm

    Love the silent and large flag showing support for Ukraine.
    Last year I sent a blue/yellow quilt to Ukraine refugees as what else would a quilter do?

    Hugs!

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    1. It’s a nice story indeed I loved it

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  5. Anonymous10:13 pm

    Darling boy (you are younger than me!) methinks with your eloquence of writing that you can express your love to your lover most fabulously😘. Jan in Castle Gresley

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  6. Anonymous10:25 pm

    Dandy's used to fly the largest Welsh flag in the country a couple of years ago.

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  7. I was aware of my dad's relationships with his family - male cousins and brother - but last year I had two separate quite emotional conversations regarding the positve relationships he had with 2 male friends he worked with -Each younger than myself -They still visit his grave more than I do - He left over 30 years -The 5th is Birthday x. 👬

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  8. Dandy's response was most appropriate.

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  9. Anonymous12:41 am

    I enjoyed my visit to Chester in 2016. Wish I had more time there. Perhaps one day I will return. Jackie in Georgia USA

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  10. "The Eight Mountains" sounds good. I hope I get a chance to see it some day.

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  11. Anonymous4:12 am

    Sadly this year s not a cause but can support. Do your own research. I remain a loyal friend

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  12. Someone in our little road in Brighton put up a large Ukrainian flag, it later fell down and they simply left it on their roof. I think it's still there. Sad.

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  13. Nice flag, very much needed in this world. People are complicated, and for the most part we seldom see the depth.

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  14. weaver11:11 am

    John I have two lots of gay friends (both male) plus you of course - and I do understand how difficult life can be especially in the early stages of 'coming out'. We have come a long way but there is still a long way to go. The film sounds fascinating.
    As to bigots who sneer at the Ukranian flag - don't they ever look at the News and see he devastation and the terrible loss of life on both sides caused through such a needless war?

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    1. Anonymous3:55 pm

      The news lol, do you know about the americans biolabs in ukraine? please do some research
      Kate

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  15. Good for Dandy's, that's exactly the sort of thing I would do.

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