Music Review: Petula Clark: Live at the Paris Olympia (2003)

Petula Clark is terrific in this recorded concert.  You have to put up with the crazy camera work with angles making it look like Clark is under the mike, or going to fall on her face, and about half of the songs being sung in French to appeal to the local audience, and the conversation being mostly in French, but Clark's talent shines through out.  She sings songs from musicals and movies she has been in:  "Look to the Rainbow" from Finian's Rainbow, "You and I" from Goodbye Mr. Chips, "With One Look" from Sunset Boulevard and "Tell Me its not True from The Blood Brothers.  She seems some beautiful French melodies, some with a Jazz flavor.  She shines when she sings song form her own repetoire.  Don't Sleep in the Subway was new to me, but it still moved me.  Toward the end of the show was a trio of songs which brought the house down:  "I Know a Place", "Sign of the Times" and "Downtown" were excellent and had my blood pumping.  This is worth watching or listening to.

Musical Movie Review: **** Goodbye Mr. Chips

This is the 1969 movie musical which stars Peter O'Toole as Arthur Chipping (Mr. Chips) and Petula Clark as Katherine Bridges.  This a movie about two people from two different worlds, Chipping a school master and Bridges an actress, who fall in love with each other and make a life together.  This is a musical, but at times seems less so because many of the songs have been relegated to to being sung under the action, rather than in the fashion of a musical.  Petula Clark is a terrific singer.  Peter O' Toole sounds like Don Quijote through most of the movie.  However this movie proved to be very effective with me.  I was drawn into the story, and was weeping at the end of the story.  This is a passing of time story, showing Mr. Chips before meeting his wife, falling in love, bringing her to the school, being over looked for promotion, and then going through the war and the death of his wife due to The Battle of London.  We then see him briefly after.  The coming of age song, I find very touching:

In the morning of my life I shall look to the sunrise.
At a moment in my life when the world is new.
And the blessing I shall ask is that God will grant me,
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through.

(Chorus)
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love my whole life through

In the noontime of my life I shall look to the sunshine,
At a moment in my life when the sky is blue.
And the blessing I shall ask shall remain unchanging.
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through

(Chorus)

In the evening of my life I shall look to the sunset,
At a moment in my life when the night is due.
And the question I shall ask only I can answer.
Was I brave and strong and true?
Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

(Chorus)

I think this movie becomes more poignant as one gets older.  I really enjoyed it.